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Chapter Four

L ILA WINTER

SIX YEARS LATER

The skyscrapers loom tall, a blend of glass and steel shimmering beneath the golden hues of the sun. I breathe in the crisp air, tinged with the scent of rain and concrete, and an eerie sense of familiarity wraps around me.

I lived here as a child once. That was before I lost every memory I had of my past, but I'm back in Phoenix, and this city—this is our fresh start.

I’m distracted by the hubbub outside the window to notice the small presence standing near my feet.

She tugs at my skirt, holding the same brown teddy bear she’s refused to part with since she was two years old.

“Mommy, do we live here now?” Lina’s voice is small and hesitant. Her bright green eyes, just like mine, flicker with curiosity.

Kneeling in front of her and brushing the soft, dark curls from her face, my heart swells with love as I kiss her forehead, “Yes, baby. This is our new home. Do you like it?”

“Mm-hmm.” She nods, giving me one of those adorable smiles that make me push on hard every day to provide for her.

Every time she smiles and looks at me like that, it makes me want to be better. My little girl saved me and gave my life more meaning than anyone ever could. Six years ago, I thought I needed a Fated Mate to make myself whole, but the Goddess gave me something better.

She brought me Lina Winter.

Holding her hand, my daughter and I look at our apartment, the one that’s almost five times bigger than the small house we were stuck in when we were in Fair Haven.

Lina and I had made friends in that small town, even making a few people cry when we told them we were moving.

There's no denying that Fair Haven had its charm, but it was mostly human territory.

That meant tiptoeing around my instincts, suppressing our scents, and dodging every suspicious eye that came our way.

Here in Phoenix, the city is big enough for werewolves to blend in, and the city is industrial enough to have werewolf-run businesses like H Industries operating in plain sight.

H Industries might look like just another firm, but the minute I saw the silver wolf crest in their company logo, I knew what it truly meant—the business was run by our kind.

We needed a change.

And this new city, this new job, might be the change we need.

The early morning light filters through the curtains, casting a soft golden glow inside the apartment. I sit on the edge of Lina’s bed, making circles on her tiny hand with my fingers. She’s curled beneath the blankets, her thick, soft curls sprawled all over her pillows and the teddy in her arms.

My heart clenches from the sight alone.

I don’t want to wake her, but I can't bring myself to say goodbye either.

Nonetheless, I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I love you, baby.”

Unfortunately, that makes her stir, and a minute later, her lashes flutter open and her eyes land on me.

“Mommy?” Her voice is soft and still smothered with sleep.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” I smile and smooth down her curls.

It takes about a second for Lina’s gaze to drift down to my blue windowpane blouse and my dark, ironed skirt. I know what she’s thinking faster than she can ask it.

“Where are you going? I’m coming too, mommy!” she squeals.

My throat constricts. The thought of crushing her little heart breaks me down, but if I don’t do this, I won’t be able to give her everything she wants.

In Fair Haven, Lina was able to tag along with me to work because my boss was kind. Plus, my daughter did bring in more customers with her cuteness. Here, not so much.

I can’t take her with me even though I want to. It’s my first day as a secretary, and the last thing I need is to start off on the wrong foot, especially when my new boss has a reputation for being ruthless and utterly terrifying.

“I have to go to work today, baby, and you can’t come with me this time around.” I swallow hard, cradling her cheek.

She pushes herself up, rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists. “No! Stay.”

She’s about to cry.

I see it in the way her bottom lip quivers and her green eyes well with unshed tears.

I hug her close, and she wraps her hands around my neck. “I wish I could, but I have to go, sweetheart.”

She shakes her head against my shoulder. “Don’t want you to go.”

Rubbing circles on her back, I try my best to soothe her, and yet my voice still cracks. “Patty is coming, remember? She’s gonna take you to meet some really cool kids at the daycare. And you get to color and paint and play all day.”

Lina sniffles. I can tell my enthusiasm isn't rubbing off on her. Then, lifting her head, she asks, “What if I don’t like her?”

I want to both chuckle at her expression and cry at the same time.

Tucking a curl behind her ear, I whisper, “I think you will. And I’ll be back before you know it. Mommy will come to pick you up once she’s done with work.”

Her lips tremble, and her little fingers grab at my blouse again. “What if you don’t come back?”

Goddess, not come back when she’s my entire world? When she’s the only constant in my life, the one person who has never abandoned me?

Lina has never known her father. I could have told her that he abandoned us out of my own bitterness, but that would mean seeing my little girl’s heart break, and I can’t do that.

So, every time she’s asked about her father, I’ve tried to explain it in the gentlest way possible, that sometimes, fathers can’t stay.

Sometimes, they go to heaven to watch over us as angels.

And every time, I’ve had to swallow the guilt of that lie, forcing a smile onto my face as her eyes light up with hope when she asks me if her father is going to come down from heaven to visit us one day.

I’ve raised Lina all by myself and it hasn’t been easy.

There were the nights where I worked till my fingers ached—wiping down tables, taking the night shifts, volunteering to take out the trash for a few bucks.

Then there were the days when I skipped meals just to make sure she got a cake for her birthday party.

I’ve fought, sacrificed, and struggled for my girl, so if lying to her about her father keeps her heart from breaking, I’ll do so because she’s worth it. She’s worth everything.

Pain slices through me as I cup her small face in my hands, making sure she’s looking right at me. “I will always come back to you, baby. Always.”

As if she’s doubting me, her eyebrows scrunch, and she asks, “Promise?”

I kiss her forehead. “Promise.”

The knock on Lina’s bedroom door makes her jolt and cling to me tighter. I don’t know how many times I kiss her, trying to act like I'm not freaked out about leaving her with a stranger.

Though to be fair, Patty is a nice woman and a werewolf.

She also happens to run one of the few werewolf-exclusive daycares in the city that's hidden in plain sight.

That's the reason why I trust her with Lina.

Since today is Lina's first day at the daycare, she volunteered to pick my daughter up, get her ready, and drive her to the daycare.

Apparently, they do that with all the new pups to build trust. She also promised to call me if anything happens to Lina.

“No, Mommy. Don’t go,” Lina sobs.

Her sobs cut another piece out of my heart, but I remain strong.

“You are my brave little girl, aren’t you? Come on, baby. Look at me.”

She wipes her tears and looks at me. “Mmh.”

“Then you’ll get ready with Patty, go make some new friends, and wait for mommy to come pick you up, right?”

“O-okay.”

“I love you, Lina. So, so, much.”

“Me too, Mommy.”

I give her a kiss, and then I give Bear, her teddy bear, a kiss too.

Five minutes later, I’m outside her room standing with Patty and trying my best not to say fuck it and stay home.

“You are both going to be okay, Lila. And I'll make sure Lina and I have a fun day. You need to go, dear. You can’t be late on your first day.”

Right. My new job.

I remember coming across the job listing while still in Fair Haven. It felt like a long shot, yet with nothing to lose, I polished my resume and sent it in.

To my surprise, I passed the initial screening a day later and was invited to a remote interview with the hiring manager. The interview was straightforward to say the least—basic questions about my skills, experience, and why I wanted the job.

I tried to answer everything the best I could without getting my hopes up. Yet a week later, I received the offer letter. No second round, no drawn-out process. Just like that, I got the job!

Today is my first official day, and the fact that I was hired quickly when most companies take weeks to make a decision still baffles me. But it’s like they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth. Most especially when I need this job.

Standing on the pavement, I stare up at the thirty-something-story skyscraper looming above me, blocking out the morning sun. The words H INDUSTRIES are branded across the building in bold, black letters. Something about them makes my stomach clench uneasily.

I can do this though.

There were what? Hundreds of people who must have applied for this job?

And yet out of all of them, I nailed the interview and got the job.

The manager had actually looked impressed, like he hadn’t expected me to be as good as I was.

My ability to organize complex reports effortlessly, spot patterns other people overlooked, and think quickly on my feet seemed to catch his attention.

I’d spent the last five years sharpening those skills, and now I need to prove to everyone and myself that I earned this.

Holding my purse tight and my head high, my nerves are thrumming wildly beneath my skin. I take a deep breath and step forward through the revolving glass doors.

If I thought the outside of the building was impressive, the inside is breathtaking.

The vast lobby stretches in front of me, making me feel minuscule. Above me, the dramatic recessed lighting casts a golden glow over the polished marble floors—floors so pristine I can see my own nervous reflection staring back at me.

A few feet ahead, a massive onyx reception desk sits like a fortress, staffed by a team of impeccably dressed receptionists. They answer calls every few minutes, barely breaking a sweat.

Above them, the company’s neon name and logo glow, but this time, there’s something new…an intricately carved silver wolf’s head embedded against textured black granite.

The sight alone makes something in my chest tighten.

The symbol of what the silver wolf means doesn’t escape me. It screams power and dominance.

I smooth my blouse, suddenly feeling underdressed and unprepared.

Pushing past the unease, I stride toward the reception desk. One of the women, a stunning blonde with high cheekbones and a killer smile, lifts her gaze and slowly looks me over. Pity flickers in her expression before she masks it with a faux smile.

“You must be Lila Winter, the new secretary?”

I clear my throat, nodding. “Yes.”

“Just a moment.”

She barely spares me another glance as she types something on her keyboard.

A minute later, she slides a sleek company badge across the polished surface.

“Miss Lila Winter, welcome to H Industries. You’ll go straight ahead, take the first elevator, and it will take you directly to the executive floor. Your boss is expecting you.”

Ooh.

I nod, trying not to let my nerves show. “Thank you. The pleasure is all mine.”

Slipping the lanyard around my neck, I head toward the elevators. The ride to the thirty-fifth floor is the longest ride I’ve ever taken in my twenty-eight years of existence.

My wolf stirs uneasily, urging me to breathe and to stay calm. You already got the job. Everything will be smooth sailing from now on.

Yet, deep down, there’s that shred of doubt that makes me feel as if everything has come too easily with this job.

I breathe in deeply, my fingers tightening around the strap of my purse as I watch the numbers on the elevator ascend.

I hadn’t found much about my boss on the company’s website, but a little digging told me he comes from a prestigious family full of Alphas.

That alone makes my pulse spike. Alphas.

What if he’s impossible to work with? The company website might have given me nothing, but I read on a few job hunting forums that my new boss is a mystery—cold, serious, and demanding to an extreme extent. The only thing people know about him is that he doesn’t tolerate mistakes.

Goddess knows I've dealt with difficult men before, but something about this one makes my nerves spike.

But impossible or not, this job is my lifeline and the only safety net I have to survive in this city. If I have to tolerate a difficult boss, I will.

The elevator chimes, the doors sliding open silently.

I step out, and the minute I do, I find that the top floor is cold, intimidating, and eerily quiet.

A rush of cool air prickles against my skin, and I suppress a shiver, blaming it on the air conditioning. Unlike the lobby, which at least had a few people milling about, this floor holds only one office.

The boss’ office.

The opaque glass walls of said office shield me from catching a glimpse of my new boss.

And that only makes my heart thunder louder.

One last deep breath, one last attempt at courage, and I knock.

“Come in.”

Two words. That’s all it takes to send a spark of electricity shooting through my body and my pulse hammering like a war drum.

My wolf goes rigid. I feel it in my chest, in my bones.

Yet I shove the feeling down and force myself to turn the handle. It’s just a job. It’s just a boss.

The minute I step inside, my legs cease functioning, and I freeze.

It’s his scent that hits me first. Wild spice and cedar. Familiar, intoxicating, undeniable.

My breath catches. No. No, no, no.

Denial sits like a weight on my shoulders as I lift my gaze.

There’s no way the Goddess would play a cruel joke on me like this. No way.

Then, he speaks. And everything inside me shatters.

“Lila.”