Chapter 10

Cora

I was halfway through Riley’s bedtime story when my phone buzzed. I glanced at it quickly, trying not to lose my spot.

It was a message from Kingston.

“Arrange tomorrow’s lab inspection,” the message said. “Have the schedule finalized by morning.”

No greeting. No "please." Just a cold directive like always. Strictly businesses.

But I guess I could have assumed it would be this terse. We hadn’t been exactly friendly since he had overheard me calling him a capitalist pig to Rock.

I was just grateful that he hadn’t confronted me about it. Yet.

I finished the story, tucked Riley in, and promised I’d be back to check on him later. Then I brewed a cup of coffee, pulled out my laptop, and opened every file I could find related to Kingston’s previous inspection preferences.

I pored over all the information I could find, spending hours combing through everything until my eyes hurt from staring at my computer screen. No detail was too small.

I studied the lab maps until I could redraw them from memory. Then, I reviewed the names and positions of every researcher and assistant.

If I could plan the schedule down to the minute, maybe—just maybe—Kingston wouldn’t have anything to complain about.

And hopefully, my hard work would overshadow the comment he had overheard.

I couldn’t get the image of his frown out of my mind. Every time I thought about it, my heart sunk all over again.

Around midnight, Riley shuffled into the living room, hair tousled and holding his stuffed wolf by one leg. He climbed onto my lap and stared at my laptop screen.

“Who’s that?” he asked, pointing to Kingston’s photo in one of the documents I had open.

“Baby. you should be in bed,” I said.

“He’s the guy from the restaurant!” Riley exclaimed as it dawned on him.

“He’s also my boss,” I murmured.

“He looks serious.” Riley squinted. “Is he gonna be my new dad?”

I nearly spit out my coffee.

“What? No!”

He blinked at me, confused. “But I like him. He stood up for me in front of the bullies, remember?”

My chest tightened at the memory. Kingston had silenced their taunting with nothing more than a few calm words.

“Sweetheart, just because someone does the right thing doesn’t mean they’re… dad material,” I said gently. “Kingston’s a selfish capitalist. Definitely not suitable to be a father.”

Riley yawned. “He’s kinda cool though.”

I ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead again. “Bedtime, little man.”

By the time I finally finished preparing the schedule and printed the checklists, it was nearly 4 a.m. I passed out on the couch for a few short hours, then jolted awake when my alarm buzzed.

My brain felt like it was stuffed with cotton as I squinted against the morning light. Everything hurt.

I threw on a clean blouse, twisted my hair into a low bun, and sprinted out the door with half a granola bar in one hand and my laptop bag in the other.

On the way to the office, I made a detour to my favorite coffee shop. I needed something to keep me alive through the morning. For good measure, I ordered a second cup.

I hoped it could act as a peace offering. I needed something to soften the blow of talking to him face to face.

When I arrived, Kingston was already at his desk, reviewing notes with that usual cool, detached expression.

“Here,” I said, offering the cup. “Extra strong, no sugar. I took a wild guess and figured you would like it black.”

He took one look at it and frowned. “Werewolves don’t need coffee.”

“Oh,” I said, lowering the cup in defeat. “Sorry. I just thought—”

“You’ve been working here for how long now?” he said, voice low and sharp. “And you still haven’t made an effort to learn werewolf customs?”

I swallowed my pride, nodded, and set the cup on the corner of his desk. He was right. I should have known this. Why hadn’t I put in the extra time to research these things too?

“I’ll make sure to look more into it. I’m sorry,” I said. I added it to my mental to-do list.

By noon, I’d skipped lunch and answered more emails than I could count. My fingers were starting to cramp from typing.

Just as I was finishing up one of my many projects, the front desk buzzed me.

“Uh, ma’am? There’s someone downstairs asking for you. He says it’s urgent.”

I blinked. I couldn’t think of anyone who would want to see me. Not even my own sister seemed to anymore.

“Did he give a name?”

The receptionist hesitated. “No, but uh… He’s a little… loud. And possibly intoxicated.”

Oh no.

I knew who it was now. I rushed to the lobby and froze when I saw him.

Zach.

Unshaven. Shirt wrinkled and half untucked. The stench of cheap whiskey clung to him like a fog.

He grinned when he saw me. “There you are, sweetheart.”

My stomach sank. “Zach, what are you doing here?”

Of course, he worked there as well, but he never spent time on the first floor like this. And he should have been wearing his uniform as head of security. I had never seen him dressed so disheveled at the company building before.

Among other reasons, his whiskey breath and wild appearance underscored that something was seriously wrong.

He swayed slightly, pointing a finger at me. “I lost my job, Cora. Gone. Poof. Head of security one day, now nothing.”

I glanced around. Some employees were already slowing down to stare.

“I’m sorry,” I said, keeping my voice low. “But I don’t have anything to do with—”

“I need money.”

“No.” I held my tongue against telling him to ask his mistress for it.

I had nothing more to give. I could hardly provide for Riley and myself as it was.

His expression hardened. “Don’t be like that. I know that you just got promoted. You owe me.”

“Owe you?” I echoed, stunned.

“You’re working in a werewolf company, aren’t you? Bet it’s cause of me. Give me some fucking credit. You had a werewolf husband.”

“We’re divorced.”

“Not yet. You missed that last meeting, right? Doesn’t matter anyways. You still owe me, Cora.”

People were definitely staring now. Some with confusion. Others were looking on with disgust.

“I don’t owe you anything, Zach. Please leave.”

He took a step closer, his voice dropping into a growl. “You dare talk to me like that? You? A lowly human?”

I instinctively backed up, heart racing. His eyes were glowing faintly. Not fully shifted, but enough to make the threat clear.

“You forget your place, Cora. You think you’re better now working for wolves? Acting all high and mighty.”

He snarled, the sound tearing up through him.

Deep. Animalistic. It made my skin crawl.

More employees gathered nearby. Some were whispering.

“Who is she?” someone hissed.

“I heard she slept her way into the company,” another whispered in answer.

Zach heard it. He saw the embarrassment burning in my face, the tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. And he smiled.

He reached for my arm.

I flinched.

And then I heard him.

“Cora.”

That voice. Sharp and commanding.

I turned.

Kingston stood at the top of the stairs, his expression unreadable but eyes locked onto mine.

My breath caught. I must’ve looked pathetic, barely holding it together.

He descended slowly, steps echoing through the suddenly silent lobby.

“Perhaps you’ve forgotten,” he said, voice cold and calm, “that you’re still on the clock.”

Zach turned, surprised, but only for a second. The moment Kingston came into full view, his entire posture changed like a dog that had just realized it’d growled at the wrong alpha.

A single nod from Kingston, and the security team materialized out of nowhere.

Four werewolves. All bigger than Zach. And none of them was drunk.

They surrounded him without a word.

Zach looked around wildly. “I— This is harassment! She’s my wife! I have a right to—”

“You have the right to remain silent,” Kingston said, still not raising his voice.

The security guards didn’t touch Zach, but they didn’t have to. The sheer force of their presence drove him out like a wave.

When the doors finally closed behind him, I realized I was still holding my breath.

Kingston turned back to me.

“Clean yourself up,” he said, glancing briefly at the tears I hadn’t managed to wipe away. “You still have work to do.”

And I stood there beneath his intense attention, humiliated… and strangely grateful.

With just a glance from Kingston, a group of security werewolves surrounded Zach and

drove him away.