Chapter 93

Ava

The corridors of Chris’s towering office building were quiet as we strode toward his office, our footsteps echoing in the empty halls. My gaze roamed over the gleaming surfaces and out the large windows overlooking the bustling human city below—a sight that I wasn’t sure whether I would ever get used to.

“Here we are,” Chris murmured, breaking the silence as he unlocked a large door leading to his own personal office.

I couldn’t quite help the way my eyes widened as I stepped into the room and took in the pristine glass desktop with the pure white Apple computer sitting on top of it. The desk was devoid of any other clutter or papers, save for a single silver nameplate with Chris’s name carved into it.

“We won’t stay long,” Chris said, crossing over to a single filing cabinet built into one of the two walls that wasn’t entirely windows. “I just need to grab a few things before we head back to Moonstone…”

As he rifled through his filing cabinet, I took a chance to wander the room. I ran my index finger along the spines of books on the built-in shelves, then absentmindedly pushed his large leather desk chair so that it spun in a lazy circle.

Every surface, every piece of furniture gleamed as though it had just been thoroughly cleaned. Expensive abstract art adorned the walls, signed by artists who I didn’t recognize. The massive floor-to-ceiling corner windows overlooked the city below, so high up that the cars and people on the street looked like ants.

But as impressive—and intimidating—as the space was, I soon found my attention being pulled away from my own awe and toward the sight of two women standing in the doorway.

“Oh!” one of them exclaimed, stepping into the room so that her blonde hair caught the light. “Chris, we didn’t expect you back in the office for a while yet.”

“Yes,” Chris laughed, not lifting his gaze from his files. “I was in the area for a personal matter and wanted to pick some things up. Do you have any messages for me?”

“We’ve directed all of your calls to your email since you’ll be away,” the woman, a brunette, still standing in the doorway said. “As requested.”

“Perfect. I just thought I’d ask.”

The blonde woman looked over at me then. “And you’ve brought a guest?” she asked.

I felt my muscles tense instinctively, immediately expecting these women to look down on me. My Moonstone tattoo was on stark display, peeking out from beneath the sleeve of my shirt, and I wasn’t dressed to the nines like I had been at the party last night.

Once again, I was an outsider here in this world.

But before I could think too deeply about it, Chris was crossing the room and looping one arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his side.

“This is Ava,” he said. “My girlfriend. Ava, these are my secretaries: Etta and Maria.”

For a moment, the office went utterly silent. Then, abruptly, the two women seemed to beam in tandem.

“Ava! It’s so nice to meet you,” the blonde, Etta, said. “We’ve heard rumors about you, but… We didn’t expect to see you here so soon. So far from the werewolf continent.”

The brunette, Maria, smiled as well, crossing the room and extending one hand for me to shake while the other clutched a clipboard to her chest. “It really is lovely to meet you.”

“You as well,” I said, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding all this time.

As Maria shook my hand, however, her gaze dropped to the tattoo on my arm. “Beautiful,” she breathed, leaning in a little closer to get a better look. “I must admit, I’ve never seen one of these tattoos in person.”

I managed a thin smile and tugged my sleeve up to allow her to see it better. She let out a small breath of awe and reached for it, but then stopped, shooting me a questioning glance.

“May I…?”

For a moment, I bristled at the idea of a human touching my tattoo like it was some kind of oddity. But then I softened, recalling how many times in recent history I had been in awe of the human world—such as that night at the sculpture garden—and how, at the end of the day, we were all just curious souls who were seeking to know each other better.

“Of course,” I said.

The secretaries spent a few moments fussing over my tattoo, and then moved on to other things—like my hair, my eyes, my outfit. I couldn’t help but blush beneath their praise.

“You’re so beautiful,” Maria cooed, her eyes wandering my face while Chris continued to busy himself with some work on his computer. “We’ve heard the rumors that you were a beauty, but in person…”

I swallowed, still managing to smile but feeling a bit taken aback at the second mention of it.

“Rumors?” I asked. “What kind of rumors?”

“Oh, you know,” Etta said with a wave of her hand, “Chris is such a celebrity here, that word gets out quickly whenever he has a new girlfriend. And… well, it’s been so long since he’s been with anyone. Publicly, anyway…”

Maria nodded in agreement. “People are absolutely buzzing with excitement. Some say that you’re a great beauty from the werewolf world.”

“And they would be right,” Chris added, glancing up at us from over the top of his desktop monitor.

I felt my cheeks heat up beneath their praise, but it wasn’t entirely their words that left me reeling. The idea of rumors already spreading—fairly specific rumors, too—was a bit concerning when we were still trying to hide our relationship from the discerning Elders.

When Etta and Maria finally left, I turned toward Chris and worried my lower lip between my teeth.

“What is it?” Chris asked without even looking up, as though he could sense my discomfort from across the room. “You’re worried about something.”

“How could you tell?”

“I can always tell.”

I sighed and shook my head, chuckling under my breath at how well he seemed to read me. Sinking down into one of the plush black leather chairs across from his desk, I passed a hand over my face.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to brazenly admit that we’re dating?” I blurted out. “Even here, so far from the werewolf continent… word could spread like wildfire.”

Chris didn’t answer for a few moments, still clicking casually on his computer. Then, with one final click, I heard the sound of the printer whirring in the corner. He shut his computer off and crossed to the printer with a shrug.

“You know I can handle it,” he said as he watched the warm papers come out. “I highly doubt the rumors would make it that far; and even if they did, I’d have no issues mitigating them. You know I’m good with that sort of thing, if nothing else.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, although the sound was a bit hoarse. “Don’t act so cocky,” I said, rising and crossing over to him. “The Elders aren’t idiots, Chris.”

“I know they’re not. But neither are we.” He turned toward me then and looped one arm around my waist, pulling me close against him in that way that never failed to make my heart race. “Don’t worry, Ava. Seriously.”

Sighing, I pressed my fingers into his chest and pushed myself back just enough to look up at him. My hair, which I was wearing completely loose and natural today, cascaded over my shoulder as I tilted my chin up to meet his gaze.

“I hope you’re right,” I muttered. “Otherwise…”

“Otherwise,” Chris interrupted, digging his fingers into my back and yanking me just a little closer, his voice dropping to a husky tone, “you’ll have to punish me.”

My cheeks flushed deep red. Laughing, I smacked his chest and tried to pull away, but it was no use.

He let out a soft growl and nipped at the soft skin of my neck before finally releasing me.

“I promise, Ava,” he said softly. “It’ll be just fine. Now… We have a ferry to catch.”