Ethan Nicolas sat at his desk at Lone Wolf Tech. His dark hair was sleek, green eyes bright, and he wore a black hoodie with gray sweatpants—looking sharp and casual. Last night's werewolf meeting in Blackwood Forest stuck with him. Mara said, "The hunt's close," and the king's pulse was weak in his coma. WolfSnap buzzed in his pocket with low growls, reminding him of the jungle trouble.
Ava Francis walked in, her dark hair loose, freckles clear on her face. Riely followed her—short black hair tucked back, a small smile on her quiet face. They'd clicked last night at Ava's dad's place over tea, laughing about Paul's old garage stories. Now they were close friends.
"Keep up," Ava said, looking at Riely. "Ethan's the boss. He's with Tara, but he might give you a job."
Riely nodded, holding a thin folder. "Thanks. I'm nervous, but I need this."
"You'll do great," Ava said, heading toward Ethan.
"Morning, tech king," Ava said, her voice dry but firm. "Got someone new for you."
Ethan looked up, his green eyes sharp even after a rough night. "Who's this? What's your name?" he asked, checking out the stranger.
Ava jumped in fast. "Her name's Riley. She's new here and really needs a job. She helped her dad run his shop—knows what she's doing. Claire's useless. Give her a chance."
Ethan shrugged, easygoing. "Okay, Riley. Start tomorrow. Welcome." He grinned at Ava. "Got any gossip today?"
She smirked. "Just your thing with Tara. Lovers, right? The hotel made it obvious."
He laughed, short and flat. "Keep guessing. It's funny." Ava's quick talk was cool, but it didn't hit him deep.
Riley nodded. "Thanks. See you Monday." She stepped back, watching.
"You sure about that?" Ethan asked, leaning back. "Me and Tara?"
"Totally," Ava said, arms crossed. "Club, meetings, hotel—you two are locked in. I'm done guessing."
He shrugged, his grin small. WolfSnap buzzed louder, growls getting sharp. "Fine. Keeps you off my back." Ava was clever, but the jungle stuff—king's coma, pearies Aliens—mattered more.
Tara marched over, her heels loud, face mad. "Ava, what's this junk?" she snapped, holding up some papers—yesterday's meeting notes Ava did. "You messed up the schedule and pushed my time back. Ethan needed me first!"
Ava looked at her, calm. "Relax. I fixed a mix-up. You're fine."
"Fine?" Tara yelled, her eyes full of hate. "You're always sticking your nose in. Think you're big because he listens to you? Get out of my way!" She threw the papers at Ava's feet, pages flying.
Ethan spoke up, his voice even. "Tara, stop it. Fix your pitch instead of this." He pointed at the mess, not caring.
Tara glared at Ava, her hate burning, then turned and stomped back to her desk. Ava kicked the papers away, chill as always. "She's a real gem," she said loud enough for Tara to hear.
Ethan thought about the forest—Mara's hard look, Kael's grunt, the king's fall. Then he remembered October 2022, a wet alley, Sophie's last words. He'd blocked her, hiding his claws. "I'll change for us," he'd said, serious. Her wet blonde curls stuck to her face, her eyes cold. "You're not human. It's over." She'd walked off. Later, he'd wrecked a bar couple's night, shutting himself off.
Sophie's "over" kept him sharp. Tara was just there, Ava was someone he noticed—nothing more. WolfSnap went off—growls turned to loud howls. His chair creaked as his claws popped out, cutting the desk's edge. Wood split. "Shoot," he said, seeing blood, pushing the claws back.
Ava turned, frowning. "Your app's still bad. Fix it."
"Working on it," he said, his voice tight, grin fake. A shadow zipped past the window—yellow eyes, then gone. His heart raced—werewolf king stuff, the hunt. Mara was right; it was close.
Ava sat at her desk, still sure Ethan and Tara were lovers, even after Tara's fit. The growl, his twitch—odd, but not her problem. She let it go—work came first. Ethan watched her sit. Sophie's "not human" fought with the pack's pull. Ava was wrong about Tara, but her style was solid. No big deal, just respect.
Outside, the city hummed, not seeing the storm. WolfSnap's howls quieted, but the forest's thump stayed strong—Ethan's fight wasn't over.
To be continued...
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