Dawn’s one hand was glued to the rail while the other one held the coffee can tightly. She continued to stare at him. Sweat trickled down her spine. She ignored the phone’s ping. The walls closed in on her and she curled her hands tightly around the what she was holding. Her mind started searching for ways to escape. She felt like a prey in front of a predator. Trapped in a tight space with him was worse than dancing with him on his engagement. 

Daryn remembered their dance, how their bodies touched each other and he controlled an overwhelming urge to hold her against him. Her scent drove him crazy. He called upon every wolf spirit to control his wolf. 

​​

“Morn- morning!” he replied. 

“Congratulations on your engagement,” she said slowly. He was too intimidating. 

He tilted his head and ignored her statement. He pointed to the tag she was wearing. “Are you working here?” He asked hoping to taunt her and sound surprised but little did he realize that his voice was like a purr, like a thank fates for getting her to him, like he was thanking every wolf spirit. But he had to keep quiet. Keep his raging hormones in check. 

She cowered. Was her cover up about to blow? “Y— yes, I joined today.” She bit her lip. Act normal. But after what happened between them, this was supposed to be the most embarrassing moment. She had spat on his face that she would never see him ever again and here she was – stuck with him in an elevator, as an employee in his Company and that too on Azura’s request. She lowered her eyes in shame. “I— I needed this job,” she said as if trying to explain her desperation.

“Okay,” he replied, which sounded more like a thank you. She looked so cute. He could feel his fangs sharpening. He dug his hands in his pocket to stop them from pinning her beneath him. His eyes traveled to her skirt and something about her clenched thighs threw him off the edge. “Which department?” he asked even though he knew about it. 

“Finance. I have joined as a Junior Market Analyst,” she said hesitatingly lifting her eyes. She felt she was all out in the open. She would never be able to do anything now that he would keep a close vigil on her. 

Beautiful and brainy and hot as hell. He approved of this combination. He would never let her go now. He could sense that he was making her uncomfortable, so he talked gently to make her feel at ease. “Is this your first job?” 

Since he had already seen her with Azura, saying that this was her first job would have looked like a blatant lie, which would go against her. “Yes, this is my first regular job but I have worked on a contract basis.” Coming to your Company and eavesdropping was a part of the current contract. Her unease grew further. 

In all his thirty-two years, he had never had an urge to hold a woman to comfort her. Since that would have freaked her out, Daryn turned away from her, towards the door of the elevator in order to calm her. His throat became tight and he wished he could strip out of his suit and shift. His agonizer seemed to relax. He looked at her reflection in the door and saw that she had left the rail. How could he make her feel better? “So you are nervous about joining the job?” 

Hell yes. But she was even more nervous with him in this steel elevator. He was known to kill neotides mercilessly. Would he let her stay without any kind of torture? “Look, Mr. Silver, if you feel that I am a misfit in your office, I can resign.” It was a bad idea to stay. “I have never worked in a nine to five job. So yes, I am nervous and with our history, I don’t think you can take it.” Bad idea, indeed. She prepared to leave the building. She would go to her cube, collect her purse and go, and never return. This was beyond humiliating. The attraction was beyond comprehension. It all sounded wrong. 

Daryn turned to look at her. How dare she even think of leaving? “So you can’t take up the challenge of this job? You gave up in two hours? Was it so difficult?” He wanted to scoff, instead he stared at her as if pinning her against the wall with it. 

“What? The job is fairly easy! Hah!” How could he even think she was incompetent? “I am not talking about the job, I am talking about you.” She rolled her eyes. 

A half-smile tugged at his lips. Oh, how he would have loved punishing her for this. He imagined his hands slapping her buttocks to the point that they became red. Muscles in his groin became painfully hard at the way she allured him. He made a note – to spank her in his office. He stepped towards her to hold her and merge her into his body so that she would never leave him. She should have been running in his blood stream. She should have been sitting in his heart. What was she doing out? He raised his eyebrow and said, “I can take you.” Everywhere. Elevator could be first. “You sure think too highly of yourself Ms. Dawn. I would like to see what a neotide could do to me!” He threw the gauntlet at her. 

She picked it up. “I have no intentions of crossing your path while I am working here,” she snarled. Yes Dawn, say that to the CEO of the Silver House. He will kick you out now. And what did he mean by saying ‘take you’?

Daryn’s smile disappeared. Bring it one Ms. Dawn. His feisty neotide. It was getting hard for him to not kiss her senseless, like there was no tomorrow. We’ll see how you hide yourself?

The elevator stopped on the first floor and the door opened. Dawn looked at a man with facial features that resembled Daryn’s, only that he was slightly shorter, standing out waiting. His mouth dropped when his saw Dawn. Daryn turned his head to see him. Neal stepped inside and opened his mouth to reprimand Dawn. Aggressively, he said, “Don’t you know this is a private­—” 

Another werewolf. Scared, Dawn thought of everything she could to kill the two burly if they attacked her. She could shift and take them. But she wouldn’t go down easily. But what happened next surprised her. 

Before Neal could complete his sentence Daryn slowly turned towards him. He took his hand beside Dawn, pushed her behind him and gave a low, dangerous, guttural growl. How dare anyone talk like that to his woman? 

Neal’s head jerked. His posture stiffened along with his muscles. He stopped mid-sentence. His hands rushed to cross his chest and he stared at Daryn with narrowed eyes. 

The elevator’s door closed and they began to ascend. 

Dawn was equally surprised. She felt Daryn’s hand and there was a surge of electricity in her body. What was this act of shielding her? 

“We are supposed to have a meeting,” Neal reminded. He noticed Daryn forming fists. The color of his eyes changed. A wolf was about to jump out and attack him. “Will you be joining it?” He had to distract him. 

After a moment’s pause, Daryn replied, “I will join later.”