Chapter 8
SASHA
The lights of the press conference were blinding, the chatter of the media a dull roar in my ears as I stood beside Denver on the stage.
Cameras and microphones swarmed around us in a whirlwind as reporters lobbed relentless questions at us.
My heart was racing, but I kept my head high, my smile steady. Beside me, I could feel the tension rolling off of Denver in waves. Despite his calm and measured voice, his muscles were coiled tight, and I noticed the tick in his jaw as he clenched his teeth in between answering inquiries about the sudden accelerated launch of the American line at XMGH.
Denver shot me a glance out of the corner of his eye. I smiled and gave him an encouraging nod. Despite my nerves and flip-flopping stomach, this was our moment and I wasn't going to let him down.
He turned to me, his blue eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before he continued. "And I am proud to introduce the lead designer of this groundbreaking new collection, Sasha Bennett."
The applause was thunderous, but all I could focus on was the way Denver looked at me.
There was pride in his eyes and something deeper that made my heart swell. I stepped forward to the mic, feeling the weight of the moment settle on my shoulders.
"Thank you," I began, my voice steady despite the butterflies in my stomach. "It's an honor to lead this project, and I'm incredibly excited to bring this vision to life. My goal is to bridge the gap between modernity and classic design. In creating our new ready-to-wear line, silhouettes, and footwear, I will push and test boundaries all while staying true to the XMGH DNA. Stay tuned for exciting changes up ahead. This is just the beginning."
"I have a lot of confidence in Ms. Bennett to bring a blend of innovation to XMGH while preserving our heritage. We want the world to know that our company is ready to move with the times, that we are not stuck in the past."
The Q&A session that followed was a blur of questions about the collection, my design process, and my experience.
When the questions finally died off, I handed the microphone back to Denver. "Thank you all for your time. We're excited to bring this new line to the world and to continue pushing the boundaries of design at XMGH."
As the room began to empty, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I scanned the crowd, but nothing seemed out of place until my gaze landed on a figure standing in the shadows near the emergency exit. It was too dark to make out who it was besides the fact that it was a man with a medium build.
Denver turned to me, his hand brushing mine in a reassuring gesture before it instinctively found its home on the small of my back. "You did great," he murmured. Though I wanted to give him a hug and a kiss, we had to keep things professional until we were back home at the penthouse.
A warm feeling spread through my body at the thought of his place being home.
I glanced up at him and gave him a relieved smile. "I hope it was enough."
The crowd was dissipating, and only a few stragglers stayed behind in the auditorium to mingle.
"It was," he assured me. "Let's get out of here."
We headed for the parking garage, the weight of the day pressing down on me. The stalker's presence was a constant shadow, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Denver's arm tightened around my waist, pulling me close.
"What's wrong?" My heart skipped a beat and the hairs on my arms stood on end. Something wasn't right. I looked all around the dimly lit parking structure, but I didn't see anything out of place.
Denver stood still as his eyes scanned the room. He reminded me of a professional soldier at this moment, on guard and ready to kill.
"Stay close to me," he whispered.
As we approached the car, I noticed a figure lurking in the shadows. My instincts screamed a warning. Before I could yell out, Denver pushed me aside, shielding me with his body.
"Denver--"
"Stay behind me," he growled.
He dashed out from behind a concrete column so quickly I didn't have time to react, but Denver did. I caught a glimpse and saw that it was Ethan. His face was twisted with rage, his eyes wide and frantic as it darted between Denver and me.
"Sasha!" His voice was desperate, dried spittle gathered at the corners of his mouth like a rabid animal. "You promised. I was the only one who understood your designs. How could you just replace me?"
"What are you talking about?" My voice trembled as I tried to make sense of his words.
"We talked every night about your designs. I thought we had a special connection, but you were just leading me on this whole time."
I gasped. He was the stalker, I realized. The whole time that I thought I was sharing my work anonymously online with my followers, I had one following me in real life.
"Enough!" Denver barked. "Back off now, Ethan. She wants nothing to do with you."
"You can't leave with him. I won't let you!" His voice grew desperate, the ravings of a lunatic. Ethan gestured wildly. Even with Denver's body forming a barrier between us, I caught the metallic gleam of the knife he waved in the air.
"Stop, before I put you down!" Denver commanded.
But Ethan wasn't deterred. He lunged forward, his movements erratic and unpredictable. Denver let out a low rumbling snarl and pushed me out of the way.
I scrambled behind a parked car and watched as Ethan collided with Denver. The impact knocked him off of balance, but Denver was much bigger and muscular compared to Ethan's wiry frame. With a supernaturally quick motion, Denver grabbed Ethan by the collar and slammed him against a concrete column with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He took advantage of the moment as Ethan was stunned and wrenched the knife from his hand, tossing it away.
"You are not going anywhere near her." Denver's words were so garbled. It didn't even sound like they were spoken by a human.
Ethan struggled against Denver's grip. His face distorted with rage. "She's mine!" He was beyond reason, twisting and thrashing frantically like a wild animal. To my surprise, he squirmed free from Denver's grip and dashed for the discarded knife.
A loud booming roar echoed around the parking structure, causing the entire building to shake. I sucked in a breath and stared wide-eyed shock as Denver's body began to change. Muscles grew and rippled, tearing through the fabric of his suit. Dark fur sprouted from his skin, covering the tanned smooth surface until it was as thick as an animal pelt. He dropped onto his hands and knees as his fingers twisted and turned into claws. Denver turned his head toward me, and I gasped at the primal beast with blue eyes that stared at me. He was a wolf.
I had known that wolf shifters ran Huntington Harbor, but I never suspected that Denver was one of them.
Ethan's eyes widened with terror, the knife hanging limply from his hand as he stumbled back. "What the fuck are you?" he stammered.
The wolf let out a deafening snarl and lunged at him. Ethan screamed, bringing his arm up and slashing the knife in the air. His efforts to fend off the wolf's attack were useless.
With one swipe of his claws, Ethan fell to the ground in a bloody pile. I watched in frozen awe, my heart pounding as the gruesome scene unfolded. Denver pounced on his prey, pinning Ethan in place and landing several strikes with his claws.
Ethan's whimpers grew weaker until they finally stopped. Oh my god, Denver killed him, I realized.
"Denver!" I cried out. "You have to stop."
The wolf turned to me and snarled. Droplets of blood decorated his face like a mask made of rubies.
Despite his fearsome appearance, I was not afraid. No, underneath the form of the beast was the man whom I loved.
The wolf let out a low growl, turning away from me and back to Ethan.
"Please, he's dead," I pleaded.
Placing a hand on his fur-covered back, I swallowed the sick that threatened to come up my throat at the blood surrounding us. "I know you're still in there."
The wolf looked up at me again, his piercing blue eyes locking with mine. For a moment, I doubted myself. Who was in control right now, Denver or the beast? If I was wrong, then the wolf was going to kill me.
For a moment, we were both paralyzed. Then, I felt him tremble beneath my palm. Slowly, the wolf began to shift, the giant animal shrinking and elongating back into human form. Like a magic trick, Denver stood in front of me once again.
"Denver," I whispered. I placed a hand on his bare chest.
He flinched and looked away from me. His expression was filled with guilt and to my surprise, shame. "Sasha, you shouldn't be around me."
I cut him off, throwing myself into his arms and hugging him tightly. "I don't care that you're a wolf," I cried into his chest. "You saved us."
He hesitated before wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "I thought I was going to lose you. I didn't want you to see me as a monster." His voice broke with emotion.
I pulled back slightly and cupped his face with my hands. "Denver, you're not a monster. You're still you and I love you in any form."
"I love you too, Sasha. I will always protect you. Always."
Our lips met in a kiss that was fierce and desperate. When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his, my heart still racing but my mind clearer than ever.
"Let's go home," I whispered.
He nodded, his eyes softening as he looked at me. "Home."