Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ROSE
Iwake the next morning, stretch my arms overhead, and roll over—only to realize I’m in bed. My bed. I sit up, the blanket falling into my lap as I scan the empty room.
“Carter?” I call, swinging my legs over the side and standing on the cold floor.
Silence answers.
In the kitchen, all the dishes are cleaned and put away, save for a mug beside the coffee machine and a cellophane bag of assorted blue candies.
A folded note rests beneath. I tear the bag open, pop a round blue ball into my mouth, and savor its sweet-sour blueberry bite.
How did he remember, after all this time?
I set the machine to brew and unfold the note.
Rose,
My brother sent me some information this morning. I’m going downtown to check it out. I hope you enjoy your treat. Don’t work too hard today.
Carter
My stomach dips as last night floods back.
How comfortable I’d felt beside him on the couch, waiting for his clothes to dry, watching cooking competitions.
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He must’ve carried me to my room before leaving.
I stir cream and sugar into my coffee, watching the swirl of brown and white.
I don’t want to admit it, but I’m falling for him a little more every day.
With a sigh, I set the mug down and get ready for work. At least it was Friday. But I still had to find a witch to glamour the decorations—and show the new girl around.
The new girl—the one I couldn’t quite place. The one whose scent lingered on me. The one Carter had recognized instantly.
It had to be her.
I pour my coffee into a travel mug and yank the door open, nearly face-planting when my foot catches on something left on the mat. A bouquet. Gaudy yellow flowers, already sagging in the spring heat.
I snatch them up. A small white card flutters free. Two words, scrawled in handwriting that turns my stomach:
Miss you.
— Jett
Of course.
My pulse spikes with rage. How many ways did I have to show him I wanted nothing to do with him?
I slam the flowers into the trash. The card follows, crushed in my fist before I bury it under the wilted stems.
Flowers. If he’d ever listened, he’d know I hate them. I’d told him a dozen times—watching them wilt, watching them die, scraped at something raw inside me. Wasteful. Pointless.
But that was Jett in a nutshell, wasn’t it? Tone-deaf. Self-absorbed. Always giving me the exact thing I never wanted and acting like it was a gift.
I glare down at the trash, chest heaving. He thinks he can win me back with flowers that will last as long as his promises of faithfulness?
Pathetic.
I hate cut flowers.
I push through the lobby doors and scan the reception area, but Susan and her new apprentice are nowhere in sight. I need to find them. Need to know if this girl is the one from Carter’s clan so he can finally settle his mission.
But then what? Would he walk away, back to the clan—leaving me behind, as I once left him after that first weekend?
Did I even want that?
“Susan?” My voice echoes faintly as I head down the hall toward my office. Half the rooms I pass are unoccupied. Not unusual on a Friday—most renters like an early start to the weekend—but it feels emptier than usual.
“Down here,” Susan calls. Following the sound, I find her and the new girl rummaging through the supply cabinet. Susan glances up from her clipboard, her face brightening.
“Morning, Rose. You look glowy today. I wasn’t expecting you for another hour or two—you usually come in later on Fridays.”
I force a smile, hoping she can’t hear the frantic pace of my heart.
“Thanks, Sue. I skipped the coffee shop and came straight in. I’ve got a long list of things to tackle.
You know how fast summer goes by and then all the fall and winter events around the corner.
” I nod toward the girl, grateful for the excuse.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take over showing her around.
The front always needs extra hands before the weekend. ”
Susan arches a brow. “That would be fantastic, but are you sure? With everything going on at the Wise Fox, you must be swamped.”
“I’m positive.” The words come a little too quickly, but I can’t let her see the knot in my stomach every time I think about the lounge opening in less than a week.
The Wise Fox feels like a dream balanced on a knife’s edge—one wrong move and it all comes crashing down.
I force a wider smile, feigning calm I don’t feel.
“Besides, the Wise Fox can’t interfere with my job here. This comes first.”
Unless, of course, the lounge opens a door I can’t turn down. Wasn’t that the dream from the start? To travel, to keep moving, to never be tied down? The same excuse I once gave Carter when I pushed him away.
Susan’s shoulders ease, her relief obvious. She never did like training—too set in her routines. “Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me.” With a small wave, she heads back toward her desk.
I turn to the girl, inhaling slowly to steady myself. How would she react if she knew the truth about me? Could she smell Carter on me as clearly as he had scented her?
It wasn’t so long ago I was her age, straddling that impossible line between teen and adult—straining against rules that felt suffocating while craving freedoms I wasn’t ready for.
Back then, all I wanted was adventure. Now, with the weight of secrets pressing on my chest and a business teetering on the edge of its grand opening, all I want is simplicity.
Rules. A little certainty in the chaos. And maybe the stability of a certain wolf shifter by my side.
I square my shoulders and offer her what I hope is a reassuring smile.
“Rosemary, isn’t it?” She crosses her arms and eyes me warily.
Did she sense my magic the last time we met? Did she know what I was—and who I suspected she was?
“Yes. Rosemary Sinclaire. I’ve only recently started here as lead event coordinator, but I’ve traveled all over the world during my college years and internships.” Her brows lift, her posture easing.
Good. I’ve piqued her interest.
I glance over my shoulder, but Susan is nowhere in sight.
That doesn’t mean she won’t return at any moment.
What we need is privacy. Susan didn’t know I was a witch—and she certainly didn’t know about Dria.
Many humans were aware of the supernatural’s existence, but I could only handle shocking so many people in one day.
I slide my foot back, nudge the door shut, and the overhead light hums softly, dim yellow against walls stacked high with boxes of supplies and decorations.
“Now, Alexandria—” I begin, but the girl freezes. Her eyes dart between me and the closed door like a deer trapped by a wolf.
If only she knew I’m more of a fat house cat at heart—content with cream and a warm windowsill.
“How do you know my name?” she demands, a flicker of golden flashing in her brown eyes, her body tightening like a bowstring.
“I—” How was I supposed to explain who I was? Or mention the tall Alpha wolf currently tracking her down without sounding like an overbearing parent? “I was a teenager once too. Wanting freedom. Wanting travel.”
“Look, I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m just here for a job.” She moves to brush past me, but I shoot out an arm, catching hers. I draw on my magic—her emotions flood into me in a chaotic rush, and beneath them, something else stirs. A wild animal, prowling under her skin.
Shit.
I don’t know much about adolescent wolves, but between Netti and Carter, I’ve heard enough to know I don’t want to be around when one loses control.
“Let me pass,” she whispers. Her voice is low, rough, and her hands clench at her sides, nails lengthening into dark claws. Her irises spark, molten gold bleeding into brown.
Great. Rose, you’ve managed to piss off the hormonal teenager and trap yourself in a tiny closet with her. Brilliant. Netti used to compare her younger brother to a zombie when he was a teen—this was closer to a rabid beast. A literal one.
I raise my other hand, but Alexandria seizes my wrist, claws pricking my skin.
“Alexandria, I’m not here to hurt you.” I send a flood of calming magic into her, drawing on every happy moment I can muster.
Netti and I giggling through our first sleepover.
Buying my first car with my own money. Opening my acceptance letter to the school of my dreams. Last night, falling asleep against Carter’s side.
“Move,” she warns, claws biting deeper. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.” Some of her fight wavers though, stuttering against my magic.
“Dria, I’m not here to tell you what to do or drag you back to the pack,” I say, gently loosening my hold and stepping back until my spine brushes the door.
“You’re… not?” Her shoulders dip, claws retracting, golden flecks in her irises dimming until only brown remains.
“No.” I let out a slow breath. “But I do have answers. More than we can hash out in a closet.” My lips twitch into what I hope is a reassuring smile. “And do you know what I think? That I need the rest of today off. And some more coffee.” I flick the latch behind me. “Would you like to come?”
I hold my breath, hoping she accepts the olive branch. As an only child, my experience with kids was limited to Netti and her brothers—and none of them had ever sprouted claws on me.
She studies my face warily, then flicks her gaze toward the hallway before returning to me.
“But what about my training? I really need this job.” Her hands curl into fists at her sides. “You don’t understand. I need—”
“Part of this job is assisting,” I cut in gently, unwilling to let her slip away. “You’ll be assisting me. I’ll teach you what you need to know after I answer your questions.”
Her lips press together, then she blurts, “Do they have food there? I didn’t realize how expensive food was.” A flush creeps into her cheeks.
Relief loosens the knot in my chest. I swing the door open and gesture for her to follow.