Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Anne
I feel like a mouse caught in a trap.
I can barely focus on the spreadsheet in front of me, my eyes scanning the same row of numbers for the third time without actually processing any of it.
All I can think about is how I’m going to get through today avoiding both Kain and David, even though they’re both here, in this building, probably both eager to see me.
The thought alone is giving me a headache.
Last night with Kain...
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories, but they come anyway. The way his hands felt on my skin. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. The way my body responded to his touch as if it had been waiting ten years for exactly that.
It felt too good. I’d missed him so much—missed his touch, his presence, the way he always made me feel whole in a way nothing else ever has.
But my heart can’t take this.
The mate bond…Violet said that even when her wolf was suppressed, the bond was still there, making her feel an irresistible attraction to Darius. Maybe seeing me with David triggered it in Kain, woke up what he thought was dormant.
The thought makes hot fury spike in my chest. Is that all this is? Jealousy? He only wants me now because someone else does?
How selfish! Pushing me away, telling me the bond is dead, and then suddenly deciding he wants me back the moment another man shows interest.
I should continue with David. Give him the real chance I promised. He’s kind, attentive, and genuinely interested in me. He doesn’t deserve to be strung along while I figure out this mess with Kain.
But I don’t want to see him right now. I can’t look David in the eye when the memory of Kain inside me is still so fresh, so visceral. When I can still feel the ghost of his hands on my hips, of his lips on my neck.
God, what is wrong with me?
“Anne!” Sienna’s voice cuts through my spiral. “You have a delivery!”
I look up to see a man approaching my cubicle with an enormous bouquet of white lilies. My breath catches.
White lilies.
My coworkers are already gathering, buzzing with excitement as the delivery man sets the arrangement on my desk. It’s beautiful—elegant and simple, the blooms perfect and fresh.
“Oh my god, Anne!” one of the women from Accounting gushes. “Are those from David? How romantic!”
“They must be,” another adds. “He’s really pulling out all the stops.”
But I know they’re not from David. I can feel it in the way my heart is suddenly racing, in the tightness in my chest.
With trembling fingers, I pull the small card from its envelope.
I’m sorry. For everything. –K
White lilies.
He gave me the first one when we were kids, plucking it from a clearing we’d found during a pack run. I carried it home carefully and pressed it between the pages of my favorite book. I’ve loved them ever since.
But how does he know that? He can’t. He doesn’t remember anything from back then.
My heart wavers, confusion mixing with the leftover anger and hurt.
“So?” Sienna leans over my shoulder. “Who are they from?”
I tuck the card away quickly. “Just…someone.”
The knowing look she gives me suggests she has guessed, but she doesn’t push. The other women drift back to their desks, disappointed they didn’t get more gossip.
I stare at the lilies, torn between wanting to throw them in the trash and wanting to bury my face in them and cry.
Throwing them out will cause gossip. Keeping them feels like accepting his apology.
I leave them on my desk, right next to David’s roses, and try to get back to work.
By mid-morning, I admit to myself that my mind is too full of everything that happened last night to get anything done. I need coffee. Strong coffee.
The break room is mercifully empty when I walk in, and I make a beeline for the coffee maker. My hand is reaching for a mug when I hear my name.
“Anne.”
I freeze. It’s David.
Turning slowly, I find him standing in the doorway, looking uncertain. He’s holding his own empty mug, clearly having come for the same reason as I did.
“Hi,” I manage, my voice coming out strained.
“Hey.” He steps inside, and I feel trapped. The break room suddenly seems very small. “I, uh…I tried calling you after our date last night.”
Guilt twists in my stomach. “Sorry, I went to bed right away. Long day.”
It’s not entirely a lie. I did go to bed. Just not alone.
“Right.” He pours himself some coffee, the silence stretching awkwardly between us. “Listen, I was thinking...Maybe we could grab lunch today? There’s this new place that opened up downtown—”
“She’s having lunch with me today.”
The voice from the doorway makes my entire body go rigid, but I can’t stop my eyes from looking in that direction.
Kain.
He’s leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his expression unreadable but his gaze locked on me with an intensity that makes my pulse race.
“Excuse me?” I turn to face him fully, anger already bubbling up inside me.
“Lunch,” Kain says, pushing off the doorframe and walking into the room. “We need to discuss the updated security protocols for your department.”
“We don’t have any updated security protocols,” I say through gritted teeth.
“You’re about to.” He’s standing close now, too close, and I can smell his scent—pine and earth and something uniquely him that makes my traitorous body want to lean in. “It’s important. Won’t take long.”
David shifts uncomfortably, glancing between us. “If it’s work-related, I guess—”
“It’s not work-related,” I interrupt him, still glaring at Kain. “And I’m not having lunch with you.”
“Yes, you are.” His voice is calm, but there’s steel underneath. “One hour. We can discuss it in my office if you prefer.”
The way he says it makes it sound professional, reasonable. But I can see the possessiveness in his eyes.
David clears his throat. “Maybe another time, Anne. We could do dinner instead?”
Before I can answer, Kain speaks again. “She’s busy tonight, too.”
“Stop it,” I snap at him, then turn to David. “Dinner sounds great. Text me the details.”
I grab my coffee and storm out of the break room, my heart pounding and my hands shaking with fury. I can feel Kain’s eyes following me all the way back to my desk.
The rest of the day passes in a blur of tension. Every time I look up, I swear I catch Kain watching me from across the office. He doesn’t approach, doesn’t try to talk to me again or force me to have lunch with him, but his presence is constant. Oppressive.
The flowers sit on my desk, reminders that I can’t escape.
By the time five o’clock rolls around, I’m exhausted. Emotionally drained. I just want to go home, crawl into bed, and pretend this day never happened.
I’m gathering my things when I sense him behind me.
“Let me walk you to your car,” Kain says quietly.
“No.”
“Anne—”
“I said no.” I start moving toward the elevator bank. He follows.
“You can’t avoid me forever.”
“Watch me.”
We step into an elevator together. I punch the button for the lobby harder than necessary. The doors close, trapping us in the small space.
“The bouquet—” he starts.
“Was manipulative,” I cut him off. “How did you even know white lilies are my favorite? You said you don’t remember anything about me.”
His jaw tightens. “I—I don’t know. They just felt right.”
“Convenient.”
The elevator dings, and the doors open. I stride out, Kain keeping pace beside me as I exit the building and head into the parking lot.
“Anne, please. Just talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I reach my car and fumble for my keys. “Last night was a mistake. I’m moving on with David. You need to leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then, I’ll report you for workplace harassment.” The words come out sharp, desperate. “I mean it, Kain. Stop following me. Stop sending me flowers. Stop interrupting my life.”
An odd look flickers across his face. Hurt, maybe. But he masks it quickly.
“Fine,” he says quietly. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
He steps back, giving me space to get into my car. I slide behind the wheel, pull the door shut, and lock it. Through the window, I can see him standing there, hands in his pockets, watching me with an expression I can’t quite read. I start the engine and drive away without looking back.
When I get home, I eat, take a shower, and climb into bed to sleep away my problems. I feel drained by my own feelings, and I need to rest.
My phone rings, and David’s name flashes on the screen.
Crap. Were we supposed to have dinner tonight?
I stare at his name, my finger hovering over the answer button. I should pick up. But I don’t want to, even though I know I should take this step forward with someone who actually wants to be with me and isn’t playing games with my heart.
Stupidly, all I can think about is Kain. The way he looked at me in the parking lot tonight. The white lilies he gave me. The note that said, “I’m sorry. For everything.”
The way his body felt against mine last night. The way he kissed me like he was drowning and I was air.
The phone stops ringing. Goes to voicemail.
I set it down on my nightstand and pull the covers over my head.
What the hell am I doing?