3. CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
Graham
If I don't tread carefully, Cassidy Strayed will get the shock of a lifetime.
The poor girl witnessed a family of five getting threatened. I tried not to think too hard about why that particular family had become the radicals' latest target. It’s too coincidental that it had happened less than ten miles from Gavin's court.
I've already texted Grayden about it, which is why I had the screens on that exact scene in the first place. I guess I was hoping that the task force would come on time.
They didn't.
Be careful what you tell her , my wolf warns me. She's a human after all.
We need her help, I remind him. Besides, she already knows something's up.
"Would you like something to drink?" I ask her gently. "Coffee, tea, water, or something stronger perhaps? Wine, beer, scotch?"
That gets her attention, so I wait for her reply. She doesn't take her eyes away from the screen where the father is being unceremoniously shot in the head. Just like that. He's the last to die.
I grab the remote and turn it off. She's already seen enough to mark her. For me, this is just one of many horror shows I grew up with. No one is meant to see such violence, let alone a human woman.
Her teary gaze finds mine, and those beautiful green eyes regard me with the hunger of a predator. As if I were her prey and she was interested in eating me for dinner.
My wolf stirs, our interest piqued by the behavior that is so unlike humans. But in this instance, I don't mind being her prey. It's a thrilling thought, especially since we are going to work together to protect each other.
She clears her throat. "Scotch. Neat."
Instead of serving it myself, I have Harper bring it to us. I don't want to leave Cassidy, sensing that she might get spooked otherwise.
Harper knocks on the door once before she rushes in with Cassidy's glass in hand. When she sees Cassidy on the sofa next to me, her eyes widen with surprise. I narrow my eyes at her when she lingers for a moment before shaking her head and slamming down the alcohol. After a small nod of her chin in my direction, she marches back out the door.
Cassidy follows Harper's quick departure with her gaze, her green eyes curious. Does she feel the shift in Harper's behavior, too, or is it just me overthinking things?
"Miss Strayed," I start and touch her hand, prompting her to return her gaze to me. "Could you tell me the part about the software getting hacked? I would like to gain more insight into how it happened."
After sipping the strong liquid, she recounts everything in exquisite detail. "There were reports that parts of videos had been processed before we officially categorized them. With so many people working on the same project, I initially dismissed it as unimportant."
I breathe deeply. Cassidy is the team leader of the entire F-Rec department, she should’ve brought this to her higher-ups earlier.
At least she's here now, my wolf tells me to calm me down. It's hard to pay attention to something that you don't know is happening.
Maybe I should tell her the truth, I say, suddenly feeling all alone and isolated in keeping it a secret.
My wolf snorts. It's enough of a reply.
"The truth is, Miss Strayed," I start, my brows furrowing as I try to come up with a way to explain the situation without exposing the existence of the species, "a new terrorist group has been formed recently. We call them the radicals."
"The radicals," she echoes, and I nod.
"They've been going after seemingly random victims," I say carefully, not wanting to explain how they are hitting different species because maybe it's just a coincidence after all.
"So far, we couldn't find any connections. The only thing I know is that the videos related to the victims have been accessed without authorization, which is why I believe that the radicals have an inside man. A leak."
Cassidy nods with a grim smile.
"And the murders from today that we've witnessed on a live stream are connected to them?" she asks, gesturing at the now blank TV screens. "Did anyone inform law enforcement?"
"The police, as you know it, haven't been informed," I say, hedging around the truth. "A different sort of task force has been dispatched. A classified one."
I'm only telling her part of the truth. Grayden's task force has been serving all the governments. Its main goal was to keep the peace, and right now, someone was threatening it. He should have the intelligence required to make a decision. But I don't have to share that with Cassidy. Not yet.
"A special ops unit?" Cassidy mumbles, staring into the glass.
"It's classified," I repeat with a hollow voice.
She nods in understanding. She's been working for Grey Tech long enough to know there are some things above her pay grade. Especially the ones that have to do with the military. She looks like she's been thinking about something very important, and I don't interrupt her train of thought.
"How will we find the leak?" she asks suddenly, and her brilliant green eyes finally come alive as if seeing a real hope for a solution.
I admire her sheer determination to save innocent people. It looks like she's on board to help. Good, because my brothers are useless with computers.
I can't believe we're going to rely on a human of all species, my wolf mutters.
We were never ones to judge them by their origins, I remind him in a chiding tone . She's smart and capable. She will do great.
You're forgetting beautiful, my wolf adds.
I pretend not to hear him.
He chuckles. What? Don't tell me that you didn't notice her curves .
Now that he mentions it, my eyes move down to the spot where Cassidy is brushing her thighs with her fingers.
Her dressy, beige office attire isn't low cut, but the fabric over her chest hugs the underside of her cleavage just right. It covers up just the right amount of skin for my wolf to imagine unbuttoning it and finding out what she's hiding underneath.
Even my breath catches at the idea of tasting the salt of her skin.
My eyes travel down the length of her body, drinking in her legs that are held tight together by her prim beige skirt. Even her auburn hair, done in a messy bun at the top of her head, looks sexy as hell.
My gaze lingers on her exposed nape, and then moves lower, to her collarbones that are visible over the line of her pink blouse.
Fuck.
I really need to get my shit together.
"Mr. Grey?"
I return my gaze to her face. She seems unaware of the inner turmoil I'm experiencing, but she did notice that I didn't answer her question.
"Graham," I say, my voice thick. "If we're going to work together, you might as well call me Graham."
Especially because I've never really been Mr. Grey. The title I tend to go by is Prince Grey, but that isn't something I can tell a human.
I need to maintain some semblance of secrecy because the more she knows about our world, the more vulnerable we get. But I also don't want to treat her like the rest of our employees. Not if we're going to spend countless hours together.
She flushes, her body going tense as she lowers her eyes to the bottom of the glass. Despite her discomfort, she manages to croak out, "Graham, then."
Well, fuck me. My name sounds like heaven on her lips.
The way she looked and then reacted makes me think that maybe she wants something else in her mouth. Preferably another part of my body. A primal satisfaction settles in my groin at the thought of her mouth wrapped around my cock. All for me. And then, I chide myself for behaving like a jerk.
I'm not the kind of person who makes such assumptions about a woman, even if she's a consenting one.
It doesn't matter if I'm the boss or not, I make it a point never to touch anyone without their consent. Especially humans.
Get it together, my wolf growls.
I know, I know, I agree with a sigh. It's just that there's something alluring about her. She's so small and tiny. We could devour her with one bite.
I freeze at the mere mention of it. I'm not sure what's going on. That's not like me. It's something one would expect from my brothers Garren and Grayden before they found their mates.
Out of the four of us, I was always known as the gentleman. The loner with a computer.
My cock doesn't react in the presence of a woman. Not when there are more interesting things to talk about such as the software hack.
And yet...
I find myself willing to push the matter aside and play with the young lady who's seated next to me.
Fuck.
"To answer your previous question," I continue, forcing myself to get back on track before I entirely lose control over my inner beast. "I have no idea as to how to find the leak just yet. The only thing that occurs to me is that we monitor the access to the unorganized footage and see which videos were tapped into."
"Then we locate the people on the video and send your super-classified task force to get to them before the radicals do," Cassidy finishes, and damn, if it's not the hottest thing I've ever heard. "Got it."
Cassidy empties her glass and gives me a determined look.
Her expression turns even more serious. Now I really want to know what she's been doing behind that blank stare of hers. I find myself fascinated with Cassidy. But that's all it will ever be. A fascination.
Better safe than sorry, my wolf agrees.
"Before we start…" I say and lean closer. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"
That's not playing it safe, my wolf says with a mental eye roll.
"I'm sure you already know all about me," I continue, referring to the magazines that the humans, wolves, and witches alike like to put me on the cover of. "But I don't know anything about you."
Cassidy raises her brow. "There's not much to tell," she says, sounding hesitant. "As soon as I graduated from MIT, I got a job here at Grey Tech, and I've been here ever since."
Not exactly the information I had in mind, but I force a smile and nod. Though I'm her boss, I'm in no position to ask her personal questions.
You'll do well to remember that, my wolf mutters. Keep the line. If you want to fuck, find someone in the royal court.
Yeah, yeah, the workplace is sacred, I repeat what he's been telling me ever since I started the company.
Cassidy is both smart and beautiful. She's a catch.
You don't know her, my wolf reminds me yet again. Stop fixating. We have work to do.
It's not my fault I have problems concentrating, I complain.
It served us well when we were jumping from an idea to an idea related to software creation, my wolf says. It's entirely useless when thinking about ten different ways to fuck a human without accidentally tearing her weak body apart.
I wince, but unfortunately, the reaction isn't only my inner thought. Cassidy noticed it too.
"I've skipped two grades back in middle school," she adds quickly, no doubt thinking that my wince has something to do with her education.
I force a smile. "How about we get to work, hmm?"
Before Cassidy has a chance to reply, I call Harper. I need another desk and a few computers to be brought up here so Cassidy and I can work together. It's funny how the team leader I've never met turns out to be a hottie with a lot of things going on behind those fierce green eyes.
She nods absently and then sets her glass down.
"We'll need more of that," I say with a nod at her empty glass. "I'll grab the bottle and have some food delivered. Do you like pizza or prefer something else?"
Cassidy's cheeks flush. If she'd been standing, I'm pretty sure her knees would've given out. Oh, little human is so cute.
My wolf reluctantly agrees.
"Use the moment to go to your office and grab your things," I tell her as I get up to get the bottle of scotch. "You've temporarily been upgraded to the top floor."
I'm the opposite of myself. By all accounts, I should've continued to keep Cassidy at arm's length. I shouldn't bring her to my office, even if it's only for practical reasons. I could've put her in the one next to mine, but I want her here.
I want to see her. To work with her.
Don't get used to it, my wolf mutters, shaking his head. Once we solve this, she will go back to her team.
That makes sense.
And the need to remain practical helps.
Compared to my older brothers, I never had problems keeping my pants on. My belt is carefully buckled, and I have no intention of getting the release no matter how tight my boxer briefs might get.
This is what having responsibility feels like. We're doing something essential. But I have to keep my fucking libido in check or even I'll shift.
You're the boss. She's the employee, my wolf recites our new mantra.
Fifteen minutes later, I return with a new, full bottle and pour her another drink. The computers have already been set up and the food is set to arrive around seven. I like to order in advance in case I get too busy and then forget.
Cassidy comes to the office with her bag on her shoulder and a laptop underneath her arm. She sets it down by the furthest laptop and glances around the room with wide, surprised eyes. As if she's stepped into a fairytale with a talking rabbit.
The office has completely transformed in the last fifteen minutes. A lot of work can get done when a person has money and a team of people at their beck and call.
"That's your desk," I say, pointing to the slightly smaller white one next to my obsidian one. "I want you sitting next to me so I can see everything you see, and vice versa."
My wolf is grumbling, not happy with the suggestion, but I need Cassidy as close as possible in case we need to compare the footage.
"Let's start," I say and turn the screens back on.
Big. Fucking. Mistake.
Cassidy gasps when a massive white wolf stands above the murdered family of five.
Fuck my life.
Now the shit has truly hit the fan.
"That's a huge wolf," she stammers, pointing her finger at the screen.
She's a smart cookie that one, my wolf says, his words dripping with sarcasm.
"It must've come from the forest," I say, looking for an explanation that wouldn't expose us.
Cassidy nods, and I exhale in relief.
The wolf stands perfectly still. Its head turned towards the cameras and a growl vibrating through the speakers.
If I didn't know better, I'd think that he wanted to communicate something.
I point the remote at the screen to turn it off, but I'm too late.
"What the actual fuck?" Cassidy curses, and under different circumstances, I'd be so damn turned on by her cursing mouth.
But since luck isn’t on my side, I now have to figure out how to explain why there’s now a naked man where a white wolf once stood.
Unfortunately, his face is turned away from the camera, and there isn't any other angle from which we could identify him. Before he turns, he picks up the mask he wore earlier and puts it over his head to cover his face.
Cassidy's eyes are wide. "Please tell me you saw that."
Of course, I fucking saw this.
"I definitely saw something," I murmur.
"God damn it!" Cassidy screams, and my inner wolf stirs. "Enough with the fucking lies. I'm not stupid, you know? You don’t act at all surprised about what you just saw.”
Feisty, my wolf says with a chuckle.
Need I remind you that you're the one who warned me to keep our species a secret? I snap back.
True, but I hate to always be the responsible one, he replies with a mental shrug. Besides, you know that I can't resist a strong woman. This little bottle of humanity definitely holds more power than I initially thought.
"You're right," I say, lifting my hands up in mock surrender. I've made my decision. "Let's have another drink. You're going to need it if I'm going to tell you the whole truth."
"I already do," she murmurs, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
Thanks to my wolf's healing abilities, the alcohol does nothing to get me drunk. Cassidy, on the other hand, is already tipsy. Maybe I should slow down, otherwise, she won't be able to help me.
Or maybe you should keep pouring, my wolf suggests. If this goes bad, you can always blame it on the alcohol.
I sit down first, then gesture for Cassidy to join me on the sofa. This time, she remains careful not to touch me. I feel cold, almost cut off, when we both sit at least a foot away from each other. She's on the edge of her seat, her posture erect and her eyes glued to the screen to the spot where the wolf used to be.
The man is long gone now, too. I should turn it off before Grayden and his task force arrive, but I can't bring myself to move. Besides, what's the point when I'm about to tell her everything anyway?
"Cassidy," I say, using her name for the first time.
Fuck. Even her name tastes hot.
Focus, my wolf growls. He's clearly feeling responsible again.
Her green eyes shift to mine. There's a spark of anger in them and my cock responds, getting hard in my pants.
"I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm going to go ahead and just say it, okay?" I say, and she gives me a barely perceptible nod.
I take a deep breath.
Just spit it out, my wolf urges.
"Humans aren't the only species on Earth," I blurt out. "What you saw was a shifter. A human wolf."