Damien’s POV
The woman standing before reeked of cheap perfu and desperation, a cloying mixture that made my wolf recoil instinctively. She clutched my golden pendant like a lifeline, her artificially enhanced breasts practically spilling out of a dress so tight it looked painted on. Everything about her scread fake—from her bleached blonde hair to her surgically plumped lips to the calculating gleam in her eyes.
"Anna Blackwood," she’d introduced herself with a sultry smile that felt as genuine as her hair color. "I’ve been looking for you, Alpha Nightshadow. I have sothing that belongs to you."
The pendant was real—I’d examined it thoroughly, traced the familiar engravings with my fingertip, confird that the craftsmanship matched the half I kept in my desk drawer. But everything else about this woman was wrong. Completely, utterly wrong.
"I rember the woman I’m looking for having dark hair," I said carefully, my voice neutral despite the frustration clawing at my chest. "And her... figure... wasn’t quite so..." I gestured vaguely at her enhanced proportions.
Anna’s laugh was like breaking glass, high-pitched and grating. "Oh, that! I went blonde especially for you, darling. And I got these done too," she pushed her chest forward shalessly, "because I thought you might appreciate the upgrade. n always do, don’t they?"
She pressed closer to , her manicured nails trailing down my arm with predatory intent. The contact made my skin crawl, every instinct I possessed screaming that this woman was wrong, wrong, wrong. But the pendant... how did she have the pendant?
"Tell about that night," I said, stepping back to put distance between us. "Five years ago. The Lunar Assembly celebration. What do you rember?"
Her eyes darted away for just a fraction of a second before eting mine again. "Oh, it was magical," she sighed dramatically. "You swept off my feet, literally. We danced all night, and then you took to your suite..." She trailed off with what was probably ant to be a seductive smile.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—Lucas, finally returning my increasingly frantic calls about the search. I’d been contacting him every hour for days, driving him to the edge of his patience with my desperate need for answers.
"Excuse ," I told Anna, stepping away to take the call. The distance couldn’t co fast enough; her cloying perfu was making my head pound.
"Damien here."
"Finally!" Lucas’s voice carried through the receiver, tinged with exhaustion and frustration. "I’ve been calling you back for the past hour. Look, I found her—or rather, she found the search notices we put out."
My grip tightened on the phone. "What do you an?"
"The woman with the pendant—blonde, mid-twenties, matches the description from the pawn shops. She tried to sell it at least four different tis over the past month. Sa woman, sa pendant. The shop owners all gave consistent descriptions." Lucas paused, and I could hear papers rustling. "But here’s the thing—she never went through with any of the sales. Just asked about values, got estimates, then left."
A cold knot ford in my stomach. "And then?"
"Then our search notices started circulating through the community. Word about the job offer, the compensation package for anyone with information about the pendant... She showed up at three different shops yesterday asking if they’d seen the notices."
"So she’s a fraud," I said flatly, my voice barely controlled.
"I..." Lucas hesitated. "I don’t think so, actually. The tiline matches up perfectly. The pendant is definitely authentic—I had an expert verify it against your half. And she knew details about the Assembly that weren’t publicized. She’s legitimate, Damien. She’s just... not what you were expecting."
I stared across the lobby at Anna, who was now using her phone’s cara as a mirror, pouting her surgically enhanced lips as she checked her makeup.
"Look, I get it. She’s not exactly... refined. But Damien, we’ve exhausted every other lead. Every database, every registry, every possible trail. If she’s not the woman from that night, then that woman doesn’t exist in any traceable way."
"Fuck," I breathed, the word barely audible.
"I’m sorry, man. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear."
My jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth might crack. "The job offer stands. I gave my word."
"Understood. I’ll make the arrangents."
I hung up without another word, shoving the phone back into my pocket with enough force that I was surprised it didn’t shatter. Every instinct I possessed was screaming that this was wrong. But the evidence was undeniable, and my word was my bond.
Anna looked up from her impromptu makeup session as I approached, her face lighting up with a predatory smile that made my wolf recoil in disgust.
"Good news, I hope?" she purred, pressing herself against my side again.
Before I could answer, the soft ding of the elevator made look up. My breath caught in my throat as Sera stepped out, her high heels clicking against the marble floor. She looked exhausted—her usually immaculate hair was slightly mussed, and there were dark circles under her eyes that spoke of long hours and too much stress.
Guilt twisted in my stomach. Had I been working her too hard? She had a child to care for, a life outside this office, and I’d been so consud with my own obsessions that I’d barely noticed how late she’d been staying.
"Sera, you should have gone ho hours ago," I said, taking a step toward her. "I didn’t an for you to—"
"OH MY GOD!"
Anna’s shriek cut through the quiet lobby like a fire alarm. She’d spotted Sera and was now rushing across the marble floor with her arms outstretched, her designer heels click-clacking frantically as she moved.
"SERA! SERAPHINA KNIGHT! I can’t believe it’s you!"
I watched in stunned silence as Anna threw her arms around Sera, pulling her into an embrace that looked more like an attack than a greeting.
Sera’s face cycled through a series of expressions—shock, and finally sothing that looked disturbingly like dread. "Anna," Sera said carefully, her voice strained as she tried to extricate herself from the aggressive hug. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Anna’s laugh was theatrical, designed to carry across the lobby and draw attention. "Darling, I’m here because of HIM!" She gestured dramatically toward , her pendant catching the overhead lights. "Can you believe it? After all these years, I finally found my mystery lover!"
The color drained from Sera’s face so quickly I was afraid she might faint. Her erald eyes darted between Anna and , confusion and sothing that looked like pain flickering across her features.
"You two know each other?" I asked, though the answer was obvious from their interaction.
"Know each other?" Anna’s voice rose to an almost hysterical pitch. "We were Best friends!"
Before Sera could answer, I made a decision that would change everything. "Report to the office Monday morning," I said, trying to keep my voice professional. "You’ll be working as a senior assistant. With Sera."
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