Chapter 2
Bianca's POV
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "This is room 801. My personal suite. I followed a scent—the door was open." His nostrils flared slightly. "The question is, who are you, and why does your scent—"
He stopped short and shook his head, as if trying to shake something out of it.
Reality crashed down on me like a bucket of ice water. This wasn't Jason. I had just slept with a complete stranger.
"I… this is my room. Room 801." I stammered, trembling all over. "I'm waiting for my boyfriend Jason—"
The man's expression shifted from anger to confusion. "This is the werewolf floor. Room 801, werewolf district." His gaze changed suddenly, like something clicked into place in his head. "You're human."
"Of course I'm human!" I burst out, and then what he'd actually said sank in. "Wait—the werewolf floor? They put me in a room on the werewolf floor?"
He ran a hand through his hair, looking oddly lost despite how terrifying he was. "Full Moon Festival. This damn hotel throws all the rules out the window tonight—mixed accommodation policy." He stared at me for two seconds. "You really don't know who just came into your room, do you?"
"No! I thought… I thought you were Jason." My voice cracked on the name.
The werewolf clenched his jaw. "I smelled your scent… I thought…"
He shook his head again, as if snapping himself awake. "Never mind what I thought. The moon, and the whiskey. I wasn't thinking clearly."
The implications hit me all at once. I had just slept with a complete stranger. A werewolf. On the night that was supposed to be the most special of my relationship.
"Oh god," I whispered, clutching my clothes and backing against the wall, sinking slowly to the floor. "Oh god, oh god."
Tears burned in my eyes as I tried desperately to make sense of it. How could the hotel make this mistake? Jason would hate me. I would hate myself.
The werewolf stood there watching me, his amber eyes unreadable. For a split second, something almost like concern flickered across his face, but it was immediately replaced by a cold, impenetrable mask.
Then he turned, picked his trousers up off the floor, pulled his phone from the pocket, and walked to the other side of the room, his back to me, as if giving me a shred of privacy.
"Alex, I need you to bring something to my suite immediately," he said low, his tone steady and carrying an unmistakable force of habit. "A blank check from my personal account. And a bottle of whiskey." He paused. "No, I don't care what meeting you're in. This is a priority."
He hung up and turned back to me, his expression indecipherable. Only then did I notice him studying me with those sharp amber eyes—the unmistakable mark of werewolf blood. If I hadn't been so drunk, I should have recognized it instantly.
"Tears don't change anything," he said flatly. "What's done is done."
I wiped my face angrily. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who just—"
I couldn't even finish the sentence. My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Bianca, I'm sorry I couldn't make it tonight. The business trip got moved up—I'm already on the plane. I'll call you when I land. Love you.
I stared at the words, and a sound came out of my throat that wasn't quite a laugh—more like a sob. He was already gone. While I was here alone facing this disaster, he was already on a plane.
"Something wrong?" the werewolf asked, his tone carrying not a shred of concern.
"None of your business." I muttered, and then a terrible thought surfaced, and I froze. I looked up at him, truly seeing him for the first time. The suit tossed carelessly over the chair. That aura. The way he spoke on the phone, like a man used to giving orders.
"Wait… you… you can't be Nicholas Rayne." My voice dropped to a horrified whisper.
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "You know who I am."
Of course I knew who he was. Everyone in Moonshadow Bay knew who Nicholas Rayne was. Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack, CEO of Rayne Group, the man who effectively ruled this entire city. The company I was starting at next Monday. I was about to become an employee of his company.
I had just slept with my boss. My werewolf boss. The Alpha who held this city's fate in his hands.
"Oh god," I whispered, nausea rising in my stomach.
"My reputation apparently needs no introduction," he said dryly. "You are—"
"Bianca Clark," I said automatically, and immediately wanted to bite my tongue off.
Suddenly, a sharp knock came at the door. A well-dressed male werewolf walked in carrying a leather folder and a bottle of amber liquid. His step faltered when he saw me huddled against the wall, his eyes widening slightly, before his expression snapped back to professional blankness.
"The check and whiskey you requested, sir." He handed both over.
"Thank you, Alex. That's all for now."
Alex nodded and left without another word, though I caught him casting me a curious glance before the door closed.
Nicholas twisted the cap off the whiskey and poured himself a generous glass. He didn't offer me anything. He opened the checkbook, wrote something quickly, and tore out a check.
He walked over and held it out to me. "Here. This is your compensation. Remember—tonight never happened."
I stared at the paper without taking it, the staggering number on it making me feel worse. "Why are you trying to humiliate me with money? What happened tonight wasn't my intention. I don't want your money."
"I think you showed up in my room, and I just happened to be drugged. I don't think that's a coincidence." His voice cut me off coldly. "You've gotten what you came for. Take the money and leave. And don't even think about any other position."
"I'm not trying to climb you. This really was an accident." My voice was shaking.
"Whether you were or not doesn't matter." He pushed the check closer. "What matters is what people will think. A human girl, Full Moon Festival night, in an Alpha's bed. You think that story coming out works in your favor?"
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. The implied threat was anything but subtle. In Moonshadow Bay, a human accusing an Alpha would face scrutiny and backlash. Everyone would assume I was a human girl trying to sleep her way up.
"Take it." A hint of impatience crept into his tone. "Don't do anything stupid."
"I don't need your money." I stood up, my voice firmer than I expected. My legs were still shaking, but I forced myself to put my shoes on. "I just want to forget this ever happened."
"Then we're agreed," he said, and still tossed the check onto the bed. "Take it or leave it. But remember—silence benefits us both."
I gathered my scattered clothes, desperate to escape this room and this man. "Don't worry," I said bitterly. "I don't plan on telling anyone about the worst night of my life."
I dressed hurriedly, staring at myself in the mirror—a pale, terrified human girl who had just made the biggest mistake of her life. In Moonshadow Bay's stratified society, humans and werewolves did not engage in intimate relationships. It was technically legal but socially taboo. Werewolves considered humans inferior—useful for work, but not equals, and certainly not partners.
And I had just slept with the most powerful werewolf in the city. It was absurd.
I grabbed my phone. I needed to get out of here—I couldn't stand another second. As I reached the door, he spoke from behind me, his voice casual and unhurried. "Miss Clark. Are you sure you don't want the money?"
My hand froze on the doorknob.
"This is the only compensation I will offer. If you come back later trying to use this against me, I won't be gentle."
I gripped the doorknob, nails digging into my palm. I wanted to retort again that it had nothing to do with me. But I didn't have hard evidence. If he knew I was starting at Rayne Group next Monday, he'd only be more convinced I'd done this on purpose.
I left the room without a word.
In the elevator, I leaned against the wall, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. Jason was already gone, flown off to somewhere far away—it would be a long time before I saw him again.
Our special night-my first time-had been stolen from us forever. And I had no idea how I was going to face
work on Monday.I had no idea how I was supposed to walk into my new job on Monday, or what I'd do if I ran into that horrible werewolf boss again.
