Chapter 4

My voice slithered out, venomous as a serpent. "But now, I'm going to be the nightmare you fear most."

His eyes reddened. Not with anger, but with something different, something I'd never seen in him before.

Fear.

He murmured, "You've changed. Completely."

I smiled coldly. "No. I've finally woken up."

As I turned to leave, he called out to me one last time.

The childhood nickname he'd always used for me. "Claire..."

I didn't turn around. But I heard him, clear as day.

I heard the tremble in his voice and the last trace of his arrogance crumble.

The elevator doors slid open, and Finn was inside, leaning casually against the wall, holding two cups of coffee.

"Double espresso, no sugar," Finn said, handing me one. "You showed up at five this morning. You definitely need this."

I took the coffee, our fingers briefly touching.

I asked, "Were you spying on me?"

"I was looking out for you," he said, standing beside me. "There's a difference."

The elevator dropped, and that familiar weightless feeling hit me.

Finn broke the silence. "I caught the board meeting from the security room."

I raised an eyebrow. "Spying on me?"

"Just admiring you," Finn said, his eyes glinting in the dim elevator light. "Do you even realize how you look when you're deep in the numbers? Your eyes turn pale gold. That's how a top Alpha looks when they're locked in."

He stepped in, so close it felt dangerous.

The elevator was cramped, and his scent tangled around me, invisible and inescapable.

Bourbon, amber, desert heat, and that primal, masculine energy that made my skin burn. My body remembered it, from the night of the gala onward.

"I used to think you picked Kyle because of some moon-bound instinct," Finn whispered, his voice barely audible. "But now I get it. You were just... asleep."

"And now?" I asked.

"Now you're awake," Finn said, his smile predatory. "And a queen who's awake needs a king who's worthy of her."

His fingers brushed lightly over my bare arm, the heat of his touch branding me.

My inner wolf was restless, hungry for more contact, itching to rip off this civilized mask.

But I just gripped my coffee cup tighter.

The elevator reached the first floor. The doors slid open, and the buzz of the lobby spilled in.

But Finn didn't move.

He reached out, not to touch me, but to gently brush a strand of hair off my shoulder. His knuckles grazed the side of my neck, the spot wolves guard most fiercely, the place only a mate should touch.

My breath caught in my throat.

He said, "There's a party tonight at the Luminary Gallery. Some tech founders, a couple of VCs, and, of course... me."

I teased, "Is that an invitation?"

"I'm giving you a choice," he murmured, his fingers lingering at the side of my neck, feeling my pulse. "You can keep fighting on your own. Or you can let me stand with you."

I looked at Finn. In the previous timeline, he tore the world apart for me. He avenged my death, went to prison because of me, and destroyed everything just for my sake.

I asked, "Why? Why did you choose me?"

Finn was silent for a long moment.

Then he spoke, his voice barely a whisper, but heavy with promise. "It's always been you."

He walked out, leaving me alone in the elevator, the heat from the coffee seeping into my chest, lingering in my heart.

And my skin still tingled, alive with the memory of his touch.

The Luminary Gallery party was packed with tech elites flaunting their egos and old-money families sizing everyone up with their watchful eyes.

The air was laced with champagne, designer cologne, and wolf pheromones. It was a hunt disguised as a cocktail party.

I leaned against the floor-to-ceiling windows in a simple black slip dress, watching the stream of cars below.

No need for fancy outfits. Being the Winston heiress was the best dress I could wear.

But I could feel it. Finn was here, unmistakable in the air.

Even with my back to the whole party, I could feel his gaze tracing my spine, skimming my shoulder blades, and sliding down my legs beneath the hem of my dress.

My skin tingled, a familiar heat pooling low in my belly.

Damn instincts.

"I'll put 300 thousand dollars on her not making it past three months." A voice came through. It wasn't loud, but it cut through the noise.

I turned around. Three young Alphas clustered together, whiskey in hand, checking me out like I was up for auction.

They were the Carlyle family's hangers-on, Kyle's so-called buddies.

One of them snorted. "The Winston girl thinks ditching the contract means she can stand on her own? She can't even shift into a full wolf. Skinny like an Omega."