In the past twelve days since she started working at Harper Industries, Serena had shown remarkable adaptability. Despite the challenges of her new position and Nathan's demanding expectations, she was becoming increasingly comfortable in her role. The work was hard, no question about it, but it filled Serena with a kind of satisfaction and pride that she hadn't felt in a long time.

It was the day before the full moon, and Serena noticed a palpable tension in the office. Nathan, usually a constant presence of authority and calm, seemed to be withdrawing more and more. Serena couldn't put her finger on what it was, but his mood swings and increasing restlessness made her suspect that the moon was having more and more influence on him. She knew from her family how sensitive the wolves were to the lunar cycle, but this direct observation was still something unusual for her. During the rare hours over the last few days when they were studying papers together in his office, she noticed how tormented he seemed. When he didn't notice her looking at him, he seemed deeply exhausted. She tried to keep an emotional distance, but she found it difficult to understand how someone who embodied so much of an alpha's pride could look so miserable under the full moon. An Alpha always represented strength, and his power was supposed to intensify even further towards the full moon, which should have given him an even more impressive aura as an Alpha.

While Nathan distanced himself and preferred to keep to himself, Beta Alex seemed to enjoy seeking out Serena's company. He stopped by her workplace almost every day, joking and flirting with her. Serena couldn't deny that Alex's charm and lightness offered a welcome change from the otherwise tense days. She found him charming, but instinctively she kept him at a friendly but firm distance. She had no real interest in him, because she knew that he would meet his mate at some point, and no matter how intense a relationship they were in at the moment, he would drop her like a cold fish. She had seen this so often with wolves.

Still, it was a welcome distraction, as the rest of her colleagues continued to keep a certain distance from her. Fleeting glances that were quickly averted and conversations that stopped as soon as she approached were signs that, despite her best efforts to fit in, she was still viewed as an outsider.

As he had done so many times in the last few days, Alex suddenly appeared at Serena's workplace. He leaned casually on the edge while she sat in her chair, engrossed in her work. With a crooked smile that betrayed his intention, he leaned over to her. "I took the liberty of making a reservation for us. How about you take me out to dinner tonight? I promise I'll be the perfect gentleman," he joked, his grin wide and engaging, "I'll pay. Nathan must be underpaying you."

Serena looked up, an amusement in her eyes that she could barely conceal. "Alex, this is the nicest thing that has been offered to me today," she replied, her voice steeped in irony, "unfortunately I have to pass, my plants and I have a video night date. It's going to be really exciting."

Alex feigned disappointment, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. "Ouch, I'm deeply hurt. You prefer your houseplants to me?"

She would choose anything over a wolf, but she didn't tell him that. His theatrical puppy-dog look made her laugh again. Her laughter filled the room, a light, cheerful note in the quiet atmosphere of the office.

But just then, while their laughter was still hanging in the air, the elevator door opened with a soft hiss. Nathan stepped out, looking anything but neat. His hair was different than usual, his shirt was askew, and the place where a tie would normally adorn his neck was empty.

"Hey, everything okay?" his beta asked him worriedly.

His eyes fell on Alex and Serena, a picture that obviously did not suit his taste.

"To my office," he said to Serena and walked past them.

She picked up her notebook very slowly and stood up. She knew in every fiber of her being that she had no desire to face him in this bad mood, even though, like Alex, she was a little worried about why he looked like that.

As she followed him into his office, she noticed him turning the glass wall to privacy. Serena looked uncertainly back at Alex, who just shrugged and frowned, as if to convey to her that he didn't know what was going on either.

❦

Once in his office, Nathan closed the door behind Serena. The tense atmosphere between them was almost tangible as he turned to her. "This has to stop," he began, his voice firm, almost sharp.

Serena stiffened her back. "What exactly?" she asked, watching him pace back and forth like a trapped wolf. He had mostly stayed away from her for days, but now in the office with the locked door, he couldn't escape her so easily.

"You and my beta. These daily flirting sessions in the middle of the office are disturbing the peace. You should stay away from him. For your own good. Alex doesn't know you're a wolf."

"I'm not a wolf," she corrected, "Not anymore."

He snorted derisively. "That's absurd. I don't know how you manage to make sure no one else can feel you. My wolf has felt yours since the moment I saw you in that cafe." His tone became angry, accusatory.

She laughed uncertainly. "What you're saying is completely impossible, Nathan." They went to see doctors and shamans. No one had felt anything.

"I don't care if you believe it. Be damn sensible and stay out of the office during this phase of the moon. Work from home. Stay away from Alex and preferably every other wolf for the next few days."

"I know we have a slightly messed up employer-employee relationship because you blackmailed me into working here and are a bit dictatorial, but do you really think I'm so weak that I can't 'protect' myself from a man like Alex? Or so easy that I would respond to his every advance?" she continued, her words sharp as knives. The air in the room was charged.

She looked at him. His forehead was wet, his shirt sweaty. "What about you?" she asked quietly. The normally proud Alpha was restless, almost vulnerable and nervous.

Nathan wasn't sure if he could confide in her. But out of fear and shame he kept his story to himself. She saw his hurt and came closer, for some inexplicable reason she wanted to comfort him, to wipe the hair from his damp forehead. She had raised her hand and he grabbed her wrist as if he wanted to stop her.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked.

"I..." she winced. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate."

"Inappropriate?" he asked her caustically. "Are we really still talking about customs here?"

At that moment, the tension between them increased. Nathan took a step toward her, his eyes flashing with an emotion that Serena couldn't immediately place. Before she could react, she found herself pressed against the cool glass wall of his office, Nathan's body only inches from hers. He leaned over her, his gaze fixed on her. At first she thought he was going to kiss her, but he just hovered over her.

"What... what are you doing?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly, uncertainty and confusion in the air. Nathan paused, moved a little closer. His hands rested on her shoulders and stroked her arms and hands in an electrifying way. "You are under my protection," he said quietly, his voice deep and almost no longer his own. "I want my scent to cling to you so that no one even comes up with the idea of ​​claiming you for themselves."

Outraged by this frank confession, Serena pushed him away. "I'm not property that you can just mark, Harper."

Those words, so possessive and raw, left Serena shaken. The intensity of his gaze, the closeness of his body, the touch that sent shockwaves through her - it was too much. He wasn't himself, she realized. His gaze was clouded, as if he were no longer there. His wolf had taken over for him. Still in his human form, but as fierce as a wild predator. She reached for the door handle, ready to run away. "Don't you dare leave this room," he growled softly.

"What do you want from me?" Serena hissed.

Nathan closed the distance between them again, his movements deliberate and purposeful. He gently lifted her chin, then ran his fingers along her shoulder and finally gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He tilted his head, breathing deeply, as if he wanted to take in every part of her being, every hint of her scent. "She's still there, deep inside you. Whoever said otherwise must have lied to you," he whispered so softly it was almost a breath.

❦

Nathan's world around him seemed to blur, becoming a whirlwind of emotions and instincts. He stood there, close to Serena, his hands right on her skin, yet feeling miles away. His wolf had gained the upper hand, had seized control of his body and his voice, while his human self was trapped in a cage inside him, unable to intervene. "Let her go," he warned the wolf.

It was a painful experience that tore him apart. He didn't want to intimidate or pressure Serena, but the wolf in him followed older, wilder laws. Nathan felt the wolf wanting to claim her for himself.

Her warmth, the energy that emanated from her, the subtle strength that slumbered within her - the wolf felt all of this intensely, it attracted him magically. It was a connection that burned deep under the skin, inexplicable and inevitable. Before the wolf did something stupid, Nathan had to intervene. He had to protect her, so he tried to pull himself out of the swampy interior. He didn't succeed right away, but it wasn't yet a full moon and his wolf was nowhere near as strong as he would be tomorrow. Nathan fought his way to the surface of his consciousness and finally took control.

He looked at Serena, who was standing in front of him, breathing heavily. His hand was on her waist. He immediately let go of her as if he had been burned and put some distance between them.

"You should go home now, Serena," he ordered.

She nodded nervously, didn't need to be told twice and fled from his office.

❦

Before he could close the door behind her, Alex pushed his way into the office. His concern for his friend was written all over his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked directly, without beating around the bush, closing the door behind him.

"I don't have time for you, Beta," he growled. He leaned down and picked up the laptop that Serena had dropped earlier and placed it on the desk.

"I saw Serena run out of your office like the devil himself was after her. She didn't say a word, just grabbed her things and left. What the hell happened, Nathan? Did you fire her?" his friend asked bluntly.

"No," Nathan hissed. He sighed and took a deep breath to calm down.

"We've been friends since we were in kindergarten," Nathan reminded him, "I've never seen you like this before." He pointed to the pathetic figure Nathan was currently making. "You're usually a professional business manager. What's wrong with you, man?"

Nathan hesitated. He couldn't confide in Alex without revealing that Serena was a wolf. Besides, he was still pretty angry about him trying to hit on Serena, which he still needed to talk to him about. "Look, it's not my style to interfere in your personal affairs, especially when it comes to romances with co-workers. I stay out of what you do in private. But this time I have to. Stay away from Serena."

Alex raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey, I had absolutely no intention of starting anything with your assistant," he defended himself. "I actually assumed you had eyes in your head. The others have been completely avoiding her for weeks. In fact, I'm the only person who even speaks to her. Half the staff even thinks you only hired her because you sleep with her."

"So you do what? Hit on her so she'll think she's going to sleep with you?" Nathan asked mockingly. Alex was aware of the Alpha's aggressive undertone and knew he had to be careful not to become the target of Nathan's wrath. Still, as friends, Alex was the only one who could speak openly and honestly with him.

"She's attractive to a human, but she's not interested in me. I don't plan on sleeping with her, Alpha," he confessed, "I just didn't want to leave her with the pack here. If you want her to stay, make sure she's respected. You should start by doing that yourself."