Chapter 1

One

Inner peace.

That was what he told himself. He could find it. Symon knew he could.

Inner peace.

Calm.

Emptiness.

Symon took a deep breath in, held it, and let it out nice and slow, making a sound as he released.

Ooohm.

His yoga mat lay solid beneath him, the air just barely warming from the deep night chill, and the scent of sandalwood incense drifted through the air, faint and sweet.

At this time in the early morning, when his Boulder courtyard was quiet and full of peace, it was just what he needed. The birds chirped and sang, and the wind chimes tinkled gently as the breeze blew down off the Rockies and onto the front range. It was blissful as it guided him. Allowing him to move to the next stage of being.

Drop him deeper into his meditation.

If his brothers heard him thinking, they would put Nair in his shampoo bottle. No question.

They both thought he was too controlled. Too out of touch with his nature.

Ooohm.

He needed to center, and he absolutely did not need to think about his wild brothers. Not today.

Today, he started his new position as the CEO at Shiftr.com, the holding company for the best shifter apps out there.

It wasn’t as if he’d gone in guns blazing, Mr. Hostile Takeover Man or anything, but…well, he’d wanted the company, and when push had come to shove, the bunny shifter that had founded the dot.com?

Had wanted to sail around the world on his personal yacht way more than he’d wanted to fight with Symon. Hell, Symon thought he hadn’t wanted to fight with anyone.

Now he had the company he wanted, but he wasn’t 100 percent sure that he knew what to do with it. What he did know was that all of the employees at the company were worried about a wolf taking over the top executive’s position. As far as they were concerned, he wasn’t techie, he wasn’t smart enough to be one of them, and he didn’t have what it took to run this company. He was just a wolf shifter. A slavering beast.

He was going to prove them wrong.

Immediately if not sooner.

Ooohm.

Focus, for fuck’s sake.

Symon spent hours meditating every morning, doing one asana after another. It was supposed to remind him that he was not some feral creature. He was not a wolf at the whim of the moon. He was not apt to bite and claw and spread his scent.

He was a sophisticated, controlled being.

He’d spend his entire life fighting—his brothers, his family, his pack. They wanted him to be some sort of…lumberjack up in the tree line, making dozens of babies and running with the moon.

He didn’t even own any flannel.

Ooohm.

Tink.

Woosh.

Click.

Clink.

The sounds started slowly, gently, but soon Symon could hear movement in the house behind him. He didn’t tense—he didn’t have to. Stan had been with him for decades, and he presented no danger to Symon.

Symon had been on a run on the day before the full moon, and he’d come across a man wounded during a vicious attack.

A werewolf attack that had horrified him, and it had made him commit to never letting the wolf take him again. He’d stayed with Stan, had helped him heal and adjust to his new life as an infected human. And now Stan had a place with him as long as he needed it. For life.

While he didn’t have the slightest idea who had attacked Stan, he had guilt, and Stan had needed a place to stay where he could safely live out his life span without having to go outside.

It worked out perfectly, because Symon had needed someone to take care of the basics for him. Food, cleaning, emails—things that he didn’t want to take care of. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, and they both managed to live together quite easily. They were like ships that passed in the night.

It didn’t hurt that his house was huge and that Stan had his own wing that had complete privacy, of course.

At any rate, the little noises meant that coffee would appear, the scent making his nose twitch, and soon there would be an omelet.

Given that today was Monday, it would have ham. Ham and peppers, onions, and cheese. Tomorrow’s breakfast would be pancakes and bacon. Wednesday would be oatmeal, Thursday potato and egg breakfast tacos, and Friday was biscuits and sausage gravy.

On Saturdays, he made himself a peanut butter and banana sandwich, while on Sundays he took himself to brunch in Boulder, if he was in town.

Stan was nothing if not predictable.

A butterfly landed on his nose, startling him. That was unexpected, and he didn’t ever know what to do with that. Blow it off? Eat it? Study its beauty?

Ooohm.

He and Stan did have their rhythm going on here. He meditated. He practiced yoga. He bought companies that he was curious about and learned how they ticked. Stan woke up, made coffee and freshly pressed orange juice, then started breakfast before disappearing to surf all the news outlets and watch hours of Real Lycans of New York.

He had a rhythm of his own.

Soon Symon would go in and take his shower.

Get dressed for the day.

Wolf down his breakfast—pun absolutely intended.

Grab his to-go cup of coffee and his phone. And head out the door.

Normal.

Reasonable.

Comfortable. No matter what job he was working, even a new one.

Tonight, he would have supper at his men’s club. Friday night. He would take in a play. Or show in Denver. On the weekends, he would go farther up into the mountains, sometimes camp. Oftentimes just walk along in nature completely clothed, non furry, nonthreateningly. He even slept in a tent. No wild nature for him. It tempted him to wolf out.

Ooohm.

Unlike his idiot brothers, he did not feel the need to hunt.

Or to stalk or to run around wearing nothing but a tail and teeth. He felt no urge to bathe under the moon.

That sort of nonsense was what gave all of them bad names.

Of all of the various shifters who existed in the world, Symon failed to understand why his kind, the wolves, were so widely considered savages, lost to the wiles of the moon.

No one ever said, oh, those bears, they’re going to bite you. Or, why don’t we muzzle those cats? Or even, those were bison. They’re just so dangerous.

He didn’t think anyone was aware of how many people were harmed by werebuffalo in any given year. The numbers were shocking.

Or what about deer? They ran into cars. They ran through windows. They were completely and utterly as apt to get into trouble as werewolves were.

And that didn’t even begin to cover the sharks. Those guys liked to bite people for fun and profit.

Ooohm.

He forced his mind back into the middle.

Right. Focus.

Work.

Business.

This was what he was good at, what he needed to make his point. This was why he had taken this company over.

He was going to prove to everyone that werewolves could be logical, reasonable creatures who could live in complete sophistication.

Debonair, even.

Shiftr.com was the shifter community’s most up-and-coming social media platform. It allowed lycans of all types to meet one another online, to join together and get to know one another in a safe and nonthreatening space.

The original programming had been rough, sloppy, but in the last few years, there had been someone in the company who worked their butts off to speed it up, to make it classier.

Symon wasn’t sure which one of the employees, or which ones of the employees for that matter were responsible for this, but he was going to find out and he was going to reward them.

The building was on the outskirts of Denver on the Boulder side, and so he felt comfortable driving out there to the glass-and-steel building while still being able to come home every day to his home near the mountains.

Surely between his new position in the company and being this close to Denver, he would be able to make the right decisions. Prove what he’d been telling his brothers for years.

All he had to do was move into the circles wherein those in the know could meet him, come to know him, understand that yes, he was a businessman and yes, he was very shrewd and sharp about what he did, but he did nothing that was not logical and practical and calculated. He was not at the whim of the moon.

Ooohm.

His nose twitched at the smell of the ham, which was caramelizing so well that it made his mouth water. Dammit, he wasn’t done meditating. He needed to tell Stan to back breakfast off five more minutes every day. He couldn’t concentrate with the smell of?—

No. He could. He could. He finished his freaking meditation without breaking for food. That was what willpower was about. Denied gratification.

To his credit, Stan waited for Symon to walk inside, even though Symon knew the man hated for his food to get cold.

“Coffee?” Stan’s tone radiated disapproval.

“Yes, thank you. Though make it to go. I’ll eat and run today.”

“Oh, but?—”

“Thank you, Stan.” He took the coffee and the omelet plate that Stan handed him.

“Good fortune today, sir.”

“Thank you, but I won’t need fortune, Stan. I’m prepared.”

“Of course you are. I would, erm, shower quickly after you eat.”

Symon resisted the urge to sniff his pit. “Yes, well. I probably will.”

Stan left him, and he groaned. What was he giving away to every other shifter in the entire business at this rate? Goddess. His nerves vibrated, making him grit his teeth. He could do this. He was going to do this.

Half an hour later, he was on his way into the city, the miles flying by. He hated the traffic and the smog that hung over the city on some days. Most shifters chafed at that, no matter what kind they were.

He strode into the office five minutes before the start of his workday, signing in with the security guard.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Morning, Manny. How’s your wife?” The man’s wife had just given birth last week.

“Very well, thank you for asking.”

“Good, good.” He held his keycard to the executive elevator door call sensor. “Have a good one.”

“You too. And they’re loaded for bear up there, sir.”

“Mmm.” Too bad they were getting a wolf. The joke made him wince even as it made a smile curve his lips.

Then he quashed it. Controlled. Calm.

Ooohm.

The executives he could handle. It was getting the respect of the employees who created the vision of the company. Those were the people he needed to get on board. He needed to establish a rapport with them so he could help guide them in a direction that satisfied both them and the board.

As he walked into the executive suite, he scanned the faces there, all of them waiting for him. He knew none of them were his fans. Not yet.

“Good morning, everyone. I’ll be taking an hour to meet with my new assistant and get accustomed to my office and look at my schedule. After that, I have a mixer meeting scheduled for the rest of the company to attend. They may come and go as they please, but I strongly suggest that you encourage all of the people in your departments to attend.” He waited a few beats for them to disperse and fought a growl. “Well, go!”

They went, but he felt defeated by the wolf coming to the fore.

He’d better get his shit together.

He had a lot of people to meet.

“Adrian,I need you to go to the damn meet-and-greet.”

Adrian Blaidd blew out a sharp breath. “I don’t want to. I have this algorithm almost?—”

His boss, Helene, clicked her nails on his desk to get his attention, which of course, did. She had long acrylic nails. “Adrian. I have been ordered by the new CEO to make certain all my people attend. I have no doubt the big jerk is having the cameras in all the areas watched.” Helene was a fox shifter who was sleek, darkly ginger, and wily. She could also bite. Hard.

And god help a guy if she screamed at him. Time literally stopped.

“But why does he need to meet me?” Adrian hoped he wasn’t being…well, what? Whiny? He was serious about his job. He was good at tech stuff. But not socializing, especially with the brass. And this was the big wig.

Not to mention another wolf.

No. He would stay in his office.

“He wants to meet everyone. You’re one of the many. You go in, you have a cookie, you leave. Easy-peasy.” She bared her sharp little teeth. “Say ‘Yes, Helene’.”

“Mmhmm…yes, Helene.” Not happening. “I’ll be there.”

Not.

“I will dock you if you aren’t, Adrian. I mean it.” She glared, her expression somehow knowing. She had his number. He adored her. She was the best manager he’d ever had. But this sucked.

He’d moved to Denver because he was his own wolf, not just some omega on the low end of the totem pole.

The last rung of the omega chain?

Whatever.

He fucking rocked.

You are smart. Sexy. Smart. Also, really good at your job.Right? Right.

But now this new CEO had moved in, and he seemed to be pushing the pack structure in the company. Adrian wanted nothing to do with that.

Nope.

He was a lone wolf. Did his own shit. Was solitary, and?—

Why was Helene still standing there?

“What?”

“Come on. Let’s go have a little coffee and convo.”

“Oh, god.” He rolled his eyes. “Evil woman.”

“I know. I do, but you’re so tense, and I know how you are. You’ll scamper out of here and not get things done.”

“Scamper?” He did not scamper.

“Come with me. Ten minutes. Then you can come back to work.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the elevator.

Wow, she was strong.

“So, what about the new guy? Decent? Freaky?”

“Mmm. Well, he’s very controlled.” She grinned a little. “But he seems interested in the company and not just the money.”

“That’s good, I guess?” He was going to miss bouncy little Adam, if he was honest.

“I suppose, yes. It might be bad for some of us middle management,” she said wryly. “I bet he cuts deadwood.”

“You’re not deadwood, lady! You’re an amazing manager. I swear.” He loved working for her.

“Maybe he’ll get rid of Dave.”

“Yeah.” Adrian wrinkled his nose. No one liked Dave, and no one could really understand what he did at the company.

Werecrocodiles were so…challenging.

“Wow, look at that spread.” They walked into the big conference area, where a brunch buffet was laid out. There was a waffle bar.

That had to have cost a fortune.

“Is it real maple syrup?”

He reacted poorly to sugar substitutes.

“It is.” The attendant smiled. “There’s other kinds as well, but apparently the new owner likes the good things in life.”

“Huh.” Well, then. Waffles ahoy. He could take them to his desk.

He piled up his plate, ducking his head as one of the male mountain lions came stalking by, the big asshole trying to cut in line.

“Hey!” Helene stepped in, almost chest bumping the guy. “Line starts back there, Carl.”

“Sure.” Carl lifted his lip, a snarl so evident.

“Asshole. Okay, kiddo. Please eat at least a bite of that here.” Helene grabbed a waffle and about a dozen pieces of bacon.

“Okay. I will. I promise.” He found a standing table next to the door that was totally empty and ate a bite of bacon.

Isaac came wandering close. “Can I share with you, please?”

The Pallas cat’s expression was a perpetual scowl, but Isaac was the head of the mail room, and an incredibly focused, organized, and kind man.

“Of course. It’s nice and quiet over here.”

“Yes. And no big jerks.” Isaac made a rough kitty coughing sound. “Really what does it take for them to just mind their own business?”

“Is someone bothering you, Isaac?” He could speak to Helene. Being the only department head who was an omega made it tough for Isaac sometimes.

“No one I can’t handle.” Isaac looked at his fork. “Crab cakes. Can you believe it? At a work buffet. In Denver.” He chomped his in one huge bite.

His sweet tooth made those waffles taste like heaven, and he powered through the stack. He wasn’t a cook, so he didn’t eat well at home.

That was…wow. And he didn’t start to feel sick right away, either, so the syrup was good. They didn’t need to chitchat a lot, him and Isaac. They just stood there and chowed down on their food.

“I’m going back in. Want anything else.”

“Mmm. A cinnamon roll?” He would take that to go.

“I’ll get you sweets.” Isaac was a salty fishy guy.

“Thank you. You rock.”

Isaac winked at him, then slowly wandered up toward the front.

He saw it, Carl’s foot swinging out to knock Isaac over.

His wolf roared to the forefront, and he rushed over to make sure Isaac didn’t fall.

“Jesus, you fucker!”

“What did you call me?” Carl whirled on him, moving so fast, turning on him as he caught Isaac mid-stumble.

“You heard me? What are you, twelve? This is an office! You don’t trip people, you giant bully.”

“I will rip your throat out, pup.”

There was precious little doubt of that, but he wasn’t a coward. “Again. Work. Back off.”

Isaac hissed. “Go away, dickhead.”

Carl scowled, raising a hand, and he pushed Isaac behind him, stepping up to ward off whatever punch the big fucker was going to throw.

“That’s enough!” Someone whizzed right past him, taking up a huge amount of space between him and Carl, looming over the big cat shifter. “You don’t threaten people in this company. Do you understand? You’re on suspension.”

“Whaaat?” Carl’s voice rose with surprise. “Over these snivelly omegas?”

“I am not snivelly!”

“Yeah!” Isaac leaned around him to sneer at Carl.

“Out. I’ll speak to you at your disciplinary meeting.” The guy who’d moved between him and Carl waited, and Carl slunk off.

The man turned to face him, and he had time to register two things. This was the new boss, and he was incredibly, shockingly, distressingly hot, with a wing of raven black hair and bright amber eyes.

“Are you all right?”

“Of course.” Adrian tried to step back, but his heel hit Isaac’s foot. The kitty grunted, staggering into him, and Adrian turned, reaching out to grasp the table next to him for balance. A plate went flying into the air, and he wanted to die as the contents splattered the new boss’s expensive suit.

His eyes went wide. “Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.”

Someone gasped, “Club soda?”

Isaac handed over a mostly finished glass of Sprite. “What? It’s close.”

His wolf was running in hysterical circles in his mind, utterly panicked.

“No, thank you. I’ll just have it cleaned.” The boss smiled faintly. “I know you’re Isaac, but who might you be?”

“Nobody. Just a worker bee. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”

“Adrian! What on earth happened?” Helene came running. “Go on to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up. Work virtual for the rest of the day.”

“’kay.” He turned and ran for the stairway. His laptop was at home, his wallet and keys were in his pocket. He’d wash out his coffee cup when he got in next.

Well. At least he guessed the boss knew now that he’d been at the welcome meeting, right?