Chapter 7

"You're in big trouble,young lady."

Holly smiled at the voice hissing in her ear. "Oh, look. They have cheese Danish. My favorite."

"Give me some of that." Dahlia held out her plate, her eyes widening as she looked at the flaky crust of the pastry. "Okay. I'm a smidge less upset with you now, and I'll be a smidge less than that once we get some coffee, but you're still in trouble."

"What did I do?" Holly asked with a smile, though she knew precisely what was happening.

Dahlia followed her down the buffet table, which featured every delicious snack and treat Eugene had to offer. Marshall Newman was big on supporting small businesses. She put on her best mom voice: "Coming in after midnight, young lady, without so much as a holler to let me know you were home safe! Why, I've got a mind not to let you see that boy again!"

Holly laughed. "Don't worry, Ma. I probably won't."

"Now, hold on a second." Dahlia had been reaching for a plate of fruit but paused and gave Holly a stern look. "By my calculations, you still have one more night left in Eugene. Granted, we have a bit more of this bullshit to get through, but you've got enough free time to squeeze in another dinner or movie or whatever it is the two of you might've been doing." Dahlia waggled her eyebrows at Holly.

"Technically, sure, but it's not like it can go anywhere." She reminded herself of this constantly, knowing how easy it would be to fool herself into believing that fate and love would be enough to make things work. If that were true, she would've already found someone long before now.

"Ugh." Dahlia made a deep noise of annoyance in her throat. "I keep telling you, it doesn't have to go anywhere. It could just be a really nice time, a chance to relax and enjoy yourself before you head home."

"Who says I don't enjoy myself at home?" Holly contended.

"Okay, fine, but I think you and I have different definitions of enjoyment." Dahlia loaded her plate with fruit and a few more pastries before the two of them headed off to a table in the cafeteria at Newman Media Group's headquarters. "And anyway, neither of you must be looking for this to go anywhere if you didn't even stay the whole night at his place."

Holly stirred a generous amount of oat creamer into her coffee. "You want to know all the details?"

"Every. Grisly. One."

"Fine. He literally ate right out of my hand."

"What?" That made even Dahlia sit back in her chair and pay attention.

Holly shrugged. "He wanted to try my burrito."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes. "You're impossible."

"Yes, but it actually was really nice." She detailed their impromptu meal from the food carts, the walk around town, and their time at Selene's. It'd been so perfect. She'd had guys take her out for fancy meals at snooty restaurants where the menu was all in French, but her time with Pierce had been so much more enjoyable. The rock club was unlike anything she'd ever been to. Not even when she'd been in college had she ventured into a place like that, but she felt so safe and happy with Pierce. "You'd be very proud of me if you'd seen me out there on that dance floor. Not for my dancing skills, necessarily, but for the fact that I actually danced at all."

"And then?" There went Dahlia's eyebrows again.

"We went back to his place." She had nothing to hide or be ashamed of.

"Don't leave me hanging," her friend warned. "Knowing you, going back to his place could mean doing the nasty or it could mean organizing his bookshelves."

"No bookshelves were involved unless we happened to knock something off one accidentally, and I was too busy to notice," Holly replied, her body feeling warm all over again. Pierce knew just how to touch her. He made her feel so desirable, so sexy. She'd be basking in that afterglow for a very long time.

"Okay, now we're talking!" Dahlia realized she was starting to get loud and giggled.

Holly bit into her Danish and chewed thoughtfully. "Then there was the part about his father's house burning to the ground."

"What?" Dahlia clapped her hand over her mouth as several coworkers turned their way.

"Yep. He got a call while we were lying in bed, and we rushed off to the scene. It was horrible." Holly had relived every moment she and Pierce had shared together in bed, but she wished she could erase the rest of the night from her mind. "It was the house he and his brother grew up in, and everything they had was completely gone. I don't think I've seen anything quite like that firsthand."

Dahlia leaned across the table. "Wait. He took you with him?"

"Don't start reading into that," Holly warned. "It was just the most convenient thing to do since I didn't have a vehicle. It was a matter of timing, that's all."

Wasn't it? Because even though Pierce needed to rush off to be with his family, Holly could've figured out a way home. She could've called a cab—an option that was actually feasible since she had her purse with her, unlike when Pierce had pulled her from the river—or she even could've called Dahlia. It would've worked out. But looking into it too much would lead her down a path of disappointment all over again. She and Pierce liked each other. That much was evident. Fate certainly had big ideas about them, considering the telepathic link between them when they'd had a few moments to be in their animal forms together. There was no getting around the physical distance between their homes or even the fact that they were different species. How would that work? Every time she rolled it all around in her head, the situation became more jumbled and complicated.

"If you say so." Dahlia polished off her pastry and washed it down with some coffee. "I'm just saying I don't think any guy I've dated has ever invited me to a family emergency."

"All right, folks!" Marshall Newman clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "I hope you've all enjoyed your break. Even though we're here to have fun, we still need to sit down and recover from it every now and then."

A few people laughed politely.

"Erica is passing out index cards, each with a symbol on it," Marshall continued. "We're going to use these to split everyone up into smaller, random groups. If you're a triangle, you're going to be staying right here in the cafeteria with me. Stars will be heading down the hall to the conference room. Squares will go outside into the courtyard, and circles will go upstairs."

Holly took the little slip of paper from Erica and flipped it over to show Dahlia. "I'm a square."

"You sure are," Dahlia agreed with a smile. "Looks like I'm a star, baby."

Once they'd cleaned up their table, Holly made her way toward the doors. They were inset into a large glass wall that showed off the beauty of the courtyard, a lush space full of flowers and other indigenous plants. There was no telling what kind of team-building torture awaited her out there, but for once, she wasn't too concerned. She'd get through the day, and then she'd be heading back home. Going back to everyday life was exactly what she needed right now.

Lorelei, the HR director, was waiting for them at the center of the courtyard. "Welcome, everyone! I know we've done a lot of great activities so far this week to help us get to know each other. I hope that by asking questions and exploring what you have in common, you've all become much more comfortable with your coworkers. Our goal for this week is to have you all enter as coworkers and leave as friends."

Holly pressed her lips together to keep from making a smart remark.

"First, we're going to become the human knot! The goal of this game is to improve our strategy and communication skills, and we'll probably get to know each other a little better along the way! I want everyone to get into a circle. Make it nice and tight, shoulder to shoulder. Just like that. Perfect. Now, everyone, put your left hand out. Take the hand of someone on the opposite side of the circle. Make sure they're not your immediate neighbor."

A hand quickly clasped hers, squeezing tightly. She looked up and found Kyle on the other side of the circle. Fantastic.

"Now, everyone, put your right hand in and do the same thing, but you can't take the hand of the same person who's already holding your left hand!" Lorelei chirped.

Well, good. She might be stuck with Kyle on one side, but that was it.

"Wonderful! Your goal is to untangle yourselves without letting go. You'll form a perfect circle when you're done. Remember to use each other's names and think about how to work with everyone to solve the problem. There's no time limit!"

Kyle yanked her close and leaned in. "I need to talk to you."

"No, you just need to duck under that guy's arm," she replied, pointing with her chin.

They churned through several rotations before he had a chance to get close again. "I'm working on a big story."

"Good for you. Now turn to the left." She watched the churning knot of people, wondering how something that made them all rub up against each other could possibly be okay in today's corporate culture. No one was objecting, though. In fact, they were laughing and chatting as they tried to sort themselves out.

He pulled closer to her once again, even though it didn't help their progress. "I'm glad to see you made it out of that club last night."

"I appreciate your concern," she said, nearly gritting her teeth in annoyance. "I can take care of myself, though."

While some people on the other side of the group worked through a particularly dense section of the knot, Kyle took his chance to continue. "Most of the time, maybe, but you got lucky."

She sure did and allowed herself a small smile as she thought about it.

Holly had never been fond of these exercises, but she suddenly found herself interested in achieving their goal. The sooner they untangled themselves, the sooner she could distance herself from Kyle. She turned to the other person she was holding hands with, a photographer named Dennis. "I think if you duck over that way, the next guy can spin to the left."

Dennis nodded. "Sounds good to me. By the way, I really enjoyed that piece you did a couple of months ago about the coffee shop. It was neat to see all the history from the point of view of the building. Great stuff."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. It took a lot of research and interviews to get it all together, but I really enjoyed it."

"It's important to enjoy your work," Dennis agreed as they churned through several more people, ducking and twisting. "Me, I can't imagine doing anything other than looking at life through a lens. There's so much to see in the world, and it gets overwhelming. I like distilling that down, pointing the finger at something really specific. If you don't mind the comparison, I think you and I have a bit in common."

"I think you're right," she agreed. "If you find yourself in New England, we should work together sometime."

Kyle grumbled at her as the crowd moved back in the other direction. "You need to be working with me. If you want angles and perspectives, I've got something that will knock your socks off."

With one final twist, the knot turned into a circle once again.

"Yes!" Lorelei cheered. "Awesome job!"

Though Kyle had started on the other side of the circle, he was standing next to her now. Holly gave him a flippant look. "I think I'll keep my socks on, thanks."

She managed to stay away from him for the next few exercises, but she couldn't avoid him completely once the day wrapped up. With a bag of Newman Media Group swag over her arm as she walked outside to her rental car, Kyle once again caught up with her.

"Holly, I need you to hear me out. No, just listen," he insisted when she opened her mouth.

She shut it again, figuring that maybe if he got it all out, he'd finally leave her alone.

"We all know you have amazing skills in immersive writing. And we also know I'm Newman"s best investigative reporter. If we team up on an article, we could both be up for a Noomy. Marshall's personal pick might not mean much to the rest of the world, but it's a step toward being nominated for an Edward R. Murrow Award or maybe even a Pulitzer!"

Working with Kyle was the very last thing she wanted to do. He was talented, but she had a feeling he was setting his sights a bit too high.

"Now, here's the really important part." Kyle grabbed her elbow and pulled her to a stop between two SUVs. He glanced around, making sure no one was nearby. "You remember that I told you there's something funny about the people around here, right?"

Holly was pretty sure there was something funny about him, but she stuck to her policy of hearing him out so he'd shut up. "Yes."

"I think I've got it figured out." He leaned close, his cologne too strong. "I spent a bit of time in that club last night. People don't think anyone can hear them when there's loud music playing, but I've got a great ear. I kept hearing them saying weird things like they were going out for a run. I figured it was a code phrase for drug deals or something. I mean, no one goes out for a run after they've been dancing and drinking at a rock club. Right?"

Her throat had gone dry. This couldn't really be happening, could it? "Sure, but you never know?—"

"So I followed a few of them," he continued, his brows furrowing down over his dark eyes. "Holly, what I'm about to tell you is absolutely wild. Understand that I'm telling you—and only you—because I think you're the only person I can trust with this information."

Or because he wanted to work with her or somehow thought it might get her into bed with him. Holly waited on tenterhooks, terrified of what he might say next.

"They're not—" He looked around again and then lowered his voice so that it was barely above a whisper. "They're not human. These guys left the club on foot, and I followed them at a distance. For a bit I thought maybe I was mistaken, but then they got to some of the parkland near the river. And Holly, I shit you not: They changed into wolves."

She'd always known it could happen. The wrong person at the wrong time would get too careless with their secret, and someone else would be just nosey enough to see it. Her mind reeled, and her body threatened to lose balance. What could she do? "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Kyle had given her his arrogant, macho attitude many times before, and it was rare that she saw any shred of authenticity in his personality. It was there now, though. He wasn't laid-back Kyle, who hoped to get laid on a company trip. He was Kyle Freeman, investigative journalist, a man on a mission to expose a massive story. "I didn't have a drop of alcohol in that club. I was completely aware and sober. I'm talking teeth and fur and tails. Everything. I have no doubt I can recreate what I saw by spending time in the right places."

He straightened but still had a hold of her elbow. His face was hard and serious. "You believe me." It was a statement, not a question.

How could she not? Though not a wolf, she was one of the very subjects Kyle wanted to pursue. "Yeah," she managed.

Kyle gave a slight nod. "I'm going to stay in Eugene for a few days longer and pursue this. I'm not telling anyone at work about it, not even Marshall himself. I have to keep it under wraps until I'm ready to bring it out into the spotlight, so as far as anyone else is concerned, I'm just taking vacation time. What do you say? Are you with me?"

It was an impossible situation. Kyle was a pain in her ass every year, and she couldn't wait to leave him behind. But if she did, he stood a chance of being much more than a pain in the ass to thousands of people. If he were successful and did a good enough job that people could actually believe him instead of laughing him out of the newsroom, it would change everything. Not just here in Eugene, and not just here in America. The entire human civilization would experience a massive paradigm shift they probably couldn't handle. Holly wanted to believe that Kyle wasn't capable of making waves that big, but what if he was? There were many ifs, which was precisely what scared her.

"Sure," she finally said, knowing she had no choice. She had to stay, and she had to work on this project with Kyle, but not for the reasons he hoped. Holly had to completely botch the story and keep it under wraps. That was the very antithesis of what she was all about, but the risk was too great. "I'm in."