Chapter 13
Nora's POV
The silence in the hallway stretched taut like a wire about to snap. Sarah's smile had frozen into something brittle and sharp, her perfectly manicured fingers gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles had gone white.
The man beside her cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing between us like he'd stumbled into a minefield. "Sarah, we really should—"
"Nora," Sarah interrupted, her voice rising a few notches, carrying clearly down the corridor. "I really feel sorry for you."
"Sorry about what?"
Sarah's mouth curved into something that might pass for sympathy if you didn't know her better. "Well, you're working as a contract worker at the Blackwood branch, right? So much hard work, those dangerous home visits, such low pay..." She shook her head slowly, the gesture almost theatrical. "And you have to handle those dangerous situations all by yourself."
Kathy shifted beside me, opening her mouth to say something, but I caught her eye and gave a barely perceptible shake of my head.
Sarah continued, warming to her theme like she was twisting a knife. "Honestly, I think it's such a waste. All those years you spent fighting for that 4.0 GPA, all those scholarships you competed for, all that effort..." Her voice trailed off as she shook her head again, the picture of regret. "And now you're..."
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
Around us, curious faces had begun to appear in doorways. The hallway felt smaller suddenly, the air thick with unspoken tension. I could feel eyes on us, assessing, judging, waiting to see how this would play out.
I pulled the corners of my mouth into something approximating a polite smile, my voice clear and steady. "Well, I don't have a father with power and influence at DSW to pave the way for me, do I?"
The words landed like a slap. Sarah's expression flickered—then anger, then a desperate struggle to maintain composure. Her voice shot up an octave, carrying genuine outrage. "I earned my position through my own merit! How dare you—that's slander!"
"Sarah." The man beside her tried to intervene, trying to end this. "You said you were hungry. Why don't we get something to eat?"
She jerked away from his touch, her chest rising and falling rapidly, those sharp eyes boring into me with barely contained fury. For a moment, I thought she might actually lose control completely.
But she held herself back, spinning on her heel, her stilettos clicking an angry staccato against the tile as she stalked away.
---
Kathy waited until Sarah disappeared around the corner before letting out a low whistle. "Holy shit."
I pushed through the office door, my hands steadier than I'd expected. The adrenaline was still there, buzzing under my skin, but the overwhelming feeling was exhaustion.
"That was intense." Kathy pulled up a chair next to my desk by the window. "I thought you two were actually going to fight in the hallway."
"Adults don't fight with fists," I said, logging into my workstation. "Just words."
"Okay, but seriously." Kathy leaned in, her eyes bright with curiosity. "You two were rivals in college? And you mentioned a pursuer—were you love rivals too?"
I paused, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. Whether I wanted them to or not, the memories came flooding back.
"The man she pursued liked me," I said simply.
Kathy's eyes widened. "So now when she sees you, it's like seeing an enemy."
I shook my head helplessly.
Kathy studied me for a moment, then her expression turned serious. "Nora, I need to tell you something. Sarah's father used to be a deputy director at DSW headquarters. He's retired now, but he still has serious influence within the system."
I rubbed my forehead, thinking that work wouldn't be so smooth from now on.
"I'm not trying to scare you," Kathy continued quickly. "I just... you should know what you're dealing with. If Sarah decides to make things difficult for you, she has the connections to do it."
Of course she does. The universe's sense of humor was truly impeccable.
"I understand," I said. "Thanks for the warning."
Kathy squeezed my shoulder. "For what it's worth? What you said back there was perfect. You didn't rise to her bait, you just stated a fact." She grinned. "Even if it was a fact that made her want to kill you."
I managed a weak smile.
Inside, I was already making calculations. Sarah Klein—now DSW's darling of public relations and policy communication, with a corner office and a father who used to be deputy director. Versus me—Nora Grey, contract worker from a dying branch office, with nothing but my case files and my pride.
The smart move would be to avoid her. Keep my head down. Don't make waves.
But I'd tried that approach before, and it only made them push harder.
No. I was done being cornered.
If Sarah wanted a fight, she'd get one.
---
The afternoon training session was held in one of the Regional Headquarters' conference rooms. The instructor was a woman in her fifties with brown hair, bearing the weathered look of someone who'd spent thirty years in the field before moving to administration.
"Let's talk about de-escalation techniques with Lycan clients during Agitation season," she began, pulling up slides on the projector. "First rule—maintain calm. Your heart rate, your scent, your body language. They can sense fear, and fear triggers the chase instinct."
I took notes, my pen moving steadily across the page. This was familiar territory—I'd learned most of these protocols through trial and error in Blackwood, usually with no backup and inadequate equipment.
"Second—never make direct eye contact if the client is showing signs of transformation. It's perceived as a challenge." She clicked to the next slide, showing a diagram of Lycan pupils during various emotional states. "Third—keep your body cam on at all times. It's not just for your safety—it's legal protection. An attack captured on camera becomes a federal offense."
Benjamin raised his hand. "What if they destroy the camera?"
"Then you have bigger problems," she said dryly. "But the footage uploads to cloud storage in real-time, so evidence is preserved regardless."
The session continued for two hours, covering everything from mandatory visitation protocols to the legal boundaries of forced entry. It was thorough and professional.
When the training ended, I had three pages of notes and a splitting headache.
Shortly after we returned to the office, Robert burst in. "Everyone, urgent announcement—the Federal Inspector General will be visiting shortly to address all staff!"
The room went silent.
Benjamin's head snapped up. "The Inspector General? The Federal Inspector General?"
Whispers erupted immediately. I caught fragments—
"—from Aetheria, right? The political family—"
"—heard he was a military officer, combat experience—"
"—purebred Alpha, supposedly terrifying when angry—"
"—never does public appearances, most people at headquarters have never even seen him—"
Robert held up his hands for quiet. "Director Wright wants everyone in the main hall in ten minutes. The Inspector General will be making brief remarks."
As people scrambled to look presentable, Kathy leaned over. "This is big. The Inspector General wouldn't come here without a reason."
Benjamin appeared at my elbow, looking equal parts nervous and excited. "I heard the last time he visited a federal agency, he found evidence of embezzlement and shut down an entire department. What if he—"
"Let's just hear what he has to say," I interrupted, trying to keep my voice steady.
We filed into the main hall along with what seemed like every employee in the building. The energy was tense—fear mixed with curiosity, anxiety mixed with hope.