Chapter 24 Isolation
Briar's POV
I stood under the shower for twenty minutes, letting scalding water cascade over my shoulders, but it didn't wash away the phantom sensation of Lucian's fingertips against my collarbone. When I finally dragged myself to bed, I lay there staring at the ceiling.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the way his gray-green gaze had darkened, the careful control in every movement as he'd touched my face, my jaw, that spot where my pulse had been hammering against his fingers.
I rolled onto my side with a frustrated groan. The whole point had been to test his boundaries, to see how he'd react to deliberate provocation. Instead, I'd gotten a masterclass in restraint that left me more unsettled than any aggressive response would have.
A noise from the living room made me freeze. It was past midnight, and I wasn't expecting anyone. I grabbed my phone and crept to the door, pulling it open just enough to peer out.
A young woman was kneeling beside a stack of boxes, unpacking what looked like laboratory equipment. She looked up when she heard my door and gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry! I know it's ridiculously late. I'm Leah Smith, Ash's classmate. The lab project deadline got pushed back three times, and I literally just finished my defense an hour ago."
Relief flooded through me. "Right, Ash mentioned you were looking for a place. I'm Briar Vance."
We spent the next hour organizing her belongings, and by the time we finished, it was past one in the morning. I collapsed into bed and fell alseep.
I made it to the office by eight and immediately started making calls. Ash and his two classmates, Damon and Liam, agreed to come in at two to discuss the promotional strategy. That gave me the morning to tackle the three millions funding gap.
Rowan's million had already hit the company account. Combined with our existing reserves, I could scrape together two millions. I just needed to find the rest.
I pulled up my contact list and started calling the banks we'd worked with over the years. The first one put me on hold for fifteen minutes before telling me they'd need to reassess our credit rating. The second one cited new Council approval requirements. The third one didn't even bother with an excuse.
I hung up and stared at my phone. The rejections were too coordinated. Someone was making sure I couldn't access capital through traditional channels.
I scrolled through my contacts again, looking for someone, anyone, I could reach out to for help. The list was depressingly short. Rowan. Lucian. A few business acquaintances who'd made it clear they weren't interested in pack politics.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. Julian had spent years systematically isolating me, cutting off relationships under the guise of protecting me, keeping me close under the pretense of devotion. Every friend who'd drifted away, every connection that had withered had been part of a carefully constructed cage.
Selene snarled in the back of my mind, furious and helpless.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to think clearly. This was the first real test of breaking free from Julian's control. Learning to function alone, to build solutions without a support network, to be comfortable with isolation until I could forge new connections on my own terms.
My phone buzzed with a news alert. The headline read: Silverwind-Shadowmoor Joint Medical Center Breaks Ground! Alpha Heir and Fiancée Preside Over Ceremony.
The photo showed Chloe in an elegant cream suit, her arm linked through Julian's, her head resting against his shoulder. I thought about Julian's older brother, the one who'd vanished from public life years ago. Dominic's first wife had given birth to a son and immediately filed for divorce. Dominic had remarried within months to the daughter of Black Pine Pack's former Alpha, and Julian had been born a year later. The mysterious older brother had never surfaced, never claimed his birthright.
My warning at the hospital hadn't fazed Chloe at all. Julian hadn't been bombarding me with calls lately because he was busy cementing his alliance with Silverwind Pack, acquiring prime Seattle real estate through their combined influence.
I closed the news app and opened a blank document. First, I needed to deal with the leak in my own company.
I called in my department heads one by one. Jack from Finance came first, and I handed him a folder marked confidential. "This contains our latest research on improving the Lunar Stabilizer formula. I need you to review the cost projections, but this information cannot leave this room. You're the only person I'm sharing this with."
I repeated the process with Emily from Marketing, Raymond from Operations, and Iris from Procurement. Each received a different version of the supposed formula improvement, each with distinct technical details that would be easy to trace if they leaked.
Whichever version made it to Montgomery Medical Group would tell me exactly who was feeding them information.
At two o'clock, I met with Ash and his two classmates in the conference room.
"Damon's our data guy," Ash explained. "Biochemistry major, can break down complex research. Liam's got connections across three different packs."
I handed them the promotional requirements and gave them an hour to review. When we reconvened, the strategy had taken shape. Damon would handle the academic community, presenting research findings. Liam would focus on social settings, building word-of-mouth credibility. Ash would shadow both and focus on outreach within Shadowmoor Pack.
"One more thing," I said to Lily. "All product trial data collection goes directly to me from now on. No one outside this room handles that information."
We moved to the demonstration room. Damon pulled up molecular structure diagrams and walked through pharmacological mechanisms with impressive confidence, citing peer-reviewed journals without missing a beat. Forty-five minutes straight, flawless.
Liam took a different approach. He took a dose of Lunar Stabilizer right there, then launched into a story about nearly losing his temper in traffic before a full moon. "I could feel that rage building. Took this, and twenty minutes later, I could actually think clearly again." He was natural with the volunteer test subjects too, making them laugh and feel at ease.
Both approaches had merit. Damon would win over the rational crowd. Liam would connect with people who valued experiential proof. But watching them work, I couldn't shake the awareness that even perfect execution wouldn't bridge a three hundred thousand dollar funding gap in six days.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing their presentation recordings, making notes on improvements. Damon needed simpler language. Liam needed more precise product knowledge. I'd give them feedback tomorrow.
By nine o'clock, I was the only one left in the building. I rubbed my temples, feeling exhaustion settle into my bones, and finally shut down my computer.
The first-floor lobby was empty when I stepped out of the elevator, the crystal chandelier casting light across marble floors. Then I saw him.
Julian sat on the leather sofa near the entrance, spine perfectly straight, every line of his body radiating controlled precision. His charcoal suit was immaculate, his shirt buttoned to the collar, platinum cufflinks catching the light. He was reading a leather-bound copy of the Werewolf Legal Code.
He looked up the moment the elevator doors opened.
I froze, considering whether I could get back inside before he reached me. But Julian was already closing the book with deliberate care, rising to his feet with fluid grace.
The image of Lucian sprawled in that bar booth flashed through my mind unbidden, his shirt open at the collar, his whole posture loose and unbothered. The contrast with Julian's rigid formality was almost jarring.
Julian crossed the lobby with measured steps and stopped directly in front of me. "Let's go," he said, his tone calm and absolute.
He reached for my wrist.
I stepped back, my wolf rising with a warning growl. "Go where?"