Chapter 44
Nora's POV
I set the water glass down with trembling hands. Despite my best efforts to stay composed, my fingers betrayed me. I forced myself to look up at Julian.
Upright and honorable. Heart for the people. Different from the local bureaucrats.
That's what I'd thought. What I'd wanted to believe. Now it all felt like a carefully crafted persona, a mask worn for the cameras, while the real man underneath was just another predator—one who simply knew how to play a longer game. He used kindness and trust as bait, waiting for the prey to lower its guard.
My gaze went cold, all warmth draining away like water. Kyle had pursued me with the same earnest sincerity, hadn't he? And that had been a bet. For a goddamn Porsche. Now here was another Alpha, more powerful, more refined, using the same playbook—just with better packaging.
The disgust rose in my throat, bitter and acidic. Not just disgust at Julian, but at myself. Because I'd believed someone might actually care about me without wanting anything in return.
I took a deep breath, shoving down the nausea, and stood up. The softness in my eyes vanished, replaced by something harder, sharper.
A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "So this is what you really are, Mr. Sterling."
Julian's brow furrowed. "What kind of person?"
I felt that imaginary pedestal I'd built for him crumble into dust.
I bit back the anger threatening to spill over, forcing myself to remember who he was, what he could do. I couldn't afford to lash out the way I had with Kyle. So I fell back on professional detachment, my voice going flat and distant. "My assignment is complete. You should find someone else to assist you going forward. I'm not qualified for anything beyond what I've already provided."
I turned and headed for the door, not waiting for his response, not wanting to hear whatever justification he might offer. I just needed out—out of this room, out of this suffocating situation.
Behind me, I heard the rustle of fabric, the heavy thud of footsteps closing in. I walked faster, my fingers just brushing the door handle when a warm, strong hand closed around my wrist.
"Why are you acting like this?" Julian's voice came from behind me, confused and urgent. "What the hell just happened?"
For the first time since I'd met him, that carefully controlled composure cracked, revealing something almost frantic underneath.
I tried to pull away, but a Lycan's strength wasn't something I could fight. His grip was like a handcuff, keeping me rooted in place.
My frustration boiled over. He was still playing innocent, still using that tone like he'd done nothing wrong.
I glared at him, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to keep it steady. "Even if you're the Federal Inspector General, you can't force people to do things they don't want to do."
"I have never forced you to do anything." His voice was dead serious, almost hurt.
I raised my captured wrist, showing him the evidence of his restraint. Julian released me immediately but pressed his palm against the door above my shoulder, caging me in. He leaned down, his face close enough that I could see the silver flecks in his eyes. "Tell me. Why are you suddenly angry? Why are you running away?"
The space between us shrank to nothing. I was trapped between his body and the door, that overwhelming presence washing over me in waves, making my face flush with panic and anger.
His robe had fallen even more open with the movement, exposing more of that sculpted chest, and the scent from his gland intensified in the confined space. I wanted to look away but there was nowhere to go—walls, door, his arm, all closing me in.
This is it, I thought desperately. I'm already in his room, already cornered in this private space. Whatever I say now will just be twisted into some kind of game.
But I forced myself to meet his gaze anyway. My voice came out cold and precise, each word carefully chosen. "I thought you were different from those local bureaucrats. Turns out the great Federal Inspector General is just like certain businessmen—strategic, ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants."
Julian's expression froze, shock registering in his eyes. "You're serious right now?"
"I'm just an ordinary DSW employee," I continued, my voice getting colder with each syllable. "I don't have schemes or political savvy. I don't know how to play power games. You're at the top. You don't need to waste your energy on someone like me. So please..." My voice cracked slightly on the last word. "Just let me go."
The words were direct, cutting, loaded with contempt—not just for him but for the version of myself that had been stupid enough to trust.
Julian went silent for several seconds. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed—a short, bitter sound. "So that's what you think of me."
There was something wounded in his voice that I hadn't heard before.
He stepped back slightly, giving me breathing room, though his expression had gone unreadable. "You can leave tonight." His voice had turned glacial, all warmth stripped away. "But don't confuse work with personal feelings, Miss Grey. Continue with your work."
He pulled the door open with one hand, made a cold gesture toward the hallway. "Please."
I didn't need to be told twice. I bolted, not looking back, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The elevator doors closed behind me like a prison gate, and I sagged against the cold metal wall, my legs giving out. That man's presence was no joke—I'd been running on pure adrenaline just to maintain my dignity, to keep from breaking down in front of him.
My hands were soaked with cold sweat. My wrist still tingled where he'd held it. My heart rate was through the roof, and the moment the adrenaline faded, exhaustion crashed over me like a wave.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.