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  A part of her wants to ask what's going to happen to the rest of them when they leave? Jenny and James do the bulk of the work around here and she's nowhere near qualified enough to handle.

  "You don't have to look so devastated. Omi is still going to be here," James say, catching her expression.

  She looks down quickly. She doesn't like Omi. He lingers near her cubicle even though he should be busy doing his own work and he likes to pat her head like they're friends even though they're not.

  "Couldn't we talk to HR?" Lilith pipes up after looking around to make sure there's nobody to overhear them. She's six months April's senior and the stress of the job is beginning to show in her darkening eyebags.

  "How do you think Mike got the job? Head of HR is his mom."

  That makes too much sense. April sighs into her own tuna sandwich and tries to ignore the heavy feeling in her chest. James and Jenny are the first friends she's ever made and she'll be sad to see them go. It'll be hard to adjust not having them around during lunch.

  "We'll keep in touch," Jenny says, as though reading her mind. "You have our numbers, right?"

  She nods.

  Jenny smiles brightly at her and she can't help but relax a little. Jenny's very pretty and very nice. April hopes she can find a better job.

  She knows she's not going to be leaving anytime soon though. As bad as things are and as hectic as her working hours get, it's kind of perfect. Apart from Omi, everyone else leaves her alone and it's impossible to get in trouble as long as she keeps her head down, which she is adamant on doing.

  Of course, it is only hours after she thinks this that everything falls apart.

  She's just finished another long day at work and is making her way up the stairs to the exit when she smashes into a wall that wasn't there the day before.

  There are raised voices from somewhere behind them that she can't hear through the sudden ringing in her ears. She blinks up at the wall and frowns. Walls don't have arms that would shoot out and catch her arms in a strong grip to keep her from falling. And walls certainly doesn't have designer suits with shirts so crisp that she could've cut herself on their edges. And walls definitely don't smell like sandalwood and pine with a hint of burning alcohol and something else that makes all the nerve endings in her body come alive.

  She peers up and up. The man is ridiculously taller. Her breath hitches when she meets the golden eyes of a man she had looked up to since she was a little girl.

  Mateo Kenzo is the reason why her species aren't hunted down like animals now. His identity as a Shifter had been kept hidden up until ten years ago, when he climbed up the social ladder and found a position of power so intimidating in the country that they had no choice but to bend to his will when he demanded that shifters be treated as equals.

  Overnight, things had changed. Families with half shifters like her, shifters incapable of hiding their animal characteristics are so used to hiding that they don't immediately return to society. Most of them are still in hiding even now. Or that's what her brother likes to tell her. She knows most of them are dead.

  Her brother and her are the only two Werecats left in this part of town. Jack tried to reach out to others like them before. All they got were creepy responses from people who seem way too interested in them. Werewolves are much more prevalent because they are more of them to begin with and they're stronger, brute force able to free themselves before getting caught or killed. Cat shifters are not so lucky. They are rarer to begin with and when the culling happened, their numbers dropped drastically.

  April has to fight the instinct to rub herself against the solid chest of the man still holding her up. Thankfully, she remembers purring and rubbing up to someone isn't proper human behavior and she scrambles free with a jolt. Molten golden eyes sweeps over her frame in blatant appraisal.

  She expects him to glance away once he's done, as most people do because she's mastered the art of being unattractive and unassuming. Yet, she can't help but flush from the piercing evaluation, feeling the heat packed behind the gaze as they fixed on her own eyes with astonishing intensity.

  "There you are," he rumbles instead of turning away.

  It's really unfair how sexy his voice is. It trembles down her spine, vibrating through her bones, making everything in her body sing and respond in like. She's severely lacking in social interaction, but she's fairly certain that the man is just oozing sex. She quickly looks down. "Hi," she mumbles and tries to put as much distance between them as she can.

  His grip on her arm is unrelenting and she only manages to take a small step away before he's yanking her back, pulling her to his chest so he can wrap another arm around her shoulders, trapping her to him. Her face is pressed against his suit and she stops breathing, afraid of ruining it if she breathes too hard or something.

  She had been lucky so far. No one knows that she's a shifter. They probably suspect, but they don't know for sure. But Mateo- Mateo is a shifter too, one who is older with much more experience than her. Would he be able to tell? Would he report her and have her chipped and tracked to make sure she doesn't step a toe out of line? Would he figure out she's a Cat Shifter and report her to the Facility that specializes in 'taking care' of rare shifters? They tried to take her away from Jack a few times before and the only reason why they've stopped is because she moved into her new apartment without letting anyone know and the landlady never made her sign a proper lease.

  "Sir!" she hears from behind them. "What're you doing here, Mr. CEO?" Mike calls out his title too loudly, no doubt as a warning for the guys who're still playing their games to stop and at least pretend to be busy at work. If the people on the morning shift are notorious for not working during work hours, then the night shift men might as well have been hired to play games all night long.

  Mateo doesn't let her go as he lets his gaze drift to the man. The change in his expression makes her mouth go dry. He looks at Mike like he's worth less than the dirt on his shoe.

  Mike takes a step up towards him, only be to stopped by a giant of a man who's suddenly materialized in front of them. "Please keep your distance," he warns.

  Mike swallows. "Why- why are you here, sir?"

  Mateo fixes him with a look that makes him look away with fear. "You've been misusing company funds, Mike," the man in front of them says. "Mr. Kenzo has looked the other way for a long time out of respect for your late father and your mother, but it's clear that you do not have the same respect for them. Please have your resignation letter sent in by tomorrow."

  April's brows creases. It's unexpected for the CEO to come down here personally to deal with something like this. She wonders who Mike's father is but the longer she stands there, the more it becomes clear to her that Mike isn't the reason the CEO had decided to come down here.

  "Mr. Kenzo! Please!" Mike pushes the man hard enough to make him stumble out of the way and then he's heading straight for Mateo.

  The CEO doesn't take to being lunged at well because one second he's gripping April and keeping her in place, and the next he has Mike tackles to the ground, hand on his throat and upper lip pulled back in a low snarl. "Pack up and leave. I've let you waste enough time and resources in my company. I'm being very generous, Mike. Don't make me regret it."

  She doesn't wait to find out if Mike decides to be an idiot and argue more because she uses the moment of confusion and uproar to escape, running up the stairs two steps at a time and disappearing through the door to get away.

  Chapter Three: Family

  Maybe if she prays hard enough, Mateo would forget all about their encounter. Maybe he hasn't realized what she is yet. She has never met another Shifter except for her brother before, so she doesn't know if she smells any different. Sometimes, she gets a whiff of something familiar when she's walking around in town but it's not like she's following shifters home and figuring out if their scents give them away.

  Her phone starts ringing at exactly six pm and she picks up the video call with a
bright smile.

  "Hi," she waves.

  "H- kit. How- -ur day?" It looks like Jack is on one of his out of treks out in the middle of nowhere. The cell phone reception is bad, causing interference on every other word.

  She musters a smile even though she's not sure if he can see anything on his side. She only sees his profile picture on hers. "It's alright," she says. "Something happened at work today," she starts carefully, wondering if she should tell him her odd encounter with Mateo. His words, 'there you are', echoes in her mind and she can't make head of tail of it. Has he been looking for her? Why on earth would he say that?

  "Wa- wait-," he says and she hears a static sort of noise from his end of the phone for the next several seconds. Jack has been travelling the world ever since she landed the job. He's one of the best Wildlife Biologist in the country and he have had to put his career on a back-burner in order to raise her. She's pleased that she convinced him to take the job. "Tell me," he says, the reception suddenly much clearer.

  Her smile is genuine this time. He's turned the camera on and she can see the view from high up. Trees for miles. "Did you scale a tree, Jack?"

  "I'm closer to a radio tower today," he says. "I wanted to show you the view. So, tell me about your work. Anything new?"

  She tries to feign nonchalance and doesn't do a good enough job.

  "Tell me."

  "I saw the CEO today," she says, biting her lower lip. "I think he knows something."

  He grimaces. "You know we don't have to hide anymore, don't you, kit?"

  "I know." She also knows he feels bad for how paranoid she is about being found now. It's not his fault they were hunted for the better part of her life. Things only got better recently and it's hard to adjust to the idea that she's not going to get gunned down when people find out she's a werecat. Sometimes, she envies her brother. He remembers better times when they didn't need to hide and it is easier for him to go back into the world because of that. His ability to hide his more cat-like features also plays a part.

  "Did you tell anyone what you are yet?" he asks. "We could find you a therapist, kit."

  "I don't need a therapist," she crosses her arms and tries not to pout. Fails spectacularly. "I'm just- it's weird. Have you met anyone else like us?" she wants to know.

  "Not since that old lady I saw in Lithuania," he confesses. "That doesn't mean there aren't anyone like us out there, kit."

  "I'm not a kit," she murmurs.

  "Tell me about the CEO. Mateo Kenzo right? What's he like?" He switches to the front camera so she can see him. Jack hasn't aged at all, though his brown hair has gotten a lot longer and he could definitely use a shave.

  "You look homeless," she says with a shy smile.

  He rolls his eyes. "Don't try to change the topic. How did you meet Mateo?"

  Heat rushes to her cheeks. She can still feel the phantom sensation of his hand on her arm, his strong grip around her torso, pinning her to him. "He's intense," she murmurs. "He fired Mike." She's glad for that, at least. Maybe they'll have someone who knows what they're doing now and update their draconian system.

  "About time," he says. "Maybe now you wouldn't have to work so hard."

  She blushes. "It wasn't so bad."

  He huffs. "You were taking your work home. Don't think I don't know that..." After a pause, he adds, "You should talk to Mateo. If he wants to talk to you, you should do it. There aren't many of us left. It'll make me feel better if I know there's someone taking care of you."

  She shakes her head, looking down to hide her eyes. "I'm fine," she insists. "And he's a werewolf. He wouldn't like me."

  He shrugs. "It's worth a try. There's not that many wolves left either. You could have him as your Alpha, kit. It'll be safer for you."

  "You're my Alpha," she says softly.

  He seems to preen at that for a second before sighing. "I'm too far to be a good Alpha for you right now."

  She shakes her head.

  "You should also get rid of those contacts and buy clothes that actually fit you. There's a clothing line that's specifically catered for people like you and me now. It's very cute. I'll send you some if I see them, okay?"

  Her eyes widen, "I wouldn't- you don't have to waste money on me, Jack."

  "It's not wasting money," he sighs. "Look, I'm sorry we had to hide who we are for so long and I fucked up a lot of things for you, but I wish you'd be less-"

  "Scared, I know, I know. I'm- I'm trying," she says softly.

  "Are you really?"

  "I'm trying," she insists. She's really not, but he doesn't need to know that.

  They spend the rest of the time catching each other up on their lives. Jack is going off-grid for the next week or so and promises to call her whenever he can. April doesn't think anything would change by then but promises him that she won't do anything crazy in his absence.

  She gets off the phone feeling lighter and has almost forgotten about her encounter with her CEO earlier that day.

  Chapter Four: Captive

  On hindsight, she should've known better than to forget about her running away from Mateo. He's not the kind of man to just let go once he's interested in something. Or in this case, in someone.

  The first thing April sees when she walks through the front doors of the office building is a group of men in suits flanking Mateo seated in a couch with a file in his hand. She freezes and considers turning back the way she came but then his eyes look up and there's no way to escape without being seen.

  His nostrils flare and she knows he's trying to discern her scent. She doesn't know if it's possible among the bouquet of aromas in the large hall. She certainly couldn't.

  He stands and she decides to throw her dignity - and herself - out the door. One of his guards step in front of it before she can reach t he exit, blocking her path. "Ma'am," he greets with a stony expression.

  "I- um- excuse me?" she squeaks, trying to sidestep him to reach the door. He steps smoothly in front of her.

  "Ma'am, Mr. Kenzo would like a word," he says.

  She turns around just in time to see a flash of amusement on Mateo's face. He has somehow managed to materialize right in front of her. His golden eyes fix hard on her, brows creased in concentration and a slight hint of displeasure. Several strands of black hair has escaped the comb to brush over his long lashes and he is wearing a different suit from yesterday, a three-piece ensemble that both looks and makes her feel vastly under-dressed.

  "April Snow," he intones.

  It's really unfair how he can make her name sound like something out of an erotic reading. She swallows the lump in her throat and manages a soft, "Good morning, Mr. Kenzo."

  "Good morning. I would like word with you in my office," he says. Leaning in so that his next words can't be overhead, he whispers in her ear, "You can come willingly, or I can make you come with me. Understood?"

  The blood in her vein drops several degrees. "Yes, sir," she says and despite the voice in her head yelling at her to submit and just do what he wants, she keeps her gaze down and says, "But you see um- I should really get to work."

  He grins and it's a terrifying sight. There's too many teeth and his eyes are too sharp. He's like a shark trying to be friendly, promise not to eat her after. "I see," he says and that's all the warning she gets before he has his hand on her, gripping her by the waist and hauling her over his shoulder.

  She cries out in shock, cheeks coloring in a combination of embarrassment and blood rushing to her head because of her position. She yelps and grabs her beanie to keep it from slipping off.

  "Let me down!" she gasps but her voice is muffled by his shirt. "Let- let me down!" she cries out, flailing uselessly and squeaking her protest as his arm tightens around her waist, holding her firmly in place as he walks towards the elevator, his steps measured and careful as though she weights nothing at all.

  "Stay still, Kit," he says and the familiar petname makes her freeze completely. How could he possibly know? Has he give
n herself away somehow?

  She doesn't dwell on the thought for too long because he's carrying her on his back like a sack of potatoes. From the corner of her eyes, she can see that they're gathering the attention of people coming in to work and his bodyguards are standing by, making sure he's not disturbed. No one tries to stop him.

  She's torn between struggling as hard as she can to free herself and wanting to cover her face in mortification.

  There goes her plan of being as low-profile as possible.

  "Wait- what's- Where're you taking me?" she demands as the CEO manhandles her towards what appears to be the elevator. She never goes to this part of the building. The basement can be accessed through the emergency escape and she chooses that instead.

  If the sight of the CEO carrying a much smaller young woman over his shoulder towards the elevator is an unusual sight, no one points it out.

  Once the private elevator door closes, he drops her to the ground and pins her again the wall, his body hard against hers. "Wha-" she starts in shock.

  "I've been picking up your scent for weeks," he growls, face inches from hers, hands on her arms strong enough to lift her off the floor entirely. His nose pressed against her pulse, sucking in air greedily as though she's the only person in the world with a supply of air that he needs to survive. "You've been driving me crazy," he growls, taking in another lungful before drawing back.

  She blinks at him in confusion. His face is really close and her skin tickles where his nose had touched her. She can see his strong jaws working to keep his animal from surfacing. He's fighting a losing battle. She sees the nerves on his neck pulsing, the sweat trickling down his forehead towards the sharp curve of his jawbone.

  "I don't know what you're talking about," she whispers.

  "You know exactly what I'm talking about, kit," he says.

  Shock jolts through her as she suddenly finds herself meeting his gaze. His eyes are a brilliant golden hue that she's only ever seen in a mirror. She shakes her head.

  He grits his teeth and his fingers on her arms turn into sharp claws that dig into soft skin through layers of clothing. "Why are you still hiding?" he demands. "I abolished that barbaric law years ago," he continues and there's no mistaking that he's talking about her identity as a Shifter.