"Hi, I'm Hayley Seymour, Erica's friend," she said smoothly, letting her voice carry the kind of controlled charm that often worked on unaware pack members.
Alex's attention locked onto her immediately.
"Erica's friend?" he repeated, then offered a polite nod. "I'm Alex Hunter, finance manager at Tillman Constructions."
But his eyes didn't quite leave her face.
There was something wrong with the way he looked at her—like recognition that didn't belong to her, like a scent memory misplaced.
Hayley noticed it instantly.
It wasn't her.
It was Anastasia's shadow.
Alex had once reacted to Anastasia the same way—instinctive pull, immediate interest, something that felt too close to imprint recognition without being a true mate bond. And now, standing in front of Hayley, his perception was overlapping the two of them.
That was enough.
