Azaria pushed through the glass doors of Aldrith Corp on Monday morning. She didn't pause to admire the grand atrium or the way the sunlight caught the corporate logo, a symbol she had once viewed with pride, but now saw as a mark of a place she no longer belonged to. She moved quickly, already wanting to leave, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
She immediately took the elevator to the HR floor for her interview. Hopefully it would be the only interview they would need from her exiting the company.
Beatrice was waiting by the reception desk when Azaria got to the HR floor, a stack of folders clutched to her chest. She looked like she hadn't slept much. "Miss Freeman," she said, her voice soft but professional. "Thank you for being on time. If you'll follow me, I've secured the small conference room at the end of the hall so we won't be disturbed."
Azaria followed her in silence. She was here for her interview and nothing more.
***
On the executive floor, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Theon stood by his window, his back to the door, watching the city below. He didn't turn when he heard Nathan enter the room.
"She's here," Nathan said, his voice level. "I asked Miss Gallagher to inform me of her arrival and she messaged and I double-checked. They've begun the interview in Conference Room B on the fifteenth floor."
Theon's shoulders tightened. He could almost smell her from here, or perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him, conjuring the scent of her sweet perfume that had haunted his senses since the board meeting. "How did she look?"
"Uh… the same?" Nathan replied carefully, not knowing what to say. "She… she looked fine. She's okay..?"
Theon finally turned, his silver-grey eyes clouded with a storm of internal conflict. For the last forty-eight hours, he had rehearsed a thousand different sentences. He had dissected every possible approach, trying to find a way to bridge the chasm between a werewolf Alpha and a human woman who rightfully felt betrayed by her bosses.
I'm sorry. No, that was too simple. Stay. That was too selfish. I need you. That was too dangerous, she would run.
"I just need a start," Theon murmured, more to himself than to Nathan. "Maybe something small, even just friendship. If I can just get her to look at me without the whole promotion…Celeste thing coming up, I think we could get somewhere."
"I, uh… I looked a bit into her background like you asked and I'm not sure she'll just forget that, Sir," Nathan warned softly. "She's a high-level corporate strategist. If she thinks you're trying to manipulate her into coming back to work, you'll lose her forever."
"I'm not trying to win back an employee, Nathan," Theon said, his voice dropping to a low, guttural vibration. "I'm trying to save the other half of my soul."
***
In Conference Room B, the air was thick with the scent of recycled paper and expensive toner. Beatrice made sure she didn't waste both their time and immediately begun.
"Alright, Miss Freeman, let's get through the formalities," Beatrice said, spreading several documents across the table. The interview was grueling. Beatrice moved through the every checklist with no-nonsense efficiency. They discussed the "Knowledge Transfer" of her dual roles, ensuring every password, vendor contact, and ongoing negotiation was documented.
"The legal team has flagged the Intellectual Property clause in your original contract," Beatrice noted, sliding a paper toward her. "Given your access to the proprietary logistics software developed for the Director's office, we need a signed affirmation that no data has been exported to personal devices."
Azaria signed the document with a steady hand, she just wanted everything to be over and done with. "Everything is on the secure server, Miss Gallagher. I have no interest in what Aldrith Corp had anymore. My talent is what I'm taking with me, nothing from here."
They moved on to the other things, brushing over the status of the supply chains and the pending merger files. It was a dense, two-hour marathon of corporate jargon. Beatrice ensured that every legal benchmark was met to protect the company's interests before the final severance check could be authorized.
By the time the final page was turned, Azaria felt a strange sense of lightness. The umbilical cord to Aldrith Corp had been severed, one signature at a time.
"That covers everything, Miss Freeman," Beatrice said, her professional demeanor cracking just enough to offer a sympathetic smile. "You'll receive the formal confirmation and your final compensation package via courier in a few days. Honestly? The company is losing its best asset. I'm sorry it ended like this."
"Thank you, Beatrice," Azaria replied, standing up and smoothing her blazer.
Beatrice gathered her folders and exited the room first, leaving Azaria alone for a brief moment. Azaria took a deep, shuddering breath. She looked at the empty chair across from her and let out a small, bitter laugh. Done, she thought. It's finally done.
She picked up her bag, squared her shoulders, and opened the door to leave.
But she stopped dead in her tracks.
Theon Aldrith was standing five feet away.
He wasn't in his usual position of power behind a desk or at the head of a table. He was simply standing in the hallway, leaning slightly against the wall, looking entirely out of place in the sterile HR environment. The moment his eyes met hers, the air in the hallway seemed to vanish.
Azaria's heart did a traitorous skip, but she clamped down on it instantly. Her surprise lasted only a second before her expression hardened into indifference. She didn't say a word and she simply adjusted the strap of her bag and began walking toward the elevators, her gaze fixed straight ahead.
"Azaria," Theon said.
"That's Miss Freeman to you. We're not friends."
"Of course… Miss Freeman." His voice was low, vibrating with a frequency that seemed to hum right through her skin. She ignored him, her pace quickening.
Theon pushed off the wall and followed her. His long strides matched her quick pace with ease. "Miss Freeman, please. I just a moment of your time."
"We have nothing to talk about, Mr. Aldrith," she snapped, not slowing down. "I've finished my interview. I've signed the papers. I am no longer your employee."
"I'm not here as your boss," he pleaded, his voice urgent but hushed.
They were passing the main HR cubicles now. Heads were beginning to pop up over partitions. The sight of the elusive, powerful CEO of Aldrith Corp following a departing manager down a hallway was enough to grind some of the department's productivity to a halt. The whispers started instantly.
Azaria reached the elevator bank and jammed the 'down' button. "Then stay as a stranger. It's what we are."
Theon stepped closer, entering her personal space. He didn't touch her, he wouldn't dare, but she could feel the heat radiating from him. He looked down into her eyes, and for a fleeting moment, something intense and very raw looked back at her.
He searched her face, desperately looking for any sign of the connection he felt. He knew she was blind to the bond. He knew she didn't feel the "pull" that made his wolf want to howl at her feet. But he hoped, he even prayed, that some remnant of her humanity would feel the sincerity behind his desperation.
"Please," he whispered, the word sounding like it was being torn out of him. "Ten minutesOf your time is all I ask. Just... ten minutes to speak somewhere private."
Azaria looked at him, her hand still hovering over the elevator button. She saw the way his jaw was tight, the way his eyes seemed to burn with an intensity she couldn't categorize. She looked around at the gawking HR staff and realized that if she didn't agree, this scene would become corporate legend by lunch.
She also felt a strange, nagging tug in her chest, a curiosity she hated herself for.
"Ten minutes," she said, her voice like ice. "And then you let me walk out that door without following me. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Theon said, a flash of profound relief crossing his features.
She turned away from the elevators and gestured toward a smaller, glass-walled conference room tucked into a quiet corner of the floor. They walked in silence, the air between them crackling like a live wire.
As the door clicked shut behind them, sealing them away from the prying eyes of the office, Azaria turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. The small room felt even smaller with him inside it.