Page 2 of The Wolf Prince's Fated Heart

But I do find it hard to remain civil with anyone who is keeping things from me. And she is hiding something. That is evident by the way she continually refuses to look me in the eye.

"Harper!" I bark, my patience running out.

Calm the fuck down, my wolf warns.

She flinches, looks up, then closes her mouth. When she remains still, frozen in place, my next word sounds particularly sinister.

"Harper."

She starts, her huge green eyes rounding and her chin going up as if I held her neck, showing her what it means when a human shows her throat to a wolf. It wouldn't be her fault. It's ingrained in her genes. A response as old as humans that were afraid of being chased by predators.

Us.

This, too, is proof. Things between species aren't as peaceful as we are trying to believe.

"Some of the people on the third floor mentioned," she starts, with a trembling voice, "that last week, one of the employees left and said..."

She doesn't finish.

I remain quiet, waiting, giving her the chance to tell me what she has heard instead of giving her a reason to feel pressured.

She needs more encouragement.

"Yesterday," I admit, sounding defeated. "There was an organized attack on a small group of people who are believed to be located with the help of our facial recognition software."

I've been working on F-Rec, which is short for Facial Recognition software, for most of my life. I never intended it to be used as a weapon to kill the innocents.

When writing the software, I hoped people would use it to locate kidnapped children, fugitive criminals, find serial killers, and keep all species safe. But now, someone used my software to kill a family of wolves. It makes my blood boil.

Watching Harper's unblinking stare, I stand up, so she can see I'm not angry at her for uncovering the lies. Angry, yes, that she thought about it and came to me even before getting the confirmation of the facts. But mostly, I'm furious with myself. That I let this happen.

How can I care about my employees when my species may be dying because of me?

I pace the small, white space. The mechanized curtains are drawn open, and outside, the sky is clear. It has been a while since I've looked beyond the glass wall.

It's...captivating. Maybe it's time I stopped isolating myself. Ever since the war’s ended and the witches aren't openly trying to kill us, I can look outside more often.

My eyes itch, so I shake my head and focus. My job is to make sure my software is used for good and not to start another war.

"What's the other rumor, Harper?" I ask again, letting the weariness in my soul come through.

You shouldn't poke the sleeping bear; my wolf says with an exaggerated sigh.

She blinks and, finally, opens her mouth.

"People are saying that Grey Tech is run by wolves and that they keep us, humans, around as their playthings," she says quietly, pulling at a loose string on her mustard yellow skirt. She forces an awkward chuckle. "Of course, I know that's not true. Wolves and witches don't exist."

She doesn't appear to believe her own words.

The truth stares at me from a small pile of glossy newspaper sheets in the trash, the headlines asking and answering many questions about the possibility of the creatures existing. The threat of a reveal is bigger than ever.

Neither species wants to confirm their existence to humans. They're simply too destructive. No one wants to paint a target on their back big enough that even humans would hit.

I shake my head and lean back against the huge window wall that allows me to see for miles. Forcing my hand not to flex into claws or a fist, I concentrate on being calm. Being calm is a good thing when you're the CEO of a giant corporation, yes. It's always in the best interest of the business, family, and pack. Especially for an unattached wolf who doesn't want to look aggressive to the company he's trying to protect.

Today marks the first year since Harper began working for me. We get along well enough, but mostly because we only talk about important matters. She doesn't waste my time with silly things such as office rumors, which is why I'm taking it very seriously that she's here now.

I have to reassure her. If she's convinced that the rumors are just that, she will spread the word around the company which will successfully shut down any further guesses.

---