Page 2 of Rivals

And yet, despite all the careful self-reassurances, his pulse still kicked up when Viktor claimed the chair directly across from him. The wolf’s scent filled the air: pine needles and winter storms and something wild that Nick absolutely refused to acknowledge on any level. Dark hair fell across Viktor’s forehead in a deliberate mess, as if he’d just rolled out of bed or finished a fight. Both possibilities seemed equally likely.

Viktor's green eyes locked onto Nick's, a flash of something wild and untamed beneath the corporate veneer. His lips curled into something too sharp to be called a smile, revealing teeth that seemed just a touch too pointed for his human form.

There was something off about Viktor today—something more than his usual assholishness. Some kind of energy. A tension in the way he carried himself, those broad shoulders set higher than usual, his muscles wound tight like he was holding something back.

Nick knew why.

Of course he did. He knew the date. Knew exactly what was clawing at Viktor from the inside out. And he sure ashellwasn’t going to think about it.

Because he didn't care.

"Working hard, or hardly working, Nick?" Viktor's deep voice carried across the meeting room table.

Nick's fingers tightened around his pen. "Some of us actually earn our paychecks, instead of relying on animal magnetism."

It was a weak jab, but with Viktor's strange irritation, it seemed to hit home. "Is that what you call that little spreadsheet fortress you've built?" Viktor leaned over, invading his space with casual dominance. The scent of pine and leather wrapped around Nick. "Hiding behind numbers?"

"Better than marking my territory like some overgrown puppy." Nick's heart raced as Viktor's eyes darkened. "You're full of piss and vinegar today, buddy. What's wrong? Did someone steal your favorite chew toy?"

Viktor narrowed his eyes. He planted his hands on the desk, bringing his face inches from Nick's. "Keep running that mouth, human. See where it gets you."

"Promises, promises." The tension crackled between them like static before a storm. "But we both know you're all bark, no bite."

Viktor's growl was too low for human ears, but Nick felt it vibrate through his chest. The werewolf's pupils dilated, a ring of gold bleeding into the green.

Nick hated working with werewolves. They were too much, too intense, too physical, too damn primal in a way humans weren’t. A regular coworker might argue, maybe even throw in some passive-aggressive emails, but werewolves? They got in your space, in your head, like confrontation was a sport.

And Viktor was the worst of them all—always pushing, always testing, like he was waiting for Nick to snap. It was infuriating.And, okay, fine, maybe there was something distracting about the way Viktor smelled like pine and leather, or how his voice could send an involuntary shiver down Nick’s spine. But that was just a biological response. A very annoying biological response. Nothing more.

"Back off, Fido." The words came out rougher than intended, betraying the tremor in his voice. "Some of us have actual work to do."

Viktor’s smile deepened, full of smug satisfaction, and Nick wasthisclose to saying something totally cutting and witty—

“Alright, let’s get this circus started,” boomed their boss, Greg, as he strolled into the room, a coffee in one hand and a half-eaten protein bar in the other. “Hope everyone brought their listening ears today.”

Nick all but flung himself backward into his chair, desperately trying to look like he hadn’t just been locked in a weird, definitely not sexually charged, stare-down with Viktor. Viktor, the smug bastard, took his sweet time moving away, lingering just long enough to make it clear he knew exactly what effect he had.

Greg plopped into his seat at the head of the table and flipped open his laptop. “Alright, first up: Q3 projections. Nick, you wanna take us through it?”

Nick cleared his throat, willing his heartbeat to calm the hell down. “Uh, yeah. Right.” He tapped at his keyboard, but he could feel Viktor’s gaze still on him, warm and heavy, like a wolf watching its prey just for fun.

As the presentation loaded, Nick risked a glance to the side. Viktor smirked, slow and knowing.

The absolute menace.

Nick scowled back. He clicked to the first slide. “Yeah, so… Q3 projections.”

Viktor chuckled under his breath.

It was almost like he knew what Nick was going to do that night.

Hours later, Nick's shoes clicked against the parking garage floor, echoing through the cavernous space like a reminder of his life’s crushing monotony. Work, sleep, repeat. The corporate hamster wheel spun on, and Nick was one missed deadline away from gnawing off his own leg just to escape.

The sight of his car should’ve brought some comfort, but at this point, it was just another symbol of his financial suffering. Car payments, rent, overpriced groceries—being a responsible adult was a scam.

Nick tossed his bag into the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel, staring blankly at the road ahead. On any other day, he'd turn left, go home, microwave something depressingly beige for dinner, and collapse onto his couch while binge-watching a show he’d already seen six times.

But tonight, he turned right. Toward the woods.

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