Chapter 1 — The Wolf in the Boardroom

The conference room hummed with the low buzz of voices and the steady click of keyboards as Isla Hartman surveyed the gathered executives. The floor-to-ceiling windows behind her framed the sprawling cityscape, but her attention never wavered. Her amber eyes, sharp as ever, scanned the faces of every person seated around the long, glass table. The merger was nearly complete, yet the tension in the room was palpable.

“Gentlemen,” she said, her voice slicing through the murmurs like a sharpened blade. “Let’s finalize this. I don’t have all day.”

Several pairs of eyes shifted nervously. Isla was known for her efficiency, for her ability to strip away the unnecessary and get to the heart of the matter. She thrived on control, on the precision of business deals—on the way numbers, contracts, and people could be manipulated to her will. It was a skill she had honed over the years. Control. Both in the boardroom and in her personal life, she commanded respect with an iron grip, never letting anything slip through her fingers.

But today, something felt off.

The Wolfstone Pendant rested coolly against her chest, hidden beneath the high collar of her tailored navy suit. It had always been a comforting weight, a reminder of her mother’s quiet strength. Now, however, it was warm—too warm. Isla resisted the urge to touch it, the sensation too unsettling to acknowledge in front of a room full of executives. A prickle of heightened awareness swept over her, sharpening her senses. The soft rustle of fabric, the faint scent of aftershave, even the rapid heartbeat of the junior executive to her right—everything felt just a shade too vivid.

She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to focus.

Across the table, the junior executive cleared his throat, his voice quivering slightly as he began to speak. “We’ve reviewed the final terms of the merger, Ms. Hartman, and everything seems to be in order. There’s just the matter of—”

“Sign the papers,” she interrupted, her smile thin but calculated. She didn’t need to hear the rest. The deal was airtight, like every deal she touched. “I trust you’ve all done your due diligence. This merger will be complete by the end of today. No exceptions.”

Her words hung in the air, and the tension in the room thickened. Isla didn’t miss the hesitation in the junior executive’s hand as his pen hovered over the paper for just a fraction too long, the tremble of his fingers betraying his nerves. Her amber eyes flicked toward him, narrowing just enough to send a silent message.

He swallowed hard, quickly scrawling his signature.

With a swift movement, Isla reached for the pen in front of her and signed her name with a flourish. The others followed suit, some more reluctantly than others. Her gaze swept over each signature, ensuring every detail was in place. Everything had to be perfect.

“Well, then,” she said, standing and smoothing the front of her suit. “That concludes today’s business. Gentlemen, you’re dismissed.”

The executives filed out of the room, their whispers fading into the hallway. Isla remained standing, her hands braced on the polished surface of the table. It was done. Another merger, another step toward her unshakable empire. Hartman Enterprises was thriving, and she was at the helm, guiding it to new heights.

But the restlessness gnawing at her refused to subside.

The pendant warmed again, more insistently this time. She fought the urge to reach for it, to press it between her fingers. It was just a trinket, she reminded herself. A piece of jewelry. It had no power over her.

Still, her hand twitched toward it involuntarily, and she stilled, forcing the movement to stop. No one could see her falter. Not here. Not now.

A sudden flicker of the lights caught her attention, a brief disruption that no one else seemed to notice. Her senses flared again, the prickle of awareness intensifying. For a split second, she thought she caught a glimpse of something—just outside the window, in the reflection of the skyline. A shadow? A figure? She blinked, and it was gone.

A quiet knock sounded at the door, pulling her from the unsettling thought. Isla straightened, her mask of control snapping back into place. “Come in,” she said, her voice steady.

Her assistant, Claire, entered, holding a sleek tablet. “The press conference is in ten minutes, Ms. Hartman. Shall I have the driver bring the car around?”

Isla nodded, already moving toward the door. “Yes. Make sure everything is prepared.”

Claire hesitated, her eyes flicking to Isla’s face with a concern that was hard to ignore. “You seem off today. Everything okay?”

Isla’s gaze sharpened, annoyance flickering in her chest. Claire was one of the few people who had worked closely with her for long enough to notice the smallest of changes in her demeanor. Isla hesitated, just for a beat, feeling the weight of Claire’s concern. The warmth of the pendant tugged at her senses again, scratching at the edges of her control.

“I’m fine,” Isla replied coolly. “Just a long day. I’ll be ready for the press conference.”

Claire nodded, stepping aside as Isla brushed past her. The sleek marble floors of Hartman Tower stretched out ahead, the scent of expensive coffee and cleaning products lingering in the air. Isla strode toward the elevator, her heels clicking with precision, each step measured and controlled.

But the unease remained. The city outside was a jungle of concrete and steel, but Isla had always felt more at home here than in the wilderness. The chaos of the forest, the untamed instincts of the pack—it was all behind her now. She had chosen this life, this world of business and power, where everything could be controlled, manipulated, conquered.

As the elevator doors slid open, Isla caught her reflection in the mirrored surface. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a sleek bun, not a strand out of place. Her amber eyes, hidden behind stylish glasses during meetings, gleamed with an intensity she couldn’t quite suppress. She was a vision of control, of success.

But the warmth of the pendant and the stirring of her wolf instincts told a different story.

For a moment, doubt flickered at the edges of her mind. Could she keep this up? Could she continue to suppress the part of her that refused to stay buried? She pressed her lips together, shoving the thought down before it could take root.

She had to.

She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. The doors closed with a soft hiss, and the hum of the machinery filled the silence. Isla closed her eyes briefly, exhaling slowly. She could handle this. Whatever it was—whatever was stirring—it was nothing. Just nerves. Just another day in the life of a CEO.

But as the elevator descended, a flicker of memory surfaced. Her mother, standing in the kitchen of their ancestral home, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea. “You can’t run from who you are, Isla,” she had said, her voice gentle but firm. “You can try, but the wolf will always be there. No matter how far you go.”

Isla had pushed the words aside back then, thinking of them as outdated, irrelevant to the life she had built. She had left the pack for a reason, had built her empire to prove that she didn’t need them. She didn’t need anyone. Independence was her strength, her armor.

But now, as the elevator doors slid open and she stepped into the bustling lobby of Hartman Tower, her mother’s words echoed in her mind.

The wolf will always be there.

She pushed the thought aside as she made her way through the lobby, her steps quick and purposeful. The press conference would be easy—just another display of power, another opportunity to solidify her position in the corporate world. She could handle that. She could handle anything.

Still, as she stepped outside and the cool city air brushed against her skin, Isla couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her. The city, with its sharp sounds and the overwhelming scent of exhaust and concrete, felt oppressive. Her senses, usually dulled by her human routine, seemed to flare to life. A distant car horn blared, louder than it should have been. The faint scent of something wild—something animal—lingered on the breeze.

The pendant warmed once more, a silent reminder that no matter how far she ran, her past was always just a heartbeat away.