Chapter 2

“Get up,” Felix said quietly.

Thea scrambled to her feet, clutching the papers to her chest. Her mind was reeling, trying to process everything. This was her first day and she had just made a serious mistake in front of the CEO.

But why was there such a strange intensity in his eyes when he stared at her? How did he know her name, and why did it sound like he had known her for a long time?

None of it made sense, especially the fact that her skin still tingled where his finger had touched hers.

Before she could say anything else, Felix spoke up.

“Come with me.”

He said it so casually, as if he hadn’t just turned Thea’s world upside down. As if he hadn’t just summoned her to what would most likely end with her getting fired.

Thea’s heart dropped to her stomach.

The senior employees shot her pitiful glances. Thea could practically hear their thoughts.

“Poor girl. First day and she’s already getting fired.”

He didn’t wait for her response. He simply walked past her and out of the office, his long strides eating up the distance. Thea had no choice but to follow him out of the office with her head bowed.

Her legs felt weak. Her palms were sweating. Every employee on the executive floor watched them pass, their eyes wide with curiosity. They all thought she was getting fired and, to be honest, Thea thought so too.

She had been an intern for less than a day. She had barged into her CEO’s office and dropped documents at his feet. If she were him, she would fire herself too.

Felix led her to the glass-walled conference room at the end of the hall that had already been arranged for the meeting. The walls were completely transparent, exposing them to the entire floor like animals in a zoo.

Everyone would be able to see her humiliation.

But Felix didn’t seem to care. He gestured for her to sit, then took the seat across from her.

Thea sat on the edge of her chair, her hands clasped in her lap. The coffee stain on her blouse felt like a giant sign pointing at her incompetence.

“Why did you apply to Carter Group?”

Thea hesitated. “I needed this opportunity,” she said carefully. “Carter Group is one of the most respected companies in the country. An internship here would look good on my resume.”

“You did not answer the question.” His voice was flat. “I asked for your reason.”

Thea’s hands clenched in her lap. She could feel her face heating up, a mix of embarrassment and anger. What did he want from her? An emotional confession? A tearful plea for mercy?

She would not give him that.

“The salary,” Thea said, meeting his gaze directly. “I need the money. The internship pays well, and if I perform well, there’s a chance of full-time employment.”

Felix started at her for a moment. “And if I fire you?”

Her throat tightened. She thought about her sister, Mia, lying in the hospital bed, and the notice of payment waiting for her.

“Then I’ll find another job,” she said bluntly. “But I won’t pretend I didn’t make a mistake. I dropped your papers. I should have been more careful. If that costs me this position, then I accept the consequences.”

She held her breath, waiting for the axe to fall.

Felix stared at her for a long moment before the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

“You dropped papers,” he said softly. “You did not leak corporate intelligence. You did not steal confidential information. You just dropped a stack of papers because you were startled.”

Thea blinked.

“So… I’m not fired?”

Felix leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“I do not fire people for accidents. I fire people for incompetence. There’s a difference.”

Thea’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Felix’s gaze dropped to her blouse. The stain had spread and dried, leaving an ugly brown mark across the white fabric. His eyes narrowed slightly, certain whatever had happened wasn’t entirely an accident, but he didn’t ask.

“You can go back to work, Thea,” Felix added.

Thea rose on shaky legs. She wanted to thank him, but the words wouldn’t come. All she could do was nod and walk out of the conference room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Felix remained seated.

His expression changed.

He reached for his phone and opened a conversation he had been checking far more often than he cared to admit.

Daniel.

The name belonged to the identity he had created online months ago, long before he ever met Thea in person. It had started as a way to speak freely without being recognized as Felix Carter, and somehow, the woman he had never expected to matter had become the person whose messages he looked forward to most.

The irony would have been amusing if his wolf weren't still restless after touching her.

Felix stared at the screen for a moment before locking his phone.

He still couldn't tell Thea who he really was.

Not yet.

By the time Thea finished work, the humiliation of her first day had faded slightly, but the strange encounter with Felix remained in her thoughts.

She didn’t head straight home after work. She stopped by the hospital first and sat by Mia’s bedside until visiting hours ended.

When she finally got back to her tiny apartment, Thea collapsed onto her bed, her body exhausted but her mind still spinning.

She pulled out her phone and opened her messaging app.

There was only one person she wanted to talk to right now.

Daniel.

They had been chatting online for months, ever since she stumbled across his profile on a discussion forum. She didn’t know much about him, only that he was older and had a dry sense of humor. But he was a good listener, and he always knew the right thing to say.

Thea: you won’t believe what happened today.

Daniel: Try me.

Thea: I almost got fired on my first day.

Daniel: What did you do? Set the building on fire?

She chuckled.

She told him everything. The coffee spill, the documents, the terrifying walk to the conference room. About Felix Carter’s cold eyes and strange questions. About the moment she was certain her career was over before it even began.

Across the city, Felix sat alone in his penthouse office at the top of Carter Conglomerate, his phone in his hand.

He had changed out of his suit jacket and loosened his tie, but his attention was entirely on the conversation in front of him.

Thea had no idea who Daniel really was.

And Felix had no intention of telling her yet.

Daniel: Did he execute you?

Thea: lol. Surprisingly, he didn’t. He just let me off easily.

Daniel: Maybe he likes you.

Thea: please. He’s a cold hearted billionaire with no emotions. He probably doesn’t even know what ‘like’ means.

It was a small sound, barely more than a chuckle, but it echoed through the empty office. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed that genuinely.

His phone buzzed in his hand.

Thea: he’s probably got an iceberg where his heart should be.

He smiled down at his phone.

She had no idea, absolutely no idea that she was pouring her heart out to the very man she was complaining about. The cold, heartless CEO she described was currently sitting alone in his penthouse, reading every word she sent and fighting the urge to call her.

He couldn't do that.

At least not yet.

She needed time.

Felix set his phone aside and opened his laptop. He pulled up Thea’s personal file, scrolling through the basic information like her name, age, university and position.

Then he reached the section marked Species.

Human.

Felix stared at the word. His brows furrowed.

Was that really what she was?

An ordinary human?

But humans didn’t trigger Alpha-wolf mate recognition. A human girl couldn’t possibly invade his dreams before he even met her. Humans didn’t have a scent that could make his wolf howl with longing.

So why had Felix’s wolf recognized her as his fated mate?

He thought back to the moment he had caught her hand when she stumbled. The way his wolf had reacted had been instinctive, almost impossible to control. Even now, remembering the warmth of her skin against his palm made something inside him stir.

Felix closed the file and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Something about Thea Roth didn’t add up.