Naria's Wolves

Chapter Two-Episode Two

Several clothing and jewelry stores later, Inara and Celeste were holed up in a corner booth at a lavish restaurant that was Celeste’s personal favorite. It served the finest cuts of meat in the northern district, and even Inara had to admit there were undeniable perks to a life of luxury.

Celeste let out a low, appreciative groan, closing her eyes as she savored her food.

“This is always so, so good,” she said between mouthfuls. “I need this chef in my house.”

Inara giggled, though she was busy savoring her own slab of meat. Both born from predatory DNA, they shared a preference for almost-raw cuts—seared on the outside to lock in the savory, spiced juices. It took all of Inara’s willpower to remain the "refined" Ashwood daughter. Part of her wanted to cast the silverware aside, take the meat in her hands, and devour it with the raw, greedy instinct of the wolf hybrid she was.

“I might be a little hungrier than I realized,” Inara confessed after swallowing a particularly tender bite.

“I told you,” Celeste said, her mouth half-full. “Shopping makes you hungry. It’s science.”

Every patron and staff member in the restaurant offered Inara a polite, practiced smile. They knew exactly who she was—or rather, who they thought she was. They all hoped to leave a good impression, praying she’d return to the Ashwood estate and gush about the impeccable service. They had no idea that in two weeks, she wouldn't just be the girl they needed to impress—she would be the woman they worked for.

Inara pushed the thought away, determined not to let the looming future ruin her afternoon.

It wasn’t long before they finished, surrounded by the spoils of their shopping spree and feeling pleasantly full.

“What’s next, kitty cat?” Inara asked lazily. She activated her hologram, flicking through her messages. Scarlett had sent a brief, sisterly check-in, giving her the space she needed while letting her know she was there. Silas was radio-silent, likely still brooding, and there was nothing from Rowan. That didn't mean Rowan didn't know; he was simply a man of few words, preferring to observe from the shadows of the family business.

Inara typed a quick reply to Scarlett: With Celeste. As okay as I’m going to be.

“I was thinking we walk to my house to burn off this meal, then laze by the pool and see if we can entice Kade to join us,” Celeste responded. She checked her own social pages with a quick flick of her wrist before vanishing the hologram into thin air.

“That sounds wonderful,” Inara said.

She signaled the hostess over with a delicate wave. It was second nature now to hold up her wrist, letting the scanner beep as it pulled from the family’s vast accounts. But as the transaction cleared, a cold realization prickled at her skin. Soon, it wouldn't be "their" money. It would be hers.

The thought of having sole control over a fortune that kept a city breathing made her break out in a brief, nervous sweat. She ignored the tremor in her hands and gathered up her shopping bags.

Celeste’s home wasn't like the sprawling Ashwood estate, but it was lavish in its own right. Carved from warm marble and quartz and gilded with gold accents, it fit the extravagant, aloof theme of the leopard lineage perfectly. Plush lounging perches were everywhere. After dropping their bags in Celeste’s bedroom—a space overlooking a balcony fit for a feline—the girls scrambled into their bikinis and sprinted back down to cannonball into the crystal-clear pool.

Inara lazed on a floaty, her eyes closed against the artificial noon sun. The low, rhythmic hum of the air filters acted as a lullaby, drifting her toward a doze. This was likely the most relaxed she would feel for the next two weeks.

Nearby, Celeste lay on her stomach, her half-dried hair sprawling across her spotted back. Celeste was far more animal than human; fine, pale fur coated much of her body, and even her bare skin held the faint rosettes of her leopard heritage. Inara, by contrast, looked almost human, her skin smooth and porcelain-pale save for the tufts of light grey wolf fur at her elbows and the stark white marking across her underbelly—a secret visible only in moments like this.

“I come with gifts,” a voice called out.

Inara lifted her head to see Kade sauntering through the back door, holding a stack of treat boxes. Her mouth watered instantly.

“I was wondering when you'd show up,” Celeste teased. She paddled her floaty to the stairs, hauling herself out of the water with feline grace to greet him.

Kade was a specimen all his own. He wasn't a predator; he was a chameleon hybrid, special even among his own kind. His lineage showed in his long, curling tail and the occasional patch of leathery skin across his chest and limbs, but his true gift was the rare ability to manipulate his skin color at will. It was a trait that made him a target for his mother’s relentless matchmaking. She lived in a permanent state of denial, refusing to accept that Kade preferred the company of men no matter how loudly he flaunted it.

“I’m here now, I promise,” he said with a flourish.

Inara slid off her floaty and splashed into the cool water, hauling herself over the pool’s edge in one fluid motion.

“I’ve heard there’s to be a Queen in Naria,” Kade said, arching a perfectly groomed eyebrow at Inara, his amber eyes gleaming.

She playfully smacked his muscled arm. Kade was lean and golden-haired, with the face of a Greek god and olive skin that he took great pride in displaying.

“I’m not a queen,” she hissed, though she reached for the box of poolside treats and popped a macaroon into her mouth with a soft groan of delight.

“That’s not what it sounds like from where I’m standing,” Kade countered. He kicked off his sandals and claimed a lounge chair, stretching his six-foot frame out with ease.

“If you really think about it,” Celeste added, curling up in her own chair, her rounded leopard ears perking toward the sugar-dusted doughy treats, “you’re going to sit at the top of every major corporation and rule. Sounds pretty queenly to me.”

“You are both unbearable,” Inara groaned. “This is a nightmare, and you’re trying to make me sound like royalty.”

“You kind of already are, babe,” Kade pointed out, taking a swig from his water bottle. “You’re an Ashwood. You’re already at the top of the food chain.”

“Unbelievable,” Inara muttered, stuffing another treat into her mouth to keep from screaming.

“Just trying to help,” Kade said with a shrug. “But seriously... it is pretty f****d up.”

“Thank you,” Inara drawled. “Finally.”

“What I don’t understand is why,” Celeste mused, her claws gingerly picking up a pastry. “Why now?”

“Indeed,” Kade agreed. “And your mother was the one who pulled the trigger?”

“Yup. Verbatim, I was told she strong-armed Father into it.”

Kade whistled low. “I can’t imagine your father being strong-armed into anything. Your mother is a powerhouse.”

“I just don't get the secrecy,” Inara huffed, leaning back as the pool water settled into a glass-like still. “I would have had zero time to prepare if my siblings hadn't spilled the beans last night.”

Kade leaned forward, his olive skin darkening slightly with curiosity. “How exactly did that go down? They’ve known for weeks—what happened last night that made them finally c***k?”

Inara felt her skin crawl as she prepared to recount the wreckage of the previous night. She decided to just lay it all out—the high-energy chaos of Club Vixen, the "mutt" she’d been dancing with, Silas’s brutal intervention, and her desperate escape into the stagnant silence of the university’s stone forest.

“Do either of you know a Ryker Hale?” Inara asked, her voice dropping as the name left her lips.

Celeste shook her head, her leopard ears twitching in confusion. But Kade let out an audible gasp, his olive skin shifting into a pale, startled hue before he could snap his features back into place. Inara’s golden eyes narrowed.

“Tell me what you know,” she almost growled.

“Only that he’s a total social pariah,” Kade said, his vivid green eyes wide. “Do you truly not know? He had a massive run-in with your family a few years ago. It was truly the scandal of the year.”

“No, I don't know,” she muttered, the bitterness returning. “Seems like there’s a lot I don’t know lately.”

“Ryker Hale had a full scholarship. He earned himself a top-tier internship with your cousins, the Silvermists, at the Science Tower,” Kade explained. “The guy is stupidly smart. A genius, even by their standards.”

Inara’s mouth popped open in a small ‘O.’ She thought of the Science Tower—the heart of Naria’s life support—and wondered how a name like that had never reached her ears.

“Silas f*****g hates him,” Inara said. “He looked ready to commit murder just seeing him on campus last night.”

“I’m pretty sure Silas hates just about everyone,” Celeste chirped, downing the rest of her water bottle. “No offense, but your brother has a very low threshold for... well, people.”

“So how does Ryker fit into the story?” Kade asked, his curiosity burning bright. Inara described their encounter in the hollowed tree, the cryptic warnings, and Ryker’s terrifying lack of fear when Silas arrived.

“I’m surprised Silas didn't actually rip his throat out,” Inara finished, rubbing her face with her hand.

“It would have been a massive mistake if he did,” Kade answered seriously, his voice losing its playful edge. “Rumor has it Ryker lost everything—his status, his internship, his future—because he went snooping where he shouldn't have been. He was digging into the Tower’s private archives.”

Inara shrugged, her heart sinking. “I don’t get it. Why was the reaction so extreme? If he was a genius intern, surely a warning would have sufficed. It probably wasn't even intentional.”

“It is if he found something he wasn’t supposed to see,” Kade said. He leaned forward, his big, beautiful brain clearly jumping to conclusions Inara hadn’t even dared to touch.

“I know that look,” Inara said, leaning in across the table. “What is it?”