Chapter 2: Behind the Glass Towers
1997 Words
The alarm on Selene's phone rang at exactly six o'clock.
She silenced it before it could ring a second time.
For a moment, she lay still, staring at the white ceiling of her residence room while the events of yesterday replayed in her mind.
A new city.
A new university.
A new internship.
And a promise she had made to herself long before she arrived in Ravenhurst.
Keep your head down.
Graduate.
Leave.
No friendships.
No relationships.
No mistakes.
She climbed out of bed and pulled open the curtains. The city was already awake. Morning sunlight reflected off the glass buildings downtown while traffic flowed steadily along the streets below.
It looked peaceful.
Normal.
Exactly the kind of place where a woman hiding a thousand-year-old secret should be able to disappear.
She touched the silver pendant hanging around her neck before whispering the same words she had spoken every morning since her eighteenth birthday.
"I won't fail our bloodline."
Cross & Whitmore Attorneys was even busier than it had been the previous day.
Receptionists answered phones without pause.
Associates hurried through the hall carrying stacks of files.
Every minute seemed carefully planned.
Selene arrived fifteen minutes early.
Olivia Bennett smiled the moment she saw her.
"I was wondering if you'd beat Mr. Cross this morning."
Selene laughed softly.
"I didn't."
"He was here an hour ago."
"Does he ever sleep?"
Olivia shrugged.
"I'm beginning to think the man survives on coffee and legal victories."
They walked toward the conference rooms together.
"You've been assigned to assist him again today."
"I'm surprised."
"So is everyone else."
Selene frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't usually keep interns around after the first day."
Before Selene could ask another question, Olivia stopped outside a conference room.
"He's waiting for you."
Damien stood beside a large digital screen displaying photographs, timelines, and legal documents.
He looked up as Selene entered.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Mr. Cross."
He motioned toward the chair beside him.
"Sit."
She placed her notebook on the table.
"I've reviewed your notes from yesterday."
Her stomach tightened slightly.
Had she made a mistake?
"You missed one detail."
Selene immediately opened her notebook.
"Which one?"
A faint smile appeared on Damien's face.
"You never asked why the witness changed his testimony."
She blinked.
"I assumed the financial records answered that."
"They explain what happened."
He picked up a file.
"They don't explain why."
He slid another document toward her.
"Law isn't just evidence."
"It's people."
"They lie."
"They panic."
"They protect those they love."
Selene studied the statement again.
For the first time, she noticed the witness had changed his version of events after his daughter had been threatened online.
Her eyes widened.
"I completely overlooked that."
"You focused on facts."
"I should have focused on motivation."
Damien nodded.
"Facts win arguments."
"Motives win cases."
Selene quickly wrote the sentence into her notebook.
He noticed.
"You write everything down?"
"I don't like making the same mistake twice."
"Neither do I."
Damien closed the file and folded his arms.
"Tell me something, Ms. Hart."
Selene looked up from her notebook.
"Yes, Mr. Cross?"
"You transferred here from another university."
It wasn't a question.
She nodded once.
"I did."
"You graduated near the top of your class there as well."
"Yes."
"So why leave?"
The question lingered between them.
Selene carefully chose her words.
"There were... personal reasons."
Damien studied her for a moment before nodding.
"I won't ask you to explain."
A quiet wave of relief washed over her.
"Thank you."
"I've found people do their best work when they aren't forced to relive the worst parts of their lives."
His answer surprised her.
Most people wanted explanations.
They wanted details.
Damien simply respected the boundary she had drawn.
She appreciated that more than she expected.
He reached for another case file and placed it on the table.
"This firm's reputation wasn't built on winning every case."
Selene looked at him curiously.
"No?"
"It was built on knowing our clients."
He tapped the folder with one finger.
"You can memorize every law ever written, but if you don't understand the person sitting across from you, you'll never become a great lawyer."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"My mother used to say something similar."
"What did she say?"
"'People rarely tell you the whole truth. Sometimes what they hide is more important than what they say.'"
Damien smiled.
"Your mother sounds wise."
Selene lowered her eyes.
"She is."
For a brief moment, guilt tugged at her chest.
Her mother had taught her to recognize deception.
Yet Selene herself was living the biggest lie imaginable.
She wasn't just hiding her past.
She was hiding what she was.
If anyone inside this building discovered the truth...
Everything she had worked for would disappear.
Taking a slow breath, she closed the file and reminded herself why she had come to Ravenhurst.
She wasn't here to make friends.
She wasn't here to fall in love.
She was here to finish her degree, protect her family's secret, and leave before anyone ever had a reason to question who Selene Hart really was.
The rest of the morning passed quickly.
Damien questioned her constantly.
"What would you ask this witness?"
"Which document concerns you the most?"
"Why would a jury believe this client?"
Every answer led to another question.
By midday, Selene realized he wasn't trying to test her.
He was teaching her.
For the first time since arriving in Ravenhurst, she felt challenged.
She liked it.
At twelve-thirty, a gentle knock interrupted the discussion.
"Come in," Damien called.
The door opened.
A woman stepped inside carrying a paper shopping bag and two takeaway coffees.
She smiled the moment she saw Damien.
"I figured you'd forget lunch again."
Damien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I was just about to take a break."
"You've been saying that for ten years."
Her voice carried affection rather than irritation.
Then she noticed Selene.
"Oh."
Damien stood.
"Victoria, this is Selene Hart."
"Our new intern."
Victoria smiled warmly.
"It's lovely to meet you."
"You too."
"I've heard you're one of Westbridge University's brightest students."
Selene smiled politely.
"I hope the rumours are true."
Victoria laughed.
"I'm sure they are."
She unpacked sandwiches onto Damien's desk before straightening his tie.
"You have a meeting at two."
"I know."
"And dinner with my parents tonight."
"I haven't forgotten."
"You forgot last month."
Damien sighed dramatically.
"I walked into that one."
Victoria kissed his cheek.
"I'll see you tonight."
"I'll be there."
Selene quietly looked away, giving them privacy.
They seemed...
Happy.
Comfortable.
Like two people who genuinely loved each other.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Not jealousy.
Disappointment.
She wasn't sure why.
After Victoria left, Damien looked slightly embarrassed.
"She worries."
Selene smiled.
"That's because she loves you."
His expression softened.
"I'm lucky."
He said it without hesitation.
Without pretending.
Without uncertainty.
The words echoed in Selene's mind for the rest of the afternoon.
I'm lucky.
She reminded herself that he was married.
That should have been the end of it.
Work finished just after six.
Selene declined Olivia's invitation to dinner, deciding to walk back to campus instead.
The evening air was cool after a day of summer heat.
As she crossed the plaza outside Sterling Tower, an icy chill ran down her spine.
Her wolf stirred instantly.
She stopped walking.
Across the street...
Standing perfectly still beside a line of ancient oak trees...
Was the same enormous silver wolf.
Its glowing eyes were fixed on her.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then, without making a sound, it turned and disappeared into the gathering darkness.
Selene's heart pounded.
It had found her again.
Selene remained in the legal library long after most of the interns had left for the day.
The silence suited her.
Rows of leather-bound law reports towered around her while the soft hum of the building's air conditioning became the only sound in the room. She carefully highlighted another paragraph before comparing it to a judgment decided nearly twelve years earlier.
The two cases looked unrelated.
Most people would have treated them that way.
Selene noticed the pattern immediately.
She smiled to herself.
There it is.
She copied the citation into her notebook before gathering the files Damien had assigned to her.
When she stepped into the hallway, she found him locking his office.
He looked surprised.
"I thought everyone had gone home."
"I wanted to finish my research."
"You've been here since this morning."
"I lost track of time."
Damien glanced at the thick stack of papers in her arms.
"You don't have to prove yourself."
"I'm not trying to."
"No?"
She shook her head.
"I just like getting things right."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Damien held out his hand.
"The files."
She handed them over.
He skimmed through her notes while they stood in the quiet hallway.
After several pages, he nodded slowly.
"You found three precedents we hadn't considered."
"I wasn't sure they were relevant."
"They're more than relevant."
He closed the folder.
"They may decide the case."
Selene smiled politely.
"I'm glad I could help."
"You already have."
As they walked toward the elevators, Damien pressed the call button.
"The first few weeks of an internship overwhelm most students."
"They overwhelmed me too."
"You hide it well."
She laughed softly.
"I've had a lot of practice pretending I'm calm."
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped inside together.
Neither spoke as the lift descended through the tower.
When the doors opened in the lobby, Damien checked his watch.
"I should get home."
"Your wife is expecting you."
He smiled.
"She'll probably remind me that I'm late."
"You deserve it."
"I probably do."
His tone carried amusement rather than annoyance.
Watching him speak about Victoria, Selene felt an unexpected ache settle inside her chest.
She didn't understand it.
She barely knew the man.
Yet there was something about his kindness, his patience and the quiet confidence he carried that made him impossible to ignore.
She immediately pushed the thought away.
He was married.
Nothing else mattered.
Outside Sterling Tower, the evening air was cool after a brief afternoon shower.
The streets glistened beneath rows of golden streetlights.
People hurried past carrying shopping bags while others laughed outside nearby cafés.
Damien unlocked his car before looking back at her.
"Are you walking back to campus?"
"Yes."
"Stay on the main roads."
She smiled.
"I will."
"See you tomorrow, Ms. Hart."
"Tomorrow, Mr. Cross."
He drove away, disappearing into the evening traffic.
Selene adjusted the strap of her bag and began the walk toward Westbridge University.
Halfway across the plaza, a strange feeling settled over her.
Someone was watching.
She stopped.
Her wolf stirred beneath her skin.
Not with fear.
Recognition.
Slowly, she turned toward the line of ancient oak trees bordering the square.
Standing between the shadows was the enormous silver wolf.
Its thick coat shimmered beneath the fading sunlight, almost glowing against the darkness gathering beneath the branches.
Its silver eyes never left hers.
Selene's breathing became shallow.
The wolf didn't growl.
It didn't move.
It simply watched her with an expression that felt almost... knowing.
A city bus rolled past, blocking her view for only a heartbeat.
When it cleared the road, the wolf was gone.
No movement.
No sound.
Only empty shadows beneath the trees.
Selene crossed the street, ignoring the impatient blast of a car horn behind her.
She searched every corner of the small park.
Nothing.
No tracks.
No scent.
No sign that such a creature had ever been there.
She rested a trembling hand against the pendant beneath her blouse.
It had become warm once more.
Far away, beyond Ravenhurst, hidden deep within Silverpine Forest, another wolf lifted its head.
"The heir has returned," a deep voice murmured from the darkness.
The silver wolf remained silent, its gaze fixed toward the distant lights of the city.
The hunt had not begun.
But fate had already set its course.
- Writer
