WOLVES AMONG SHADOWS

Chapter One: Isabelle hummed some soft tune to herself while twirling around in front of the mirror, running over in her mind those last steps of that dance that she learned. That was Vivon's birthday, and she wanted to surprise him with a little performance. She could feel her heart racing at the thought of his reaction to this surprise that she had been planning for weeks, hoping it would bring them closer together. But as she came toward his room, she could feel music and laughter filtering from through the door. She hesitated, and her heart sank. There at the door, she pushed it open to find Vivon guzzling and sucking face with some lady she had never known. She stopped dead at what she had seen, her stomach churning. "Vivon!" Her voice mixed anger with pain. Isabelle rarely confronted him, but really, this was a bit too much. Finally, Vivon looked up, raising an eyebrow, wholly undisturbed. He pulled away from the woman, his eyes of ice locking onto Isabelle as he gave her a cold, dismissive smirk. "What? You surprised? You think you can just dance your way back into my good graces?" Isabelle's eyes had welled up in tears, but she held them back. "This isn't about the dance. It's about you, and how you treat me. I kept silence about your numerous affairs, but this—" Vivon burst out laughing. "Oh, please. Don't play the innocent. You were a club dancer for crying out loud. You think I forgot about that?" The words slapped Isabelle like a hand to the face. She had hoped he had gotten beyond her past. "That was a long time ago, Vivon. I thought we had something special. You've been with other women, and I never said anything because I thought you'd change." Vivon's eyes had narrowed to mere slits. Malice danced across his face. "Maybe you should have spoken sooner. But let's be real, Isabelle. You were just a fling. I never promised you anything." His words slammed her pride to the floor, and she felt the world crumbling down upon her. Isabelle had given him everything, yet now she felt so betrayed. She turned to leave the room—her heels echoing in an empty hallway. She knew she had had enough, and one night Isabelle packed her stuff to live in the human world for refuge from her unbearable pain and seek a new path. She hoped resettling in a new place might give her some peace of mind, but fate had other plans. Weeks started passing by, and Isabelle could not feel the ground. Looking for degree-less jobs on her own can be pretty hard to find. She started seeking degree-less jobs, with rejection after rejection; she started losing her confidence. One fine morning, determined not to give up, walk into this busy firm and ask for a need to have an interview, hoping her skills could speak for themselves. That interview had been really very short. Though the manager had barely looked through her résumé, he dismissed her anyway. "We don't hire people without a degree, much less for managerial positions," he said, not even trying to veil his despise. Isabelle walked dejected out of that building. She had barely walked to the exit when she bumped carelessly into a tall, imposing man with piercing, sharp eyes and an aura that sent her on shrills. This was Klinn, the CEO of the company. "Watch where you're going," Klinn snapped, though there was an odd softness in his tone. Isabelle jerked her head up again, some strange, inexplicable pull drawing her to him. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. She couldn't help the feeling that she knew him or was supposed to. The desperation took a lock on her. "Do you. feel that?" she asked, reaching out with her hand to touch his arm. His eyes slanted, dropping to hers. A bark of short laughter escaped him at the weird question. " You need a degree to work here . we can't hire girls with no experience." The words cut deep. Despair washed over Isabelle. He wasn't her second chance mate. He couldn't be that. She was just seeing things. She walked away, feeling very lost. He watched her leave without her knowing. Something weird pulled at his chest. He'd felt something the moment she touched him. Some emotion he couldn't place. But once more, he shrugged it off, convinced it was nothing. That night, Isabelle wandered aimlessly through the streets; her eyes stung from the tears. She was so hopeless and lonely.She was pregnant and didn't know what to do she felt alone and needed help. She crossed the street; a dark thought crossed her mind. Maybe it would just be easier to end it all. She stopped in the middle of the road as the headlights of an oncoming bus blinded her, and she felt strange calmness, ready to let go. But strong arms pulled her back before the bus could reach her. Standing there, Klinn's face was white with shock and concern. He grabbed her shoulders and asked "What's going on ?" In a shaky voice. Isabelle looked up at him, dazed. And for once for once in his eyes, she saw something real: worry, fear, maybe a little care. She collapsed into his arms, crying uncontrollably. Klinn wrapped his arms around her, and some strange warmth flowed through him. Though he didn't know precisely what he felt, deep inside him, he felt the urge to protect her. Standing there with his arms wrapped about her, he realized quite suddenly that he could not let her go, even if he did not fully understand what the connection was that bonded them. With the darkness closing in around him, Klinn had made a silent promise to himself: He would get to the bottom of what was happening to him and just who that mysterious lady had been who seemed to careen into his life quite literally. What he didn't realize was that Isabelle had been inextricably entwined with his fate.