Nathanial Pepper waited in his office for his next appointment of the day, which would be an interview with a prospective member of the next year’s school faculty. The past school year had only just ended, summer was still getting into swing, but it was never too early to start getting these things figured out.

This would be his fourth appointment of the day, but that wasn’t unusual. For a school principal, four appointments before lunch was smooth sailing. During the school year, most of these appointments were requested by concerned parents who really just wanted to know that he was listening to them. He was more than happy to do that, to keep an eye on their particular suggestion. It was one of the easiest parts of his job, one which he enjoyed.

Then, there would be similar meetings with teachers, and then he might find himself receiving a call from the superintendent or doing rounds through the building to see how everything was getting along. There was never really a down moment, and even when he left periods of free time in his schedule, he always found something to do instead.

The summer was different.

Though members of the school faculty and board technically worked year-round, the first half of the summer could be rather lax as everyone let time get away from them. Then, as school neared again, Nathan would find himself swamped by teachers, parents, his superiors, and a number of others. Everyone would be frantic, and he would have to move to their pace to ensure that everything was ready. After all, what kind of principal would he be if the first day of school came around and someone didn’t have their lesson plans completed? Such things tended to change and adapt throughout the year, but you at least needed a starting point.

Having been a teacher himself, Nathan understood much of what drove his colleagues. He saw all the flaws, the places that needed work or extra effort, and he had worked towards this position with the goal in mind to fix all that needed fixing.

It was a work in progress. Eventually, someone else would come along with new ideas to replace his, taking over when the time came.

But that wouldn’t happen, not for a long time. He wasn’t here today to make executive decisions about his own future. The school was what was important. The school was all that mattered.

And the school, Churchland Elementary in Portsmouth, Virginia, was in desperate need of a new PE teacher. Physical Education was an important part of a child’s school day. Nathan was a firm believer in exercise as a cure to many problems. He thought there should be more of it, a class in the morning to get everyone going, and a class after lunch to get waning energy pumped up.

Really, to him, it wasn’t so much about the physical status of the kids. Someone would always be too thin, too weak, too heavy. That was just life. PE was more about forming bonds and developing skills.

And you needed a good teacher for it, someone who was in shape themselves, who knew what they were doing, and could treat minor injuries as necessary. Someone special who the kids trusted, who the girls could confide in and who the boys would listen to, and vice versa.

The PE instructor here at Churchland also needed a moderate amount of skill in various sports, from baseball to soccer. A few of the other teachers had experience and could help out as necessary, but they needed someone to guide them. Teaching in the gym or outside was just different enough from doing it in a classroom that it was a separate experience.

That was why he was waiting for his top pick to come walking up to knock on his door. Elaine, the head school secretary, was in the main office working on various projects and tasks. She was invaluable to him and underappreciated, in his opinion. Without her, he’d never get anything done.

His appointment was in two minutes. He would give the prospective hire five minutes after that, and then for every consecutive minute he would start adding marks against the man. These marks were nothing more than his own personal reference system. He understood that not everyone was punctual, not everyone had to be as strict with their time as he was, but that was information he needed to know for the future.

The man who would hopefully appear promptly was named Simon Diamond. Mr. Diamond was the top pick mostly due to his experience with high school sports. However, that was also potentially two drawbacks in one. Hires with more experience were less adaptable to change and could cause problems that shouldn’t have needed to be fixed in the first place.

High school was a big, competitive world compared to elementary school. Nathan in no way wanted to hire a man who was going to force the kids to go beyond their limits and potentially injure themselves, as so many members of high school sports had in the past. This was a time to discover limits and preferences. The hard work could come later, when the kids were more ready for it.

While he waited, Nathan glanced over his interview notes one final time. Just as he was about to flip the page, there was a knock on his office door.

“Yes?” Nathan called out.

A smooth, purring voice answered. “Principal Pepper, it’s Simon Diamond. I’m here for my interview.”

“Come in,” Nathan said. “It’s unlocked.”

The door opened and Nathan was given his first look of the man he was about to have a very detailed, very one-sided conversation with.

Simon sported an even, luxurious tan that was difficult to obtain in a normal city atmosphere, suggesting that he spent a lot of time outside. This was encouraging, as was the fact that he had broad shoulders and a lean, muscular body. His shirt had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, displaying soft, brown skin stretched taut over a network of veins and tendons. A wicked scar slashed between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, trailing off like a lightning bolt to the inner curve of his wrist.

His hair was wild and dark, as if he had a tendency to shove his hands through it. In contrast with the dark strands hanging across them, Simon’s eyes were brilliant green.

Nathan was impressed so far, but he was also surprised because Simon wasn’t entirely human.

Nathan had no way of predicting this, which was understandable. You couldn’t include the fact that you were a vampire on your application, right next to your qualifications.

Or, in this case, the fact that you were a wolf.

Nathan was a wolf shifter himself, capable of accessing his alpha counterpart at any given moment. Judging from his scent, Simon was an omega.

Nathan made an effort not to probe too deeply into the other wolf’s scent. He would be able to tell all sorts of things about Simon if he tried, including what he had for breakfast and potentially even the last time he had sex. True wolves wouldn’t mind such openness, but not all shifters felt the same way. It was difficult to balance the two halves when they clashed in such a way sometimes.

Simon stepped forward and closed the office door behind him. Then, he turned around and held his scarred hand over the top of the desk for a shake. “I’m sorry for being late,” he said. “There was a bit of traffic on my way here.”

“You were right on time.” Nathan gripped Simon’s hand and was rewarded with a strong grasp in return. He was a little surprised that this man was an omega. Most male omega wolves, though uncommon, tended to share the same sort of characteristics. They were slender, gently muscular or not physically adept at all.

But Simon looked more like a beta wolf, not as large or powerful as an alpha but with attributes from the best of both worlds. Definitely an omega, though. It was in his mannerisms, in the gentleness of his eyes, the way he spoke. A wolf could never escape what he was meant to be.

“I don’t think you’re on time unless you’re early. That’s my policy.”

Nathan smiled a little. That was a point in Simon’s favor, as far as he was concerned. “Yours and mine. Please, take a seat. We can get started.”

Why haven’t you commented on the fact that we’re both wolves? Interesting.

Simon pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the desk and sat down gracefully. He folded his hands together neatly on top of the desk.

Letting him stew for a moment, Nathan shuffled his papers around. He kept most of his attention on Simon, waiting to see what he would do when left to his own devices in an unfamiliar setting. That could really say a lot about a person, and he had eliminated a few teachers in the past based on it. Quiet was an important thing, an important time. The desire to constantly break it wasn’t great, especially when you might have students studying or taking tests who needed all the concentration they could get.

Simon appeared to handle silence well, not even seeming to notice that he was being observed because he was too busy taking a look around himself.

The office itself was nothing special. Nathan wasn’t a very inspired decorator. His walls were covered in the stereotypical motivational posters, cluttered alongside framed degrees, awards, various certificates, and photographs of various staff members from the past.

His desk was covered in similar photographs, including those of each graduating 6th grade class since he took position as principal.

Other than that, there wasn’t much to see. He had shelves full of books, most he had bought himself, though a few were leftover textbooks from his college days. He referred to them constantly for advice, and the pages of each were highlighted, notated, dog-eared, and worn. He had filing cabinets, which were a necessity for anyone who had to keep records of any kind. On top of one of these filing cabinets was a potted plant Elaine kept alive for him, mostly because he could hardly remember to water it himself.

“All right,” Nathan said, interrupting the silence. He had his papers in the right order now, though they had already been that way. He had just shuffled them and then shuffled them back.

Simon looked back at him and nodded briskly. “I’m eager to get started.”

They got the formalities out of the way, such as the various degrees and accomplishments Simon had to his name. These were already confirmed for Nathan through the letters of recommendation that Simon had included with his application, but he needed to make sure the story stayed the same all the way throughout.

They moved on to the standard questions that were part of nearly every interview in existence. Everyone, from politicians to the grocery stockers at Walmart, had faced these questions before. They always followed the same format: “What would you do if such-and-such happened?” or “How would you react in this particular situation?”

The standard format could be adapted for any and every situation. In this case, these questions mostly had to do with the kids acting out, getting hurt, or saying something that needed to be brought to a parent’s attention.

Simon handled the questions well, responding easily and in a pleasing way. There were always more than a few right answers, but it was really the procedure of things that mattered, and how to decide what was most important and needed to be done first. The omega wolf had no doubt gone through this same process multiple times before.

Once the usual business was out of the way, Nathan moved on to the stuff he was really interested in. “You used to coach at the Churchland High School, one of our sister schools. What has inspired you to pursue a position in the lower grades? If you don’t mind me pointing it out, the pay grade is also lower.”

It was blunt, but these were blunt matters.

Simon nodded as Nathan spoke, acknowledging each point as it came. “CHS is a fine place and I’m honored to have worked there for the past five years, but it was time for a change of pace. Recent changes to the curriculum and budget made me feel as if it was best for me to make room for someone newer.” Nathan made a note on the paper, a point to discuss when the other man had finished speaking. “When I saw that the elementary school had an opening, I was glad. Churchland is a wonderful school system.”

“I see. Well, loyalty to the system is always a plus when a career is being considered.” Though overzealous loyalty could cause major problems in the future. “However, I’d like to bring attention to something you just said. It was recent changes that made you seek a new position. Weren’t you going to be able to adapt to them? We pride ourselves here on our ability to face any challenge that comes our way.”

There were dozens of small occurrences throughout the day where things didn’t go the way they were planned. It was very, very important to be able to challenge these and then get everyone back on track.

Simon didn’t seem fazed at all at having been basically accused of being unadaptable. Nathan regarded this with interest, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. He hadn’t ever known an omega wolf like this before, so casual and yet professional, and very collected and calm. This was an omega who was confident in his standing in life, who didn’t let it define him.

It was intriguing. Exciting.

Something stirred around deep inside Nathan, though he ignored it with ease.

“Of course, I could have adapted. There have always been changes each school year, big and small. And I have no problem purchasing supplies out of pocket, if need be.”

“Then why leave?”

“Call it a whim,” Simon said. “But not nearly so spontaneous. I thought over my decision very carefully before finalizing anything. It seemed like a good time for a change of venue, a chance to pursue different interests. I’ve always wanted to work with younger kids.”

“Why is that?” Nathan prompted.

Simon gazed at him with those green eyes, like twin emeralds. “High school students have their own charm, and they can be very talented. But by that time, they are already honing their potential. I would like to help children discover themselves. I believe it is very important to their development, and I would love to take part in that.”

Not only was it a very astute observation, it neatly meshed with Nathan’s personal beliefs. He made a note in Simon’s favor. Really, Simon was making it hard to find anything wrong about him. He was professional and thoughtful, and handsome, to boot.

What more could a principal ask of a teacher?

I could think of a few things, but they would all be very unprofessional.

The stirrings inside him were warm and increasingly hard to ignore. Nathan was no stranger to sex and he attempted to have a personal relationship with the former music teacher before they both discovered they were incompatible.

That music teacher, Derrick Keene, was now living a happy life with his fiancé and their daughter. Derrick had moved on to teaching private lessons to adults at the beginner level of their musical pursuits, and he routinely provided musical accompaniment to various plays and performances.

Nathan was glad that everything had worked out for Derrick. They weren’t meant to be together and were able to part on good terms.

But thinking of Derrick made him remember how the two of them had attempted to have sex in this very room.

“Principal Pepper?” It was Simon’s turn to prompt him now. “You spaced out for a minute there.”

Nathan quickly pulled himself together and flashed Simon a grin. “Just gathering my thoughts. I admire your initiative and your desire to pursue new paths in life. Very inspiring.”

“I’m only doing my best,” Simon replied. “And that’s all I’ll ever ask of the kids, too. The best is all anyone can ask.”

“Very true.” Nathan set down the papers he’d been holding and tucked the pen behind his ear. He had more questions but he no longer considered them necessary. He still had a few other teachers to interview for this same position—and there would be more who applied as the summer went on—but he didn’t think he would be hiring any of them, though he would certainly give them their fair chance. No decision could be made yet, not even if he was pretty sure of what it would be.

“Well, I believe that’s the end of my questions for you. Do you have any questions of your own? Comments, concerns?”

“Well, Principal Pepper…”

“Call me Nate, Simon.”

Simon flashed him an odd look.

Maybe I came on a bit too strong just now.

He hadn’t even planned to do that. The words just came out on their own. There was certainly a desire inside him to be on more familiar terms with this other wolf, that was for sure. Still, he should have been more careful.

“All right, then. Nate. I think I do have a question.”

That was rare. Most people at the end of an interview never used this opportunity when it was given to them. Another point in Simon’s favor.

“Fire away.”

Simon flashed a handsome smile, causing a dimple to form on one cheek. Nathan’s heart melted a little. He was a sucker for dimples.

“How come no one told me you were a wolf?”

Ah, here it is.

Interesting and admirable, that the omega had waited so long to bring this topic to light. Others in his place would have swapped around those priorities.

“I could ask the same thing about you, Simon. There’s really no way of knowing however, is there?”

Simon nodded in response. “Correct, although I would have assumed that I would have heard about this somehow. Do you have other shifters in the school?”

“More in the past. Some of the students are shifters, but on the staff it’s only myself and the guidance counselor. Why do you think you should have heard about me?”

“Word travels,” Simon said. He made a noncommittal gesture, a wave of the hand that seemed to swat the issue away. As someone who hated shrugging, Nathan found he preferred this as an alternative. It was less abrupt, less rude. In fact, Simon made it seem almost graceful. “I was at the high school, where there are other shifters. We’re everywhere, a network of us. I assumed I had heard about everyone in the immediate area, but you avoided detection, Nathan.”

“I have to,” Nathan replied, a little gruffly. “I lead a bunch of humans. If anyone of them suspected that there was anything remotely off about me, I might lose some of their trust that I’ve worked so hard to gain.”

“Is that why you wear non prescription glasses?”

Nathan paused. He had long since learned to hold back on his initial reactions to surprises, controlling his reflexes so wayward students wouldn’t know if they caught him off-guard. It was useful for all sorts of situations, giving him just enough time to formulate an perfect response to anything that might be thrown his way. This had, over the years, given others an impression of him as a cautious and intelligent man who always said the right things in the right situation; he knew this because of his superior hearing, and because anyone who worked with children knew that eavesdropping was the best way to discover if someone was up to something. If anything was said about him, he heard it.

However, this time was different. He had been through so many situations by now that the pause was merely habit, not a necessity. But this time, he had really, truly been taken aback.

“What makes you think I wear non prescription glasses?”

I do, but what makes you think that?

“You look at me when you think I’m not looking, and you do it from the corner of your eye where the glasses don’t cover you. We’re wolves. Our vision doesn’t fade unless we’re injured, sick, or old. You aren’t any of those, which means that you can look at me from under the glasses perfectly well.”

Nathan thought this over for another long moment, mulling over the idea in his mind. Absolutely everything Simon had just said was true. His vision was fine. In fact, it was better than ever these days.

“Have you noticed anything else interesting during our conversation?” Nathan asked, a little cautiously.

Simon flashed another of those handsome smiles, turned adorably crooked by his dimple on the one side. “Aside from the fact that you only shuffled your papers just so I would have to wait?”

“Has anyone told you that you are very, very observant, Simon?”

“Actually, yes.” Simon nodded. “On multiple occasions.”

I have lost track of how many points you’ve earned in your favor in this conversation. I think unless my next candidate can teach the kids to fly, you’ve got the job.

“Well, this has been enlightening. Anything else you would like to say?”

“A question, actually.”

Nathan nodded and gestured for Simon to continue. This was the point when other teachers were normally asking about vacation time and paid leave and so on, but he had an idea that none of that was on Simon’s mind. Simon was used to all of that, would know the drill.

Nathan had no idea what to expect from this.

Simon gestured to one photograph in particular on top of Nathan’s desk. “Is this your family?”

Nathan followed Simon’s gaze to the photograph, though he didn’t really need to look to know which picture was being referred to. There was only one which depicted what could possibly be a family.

It was a portrait of a man and a woman, holding a toddler between them.

“Yes,” Nathan said. “That’s my mother and my father. And me.”

Simon made a soft sound of contemplation. “Your father is very handsome. He looks quite a lot like you.”

If he was speaking to a friend, Nathan would have jumped on this as an opportunity to tease them, asking if that meant they thought he was handsome. However, Nathan had no close friends and this was a professional situation. He swallowed back the words and just said, “Thank you. I’m sure he would have appreciated that.”

“Oh.” Simon bowed his head a little, sitting back slightly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“That’s fine. No harm done. Anything else you would like to ask?”

Simon shook his head, which he still kept bowed. His posture indicated that he felt embarrassed over his slight slip-up. “I think that does it for me.”

“Then, I believe we’re done here. I have a few more candidates to speak with over the next few weeks, so you will be getting a phone call around that time with my decision. If I hire you, we will go from there.” Nathan started to stand, and Simon followed his lead.

“I look forward to hearing from you,” Simon said.

“I look forward to contacting you.” Nathan smiled at the omega, trying to catch his eye to let him know his earlier mistake was all water under the bridge. Simon didn’t seem to notice, however. “Just between you and me, I believe your chances are very high.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for giving me your consideration.” Simon held out his hand for a final handshake.

Nathan reached out and grasped the other man’s hand very firmly. He didn’t let go of it right away, couldn’t bring himself do that. He felt the heat of Simon’s skin, the flutter of his heartbeat that matched the rapid pulse quivering at the hollow of his throat. His heartbeat seemed like it was going a little bit fast. Probably nervousness.

Perhaps something else.

Perhaps an echo of the stirrings inside Nathan himself.

He could feel the difference in the texture of Simon’s smooth skin, and the taut scar tissue on the webbing between his thumb. Something about the intensity of the sensations, the sharpness of such small things, was making his own heart beat faster, too.

Aware the moment had gone on too long, Nathan released Simon’s hand.

Simon hesitated, still keeping his hand in Nathan’s for a second before pulling away. He rubbed his hand as if it was painful, or had fallen asleep and was tingling.

“I’ll see myself out,” Simon said. He opened the office door of his own volition, which was a breach of interview code, though Nathan didn’t really mind at this point. Things had taken an odd turn, and it was about time to put that to an end.

“Feel free to grab some coffee on your way out. And stop by Elaine. She always has cookies for anyone who asks nicely.”

Simon gave another of those heart-melting smiles, then slid out through the doorway. Nathan watched him for a moment and then shut the door. Faint conversation reached his ears as Simon spoke to Elaine, but he didn’t focus in on it.

Sitting back down at the desk, Nathan sighed and put his head in his hands. Meetings were never easy but he hadn’t had one as rough as that in a long while. He felt like he did at the end of the day, instead of how he usually did just before lunch.

His heart settled down into a regular rhythm and the warm stirrings inside him faded so rapidly he had to wonder if he had just been imagining all of it.

After about five minutes, the intercom light on his office phone started blinking. Nathan reached out and held down the button. “Hi, Elaine.”

“Hi, Nathan!” Elaine said, cheerfully. For a woman of 50 years old, she looked and acted like someone much younger. Her energy was astounding. “Your next appointment is here. That would be Mrs. Smithers.”

“Go ahead and send her in,” Nathan said. He expected this to be an easy conversation. He’d already gathered all the information he could about the upcoming subject of their discussion. Mrs. Smithers’ daughter had been declining in health for several years. While she was finally on the mend, she would need to be accompanied by a service dog. Mrs. Smithers’ wanted him to be aware of what all of this would mean, and how to ensure that the service dog was able to do its job properly.

Nathan hadn’t ever directly encountered this situation before but he had heard others’ experiences of it and knew approximately what to expect. He planned to listen to her concerns and then reassure her everything would be done to accommodate her daughter’s needs. His only concern was that the dog might react negatively to shifters, but that would remain to be seen.

He heard footsteps approaching from down the short hallway which connected the main office to his own and straightened up. No matter what had just happened, he had to carry on as if everything was normal.

For the most part, the day was indeed normal. Appointments came and went. Nathan had lunch, encountered a custodian in the halls who had discovered mouse holes in the boy’s bathroom, filed paperwork, and made estimates for the budget of the upcoming year. It was tedious, tiring work that left his back aching, his sharp eyes sore, and his mind weary.

But not everything was normal. His thoughts kept inevitably returning to Simon.