Monday morning was made of evil. I was sure of it. Whomever created it needed to die a slow and painful death.

After a weekend of amazing with my men, mostly in bed, the last place I wanted to go was work. If it weren’t for the message sent to me by Human Resources about a meeting I was required at first thing in the morning, I would have called in sick. Lovesick, but sick.

I rapped on the door of Human Resources and was shocked to find it full of brass and the company lawyer when they called me in. Suck. I was getting sacked. There were worse things, I lied to myself. At least I had savings and a strong skillset. I walked in, ready for my fate.

“Please, have a seat. You know everyone here?” Sally, the director of Human Resources waved her arm, indicating who referred to. I did know them all, or at least who they were. It was intimidating, at best.

“We are here to inform you, Ms. Solaris, that George Francis was terminated this morning, effective immediately. After you left on Friday, four more employees came forward about his inappropriate conduct.” She went on and on about who knew what, my mind unable to focus thanks to the lawyer watching me so intently.

“Thank you?” Because how do you respond to that. Surely glee was frowned upon.

“Ms. Solaris, as the corporate lawyer, I feel it my responsibility to explain to you your rights on how to precede.”

Ha. Of course, they were worried about getting sued.

“No worries. I just wanted not to be fired over his lies. Him being gone means I no longer have to worry. No suing from this girl.”

The president chuckled at my response, earning him the evil eye from his lawyer.

“If that is all?” I motioned to stand and was given a head shake by Sally. Not done. Ugg.

“I think Ms. Solaris and I can finish the rest on our own.” Sally shooed them away with her hand and they immediately began to comply. She might not have a high-ranking position, but she sure held the power. They left mumbling that if I needed to talk or take some time just to let Sally know and she would arrange it, to which both Sally and I rolled our eyes.

“They were all here in case I tried to sue?” Most of them hadn’t even opened their mouths once. Oh, how office life had changed since I first started.

“Pretty much.” Sally leaned in conspiratorially, “When they discovered that this division had no breaks and was riddled with sexual harassment, that was the first place they went. Gotta get lawyered up.”

“I’m just glad he’s gone.” If I’d realized the breaks were a huge thing, I’d have reported him long ago. Many of us would’ve since it was an easily provable offense, unlike the leering and accidental touches.

“You and I both.” She reached to her shelf, grabbing a binder and handing it my way. “That leads me to the second reason you were called in.”

By the time I left Sally’s office I’d gotten a brand-new job. George’s, to be specific. It wasn’t anything like the jobs I’d been putting my name in the hat for, but it was a huge raise and one that had transfer potential, which, in the back of my mind, was the best part of it. Our company had sister companies across the country, including in Maple Rivers. It put more options on the table for our future, for, after this weekend, there was no doubt we had a future.

It was an hour before lunch when I finally left her office, and all I wanted to do was to call the guys and tell them all things. I promised not to say anything to the rest of the staff until the formal announcement was made, so I let Betsy know I was stepping out and went outside to call them. The patio was where the smokers took their breaks and had a few people doing just that, so I snuck around to the alley, dialing them as I did.

“Everything all right?” Curtis answered the phone on speaker.

The alley was exceptionally smelly, the scent of urine filling my nose.

“Hello to you, too.” I blew a kiss because why not? They were mine, after all. “Everything’s great, I just wanted to let you know how things went because silly me I thought you might worry.”

Parker’s laughter belted through the phone at my jibe.

“What? Us? Worry?” He was still cracking up, and I could envision him shoulder bumping Curtis as he did. I was a worrier, so I got Curtis’s concern. I really did. It didn’t make it less funny.

“We are close by. Can you take an early lunch?” He completely ignored our teasing. Lunch sounded perfect. I could easily get the rest of the afternoon off since my new job hadn’t started and they’d offered any time I might need.

“I think so. I no longer have my position–”

“What?” Parker cut me off before I could finish, leaving me feeling not at all bad about his concern “Oh baby, we’ll think of something.” He was sweet about it though, so bonus points for him.

“I meant I no longer had mine. I now have George’s. He was canned this morning.” A growl filled the alley. Not the sexy growl of my future mates, but that of a dog.

“Congratu…”

I dropped the phone as I came eye to eye with the most enormous dog I’d ever seen, with the possible exception of a Newfoundland a neighbor had when I was a child. A blood-curdling scream escaped my lips. Unlike that Newfoundland, this dog looked feral, his teeth bared, his eyes on me as the growl grew louder with each step he took. Fuck. I might not know a lot about animals, but I knew that I was currently his prey. Thank the good human resource fairy, I had yet to go to my desk, and my keys which held my pepper spray dangled from my purse. Slowly taking baby steps back, I popped the pin of my pepper spray, praying it still worked. Roxanne and I got the little canisters years earlier at a women’s expo, so who knew? As he lurched forward, I pointed and sprayed, keeping my eyes closed to avoid accidentally incapacitating myself in the process. His yelp triggered my flight mechanism, and I bolted as fast as my feet could take me to the main street and into the insurance company, the first door I saw.

“Miss, are you all right?” Stanley called as he ran over from his station.

“No. No, I am not. There is a rabid dog in the alley set on eating me.”

“Stay here, miss.” And with his hand at his holster, he ran out the front door.

Feeling safer with a gun in the picture, I ran out just as a roar echoed through the streets. Running back, fearing it was my men about to be eaten by the rabid beast, I was stopped short as unfamiliar arms wrapped around me.

“Stay put, miss. Your mates will handle this. The mutt doesn’t stand a chance.”

He led me inside, and I let him, hearing the weakening whelps of that wretched beast. I was not one for animal cruelty, but I hoped that thing went down and fast.

Stanley’s walkie talkie went off, my mind too focused on the front door and when the guys would come through it to even register what was being said.

“Miss? Maddie?” Squeezing my shoulder, he started again. “The guys are on their way in, but through the back entrance. Follow me.”

The short walk had us at the door just as it opened, another security guard in front, my men holding scraps of clothing but looking unscathed.

I ran to them just as they made it through the threshold, throwing my arms around them both as they murmured words of comfort. They were fine. My men were fine.

“What should we do with him?” an unknown voice called from the doorway where two security guards now waited for instructions, a bloody mess of a man between them.

Double eff. That dog was a shifter. Scratch that, that dog was George. What the heck?

“Holding cell,” was all Stanley said, and they marched him away, but not before he put his two cents in.

“You will pay for this, bitch,” he hollered back, the guards dragging him, ignoring the remark completely.

“I’ll go grab you guys some clothing and make sure we got the fence closed off before anyone saw. I’ll be right back.” Stanley ran off, leaving us alone in the small corridor.

“I’m feeling like maybe you neglected to tell us something this weekend? Possibly?” Parker was right. My desire to have a nice weekend instead of dwelling on work put them in danger. I stank. Not that he said that, but I sure did.

“To be fair, I figured I’d deal with it today, if I still had a job.” The truth of it didn’t make it better. “I’m sorry.”

“And you put your life in danger.” Curtis’s arms tightened around me, their tattered clothing smushed between us.

“I had no idea he was a freaking dog.” A huge, rabid freaking dog.

“Wolf. He was a wolf.” Curtis’s lips brushed the top of my head.

“Which I’m thinking was something you might have told me about since you can smell them or whatever.” Or at least that was my assumption since they had once commented I didn’t smell shifter.

Parker stiffened behind me, clarifying any uncertainty I had as to their knowledge.

“We all jumped the shark on this one.” Parker’s finger ran down my arm before clasping his hand with mine.

“Looks like.” I agreed, because Parker was right, we all did. “What is going to happen to him?”

I had so many more questions than that, like why an insurance agency had a holding cell, but it was a start.

“It’s up to his pack to decide, but given the fact he tried to kill a human in broad daylight in the city due to a vendetta, my bet is that we won’t see him around anymore.”

Before I could inquire if that meant jail or death, Stanley returned with some sweats for the guys and a bottle of cola for me. I didn’t even drink soda, but the gesture warmed my heart.

“Shall we take you home?” Curtis asked, already leading the way. Silly men hadn’t yet realized I was already home. They were my home. Mine.