NATHANI swiped my identification card to open the heavy glass doors of Carver Tech. It was still an hour before everyone started trickling in, a very nerdy range of tech engineers, data consultants, programmers, research assistants, and other support staff. Still, I was probably an hour behind a few of the board members and Avril, of course.Avril would have arrived first, usually by six AM. I had only taken the last two weeks off work because I had Avril as my secretary. She could handle the heat whenever I was off work until I was back. Daniel wouldn’t have been far behind, but he liked to stop by his favorite coffee shop on the way in and flirt with the cute barista there. He wasn't the type that liked to play. He was the Chief Operations Officer who wouldn't get off my ass about returning to work. I had really wanted to get in early this morning. Things weren't exactly fucked up by my absence, but they needed me to straighten out a couple of stuff urgently. I didn’t bother wit

NATHANI stood in the reception area of the media corporation where we'd just concluded the damned interview, with a cup of coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. The blasted place was teeming with reporters, some of whom had several questions about me. The interview had ended up not revealing any of the things they all wanted to hear. Some juicy secret or news about the eclectic billionaire. I held the cup of coffee an intern had handed to me and took a sip with a hard look on my face. Said intern had even asked for photos with me. I'd obliged, even though I didn't do the picture thing. I was very much unhappy with how fast the news of Faye's pregnancy had spread. One would think Maya's hospital was also impervious to the personal status of the patient being leaked. When Nadia had mentioned having that piece of information, I'd seen red. Who was it that thought they could get away with giving away my secrets that way? Information I needed to be kept private and away from

FAYEBeep. Beep. Beep.What was that annoying sound? I tried to open my eyes, but it felt as if they weighed a ton. Beep. Beep. Beep.The sounds continued repeatedly, pulling me from the darkness. What was it? I'd heard them before, and not too long ago. I forced my eyes open and immediately regretted it. My eyes felt as if they were within two feet of the sun. The lights blinded me, making me dizzy and causing my head to ring.I closed my eyes and waited for a while to open them. The dizzying you have rush of light from the first time cleared from my eyes and I finally managed to peel them open. I blinked twice before my eyes got used to the light. I looked around my surroundings and saw that I was in a way too familiar hospital room. I was back in the hospital. With the white walls and ceilings and grey hospital gowns. Was this Maya's hospital?What happened? I thought to my self. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened to me and how I got here.I remembered the

NATHANSleep eluded me. Every sound out in the night's dark woke me from sleep. My hearing shot to anything and everything that moved, that made a sound. Like a newly turned werewolf who didn't know yet how to control their abilities.Even the whisper of the wind through the windows was a disturbance. I flipped the blanket off me with an annoyance, and marched to the window, banging it shut. And then I leaned against the windowpane and sighed with deep tiredness and regret. Recriminations still lingered in my head.I'd decided I would let Faye be, and then have Ernouf pick her up from the hospital tomorrow morning. I couldn't send Carolyn for sure, and I knew Faye didn't have any animosity towards Lannon, but he was out of the count. So that only left Ernouf. He'd do it.The girl would have to come back here. This was the only place she knew. And I was the only one who would accept her. My treatment of her had not been stellar perhaps, but it would be different now. Maybe I'd mak

NATHANAt first, I thought Faye had to be still be in the hospital. But when we searched throughout the hospital and the grounds, we couldn't find her. I became more alert when I realized this really wasn't just one of the now occasional events where Faye was just somewhere close while I thought her missing. Where I knew for sure I would find her in no time. It was looking more like she actually put some thought into this one. I had to be more thorough. I had the help of most of the pack and some security personnels from the hospital as we combed through the acres of land around the hospital, went through shops, cafes and even the motels. Nothing. Faye wasn't anywhere near here, it seemed. And I couldn't randomly start a search in the whole of Manhattan for her.I was seething by the time we all went back to the pack house. I sat in the study with Lannon, Carolyn, Zelda, Ernouf and–Maya.She had some explaining to do. I pretended some nonchalance while I waited for the chatter t