Troubled Affairs

Verity is comfortable with her current job and had not requested the transfer to Shang Qi, a place that is well known for its advanced technology, beautiful mountains, and sprawling Werewolf population. Acting as secretary to a neurotic, unhappily married woman does not appeal to her, no matter how her foreign-office chiefs assure her that it is worth the trouble. Unfortunately, she has little say in the matter.

The job turns out to be even more troublesome than she had feared and the biggest problem isn't Mrs. Addams, but the woman's attractive husband, an Alpha Werewolf whom she can't help but feel drawn to. It makes no sense to her that his own wife appears insistent on thwarting his plans and antagonizing him every moment they're together. To make matters worse, Mrs. Addams appears to be having an affair with another man, a Panther Shifter who makes his interest in Verity all too clear.

There's more than meet the eye to all the tangled relationships at her new office and Verity finds herself in the middle of all of them.

~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~

“Perhaps you caught a cold this afternoon,” Mrs. Woodcombe glances over at her husband, acknowledging him for the first time. “Verity had lunch with Simon Hold today,” she says.

“Miss Swiftlet has already told me,” he says.

“I bet she didn't tell you that she saw me with Beau today,” she adds, but she is looking at Verity when she says this.

“Mrs. Woodcombe,” Verity doesn't know why she's telling her husband this. There's no need to bring up her indiscretion. It feels unnecessarily cruel.

“I see,” Alpha Nathan intones in a low growl.

Verity turns from the wife to the husband, confusion written all over her face. She is so tempted  to ask, but she isn't sure if she wants to know.

“I want a divorce,” Mrs. Woodcombe announces suddenly.

“Mary,” Alpha Nathan growls again. “Don't be unreasonable. You can't be with Beau and you know it.”

Verity's jaw falls open. What?

“You think I want to be with Beau? He's half the man you are!”

It shouldn't hurt to hear that the two of them are intimate, but it sends a jolt of pain through Verity nevertheless.

“That's enough, Mary,” he warns.

“Verity thinks you're in love with me,” Mrs. Woodcombe continues, undeterred. She is saying a lot of things at once, but she isn't making any sense. “She thinks I'm cheating on you with Beau and I'm not a good wife.”

“I don't think-" Verity starts to say, but Mrs. Woodcombe swivels around to her before she can get another word in. “I've seen how you look at each other. You used to look at me like that,” she turns her glare to her husband. «You haven't looked at me like that for four years. I’m sick of you playing the role of a devoted husband, Nathan. I'm sick of all of this. Aren't you tired? I'm so tired, Nathan. I just want things to go back to normal again, like before.” When she starts sobbing this time, she isn't faking her tears.

Verity feels like she's witnessing something incredibly private and wishes she could melt into the shadows and disappear, but she remains frozen to her spot, a captive audience to the theater that's unfolding in front of her.

“Come now. Let's get you to your room,” Nathan's voice is soft as he wraps an arm around his wife and hooks the other under her knee to lift her up. She is so small when she clings to him, sobbing into his chest.

Alpha Nathan sends her an apologetic look as he leaves the room and Verity is more confused than ever by the entire interaction.