The morning light slanted through the glass walls of the executive meeting room, catching the faint gleam of steel and marble.
William stood at the head of the long table, arms crossed, his usual stoic expression in place.
Across from him, Est was lounging like a bored cat, one leg over the other, scrolling through his phone.
Beside him, Joss - the head of internal security - was all stiff posture and clipped efficiency, clearly not used to this kind of company.
"So," Est began, breaking the silence. "The big plan is to have Sky glued to the boss's side, huh? That's not a bodyguard. That's an emotional support wolf."
William exhaled slowly through his nose. "You could try taking this seriously."
"I am," Est said, grinning. "It's not every day we hide a walking legend from the rest of the supernatural world."
Joss cleared his throat, tone clipped and professional. "Per Supreme's order, Gawin and Billkin will be assigned as Sky's partners during field duties. No shadowing from the dark - he's too perceptive for that."
William inclined his head in agreement. "Good. If he senses he's being followed, he'll either bolt or bite. Keep it natural."
Est leaned back in his chair, grinning. "So basically, we're bribing them to be his new best friends."
Joss gave a stiff nod. "Exactly. Gawin's social enough to make it believable. Billkin's a wolf, so Sky will sense him, but if they bond over it, that'll make the cover stronger."
William's tone remained measured, but his eyes sharpened with intent. "Their orders stand - they stay close, no matter what. They doesn't need to know why. We keep him safe, we keep him unaware."
Est twirled a pen between his fingers, voice teasing but edged with truth. "You mean keep him breathing long enough before the rest of the world figures out who he really is."
A silence fell over the room - the kind that felt heavy with things unsaid.
Finally, William spoke again, quieter this time. "If word spreads about his bloodline, every clan and pack will move. And not all of them will want to welcome the Guardian back."
Est's smirk softened - just a little. "He saved my life. Twice. He better keep breathing."
For a moment, the room fell quiet - until the sound of footsteps approached from the hall.
Even before the door opened, William felt the faint pull of that new energy again - cold and ancient, laced with something far too alive.
The door slid open with a soft click.
Sky stepped in - crisp shirt, composed stance, eyes sharp but distant. The kind of soldier's calm that made people lower their voices without realizing why.
William was the first to notice it. A faint shimmer at the edge of Sky's collar, just beneath the skin of his nape - subtle, but unmistakable to someone who'd stood beside the Supreme for centuries.
Oh, for blood's sake...
The sigil.
Nani's mark.
It pulsed once, gold flickering through silver before vanishing again.
William almost sighed. Well, he thought dryly, so much for needing extra protection.
But then, that explains why the boss was pacing like a cat on a hot roof last night. He's branded him. Fantastic. Truly efficient. Let's all pack up and go home, the wolf's already under the Supreme's leash.
Sky nodded politely at them. "Morning."
"Morning, puppy," Est said cheerfully.
Sky's brow twitched. "Please don't call me that."
William coughed into his fist, forcing his expression neutral. "The Supreme's schedule has been adjusted. You'll be accompanying him for all external engagements starting today."
Sky blinked, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "All of them?"
"Yes," William said smoothly. "Security protocol."
Joss added briskly, "You'll have secondary support on rotation. Discreet, of course."
Sky frowned but didn't press. "Understood."
As he turned to leave, Est leaned toward William, voice a mischievous whisper.
"You think he knows he's basically wearing the Supreme's signature around his neck?"
William shot him a warning glare. "Don't start."
Est grinned wider. "Oh, I'm just saying - if that's just a protection mark, I'm a dragon. It's practically glowing 'mine'."
William sighed, rubbing his temples. "If the Supreme hears you say that, you'll be buried under Siberia."
"Then I better text my coordinates to Felix first," Est quipped, standing and stretching.
When the door finally closed behind Sky, William's composed mask slipped for just a second.
He stared at the faint imprint the wolf's presence left behind - the mix of moonlight and power that wasn't entirely his own.
"Protective ward, my ass," he muttered under his breath. "That's a claim if I've ever seen one."
---
The office was quiet when Sky entered - too quiet.
Floor-to-ceiling glass framed the skyline in shades of fading gold. Nani stood there, back turned, the faint glow of dusk spilling over his silhouette.
He didn't look like a man; he looked like something carved from time itself - still, composed, dangerous in his stillness.
Sky cleared his throat, holding out a folder. "Est asked me to drop these off, sir."
Professional. Distant.
Nani didn't turn immediately. His voice, low and unhurried, filled the room.
"Est could have sent William."
"He's... shopping online," Sky muttered before he could stop himself.
That earned a faint huff - not quite a laugh, but close enough to one that it startled him.
Then Nani turned.
Those eyes - molten amber, flecked with gold - found him, pinned him.
Sky's pulse betrayed him instantly. He hated that it did.
Nani's gaze drifted, not rudely, but deliberately. To the faint outline of the sigil just visible above Sky's collar. "It still burns?"
Sky's jaw tightened. "No."
A beat. "Maybe."
Nani took a slow step closer, his voice lowering, all smooth authority laced with something far older.
"You should tell me if it hurts."
"I've been through worse."
"Not from me," Nani said softly.
The air shifted - the kind of silence that hummed with something electric, something alive.
Sky stood his ground, refusing to look away, but the faint tremor in his breath betrayed him.
"Why do you keep doing this?" Sky asked, his voice rough. "You don't even like wolves."
Nani stopped just a breath away - close enough that Sky could feel the cool aura radiating from him, brushing against his skin like silk and frost.
"I never said that," Nani murmured. "But I find you... difficult to ignore."
Sky swallowed, his pulse jumping in his throat.
"You think saying things like that helps?"
"Does it?" Nani asked, his tone smooth - dangerous in its calm.
Sky took a step back, forcing distance. "You're my boss."
Nani smiled - faint, knowing. "That's not the reason you're trembling."
Sky's breath hitched. "I'm not-"
But Nani moved past him then - just close enough that their shoulders brushed.
The contact was barely there, but it burned.
Every nerve in Sky's body screamed in protest and longing all at once.
At the door, Nani paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Bring me the rest of Est's reports tomorrow morning. And... wear something less formal."
Sky frowned. "Why?"
Amber eyes glinted in amusement. "You look better when you're not pretending to be indifferent."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Sky staring after him, heat crawling up his neck.
He exhaled shakily, pressing a hand over the mark beneath his collar.
It pulsed once - in sync with the faint echo of a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
---
The next morning, the atmosphere in the Hirunkit Tower shifted the moment Nani stepped out of his office.
His presence always carried weight — but today, it was different. Sharper.
The air bent around him, charged with a silent pressure that made even vampires lower their gaze. His aura, usually calm and regal, thrummed darker now — restrained power flickering like a storm beneath glass.
William noticed it immediately. He didn't need words to understand what it meant.
His lord was unsettled.
And there was only one person capable of doing that.
Nani walked ahead, coat brushing lightly at his heels, his eyes unreadable as they passed the marble lobby. William followed at his right, silent and alert, with the elite guards moving in perfect formation behind.
Before they exited, William discreetly pressed his fingers together — feeling the faint static hum of wards layered around them.
A silent protection, woven from Nani's own blood.
It wasn't unusual for the Supreme to protect his entourage, but the intent this time was unmistakable.
No trace of wolf scent, no hint of power — nothing that could lead the wrong eyes toward the Guardian.
William's gaze flicked sideways to where Sky stood with Gawin and Billkin, prepared to escort as usual. The wolf's expression was calm, focused — though the faint, nearly invisible mark beneath his collar glimmered once in the light.
William's lips twitched, the ghost of a sigh escaping him.
He muttered under his breath, "Of course."
Gawin blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," William said, waving it off. Then, in a voice that carried just enough authority to be final:
"Sky, you'll ride with the Supreme today."
Sky looked up, startled. "Me?"
"Yes," William replied smoothly. "His schedule's tight, and we don't have room in the first car. Simpler this way."
Billkin's brow furrowed slightly — he knew William never did anything without reason.
But one glance at their boss, and he wisely said nothing.
Nani didn't comment either.
He simply turned toward the waiting black car, the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth betraying something that wasn't quite amusement.
As Sky moved to open the door for him, their eyes met — a flicker of gold against gold.
A silent challenge.
A quiet surrender neither would admit.
The door shut behind them, sealing the world out.
And William, watching the car pull away, couldn't help the faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Save us all, Guardian," he muttered, shaking his head. "Because you're the only one who can keep him human anymore."