Thea's POV
I'm hiding in the bathroom at work, trying not to have a complete mental breakdown.
Last night actually happened. A naked man appeared in my apartment. A wolf spoke. Then Russet—the naked man formerly known as my dog—shoved me into my bedroom and told me to "stay there while I handle this."
I heard growling. Crashing. Something that sounded like furniture breaking.
Then... silence.
When I finally got brave enough to peek out, my apartment was empty. No naked man. No giant wolf. Just my overturned coffee table and claw marks on my floor.
I called in sick to work. Spent the whole morning googling "do shapeshifters exist" and "am I going insane."
The internet was not helpful.
But I can't hide forever. My boss already hates me. Missing work would just give him another reason to fire me. So here I am, sitting in the bathroom stall at lunch, eating a sad sandwich and questioning reality.
My phone buzzes. I pull it out, grateful for any distraction.
Social media is suggesting a new post for me. The algorithm probably thinks I like dog content since I've been researching pet care for two weeks.
The profile picture loads. It's a Shiba Inu with copper-colored fur.
My sandwich falls into the toilet.
"No," I whisper. "No way."
The username is "RussetTheUnchained." The post was made this morning.
"HELP! My kidnapper keeps trying to feed me expensive food and give me belly rubs. She ruined my chance to meet my mate. Escape strategies needed. URGENT."
My hands start shaking so badly I almost drop my phone.
This can't be real. This is a joke. Someone's pranking me. Marlowe probably set this up because I mentioned having a difficult pet.
But the profile picture is definitely Russet. Those amber eyes. That specific copper coloring. The little white mark on his left ear.
I scroll down to the comments, my heart pounding.
CorvusNorthPack: "If you're not interested in your owner, I will be more than happy to take your place."
SableNight: "Wait, describe her. I think I know this human."
FlintTreasureKeeper: "DOES SHE HAVE BROWN HAIR AND SMELL LIKE VANILLA AND COFFEE? THAT'S MY TREASURE."
MarloweMischief: "She works at a design firm, doesn't she? Fourth floor, corner desk?"
I drop my phone.
It clatters on the bathroom tiles. My breath comes in short gasps.
Marlowe. My coworker Marlowe. His username is in those comments. Talking about me like he KNOWS.
The bathroom door opens. "Thea? You in here?"
It's Marlowe's voice.
I grab my phone off the floor with shaking hands and unlock the stall door. Marlowe stands by the sinks, looking completely normal in his work shirt and that stupid grin he always wears.
"You okay?" he asks. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Are you..." I can't even say it. "Are you one of them?"
His grin widens. "Took you long enough to figure it out."
The room spins. "How long? How long have you been... what ARE you?"
"Crow beastman." He says it so casually, like he's telling me his favorite color. "And I've known about you for months, Thea. Since the day you started working here."
"Known what about me?"
"That you're special." He leans against the sink. "That you smell different than other humans. That every beastman within a mile radius can sense something about you that you don't even know yourself."
I back up against the wall. "I'm just a regular person. I'm nobody."
"You really believe that?" Marlowe tilts his head. "Then why did Russet's bond activate the moment you touched him? Why did Corvus travel across the entire city just to find you? Why can Flint smell you through walls?"
"Bond? What bond? I don't understand any of this!"
"Fated mates," Marlowe says simply. "Soul connections that beastmen have with their perfect match. One person in the whole world who completes them."
My legs feel weak. "But Russet said I ruined his chance to meet his mate—"
"Because he's an idiot." Marlowe laughs. "He thought his political arrangement was destiny. Turns out YOU'RE his destiny. And not just his."
"What does that mean?"
Marlowe's phone buzzes. He glances at it and his expression changes. "We need to go. Now."
"What? I'm at work—"
"Your apartment building is surrounded by beastmen." His voice is urgent now, all playfulness gone. "Corvus, Sable, Flint—they're all there. And they're about to tear each other apart fighting over who gets to claim you first."
Terror floods through me. "Claim me? Like property?"
"Like mates." Marlowe grabs my arm. "And if we don't get there soon, your building is going to become a war zone. Multiple alphas in one territory, all bonded to the same female? That's never happened before. Ever."
I pull away from him. "This is insane. I'm calling the police—"
"And tell them what? That shapeshifters are fighting over you?" Marlowe's eyes flash violet for just a second. "Thea, you're at the center of something that shouldn't be possible. Five alphas, one mate. The council will want answers. Some will want you dead. Others will want to study you. And your five mates? They'll burn the world down before letting anyone touch you."
"Five?" My voice cracks. "You said five?"
Marlowe's grin returns, but it's different now. Predatory. "Russet, Corvus, Sable, Flint..." He steps closer. "And me."
The bathroom lights flicker.
A low growl echoes from somewhere above us.
Marlowe looks up at the ceiling tiles. "Too late. Sable found us."
"How did he—"
The ceiling explodes.
A massive black panther drops into the bathroom, landing in a crouch between me and Marlowe. Its green eyes glow in the fluorescent lights as it turns to look at me.
When it speaks, the voice is deep and impossibly gentle:
"Hello, neighbor. We need to talk about why you've been crying through my floor for six months."
The panther's body shimmers with dark light.
And I watch, frozen in shock, as it transforms into the man who lives in the apartment above mine.
The man I've never actually spoken to.
The man who's been listening to every moment of my lonely, pathetic life.
He reaches for me with a kind smile. "I'm Sable. And I'm taking you somewhere safe before this building collapses."
"Collapses?" I squeak.
The entire office shakes.
Someone—something—roars from outside.
Sable's expression darkens. "The dragon's here."