Erynn, a 19-year-old woman with a tragic past, has never sought to stand out. When her family, in debt, sends her to do a three-month internship at the most influential company in the country, she accepts, simply hoping to help her parents get out of ruin. But the day before her first day, pushed by her best friend, she decides to take advantage of an evening to forget her worries. In the darkness of the forest near the city, she meets a man of supernatural beauty, both captivating and terrifying. They spend a fiery night, marked by primal instincts that Erynn does not yet understand. The next day, she discovers with horror that this man, Kaelen, is not only her boss, but also the supreme Alpha of a pack of werewolves who reign over the supernatural elite. As she tries to avoid him at all costs, Erynn discovers she carries a mysterious mark-the mark of her destined companionship. Tensions rise as she finds herself embroiled in power struggles between clans, deadly secrets buried in the shadows, and an attitude that is irrepressible to Kaelen. Will she resist his influence, or will she finally accept her destiny alongside this dominant Alpha?
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
Erynn had never understood why her parents, despite their promises of stability, always seemed to fall one step behind their ambitions. Yet there was a time when she could have resented them. A time when, after everything they had been through, she should have rebelled against the unjustifiable. But she wasn't that kind of person, Erynn. She was used to fading into the background, to settling for the crumbs left by an overly demanding society. When her parents had first asked her to put her dreams aside, she had agreed. That was, after all, family love.
Sacrificing her own life to ensure the survival of her own.
She had taken charge of the situation since her teenage years, but now, in the space of one evening, everything had collapsed. As she reached out to grab the cup of coffee her mother was holding out to her, she felt a heavy pressure on her shoulders, much stronger than that of the cup. The air in the room seemed to thin, oppressive. The truth, finally. The great truth.
"We're losing everything, Erynn."
She turned her head. Her father looked tired, as if he had just fought a battle he knew he had already lost. He was staring at the ground, his hands trembling around his own coffee. A glint in his eyes betrayed a fear Erynn had never seen in him. He was no longer the reassuring father she had known, the one who always told her everything would be okay. He had become a version of himself that made her anxious. A man burdened by guilt, a man exhausted by the responsibilities he could no longer shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Erynn didn't dare ask the question, but she had barely whispered it before she already knew the answer.
"We've accumulated debt, Erynn. More than we can ever repay. And the bank... they're not going to wait any longer." Her mother's voice was shaking, but the tone was resolute. She held her glasses in her hands, squinting nervously. "There's no way out... except... except this."
Erynn froze. "Except what?"
The silence in the room grew heavy, almost palpable, like a storm waiting to break. Her father stood and approached her. He stopped just beside the table, standing straight despite the shadow of defeat hanging over him. His eyes were those of a man who knew he had no recourse.
"An internship," he finally whispered. "An internship at Kaelen Drayven's company. The most powerful company in the country. They're looking for someone for a summer internship. It could save us."
Erynn raised her eyebrows in confusion. She had heard of Kaelen Drayven, of course. Who wouldn't? He was the man everyone was talking about, the one who ran the largest investment and technology company of the time. A prodigy, a giant in the business world, not to mention the rumors that circulated about his personal life, as enigmatic as it was fascinating. But an internship with him? Why her? What was so special about her that a man like him would choose her, even for an internship, especially in a period where everything seemed to be falling apart?
"You're brilliant, Erynn," her mother continued, trying to give her confidence. "This is your only chance. You have to go."
Her mother's words had made their way into her mind, but she couldn't help but feel alienated from this reality. She knew what it meant. She knew her parents had pushed her to accept this offer, not only for the family's future, but also out of a silent desperation that dictated this choice. An internship with Kaelen Drayven wasn't just a professional opportunity, it was a leap into the unknown. She had to go for it. She had to take her courage in both hands, she had to break the stifling routine she had trapped herself in. But a part of her wondered if she would come out of it unscathed.
"I don't know, Mom..." Erynn let her words escape with a lightness that actually hid an inner turmoil. "What if it doesn't work?"
"You don't have a choice, Erynn," her father replied, his tone firmer. "You don't have a choice. If you don't go, we'll lose everything. And I know you don't want that. This might be the only chance we have."
She felt a lump form in her throat. Part of her wanted to protest, to find another solution, but the reality hit too hard. The debt was real. They had lost everything: their home, their security, their quiet life. And she, Erynn, the model daughter, the responsible one, was going to have to save it all. Not for herself, but for them.
The next few days were a series of paperwork, packing suitcases, saying goodbye to a comfortable life she knew she would probably never get back. She accepted the offer, without enthusiasm, without conviction, but with that pressure that didn't give her any respite. She had no choice, after all. She got up every morning, preparing for what would be a three-month journey, like a soldier going to war, without really understanding the nature of her enemy. She just did what was necessary to get things done. Nothing more.
The night before she left, she caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror. She had taken care to properly prepare herself: a clean shirt, black pants that seemed almost too formal for her. Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, her face lined with fatigue. She looked into her eyes, searching for answers in this image of a young woman stuck in a role she had never asked for. Part of her wondered what would come next, but another... another hoped for nothing more than to come out of it intact.
The next morning, she boarded the train, headed to the big city, to Kaelen Drayven. But he wasn't just a figure of business and power. His rumors floated around him like an aura. They said he was insensitive, inaccessible, like a man cut off from his emotions. And what they whispered about his private life... His nocturnal encounters, his tumultuous love affairs, all of this was part of the mystery that surrounded this man, this icon of the business elite. There were also the darker rumors, those concerning his own family, a legacy that was anything but ordinary, secrets buried under layers of gold and power.
But Erynn didn't have time to think about that. She had a goal. She had to prove that she was capable of doing what her parents expected of her, what the world expected of her. This was no time to doubt. No time to look back. She had three months to change the course of her life, to save her family, to seize this chance that would probably never come again.
When the silhouette of the Drayven building finally appeared before her, a wave of apprehension washed over her. And yet, she couldn't help but feel, in that cold light of dawn, that this wasn't just an internship that awaited her. No, something bigger, more troubling, more complicated was about to happen. But she didn't have the luxury of thinking any further. She had only one thing to do: survive.
The door to the building opened, and the shadow of Kaelen Drayven loomed in the doorway, as magnetic as he was terrifying. And it was there, in this seemingly innocuous encounter, that everything would change.
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