Chapter 7

Collen’s POV

I leaned against the wall in the hallway, my eyes trained on the bathroom door. I could feel her tension, even before she bumped into me. That connection we shared, the one I’d been trying to ignore seemed impossible to deny now. My wolf growled softly, stirring, wanting her, but I knew I had to give Allison her space. She was clearly in a bad way, and I did not want to make it worse.

I leaned against the wall, running a hand through my hair. Yesterday's argument had been pretty heavy, and I still felt the sting of the words on both sides. I wanted to make things right, but at the same time, I was aware that if I pushed her too hard, she would leave me behind. I needed to give her space, even though everything inside me was screaming at me to be near her.

Taking a deep breath, I decided I was going to let her come to me. If she wanted to talk, I would be there; if she needed space, I would give it to her. My wolf protested at that, but I held fast. This wasn't about my needs, it was about Allison's.

After an eternity, the bathroom door opened, and Allison stepped out. Her face was still damp from the cold water she had splashed on her face, it held a mix of resolve and vulnerability. She saw me standing there, and for a moment, she hesitated before walking over.

We stood facing each other in the hollow hallway, with no sound coming from our mouths but the air heavy with tension. Allison felt mixed emotions of relief and lingering anxiety. She had made her position absolutely clear, I had given up respecting her wishes, but unresolved feelings still brewed between us.

I sucked in a deep breath and opened my mouth to say something before better judgment prevailed. I turned to give her the space she had requested when the door swung open.

"Allison! There you are!" Hannah's voice was bright and cheery, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. She looked between Allison and me, her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, hey! You two know each other?"

Allison's heart made a little skip in her chest as her brain raced frantically to come up with a plausible explanation. But before she could say anything, I stepped in.

"Yeah, we just ran into each other," I said, flashing a polite smile."

Hannah beamed, quite oblivious to the undercurrents of tension. "That's awesome! I knew you'd make friends quickly, Allison. You're always so friendly and welcoming."

Allison forced a smile, grateful for my quick thinking. "Yeah, just helping out a colleague."

Hannah linked her arm with Allison's, her enthusiasm infectious. "Well, I'm glad to see you're settling in, Collen.

As the day went on, Allison buried herself in her work to forget thoughts of me, I guess. She worked on the social media influencer campaign, where they wrote drafts of their strategy and made outreaches for potential collaboration.

At noon, Hannah walked toward Allison’s desk, beaming brightly. "Hey, Allison! How's it going?"

Allison looked up from her computer, welcoming the distraction. "Good. Just working on some influencer outreach."

Hannah nodded approvingly. "That sounds great. I'm sure you're doing an amazing job. Listen, I was thinking. How about we all grab lunch together? You, me, and Collen?

The suggestion made Allison's heart sink, I could see her frown from where I was. She had been fighting so hard to keep her distance from me, and the thought of taking a meal together. "Oh, I don't know, Hannah. I'm pretty swamped with work today," she replied.

Hannah waved a hand. "Come on, you've been working hard. You deserve a little break. Besides, it will be fun! We can all get to know one another."

Allison hesitated, looking around the office. Her gaze landed on me, where I sat working on my computer with an entirely noncommittal expression. She knew Hannah would not accept any for an answer, and the last thing she wanted to do was raise suspicion by refusing.

"Okay, sure," she said, at last, forcing a smile. "Lunch sounds good."

Hannah clapped her hands together and all but bounced up in excitement. "Great! I'll go tell Collen.

Allison watched Hannah walk over to my desk, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She could see the surprise on his face at Hannah's mention of a plan for lunch, followed by a fleeting look of reluctance. But Hannah was nothing if not persuasive, and after a moment, I nodded in agreement.

A few minutes later, we left the office and walked down the street to a nearby café. The day was warm, with the sun shining in the sky, and Allison did her best to think about that rather than the tension bubbling just below the surface.

The conversation flowed easily between Hannah and me as we ate our lunch, while Allison remained mostly silent, just picking away at her food. She listened to our chirping, and with every word, the sensation of rising discomfort became more apparent to her. She was hoping the lunch might lighten things up, but it seemed as though a big spotlight was shining right on her unsettled feelings and the entire messy dynamic she shared with me.

Hannah, ever intuitive, seemed to notice Allison's reserve. "Hey, Allison," she chimed in cheerfully, clearly attempting to include her friend back into the conversation, "I was just telling Collen about that time we had to pull an all-nighter for that big campaign launch. Remember?" Allison nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, that was intense. But it turned out great in the end.

Hannah laughed. "Oh. I think we were running off pure adrenaline by the end of it."

I chuckled, but my eyes slid to Allison, and there was a worried furrow in my brow. "Sounds like you two have had quite the adventure," I said.

Hannah grinned. "Definitely. Allison is my rock. I don't know what I'd do without her.

Allison's flush deepened. She was grateful and full of guilt at Hannah's praise, relieved she had her support, but at the same time, sickeningly reminded of the secret she kept from her best friend. She glanced across me, I returned a small, encouraging smile.

They both continued to chat, with Hannah talking more about their days of working together. Then, out of the blue, she switched topics and turned serious.

"You know," she turned to me, "Allison's been through much lately. Her mate ran away."

Allison's heart nearly stopped, and she threw Hannah a precautionary glance. "Hannah, you don't need to—"

My expression had changed from curiosity to shock, then to something deeper, I was in shock that Hannah knew everything in detail.