Rise From the Ashes

by Noah Harris

  The meeting was pretty standard as far as meetings went. His department was huge and split into several teams to tackle different projects. It meant that while he and Rob were in the same department, they very rarely worked together. It was a shame, but it was understandable. Besides, it wasn’t like he disliked his team. He got along great with his boss and all his co-workers, which made work that much more enjoyable. None of them were close friends, and he would probably never see them outside of work, but he did enjoy their company.

  They went over the numbers from the previous week and discussed the success of the last project they had worked on with another company. It had gone over fantastically, but his boss heaped praise on Adam for being the one to seal the deal and save them from an unfortunate mishap that could have cost them the contract. Adam smiled, brushing off the praise with modesty, cheeks warming with embarrassment but also with happiness. He liked his job, and he was proud of what he did, so it was nice to have his boss acknowledge that.

  He gave his own progress reports and listened politely while his co-workers did the same. He tapped his pencil idly on his papers, careful to be quiet but unable to really stop. His foot bounced restlessly beneath the table. It earned him a few looks from his co-workers, but they exchanged small, sympathetic smiles and ignored it. He was known for being restless when forced to sit still for so long, but they never held it against him. He still paid attention and contributed.

  He tried to contain most of it, but he was naturally restless and couldn’t stop fidgeting altogether. It was in his blood. In the wolf that lurked beneath his skin. Sitting inside and sitting still for hours on end never really fit well with his kind. It was the reason so few of them went for cubicle office jobs. That, and their tendency to hate taking orders from anyone other than the pack Alpha.

  Adam, however, liked his job. He felt at home there. He was just another cog in the machine, but he was an important piece that kept things running smoothly. It was similar to his position in the pack, and that was, on some level, comforting.

  The meeting ended with his boss giving them a rundown of their next big project. Representatives of a potential partner company would be coming later in the week to discuss the terms of their partnership, and they would all need to be on top of their game to land the contract.

  It was nothing Adam hadn’t heard a hundred times before.

  “Good work last week, Miller,” his boss said as he was packing up his things. The other workers had already filtered out of the room, muttering about lunch, but Adam had stayed a moment longer to straighten up the room.

  “Thanks, boss,” he said with an easy smile. “But I couldn’t have done it without the team.”

  The man scoffed good-naturedly. “It may have been a team effort, but not everyone pulled several all-nighters to get the numbers in when there was that critical error in our calculations.”

  Adam shrugged, gathering his binder and papers into his arms. “What can I say? I’m a night wolf.”

  The man raised an amused eyebrow. “Don’t you mean night owl?”

  “I think wolves are cooler.”

  He laughed at that, shaking his head slightly. “Fair enough. I can’t really argue that point.” He was leaning up against the table, arms crossed loosely over his chest as he gazed over at Adam. “Look, Miller, I don’t want you to think that the extra work that you’ve put into this company has gone over our heads. It’s come to my attention that your work ethic, determination, and creative solutions are invaluable to us, and deserving of something more than what you’re doing right now.”

  Adam stood where he was, surprise coloring his features. “Sir?”

  “What I’m trying to say, Miller, is that I’ve talked to the higher-ups, and they agree with me. If you do well with this next project and help us secure the contract, well... Let’s just say there’s a promotion on the table that has your name on it.” He tilted his chin down, raising an eyebrow as a smile curved his lips. “One with an actual office and a window with a view.”

  “No offense, boss,” Adam said, lips cracking into a small smile. “But we’re on the seventh floor of a building located in the heart of the city. The only view we get is of the street below and the building next door.”

  The man laughed, loud and hearty. “Ain’t that the truth!” He slapped his leg, pushing off the table and standing up straight. He pointed at Adam. “I like you, Miller. You work hard, and you’re a good man. You’ll go far in this company.”

  Adam tilted his head, smile losing some of its teasing edges. “I’m just doing my job.”

  The man chuckled, slapping him on the shoulder. “And you’re damn good at it. No need to be modest, Miller. I see all the work you do.”

  “I’m grateful for the opportunity, sir.” He said slowly, turning to glance uneasily around the room before his eyes returned to the other mans. His smile was two parts apologetic and one part sheepish. “But... I like where I am. I don’t... I’m not really sure a promotion would be right for me.”

  The man’s eyebrows shot up, and he leaned back slightly to regard Adam curiously. “Is that so? Well, be that as it may, promise me you’ll think about it, yeah?”

  “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

  They left the conference room and said their goodbyes before heading in opposite directions. Adam stopped by the break room on his way to his cubicle and made himself a cup of coffee. He didn’t know how long the coffee had been sitting there, but it was warm and it would do. He poured two cups, dumped excessive amounts of creamer and sugar into his own, and left the other black. With his binder shoved under one arm, he made his way to the line of cubicles he called home.

  He stepped into Rob’s cubicle and set the black coffee on the man’s desk. Rob looked up, eyes first landing on the coffee before lifting to Adam, an easy smile on his face. “Thanks, bud.”

  He nodded. “Consider it payback for the donut.”

  “My hero.” Rob laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Lookin’ for lunch later?”

  “Yeah, after I get some databases prepped.” Adam said, lifting the binder and idly waving it in the air. “New company reps coming by later this week. Gotta get the presentation prepared.”

  Rob nodded. “Nice. No doubt you’ll nail it.”

  Adam smirked. “That’s why they call me The Hammer.”

  Rob laughed at that. “Literally no one calls you that!”

  Adam just shrugged, already walking away from him with casual steps backwards. “Well maybe they should!” They both laughed, and Adam spun on his heel back to his own cubicle.

  He sighed as he collapsed into his chair, letting it spin a little as he tossed the binder on his desk and lifted the coffee cup to his lips. It still wasn’t good, but it was infinitely better than what he’d had earlier.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the promotion offer. He did. He was grateful for the opportunity, and he was happy that his boss acknowledged the effort he put into his work. He just... he wasn’t sure if it was the right move for him. Adam was content with where he was. He didn’t mind being just another faceless wheel in the machine. He came to work, did his job and then went home. He was... happy? He wasn’t sure about that one. Happy? He didn’t know, but content? Yes. He was content.

  His gaze swept around the walls of the office beyond his cubicle before they landed on a poster. It was big, framed, and hung outside of his boss’s office.

  The background was the ocean, rolling waves lapping up against a beach, with a spotless sky above, and a lone kite being tugged along. The words read simply: Kites rise against the wind, not with it. -Winston Churchill.

  He’d seen that poster a thousand times, and he would no doubt see it a thousand more. Each time, it left him with a sour taste on his tongue and an itch beneath his skin.

  This time was no different.

  He frowned, turned back to his computer so he could start up the database program.

  Back to the grind.
/>   His apartment complex was a small one, nice but old, with only four apartments in the building. It was on the edge of town, bordered by a wooded area that allowed for easy access out into the wilds and fields beyond the city. The building itself was owned by a nice elderly couple who rarely came by, but were always prompt calling for maintenance when their tenants needed it. They had no idea that all four of the apartments were rented out by werewolves of the same pack.

  Adam had an apartment to himself on the second floor, while Ben had the apartment across the hall, which he shared with his mate, Megan. Gwyn and Karen, sisters, shared an apartment below him, and Tom had the apartment across from them. The six of them were fairly close, and it wasn’t happenstance that put them together in the building. The other wolves were his closest friends within the pack, though there were still things that even they didn’t know.

  The sound of a car horn blared from the parking lot as Adam stepped out of his apartment, turning to lock the door.

  “Hurry up, slowpoke!” Karen called, leaning out of the driver’s side window of her car.

  He smiled as he pulled out his phone to check the time. Just on time. Like always. “I’m not late.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not you, man! I’m talking to TOM!” She said the last part loudly and pointedly, honking her horn again as she spoke.

  The door to Tom’s apartment opened after that, and a very disgruntled-looking Tom emerged. Yet despite the expression on his face, he was dressed to the nines, everything prim and not a hair out of place. “I’m coming. I’m coming,” he grumbled. “Yeesh, don’t get your panties in a twist.”

  “You take longer to get ready than Gwyn, and that’s saying something.”

  “Where is she, by the way?” Adam asked as he slipped into the passenger seat.

  Karen rolled up her window. “She ran a little late at work, so she said she’d meet us there.”

  “What about the old married couple upstairs?” Tom asked. He climbed into the backseat, settling himself in the centre so he could lean forward between them. “Pretty sure I heard them both come home a couple hours ago.”

  “They said they had some errands to run, and they’d catch up with us later.”

  Tom flopped back in his seat to get at his seatbelt. “Yeah, sure, errands. That’s why their cars are still in the parking lot.”

  Karen threw the car into reverse and started out of the parking lot. “I don’t want to know what they’re up to. All I know is they didn’t need or want a ride.”

  “Yeah, well I don’t want to know what they’re up to either, but the walls at our place are pretty thin, and I can hear him pounding her into the—“

  “Oh my god, stop!” Karen said, laughing.

  “Pretty sure they were talking about having kids.” Adam added, resting an arm against the door and gazing out the window.

  “Good for them.”

  “Yeah, I just don’t want to hear it,” Tom grumbled.

  Adam smiled. He was happy for them, of course. And the thought of having kids around the complex was a pleasant one. Still, a knot formed in his gut as he considered the idea. The idea of something that he wanted in his life one day. Something that he might never be able to have. It was... disheartening, to say the least.

  “Hey Adam, when’re you gonna get that old thing fixed up?” Tom asked, gesturing to Adam’s truck as they pulled out of the parking lot. It sat in the corner, out of the way and cold. The thing hadn’t worked in months, and it showed.

  Adam shrugged. “I ordered a couple parts. When they come in, Ben said he’d help me fix it up. Wanna help?”

  Tom pulled a face. “Oh hell, no. I know shit about cars.”

  “I want in,” Karen said as they pulled out onto the main road. “I used to help my dad fix up our cars when I was a kid. I know a thing or two. It’d be nice to have a refresher.”

  “I’ll let you know then,” Adam said, smiling.

  “You could always just take it to a garage and have professionals do it.” Tom said.

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  “Fun. Fun, he says! Maybe having a working vehicle?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I take public transport to work and to the store, and I have you guys for occasions like this.”

  Karen smiled, reaching out to rub his shoulder in a friendly gesture. “And we’re always willing to give you a hand, Adam. It’s what pack mates do.”

  The drive to the club took about fifteen minutes. It was on the outskirts of the city, away from the main crowds, and outside of any pack territory.

  Tom was out of the car before Karen had fully pulled to a stop. Adam climbed out next, standing next to him as he stretched, breathing in deep. “You can just feel the full moon coming,” Tom murmured, closing his eyes to the breeze.

  Adam looked up at the night sky, but while it had stopped raining, the clouds remained. Neither the moon nor the stars could be seen. As Tom had observed, Adam could still feel it though, like a buzz in the air, like lighting across his skin, making his hair stand on end. He could taste it on the wind, a strange thing that he couldn’t explain, but every werewolf felt.

  “Yeah...” He breathed, letting his eyes close briefly and the chill of the night roll across him.

  “I feel alive!” Tom said, putting his hands on his hips before nudging Adam, making him sway for a moment and turn toward the other man. “What a good night for a hunt, right?” he asked with a coy smile and a wink, nudging Adam again for emphasis.

  Adam forced a smile that he hoped look genuine. “I suppose it might be.”

  Tom’s suggestive look melted into exasperation, shoulder slumping as he frowned. He shoved Adam again. “One of these days, we’re gonna get you laid.”

  Adam laughed, brushing it off lightly, as he had so many times before. “I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

  “But our pack is so big! And growing every month! There are so many unmated women just waiting to be gobbled up!”

  “Can you refrain from being gross for like, five minutes?” Karen asked dryly as she came around the side of the car. She glared at Tom, but he only smiled.

  “Come on, Karen, loosen up! Maybe you need to get laid, too!”

  She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked off across the parking lot. “I’ll get laid when I find someone worthy of me.”

  Adam smiled, patting her on the shoulder as he passed. “Spoken like a true alpha female.”

  She smiled, but that smile fell when Tom whispered, “Prude,” as he passed. She kicked him, and he laughed, dancing away from her.

  Adam followed behind them, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans as they argued and wrestled in the parking lot. Watching them interact that way, he thought they worked well together, something he’d noticed before, but Karen always pushed Tom away. When they’d first moved in together at the complex, Tom had been an unapologetic flirt, and while Karen was good-natured about it, she never gave him an inch. After a while, he had backed off, and they‘d settled comfortably into a good friendship.

  Adam always wondered why Karen had turned him down but just chalked it up to not being into young flirts.

  They got into the club easily. The bouncer at the door recognized them and waved them in without needing to check their ID’s. The club was loud, warm, and full of human bodies. A haze of smoke was in the air, adding to the dark atmosphere. They didn’t stop at the bar. They pushed through to the back rooms of the club, coming to a door with another bouncer. He eyed them as they approached and nodded as he opened the door to let them pass.

  Through the doorway, they climbed down a stairwell, down a hallway, and to another door.

  This door had a seal painted onto the wood in flawless black paint. It was completely unassuming. If a human wandered down here and saw it, they would no doubt think it was some sort of tidy looking graffiti. And if they opened the door, they would find nothing but a broom closet.

  They stopped in front of it, and Karen ges
tured Tom forward. “Your turn,” she said simply.

  Tom scowled. “But you—“

  She shook her head. “I did it last time.”

  His gaze slid to Adam, and he held his hands up defensively. “I did it the time before that.”

  Tom huffed. “Fine.” He stepped forward, grumbling as he put one of his thumbs to his mouth. “I hate doing this...”

  He parted his lips and pressed the pad of his thumb to one sharp canine. He pressed into it, only wincing slightly as the skin broke. Then he reached forward, pressing the thumb to the black paint of the seal.

  The blood, barely visible, sank into the wood. As it did so, the seal began to glow, faintly at first, then getting brighter, until it was white and Adam had to squint against the glare. Then it flashed, and in the blink of an eye, it faded to black. Without further ado, Tom reached forward for the door handle and pulled it open.

  They were immediately hit by the thickness of the air, the smell of smoke and sweat and booze. The flashing lights in the otherwise dim room beyond and the pounding of the music only added to the confusing mix. They stepped over the threshold, the door closing and clicking back into place behind them. There was no bouncer here. There didn’t need to be. Not with the seal in place.

  They paused just inside the room, eyes scanning the crowd for—

  “Karen! Tom! Adam!” called a voice, and they all turned their heads at once. Adam spied Gwyn across the room, close to the bar. She was on her toes, waving at them enthusiastically. She stood with several men who were also a part of their pack. Suitors. Gwyn had been getting a lot of them lately, and she seemed to thrive on the attention. “Hey, guys!”

  She slipped away from her suitors with barely a backwards glance and stepped into her sister’s embrace. “Glad you could make it.” Karen said as they pulled apart.

  “Like I would miss the pack’s night out. They happen so rarely nowadays, and I need a chance to get away from work and the apartment and cut loose, you know?” she said, pulling Tom into a sideways hug.

  He laughed. “I hear that!”