Lyra's POV
The fluorescent light above her desk hummed just loud enough to get under her skin, like the persistent edge of a headache that never truly arrived.
Lyra Elmont adjusted the stack of briefing folders on her lap, nudged her knees back under her too-small desk, and ignored the scent of burnt coffee lingering from the shared kitchenette down the hall.
This wasn't glamorous. No soaring skyline view, no private office. Her cubicle, nestled in the outer ring of Virelux Corporation's twentieth floor, was an open-air coffin made of particle board and white noise.
Two years in and still the youngest assistant on staff, Lyra had grown used to the cramped quarters, the half-broken monitor stand, and the rolling chair that tilted left when it got tired.
Still, she had made it.
She wasn't supposed to. That's what made it worth it.
A girl from St. Claude Street with no Ivy League degree, no Alpha backing, and no powerful surname wasn't supposed to slip through the revolving glass doors of a luxury conglomerate like Virelux.
But she had.
On sheer grit, perfect punctuality, and the kind of pleasant neutrality that made people overlook her in meetings, Lyra had carved out a place. And all she had to do was keep it together for one more year.
Twelve clean months. No drama. No scent flares. No missteps.
Then she could walk away, filed under "Exemplary" in the system, with a glowing reference from the most notoriously selective corporation in the sector. After that? A consultancy. Maybe overseas.
Something quiet.
Something hers.
She tucked a loose curl behind her ear, eyes flicking over the digital clock pinned to her corner screen: 8:58 AM.
Two minutes until Director Marlowe's breakfast debrief. Five until she had to deliver printouts to Executive Finance. Forty-two unread emails.
Lyra moved like water: silent, steady, efficient. Everything she did was timed to the breath. That was how you survived in a place like this.
A knock sounded on the cubicle partition. She didn't look up. "Leave it in the tray."
"Not a document," said a voice, smooth, clipped. Mina from HR.
That got Lyra's attention.
She turned quickly and rose to her feet. "Morning, Miss Reyes."
Mina Reyes, Senior Manager of Human Resources and unofficial gatekeeper of the Virelux behavioral code, stood at the edge of the cubicle like a verdict in heels. She was dressed in tailored slate-gray, her blazer sharp enough to draw blood, hair pinned into a sleek knot that tolerated no rebellion. Every inch of her posture spoke of institutional authority—the kind that didn't need to raise its voice to be obeyed.
She wasn't just HR. She was compliance and culture enforcement—responsible for performance audits, internal dynamics monitoring, scent regulation policy, and discreet employee removals when necessary. Staff whispered that she had a direct line to the board, and a separate one to Legal.
Lyra had seen her enter meetings where people came out with their careers unraveling at the seams. Mina rarely showed up without a reason.
And today, she was at Lyra's desk. "You're requested to attend the gala this Friday."
Lyra blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The annual charity gala. We're including departmental representatives this year. You've been selected to attend as part of the admin cohort." She paused. "Dress code is formal. Attendance is expected."
Expected. Not optional. Lyra's stomach dipped. "May I ask why I was chosen?"
"Your file's clean. And you've been here almost a year without a single flag," Mina said simply, almost like a compliment. "You're visible enough to be presentable, invisible enough not to cause waves."
Which was, of course, exactly what Lyra had spent the past twelve months cultivating.
She nodded, tight. "Yes, ma'am."
Mina gave her one last glance. One Lyra couldn't quite read, and walked off in her usual efficient stride.
Behind her, someone from accounting called out over the cubicle wall, "You're going to the gala? Damn, girl! That's where the Alpha himself actually shows up, right?"
The Alpha. Cassian Dorne.
The CEO.
Lyra had only seen him in person twice. Once, at an elevator bank, where his scent hit the air like stormwind before he even turned the corner. And once, during a quarterly town hall, when he addressed the entire firm with less emotion than a stock report.
Tall, surgical, cold. The kind of Alpha who never looked directly at anyone unless they were at his level. Or in his way.
She returned to her chair, but something in her chest tightened.
Gala meant proximity. Proximity meant risk. And Lyra had spent too long mastering the art of distance.
It wasn't just theory. It wasn't just instinct. She'd seen what happened when an Omega lost control in a place like Virelux.
All it took was one scent break to ruin everything. She'd seen it happen before."
She closes her email. At the top of her inbox, blinking and bold—"GALA ORIENTATION: ATTENDANCE MANDATORY."