Page 76 of Primal Bonds 1

Nolan ran his fingers through his hair as he chuckled. “That little wolf.” And he, too, walked out the door.

Now just the two of them, Adam turned to Shiro and said, “Did you want something, Shiro?”

“Oh, I just wanted to tell you Chase is here,” Shiro said. “He’s with Aka.”

“Right,” Adam said, chuckling. It looked like neither Nolan nor Chase wanted to be away from the one they liked, huh? He ruffled Shiro’s hair and thought that it applied to him, too.

24

Adam

One Month Later

Adam sat back and watched as chaos, which had started early this morning, continued and spread like wildfire in the office. Fear and panic were marked on most of the staff’s faces once the rumor began, and now that it was made official; Morrison and Co., the billionaire dollar company, had gone topsy-turvy.

Dave, unlike most of the staff, looked more intrigued than stressed out. He rolled his chair over to Adam and said, “Have you seen anything like this before?”

Adam said, “You mean the company collapsing without anyone knowing how and or why? Or the shocking news of the CEO of the company is a beastkin pedophile, and now that it’s public knowledge, the stock price of this company is sinking like a submarine?”

Dave looked at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Adam, you’re funny.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Adam raised a brow. “Am I? I didn’t know I was funny.”

Debra came over to them then, clutching a folder against her chest. She leaned over the glass window of the cubicle and asked, “What are you two talking about?”

“The CEO,” Dave said.

“Oh, Mr. Morrison,” Debra said. “It’s shocking to hear all that coming out, but I’m sure it isn’t true. Who’d find beastkin attractive? I’m sure it’s just the competition playing dirty. Stuff like this, it ruins a man’s image, and if that man is powerful and wealthy, well, obviously, it’s big news.”

Adam asked, “And the fact that he’s a pedophile doesn’t disturb you?”

“But does beastkin even count?” she asked.

Dave raised a brow. “Debra, you’re quite cold, aren’t you?” He chuckled. “Sure, beastkin are beastkin, but they’re still living beings and they have emotions and feelings, and it’s just plain wrong that bastard does things like that. Imagine if you happened to be a beastkin and you or your child got caught in that.”

Debra glared at him. “I’m not a beastkin so don’t lump me with them.”

Dave shook his head and sighed. “Debra, you’re a lost cause.”

“What do you mean by that?” she demanded.

“You have something against beastkin?” Dave asked.

“I don’t,” she said. “But I just don’t want their kind mixed with us.”

It appeared, Adam thought, Debra had that lineseparating her and the beastkin. He came to realize now the woman was that one in a group of people where accepting anything different was just unacceptable, and her behavior at seeing Shiro, which had successfully been erased from her memory, wasn’t an isolated incident. And here she was, pining for him because he was strikingly handsome and looked very human, despite he was indeed a beastkin. To be frank, he had enough of her bullshit.

He stood and said, “That’s unfortunate, Debra, because here I am thinking beastkin and human could share a common space.”

“Huh?” She turned to him. “What do you mean? You’re sympathizing with the beastkin?”

Adam snorted. “I don’t just sympathize with them, Debra. I am one of them.”

She widened her eyes, shocked at this revelation.

Dave, too, was staring at him. “You’re joking, right, Adam? You don’t—”

“Have the animal characteristics?” Adam finished for him. “Yes, but I do have beastkin blood in me.” He picked up his suit jacket and scarf. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to see Mr. Morrison.”

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