Nell spotted the man the moment she turned into the alley. Unshaven, drenched, sitting on cardboard that had long turned to mush in the downpour. No umbrella. No shelter.
Just a figure who should have been broken by his circumstances. But he sat like he owned the alley. His spine was straight, shoulders squared with a dignity that made no sense given where he was. When he looked up and their eyes met, Nell’s breath caught.
His eyes were the most unusual shade of amber she’d ever seen. It made her stumble. Her foot caught an uneven stone and she went down hard, her portfolio flying from her grasp. Her wallet, her lunch, her ancient Walkman, every pen she owned scattered across the wet pavement.
“Not again,” she whispered, scrambling on her hands and knees. Then she saw the man’s hands moving alongside hers. Nell tensed, expecting him to pocket her money. She wouldn’t even blame him if he did.
But instead, he gathered her belongings with careful precision, holding everything out to her with a gentleness that took her completely off guard. “I believe these are yours,” he said in a deep voice. “Thank you,” she managed, accepting her things with trembling hands. She had bus fare home in her palm.
The small buffer that might let her eat dinner tonight. And yet, without letting herself think too hard about it, she pressed the crumpled bills into his hand. “For you. Get yourself something warm to eat.
”
The way he looked at her then made her chest tight. As if she’d done something extraordinary instead of simply human. “Thank you,” he said quietly. She was about to hurry away when she noticed the dark stain spreading across the wet pavement where he sat.
Blood. Her heart hammered. She looked closer. His jacket hung open slightly, revealing a dark, wet patch along his ribs where blood seeped through his torn shirt.
“You’re hurt,” she exclaimed. He glanced down at his side as if surprised to find it bleeding. “It’s nothing. ”
He was too pale, and his lips had taken on a bluish tinge that had nothing to do with the cold.
She thought of the interview waiting for her, her overdue rent, her dwindling options. Then she looked at this man who had helped her, all the while bleeding in an alley with nowhere to go. “Come with me. I can clean that wound and bandage it properly.
”
Something flickered across his face, but he remained perfectly still, staring at her outstretched hand. The silence stretched. “My name’s Nell. Nell Diaz.
What’s yours? ”
His mouth opened, then closed. His amber eyes met hers, and for the first time since she’d seen him, he looked truly lost. “I can’t remember,” he murmured.
“You can’t remember? ” Nell repeated. “What does that even mean? ”
She wanted to ask more, but something in his expression, lost and almost fragile, stopped her from pushing.
Maybe it was shock from blood loss. Either way, standing here interrogating an injured man in the pouring rain wasn’t helping anyone. “It’s okay. We can figure that out later.
”
He looked at her extended hand for another long moment before slowly reaching out to take it. His fingers were cold. She could see the effort it took for him to pull himself upright. “There’s a pharmacy just around the corner.
I need to get proper supplies to clean that wound. ”
The pharmacist, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes, sprang into action. “Deep cut? You’ll need antiseptic, gauze, medical tape, and waterproof bandages.
Very important to keep it dry once it’s cleaned. Infection sets in fast with wounds like that. ”
Nell nodded. “What should he watch for?
”
“Redness spreading from the wound, red streaks, any unusual smell. ” The pharmacist rang up the total. “That’ll be $43. ”
Nell’s stomach dropped.
She opened her wallet, counting the meager bills inside. Eighteen dollars. That was it. “I’m sorry.
I don’t have enough. ”
The pharmacist’s expression softened. “Do you have anything at home you could use instead? ”
“I have hydrogen peroxide.
And rubbing alcohol. ”
“That’ll work. Just take the bandages then. Twelve dollars.
”
Relief flooded through her as she handed over the money. Back outside, the nameless man leaned against the pharmacy wall, even paler than before. “My apartment’s only a few blocks away. I have everything else we need there, and it’s warm and dry.
”
He looked at her with those unsettling amber eyes, and she could see the internal struggle playing across his features. “It’s okay. You’re hurt and I’m offering help. That’s what people do.
”
Something in her tone seemed to decide it for him. He nodded once, a sharp, grateful gesture. The staircase to her second-floor apartment was narrow, and she was acutely aware of him behind her, the quiet way he moved, how he seemed to take in every detail with those amber eyes. On the landing, they encountered Mr.
Hoffman from 1B, standing in his pajamas and slippers. “Oh, hello, dear. I was just… I need to get milk for my coffee, but I can’t remember where I put my keys.
”
Nell’s heart sank. This was the third time this week she’d found him like this. “Mr. Hoffman, you’re not dressed.
Let’s get you back inside. ”
The stranger stepped forward, gently taking Mr. Hoffman’s other arm, helping guide the elderly man back toward his apartment door. “Strange,” he murmured so quietly only Nell could hear.
“What’s strange? ” she whispered back. “The smell. Can’t you…?
” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind. ”
Once they’d settled Mr. Hoffman safely, Nell led her guest down to her own door.
Her hands shook slightly as she fumbled with her keys, and suddenly the reality of what she was doing hit her like a physical blow. Her apartment suddenly felt impossibly small. This tall, broad-shouldered man with dirt under his fingernails and stubble that could hide any number of scars… what if he was dangerous?
The stranger seemed to sense her sudden tension. He stopped just inside her doorway, keeping his distance, his hands visible and open at his sides. “I can go,” he said quietly, his voice gentle, unthreatening. A dangerous man wouldn’t do that, would he?
“No,” she said, shaking her head firmly. “You’re hurt, and there’s a storm coming. ” She opened the door wider, gesturing him inside. “But before I look at that wound, you need to clean up.
If I bandage you like this, you’ll definitely get an infection. ”
She disappeared into her bedroom and returned with an armful of men’s clothing. Jeans, a sweater, clean underwear, socks. “These belonged to my ex-boyfriend.
He left them here when he moved in with our colleague. His loss is your gain, I guess. ”
He took the clothes with a grateful nod. While he showered, Nell tried calling the interview to reschedule, but the receptionist barely let her finish explaining before hanging up.
Twenty minutes later, the bathroom door opened with a soft click, and when Nell turned around, her breath caught. Clean-shaven and fresh from the shower, the stranger was stunning. She stared a moment too long, heat creeping up her neck. “Right.
Let’s get that cleaned up. ”
The wound was worse than she’d thought. A deep, clean puncture with bruising around the edges. “This looks like a stab wound.
When did this happen? ”
“A couple hours ago. Some men were displeased that I’d chosen their spot to wait out the rain. One had a knife.
Things escalated quickly. ”
Nell paused. “They stabbed you over a place to sit? ”
“When territory is all you have, no matter how small, you defend it.
”
The wound was finally clean. She applied antibiotic ointment, careful and slow. “You should really see a doctor. ”
“This will have to do,” he said simply.
Outside, the storm swelled. He glanced at the window, then at her. “Stay,” she said firmly, smoothing down the last strip of tape. “At least until the storm passes.
”
He studied her, amber eyes unreadable, then nodded. “Just until the storm passes. ”
That night, Nell lay awake listening to the storm rage. Every creak of the old building made her hyper-aware of the stranger sleeping on her couch.
Sure, he looked like a fallen angel, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t strangle her in her sleep. She must have drifted off, because she found herself dreaming of padding to the bathroom and finding a massive wolf stretched across her couch. The creature slept peacefully with its head resting on the armrest. Even in sleep, there was something majestic about it, something both wild and strangely familiar.
She wondered why she wasn’t afraid. The next morning, the storm was still battering the windows when Nell emerged from her bedroom. “Good morning,” her guest said, turning to offer her a steaming mug. “I hope you don’t mind.
I made coffee. ”
“You didn’t have to do that. ” She accepted the cup gratefully, studying his face in the morning light. Something almost aristocratic in the way he held himself, even in her ex-boyfriend’s borrowed clothes.
“Are you hungry? I could make breakfast. ”
As she moved around the kitchen, she noticed him examining her bookshelf. “The Brothers Karamazov,” he said, touching the spine of one book.
“Have you read it? ”
His brow furrowed. “I think so. I remember enjoying it.
”
“So, you do remember some things? ”
The question seemed to pain him. “Not really. Nothing beyond waking up alone in an alley about two months ago.
I don’t know how I got there. ”
“Maybe a head injury,” Nell suggested gently. “I had no injuries when I woke up. Just emptiness.
” He looked back at the book. “This is the first thing that feels a bit familiar. I remember particularly liking one of the characters, Dmitri. He was passionate, conflicted, but ultimately redeemable.
”
Nell’s heart ached for him. “Then that should be your name. Until you remember your real one. Dmitri.
”
“Dmitri,” he repeated slowly. “That’s acceptable, I suppose. ”
Nell couldn’t help but laugh at his prim expression. Then Dmitri suddenly went rigid, his head snapping up like he’d heard something.
“What’s wrong? ” Nell asked, turning off the burner. He rose, moving to the center of the room, nostrils flaring slightly as he sniffed the air. “Can’t you smell that?
”
“What? ”
“Not the bacon,” he said urgently. “Something’s wrong. ”
Before she could respond, he bolted for the door.
She followed him into the hallway, watching from halfway down the stairs as he tried to force open a door on the ground floor. “It’s locked. That leads to the boiler room. ”
Dmitri ignored her, throwing his shoulder against the door.
The door gave way with a loud crack, and he disappeared inside. “What are you doing? I’m going to get in trouble with my landlord,” she called, following him into the basement. “Stay back.
There’s a leak. You can’t be in here. It’s dangerous. ”
“What kind of leak?
”
“Carbon monoxide. We need to call 911 now. ”
He dragged her outside into the storm, rain soaking through their clothes. A nearby café had a phone.
Twenty minutes later, Nell watched from across the street as firefighters streamed into her building. The fire chief confirmed a significant gas leak in the basement. Carbon monoxide had been seeping into the building for weeks. “Don’t know how you figured it out,” one of them told Dmitri.
“Carbon monoxide has no smell. ”
Dmitri looked like he was about to disagree when Nell’s landlord, Mr. Kee, arrived looking harried and annoyed. “What’s all this about?
Did you cause this mess? ”
“There’s a gas leak,” Nell explained. “It could have killed people. ”
“The ventilation system just needs a good kick,” Kee muttered, then caught himself.
“I mean, you’re all overreacting. ”
Dmitri stepped forward, his voice cold and precise. “You knew. You knew there was a problem with the ventilation and you did nothing.
You have a responsibility to maintain safe living conditions. People could have died. ”
“Mr. Hoffman has been getting confused and sick,” Nell interrupted, the pieces clicking together.
“That’s why he’s been so disoriented. He’s been slowly poisoning himself. ”
Kee’s face went pale. “Look, nobody needs to make this into a big deal.
”
“You’re going to be hearing from my attorneys,” Dmitri said flatly, his voice carrying a threat that made even Nell shiver. “Negligent endangerment. Violation of housing codes. ”
“Wait,” Kee said desperately.
“Maybe we can work something out. How about three free months’ rent? ”
“You’re joking. You endangered lives through criminal negligence.
”
“Dmitri,” Nell said quietly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Can I talk to you for a minute? ”
She pulled him aside. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but nobody here can afford lawyers.
Certainly not you. ”
Dmitri’s mouth opened like he was about to protest. Then it closed, and he blinked like he’d only just remembered that fact. “That’s not the point.
He can’t be allowed to get away with this. ”
“He’s not getting away with it. He’s offering three months’ free rent for everyone. That’s real help right now.
Everyone is safe thanks to you. That’s what matters. ”
She watched him wrestle with this, saw the moment when his rigid posture started to relax. The hard edges of his authority softened, and he looked almost vulnerable again.
Who are you really, Dmitri? Nell wondered, watching him stare pensively out at the storm. Later that evening, when the fire department finally gave the all-clear, they climbed the stairs in companionable silence. “Let me check your wound,” Nell said once they were inside.
He settled onto the couch, lifting the borrowed sweater. Nell knelt beside him, carefully peeling back the bandage. Then she froze. “That’s…
that’s not possible,” she whispered. Where the deep puncture wound had been just the night before, there was now only smooth, unmarked skin. Not even a scar remained. “I don’t understand,” Dmitri said, staring down at his own torso with the same bewilderment she felt.
Nell ran her finger lightly over the spot. “I was worried about infection, about you needing stitches. ”
“Maybe it wasn’t as deep as we thought,” Dmitri suggested, but his voice lacked conviction. “Maybe,” Nell agreed.
They stared at each other in the lamplight, sharing a moment of mutual confusion. The confusion faded, and as the silence stretched, Nell became acutely aware of how close they were. How she was still kneeling beside him, her hand resting on his bare chest. Her breath caught when he lifted his hand, his fingers hovering just above her cheek.
Then reality crashed back in. “I should go. ” Dmitri pulled his sweater back down, standing abruptly. “Go?
”
“I’m better. You’ve been more than kind, but I should give you your space back. ”
Nell felt a strange urge to protest, to find reasons why he should stay. But none of them made sense.
He was right. He was healed. The crisis was over. “Of course.
Let me pack you some food. ”
When she returned, Dmitri was folding his old clothes. “Keep those,” she said, nodding toward the clothes he was wearing. “They fit you better anyway.
”
“Are you sure? ”
“Trust me, I never want to see them again. ”
The bitterness in her voice surprised them both. Dmitri took the bag of food, his fingers brushing hers.
“Thank you. For everything. Your kindness, your home. I don’t know how to repay you.
”
“It was nothing. ”
“No. ” Something almost fierce in his voice. “It wasn’t nothing.
You helped a stranger when you had every reason not to. You shared your food, your home, your safety. I don’t remember who I was before, but I don’t think I was kind. I don’t think I would have done what you did.
”
And then he was gone, leaving her standing in her suddenly too-quiet apartment, staring at the empty couch where he’d slept. Two days passed in a blur of ordinary routine that somehow felt completely wrong. Nell went to job interviews, came home to her empty apartment, and tried to pretend she didn’t keep glancing at the couch. Then the storm hit.
It started as heavy rain around noon, then upgraded to something apocalyptic. Howling winds that rattled her windows, hail the size of golf balls, rain so heavy she could barely see the building across the street. All she could think about was Dmitri somewhere out there in this nightmare with nothing but the clothes on his back. By ten, she couldn’t stand it anymore.
She pulled on her heaviest coat, grabbed an umbrella, and ventured out into the storm. The wind nearly knocked her over. Water rushed down the gutters like rapids, and she had to hold on to building walls to keep from being swept away. She made it to the alley where she’d first found him.
Empty, except for debris blown in by the wind. She was about to give up, soaked to the bone, when she spotted a figure huddled in a narrow alcove between two buildings. “Dmitri! ” she called out, fighting to be heard over the wind.
He looked up, and even through the rain, she saw his surprise. “Nell. ”
They shared a look across the storm-lashed space between them. “You’re still here,” she said, gesturing to the area near where she’d first found him.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Well, I thought, just in case. ”
The way he said it made her chest tight. Just in case she came looking for him.
The possibility that he might have been hoping sent warmth flooding through her despite the cold. “Come back with me. Please, you can’t stay out here in this weather. ”
“Nell—”
“What if there’s another gas leak?
What if I need someone with a super sense of smell to save the building? ”
“Super sense of smell? ” Dmitri looked like he was fighting another smile. “The storm’s getting worse.
I won’t be able to sleep knowing you’re out here. ”
He looked at her for a long moment, rain dripping from his dark hair. “You don’t even know me. ”
“That’s not true.
You’re… you’re my friend. Come home with me, Dmitri. Just until the storm passes.
”
He nodded finally. “Just until the storm passes. ”
Back in her apartment, they stood dripping in her small entryway. She gathered dry clothes and towels, trying to ignore the way her pulse quickened.
They stood there, the weight of unspoken things pressing down. “Well. Good night,” she said finally, and escaped to her bedroom. But sleep was impossible.
Not with him on the other side of the wall. After what felt like an hour, she gave up. She crept to the door and eased it open. The living room was washed in moonlight.
Dmitri sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on knees, staring out the window, still watchful, like he was hunting something in the shadows. “Can’t sleep either? ” she whispered. He turned his head.
Even in the dark, his eyes gleamed. “No. ”
She stepped out, suddenly too aware of her thin nightgown and bare legs. “I thought maybe I’d make some tea.
Chamomile. It helps sometimes. ”
“Help,” he repeated, something darkly amused in his tone. “Would you like some?
” She was already reaching for the kettle when she heard him stand. Footsteps behind her, slow, controlled. She turned, and he was there. She backed up instinctively, the counter pressing into her lower back.
He followed, stopping just shy of touching her. “Nell,” he murmured, his voice like smoke, rough and intimate. His head dipped lower, and she felt the brush of his nose against her throat. “I don’t want tea,” he murmured, lips grazing her skin.
She swallowed. “No? ”
Her hands flew to his chest, meant to push, but they didn’t. They curled into his shirt instead, pulling him closer.
“You smell like rain and heat,” he murmured. “And something sweeter underneath. ”
“Dmitri—”
“You’ve been so kind to me. Let me make it up to you.
”
The kiss crashed over them like the storm outside. Hungry, reckless, overdue. He kissed her like he was remembering something with his body before his mind could catch up. Like her mouth was a secret he’d known in another life.
The tea was forgotten entirely. Nell woke to the low clink of ceramic and the soft hiss of a stovetop flame. Dmitri stood at the stove barefoot. When he turned, his amber eyes glowed in the morning light, and his slow, lazy smile nearly brought her to her knees.
“Morning,” he rumbled, voice still thick from sleep. “Morning,” she said, suddenly shy. He handed her a mug, fingers brushing hers, and her stomach fluttered with a soft, nervous excitement she hadn’t felt since she was a teenager. “The storm’s over,” she murmured.
“So it is,” he said, eyes focused on her. “You could stay another day. Just to be safe. The forecast mentioned possible…
aftershocks. ”
A beat of silence, then his mouth twitched. “Aftershocks. I see.
You’re just being responsible. ”
“I am extremely responsible,” she replied, chin lifting. “Yes,” he agreed, his voice rough as his fingers tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You are.
”
When he kissed her, it was slow and warm, tasting like coffee and something deeper. Just one more day, he murmured against her lips. But one day became two, then a week, then more. They fell into an easy rhythm, except nothing about it was easy.
Every brush of skin felt electric. Every look lingered a beat too long. “I am just grateful,” he said one afternoon, backing her against the counter. “You saved my life.
Let me show my appreciation. ”
“This is appreciation? ” she panted as his fingers teased the edge of her waistband. “Deep, soul-stirring gratitude,” he confirmed solemnly.
They joked about their arrangement, Nell calling him her kept man, Dmitri insisting he was earning his keep in increasingly creative ways. But underneath the humor was something deeper, more intense. Like the way his eyes went flat and predatory when another man flirted with her. Or the way he growled low and quiet when he kissed her neck just where her pulse beat loudest.
“You’re insatiable,” she gasped one night as he pressed her into the couch cushions. “For you,” he breathed, voice rough with need. “Only ever for you. ”
Dmitri wasn’t content to simply live in her space.
He approached her apartment’s problems with systematic efficiency. He didn’t just fix the cabinet door; he reorganized the entire kitchen for optimal workflow. “You don’t have to do all this,” Nell said. “It’s inefficient to let problems accumulate.
Small issues become systemic failures. ”
Soon, his organizational skills extended beyond her apartment. He created schedules for building maintenance, rotation charts for helping Mrs. Chen that somehow got implemented without anyone quite remembering agreeing to them.
One afternoon at their usual coffee shop, Nell excused herself to the bathroom. When she returned, she found a woman leaning against their table, talking to Dmitri with obvious interest. The surge of possessiveness that hit her was so powerful it stopped her mid-step. Watching the stranger flirt with him, seeing the easy charm in Dmitri’s responses, Nell realized with startling clarity that she didn’t want to be just anything to him.
She wanted to be everything. She was in love with him. A man whose real name she didn’t even know. A man who might see her as nothing more than temporary shelter and convenient sex.
“You’ve been somewhere else since the coffee shop,” Dmitri observed on the way home, his nostrils flaring slightly as if he were reading her mood through scent. “I’m fine. Just thinking. ”
He studied her face for a long moment.
“Tell you what. Let me cook tonight. ”
“You don’t have to. ”
“I want to.
Let me take care of you. ”
His thumb brushed across her lips, and she found herself leaning into the touch like she was drawn to him by some magnetic force. “Okay,” she whispered. He smiled, slow, sharp, full of promise.
“Good. I’ll be back in an hour. ”
She was still standing there smiling when a harsh voice cut through her thoughts. “You should be ashamed of yourself.
”
Nell spun around. A well-dressed, middle-aged man strode toward her, his face twisted with disgust. “Excuse me? ”
“Being with that man.
Do you conveniently ignore all the lives he’s ruined because he buys you nice things? ”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. ”
“Blake Storm. CEO of Storm Industries.
”
Nell frowned in confusion. “Don’t play dumb with me. I saw you with him. ”
“Are you talking about Dmitri?
”
“Dmitri? ” The man scoffed. “You think I wouldn’t recognize the man who forced me to sell my company, then gutted it, sold off the profitable parts, and threw away the rest? Hundreds of people lost their jobs because of him.
”
“I think you have the wrong person. He’s not some… he’s homeless. He has amnesia.
”
“Amnesia? ” The man laughed harshly. “The man’s worth millions. He’s probably working some elaborate scheme.
Tax evasion, hiding assets, who knows what. ”
Nell remembered Dmitri’s wound, the poor condition he’d been living in, the lost looks he’d get whenever he tried to remember his past. “You’re wrong,” she insisted, but doubt was already creeping in. All those contradictions about Dmitri.
His refined speech. His business knowledge. The way he commanded situations like he was used to being in charge. “I have to go,” she whispered.
“Look, kid,” the man said, his anger fading into something like pity. “Maybe you truly didn’t know. But now you do. If I were you, I’d keep away from that man.
”
Nell sat at a wooden table in the library, surrounded by stacks of old newspapers. Every search for Blake Storm brought up the same impossible truth. There he was on Forbes’ 40 Under 40. On A New York Times cover story: America’s Youngest Billionaires, with a photo that made her stomach twist.
Dmitri in a sleek suit, standing in a glass-walled office high above Manhattan. Photos of a sprawling estate in the Hamptons, a Manhattan penthouse, a fleet of luxury cars. The man in these photos belonged to a world so far removed from her cramped one-bedroom apartment that they might as well have been different species. She bought the magazine and stumbled home.
Dmitri was in the kitchen wearing borrowed clothes, stirring a pot like he belonged there. The sight gutted her. Him barefoot in her kitchen, playing house like it was real. Like any of this was real.
Nell threw the magazine at him. It hit his chest and fell to the floor, pages splaying open to reveal his face staring up from the glossy cover. The silence that followed was deafening. Dmitri stared down at the magazine, and Nell saw the exact moment recognition flickered across his features.
“Have you been lying to me? ” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Is this all some kind of joke? ”
“No.
Nell, I—”
“Blake Storm,” she read from the cover. “Net worth 2. 8 billion. CEO of Storm Industries.
That’s you, isn’t it? ”
Dmitri’s mouth opened and closed like he couldn’t find the words. “I… I don’t remember any of that,” he ended up whispering.
“A man came up to me today. He knew you. He said you destroyed his company. ”
“That’s not—”
“Look at yourself,” Nell said, gesturing to the open pages.
“Look at that house. That office. You could buy my entire building with pocket change. ”
“I don’t remember being that person,” he insisted, desperation in his voice.
“It doesn’t matter,” Nell said, turning away because looking at his face hurt too much. “Now that you know who you are, you can go home. ”
“Nell—”
“You’re not going to stay here now, are you? ” She flipped to the photo spread of his Hamptons estate.
“You could be living in a mansion instead. ”
“We don’t even know if that’s really me. Could be a lookalike. ”
“Let’s have dinner then, shall we?
Oh, wait. Why would you have dinner here when you could be dining at some Michelin-starred restaurant within the hour? ”
“Blake. That name means nothing to me.
”
“That man said you were lying. That you’re probably evading taxes or hiding assets. ”
“And you believed him? Just like that.
Some stranger on the street. ”
The pain in his voice made her want to take it all back. But she couldn’t. The photographs were right there.
“No,” Nell said, her voice small and broken. “I know you didn’t lie about the amnesia. But the truth is it doesn’t matter. It’s over.
This can’t go on anymore. ”
“And why not? ”
“Because why would you choose this,” she gestured around her tiny apartment, “when you could have that? ”
She held up the photo of his estate, the image blurring through her tears.
“Because you’re not in there,” Dmitri whispered. “You’re here. ”
They stared at each other across the small space. Nell’s heart cracked a little more with each passing second.
“You should go,” she said finally. “Call your company or something. ”
“I don’t want to. ”
“Yeah, well, I want you to.
You’re in my home. ”
Dmitri’s eyes flashed gold. Actually flashed, like light reflecting off metal. “You want me to leave?
” he asked. Nell didn’t reply. Couldn’t trust her voice. She was afraid if she spoke, she’d take it all back.
Beg him to stay. “Nell. ” His voice was rougher now, with an edge she’d never heard before. Almost a growl.
“Yes,” she whispered, the word tearing something vital inside her chest. “I want you to leave. ”
Dmitri looked like he might argue, his shoulders tense. Then he winced, his face contorting in pain, and suddenly he stumbled, one hand going to his chest like something inside was trying to claw its way out.
“What’s wrong? ” Nell asked, alarm cutting through her anger. He didn’t reply, just made a sound that was part gasp, part moan. His breathing became labored, and sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool air.
“Dmitri. ” Fear replaced her anger as she watched him struggle. He crouched down, his whole body trembling. His hands clenched into fists.
He made a sound that was part grunt, part growl, and then his bones began to crack and stretch audibly. Dark fur sprouted across his skin as his clothes tore and fell away in tatters. His hands became claws. His teeth became fangs.
And his spine curved and extended until where Dmitri had been crouching, there was now a massive wolf with glowing amber eyes. Nell screamed, the sound ripping from her throat involuntarily. The wolf—Dmitri—looked at her with those familiar eyes for one heartbreaking moment. Then he turned and leaped through her window, shattering the glass as he disappeared into the night.
Nell stood frozen in her wrecked apartment, surrounded by shattered glass and torn fabric, staring at the broken window. First, gentle, mysterious Dmitri was actually a ruthless billionaire CEO. And now he’d turned into a wolf right in front of her. “I’m losing my mind,” she whispered.
“I’m actually losing my mind. ”
But she saw his face again right before the shift. The confusion. The pain.
The way the wolf had looked at her with such heartbreak. The soft whine when she screamed. The way he flinched like her fear physically hurt him. And now he’s alone out there.
The thought jolted her. He’d been confused and scared, and she’d sent him away. She grabbed her jacket and ran out into the night. She had to find him.
Explain something. She couldn’t leave it like this. Not when she was in love with him. The streets were eerily quiet for early evening.
Nell hurried toward the area where she’d first found him, scanning every alley, every shadow. “Dmitri,” she called softly. “Dmitri, please. ”
She was halfway down the block when hands grabbed her from behind.
She started to scream, but a rough hand clamped over her mouth. She was yanked into the narrow space between two buildings. Her heart pounded as she struggled, biting, kicking wildly. But there were at least two men, maybe three, and they were stronger.
“Morrison,” someone said behind her. “Is that her? ”
Through the panic, she saw the man who’d recognized Dmitri earlier step from the shadows. “Yes,” he said, eyeing her with something close to pity.
One of the men shoved a wad of cash into Morrison’s hand. “Payment as agreed. ”
Nell thrashed harder, tried to scream, but someone pressed a cloth over her nose and mouth. The chemical stench made her gag.
“Don’t worry,” Morrison said, his voice fading as the drug took hold. “They won’t hurt you. They just need bait to draw out Blake. ”
Nell woke to a pounding head and the bitter taste of chemicals in her mouth.
She was zip-tied to a metal chair in an abandoned warehouse. The air was thick with rust and rot. Yellow streetlight filtered in through broken windows high above. Three men circled her.
Big, muscular, too still. Something about their movements reminded her of Dmitri. “She’s awake,” one said. “Good.
” Another crouched to her eye level. “Now we wait for the alpha to come running. ”
The leader pulled a knife, testing its edge on his thumb. “Either way, she’s done her job.
Morrison said to make sure Blake suffers, didn’t he? ”
Terror gripped her as the blade came closer. “Please—”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll make it quick.
”
Then came the growl. Low, primal, inhuman. It vibrated through the floor and up her spine. The men froze.
“I thought you said he didn’t shift anymore,” one whispered. “Shut up. Get ready. ”
From the shadows, a massive wolf stepped into the light.
Bigger than before. Dark fur like smoke. Amber eyes locked on the knife near her throat. “Well, well.
” The leader sneered, not lowering the blade. “Look what crawled out of the gutter. ”
The wolf stepped forward. The men moved, surrounding Nell.
“You remember how this works, don’t you? One more step and she dies. ”
Dmitri stopped, eyes locked on the blade. “Three shifters, one human shield.
Here’s what you’re going to do. You shift back slow. Then we talk payback. ”
Nell saw the tension in his body.
Rage fighting restraint. “Dmitri, don’t—”
The man backhanded her. Her head snapped sideways. “Shut up.
”
That’s when Dmitri snapped. He lunged—not at the leader, but at the man to his left. Teeth clamped down. Blood sprayed.
Chaos erupted. The leader turned, knife forgotten for a breath. It was enough. Dmitri released his first target and pivoted toward Nell.
The third shifter started to shift, but Dmitri barreled through him, focused only on her. The leader lifted the blade, but Dmitri slammed into him. They crashed into crates, the knife clattering away. All three men shifted now, bones cracking, bodies stretching.
But they were smaller. Dmitri fought like something possessed—wild and precise. They came at him in tandem, snapping at his legs, trying to bring him down. The floor ran with blood.
Some his. Most theirs. One by one, they faltered. Limping.
Beaten. Only the leader remained. He snarled, backed toward the window, and vanished into the dark. Dmitri swayed.
Blood matted his fur. He took one step toward Nell and collapsed. “Dmitri! ”
Nell broke free from the damaged restraints and dropped to her knees.
His form began to shift. Moments later, he lay naked and bleeding on the concrete. Pale. Still.
“Dmitri,” she whispered, cradling his head. “Wake up. ”
His eyes fluttered open, unfocused. He looked at her, dazed.
“Nell… what happened to me? I remember being angry, and then—”
“You didn’t know,” she asked, stunned. “About the wolf thing.
You really didn’t know. ”
He groaned, trying to sit, then collapsed again. “Those men… they knew me…
”
“You’re bleeding too much. I need to get you help. ”
“Nell,” he whispered, his hand finding hers. “What if they’re right?
What if I really am a monster? ”
“No,” she said fiercely. “The man I know is good. He’s kind.
You just risked everything to save me. ” Her voice cracked. “I love you, Dmitri. Whoever you were, whatever your name is.
”
His eyes widened slightly at her confession. But before he could respond, they rolled back and he went limp in her arms. “Help! ” Nell screamed into the empty warehouse.
“Somebody help us! ”
Then she heard the sound of expensive cars pulling up outside, followed by rapid footsteps. “He’s here,” a voice called out. Three figures in tailored suits burst through the warehouse entrance, moving with the same predatory grace as the men who’d attacked them.
But these newcomers scanned the space with professional efficiency, their eyes immediately locking onto Nell. “Alpha! ” The largest of the three, a man with silver hair and cold blue eyes, rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside them. “Blake, can you hear me?
”
“Please help us,” Nell gasped. “He’s bleeding out. We need to get him to a hospital. ”
“Hospital?
” The woman in the group, blonde and sharp-featured, sneered at Nell. “What for? ”
“What do you mean, what for? He’s dying.
”
“The alpha doesn’t need your human hospital. ”
The third man, younger with wire-rimmed glasses and a leather briefcase clutched in his hands, said dismissively, “Though maybe we could accelerate the process a bit. If he could make it to tonight’s board meeting, that would save us considerable time. The shareholders are getting restless.
”
These people are crazy, Nell thought. But then the woman produced a syringe from her jacket and plunged it directly into Dmitri’s chest. “No! ” Nell yelped.
But suddenly Dmitri gasped and sat upright, his eyes snapping open with startling clarity. The three newcomers immediately inclined their heads in perfect synchronization. “Alpha,” they said in unison. “Welcome back.
”
“If I could just get your signature on this merger agreement really quickly,” the one with the briefcase said, pulling out documents. “For crying out loud,” Nell exploded. “He’s wounded. Leave him alone.
”
But Dmitri blinked, took a quick look at the document, and his entire demeanor shifted. “What the—Malcolm? ” he snarled, ripping the papers to shreds. “This contract’s absolute rubbish.
What did I tell you about doing business with the Ferguson group? You’ve got to hold them by the balls, otherwise they’ll bleed you dry. ”
Malcolm blinked back what might have been tears of relief. “Oh, thank God you’re back, Alpha.
We’ve been so lost without you. ”
“You’re an incompetent git, Malcolm,” Dmitri continued coldly. “But sir, where have you been? What happened?
We’ve been searching for months. ”
“None of your business. Isn’t it your job to know these things beforehand, not ask stupid questions afterward? ”
The woman sniffed delicately.
“Alpha, now that you’ve dealt with those three, what should we do? Do we retaliate? Make an example? ”
“We need to send a message,” the silver-haired man agreed.
“Show the other packs what happens when they target us. ”
Nell felt like she was watching strangers. Because this cold, calculating man giving orders was not someone she recognized. “What do we do about the human?
” the woman asked suddenly, pointing at Nell. Dmitri’s gaze snapped to her. For just a moment, half a second, something flickered across his face. Then it was gone.
“Escort her home,” he said flatly. “Make sure she signs the NDAs. ”
“Wait—” Nell started, reaching for him. But hands were already pulling her to her feet.
As they led her toward a waiting car, Nell looked back desperately. The man she’d fallen in love with—gentle, lost Dmitri, who made her coffee in the mornings and worried about Mr. Hoffman—might as well have never existed at all. Two weeks felt like two years.
Nell stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back. Dark circles. Limp hair. Extra pounds she’d put on from the whole building trying to feed her since he’d left.
“We miss seeing you and Dmitri together,” Mrs. Chen had said gently. “Such a nice young man. ”
How do you tell someone you’re mourning a man who might never have existed?
He’d disappeared without a word. Just a team of lawyers at her door the next morning, armed with NDAs and confidentiality agreements. A thank-you-for-your-discretion deposit appeared in her account. Useful, yes.
But it made her feel cheap. Erased. There was one silver lining. Thanks to Blake’s resume overhaul, she’d landed a position at a prestigious marketing firm.
But success felt hollow when you had no one to share it with. And tonight, walking home from another long day of pretending to care, the sky opened up. Rain poured in relentless sheets—the same kind that had brought them together. Without thinking, her feet led her somewhere else.
Not home. To the alley. It was smaller than she remembered. Dirtier.
Just a narrow passage between buildings. Unremarkable, except that it changed everything. She stood in the exact spot where she’d found him, rain soaking through her jacket. How could she have known that the man slumped here was a corporate shark, a supernatural being?
And yet even then she’d felt something—a pull—like he was already important. Whereas she was just Nell Diaz. Ordinary. The girl who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and had her heart completely broken.
The rain suddenly stopped hitting her, though she could still hear it pattering around her. She blinked, confused. There was an umbrella over her head. She turned slowly, afraid of what she’d find.
Or worse, what she wouldn’t find. But he was there, holding a black umbrella over them both. His hair was shorter, expertly styled. He was clean-shaven, dressed in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than her rent.
But his eyes—those unusual amber eyes with flecks of gold—were exactly the same. “You’re still here? ” he said softly, his voice achingly familiar. She shrugged, throat tight.
“Yeah, well… just in case. ”
Something like hope flickered across his face, but she steeled herself against it. “So,” she said, finding her voice.
“You remember everything then? ”
He hesitated. “Yes. I do.
”
“Good. Convenient. I mean, for all those business deals your associates seem to need you for. ”
His smile tightened into something nervous.
“Yes. I suppose so. ”
“How have you been? ”
“Well, I haven’t been kidnapped in a while, so there’s that.
”
He winced. “I am so deeply sorry for what happened that night. It was entirely my fault you got hurt. If I had known—”
“You know what hurt more than being grabbed by those men?
” She interrupted. “The fact that you just disappeared afterward without a word. Without so much as a goodbye. ”
Pain flashed across his face.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. And she believed he meant it, which somehow made it worse. “When I woke up with all my memories intact, I was alarmed. How had I forgotten everything?
Who had done that to me? ” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t have many friends, Nell, but I have plenty of enemies. I wasn’t even sure I could trust my own pack.
I needed to understand what had happened before I saw you again. ”
He reached toward her face before pulling his hand back. “I wanted to get you away from all of it. I was afraid that if anyone suspected I cared about you, they’d try to use you against me again.
”
“You could have called. ”
“And risk someone listening in? ” When he saw her surprised expression, he added, “Yes, turns out I’m a bit paranoid with my memories back. Comes with being on top.
”
“Right. On top. ”
“So, you got your memories back and remembered you’re some big corporate—”
“I remembered I’m a lot of things,” he interrupted, “and none of them particularly good. ” His eyes darkened.
“All those things you heard about me that night… they’re true. ”
She reached for him without thinking, her hand on his arm. It seemed to calm him, and he looked surprised at the contact.
“It’s how I got cursed,” he explained. “Cursed? ”
“To lose my memories. It was a curse.
”
“Like, magic? ” Nell asked. When he nodded, she added, “Magic is real. ”
His lips quirked in a small, almost amused smile.
“Well, how did you think I turned into a wolf? ”
“Yeah, about that. Is that a regular thing you can do? ”
His smile fell again.
“Yes. I’m a shifter. I’m a man, but I’m also not. Or part of me isn’t.
”
Nell thought back to all the things that had puzzled her about him. His acute sense of smell. The way he’d sometimes growl when frustrated. “Yeah,” she said slowly.
“That kind of checks out. ”
He watched her reaction closely. “Does it bother you? ”
“Is that why you’re here?
Worried I’ll tell someone your secret? ”
“No,” Dmitri said quickly. “I’m not worried about that. I trust you.
”
“Then what are you worried about? ”
He took a deep breath. “You have to understand that I’m not a good person, Nell. Not really.
That’s why I got cursed in the first place. ”
He continued before she could interrupt. “My ex-fiancée—who I should confess I only got engaged to in order to pressure her family into signing a massive business deal—cursed me after I broke things off. She had me kidnapped and dumped in this city so no one would find me.
”
Nell made a face. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m just debating whether you deserved it or not. ”
A surprised laugh escaped him.
“I probably did. ” After he’d recovered, he added, “After getting my memories back, I tracked down what Sheila had done. The curse was designed to only break if someone truly fell in love with me. Me without my money or power or influence.
She was convinced it would never happen. That I’d be stuck like that forever. ”
Nell felt heat rise to her cheeks. “When I was lying in this alley and you found me…
you remember what I said,” she finished weakly. He looked dejected at her tone, his shoulders dropping slightly. “Right. ”
He hesitated.
“And now? Do you think, perhaps, in time, you could still love me now that I’m this? ” He gestured to himself. “This?
”
“I’m still all those terrible things I was before. I still run a cut-throat company. I still make decisions that hurt people. I’m still surrounded by others just as ruthless as I am.
But the thing is, Nell, I now remember what I was like when I was with you. And I liked that person much more. ”
Feeling herself blush, Nell snorted. “So what?
You want me to be your moral compass? ”
“No, Nell. ” His voice dropped. “I want you to love me still.
I’ve missed you. I can’t go back to how things were before. Not anymore. Not when I know what it feels like to be loved by someone like you.
”
“You mean poor and average? ” she joked weakly. “I mean selfless. And brave.
Kind. ” His thumb traced her cheekbone. “And very, very beautiful. ”
Nell felt tears building behind her eyes and blinked them back furiously.
“Look,” she said, voice unsteady. “We started this thing when you weren’t yourself. But your memories are back now, and eventually you’ll realize you belong in that sparkly world of yours. And I—”
“There’s nothing sparkly about it,” he interrupted.
“Not without you. ”
His lips found hers—warm, familiar, and desperate all at once. He kissed her like a drowning man finding air. Like someone coming home after a long absence.
“I love you,” he whispered. “The curse broke because you loved me when I had nothing to offer but myself. Now I have everything, and the only thing I want is you. ”
She looked up at him.
This man who was both Dmitri and Blake. Both the lost soul she’d found in an alley and the powerful creature who stood before her now. “Give me a chance,” he pleaded softly. “Just one more chance.
”
And despite everything—despite the pain of the past two weeks, despite the complications that loving him would bring—Nell rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his again. The rain continued to fall around them, but neither noticed. In this moment, in this unremarkable alley where their story began, they were the only two people in the world. The girl who found a wolf.
And the wolf who found his heart.
