Torn In Between

as used to thin

always seemed to spill at the worst moments, and no mat

ng was no

een. The email with her interview details was buried somewhere beneath spam messages about discounts,

muttered, tapping

sted. This was

with an art history degree and zero professional experience. She had lost count of how many t

agreed to an interview instead of dismissing her outright. If

of her tiny apartment. The moment she stepped outside, she was hit with the crisp mor

led, but she had

ck away, and just as she reached the

luck was o

llery, feeling an odd mix of excite

fully curated pieces-some abstract, others hyperrealistic-all illuminated by soft overhead lighting.

d hair was flipping through a thick sketchbook

I hel

"I-I have an interv

ly looked up, arching

blinked.

he time on the front desk's clock read 9:45

to rush everywhere ha

hed and picked up th

es wandered over the paintings nearby, each one seeming to tell a story. One particular piece

t further, a deep voice

ssa M

ned-and

nothing like sh

er hair and a quiet, wise demeanor. Instead, the man before her

if he already knew everything about her. He wore a black button-up shirt with the sle

said. No small ta

owed and hurr

room felt... lived-in. Bookshelves lined the walls, packed with thick art books, old journals, and

gesturing to the ch

her hands in her lap to

ing his elbows on the desk. "Tel

ath. She had rehearsed

't want to just read about it-I want to be part of it. I think gall

or a long moment, h

nodded. "G

ooded thr

at makes you different f

I don't give up easily. And I'm good a

ightly, almost like he w

dded.

arning, Devon reached behind h

you think

he painting

lt her bre

ight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows. At the

it made her he

autiful," s

sked, his voic

ed into the trees, the intensity in the wolf's gaze.

itated befo

tching. Waiting. It feels like-like the wolf know

nge, but something in his gaz

back in his chai

blinked.

ed. "You sta

No more question

as what she wanted-what she needed.

left the office, the image of

ed. The way it had

nge thought crossed her mind as

en that wo