Love and Other Crisis | Season 1

Episode | 10

Kaliope skipped forward to the chapter about Lycans.

Lycans. Part of the Lycanthrope class, a classification shared with werewolves. Unlike werewolves, they have complete control over their transformations and maintain their personalities and intelligence while transformed.

She'd learned as much from Eli, who called werewolves wolf demons.

It's best you not find out why.

Kaliope peeked up over her cubicle to the top of Gideon's head. So she was partially right about the grizzly part of her description. Gideon took personal days during the full moon phase. He certainly possessed the build to wolf out, like Ronin and, to a lesser extent, Eli, who ranged on the leaner side. But who'd suspect the amiable man with kind eyes morphed into a wolf demon every thirty days?

Books and their covers.

Kaliope continued with her reading.

Lycans are significantly stronger than werewolves and become more powerful with age. Because of their unmatched prowess, they occupy the top of the Occult social hierarchy, followed by witches and the demon classes: fox demons, werewolves, and Chimerans.

The text provided a list of defining Lycan traits, and Ronin ticked several boxes.

Cautious, structured...controlling. Kaliope sniffed and added a few descriptors of her own. Arrogant. Irritating. Cold.

Lycans display inhuman physical strength, speed, reflexes, and agility. Their abilities increase while in their transformed states. Other capabilities include an enhanced sense of smell, sight...

Kaliope pursed her lips and glanced at the frosted partition of Ronin's office.

...hearing.

So much for office gossip about the boss behind his back.

Kaliope was diving into the etiquette of Lycan society when the entrance swished open. A man entered, letting in the sounds from the outside for a second before the soundproof barrier closed.

The newcomer's shoulders were squared, back straight, his movements smooth and purposeful, conveying a sense of self-assuredness and control. He resembled Ronin in height, the same muscular build, but when he surveyed Kaliope, his caramel-brown sparkled with a mischievous charm, and he actually smiled. A slow, alluring tilt of his lips. It revealed a slight dimple on his left cheek. Of their own accord, Kaliope's lips mirrored the man's welcome. The man, whoever he was, could pass for a humanized version of the statue at the helm.

Ugh. Why was she using Ronin as a reference?

"Andreas." Gideon stood, his smile hesitant. His eyes flicked to Ronin's office, back to the man. "Why are you here?"

"Why?" Andreas tucked his hands into his pocket, and his lopsided smile split into a playful grin. "Did my brother ban me from his office?"

Brother? He could only mean one person. And that meant this man—Andreas—was a Lycan.

How he carried himself. His undiluted confidence and natural air of authority. Oh. And the jawline. The hallmarks of a lycan and a McIntyre to boot.

"He's—" Gideon regarded the boss's door again.

Andreas laughed. "Calm down, Gideon. I'm not here to cause trouble." His attention turned to Kaliope. "I heard we had a new team member." Andreas approached her desk, and she stood. When he proffered a hand, she shook it. "Andreas McIntyre. You must be Kaliope Barnes."

"Yes. Nice to meet you." And it was indeed her greatest delight. Andreas McIntyre wasn't only pleasing to the eyes but sociable in his demeanor, unlike her boss. His charm, however, wasn't any less dangerous than his brother's indomitable aura. One reeled you in for an unknown end, while the other repelled you upfront. Both were trouble. Avoiding trouble was top on Kaliope's priorities list. She extricated her hand from Andreas' grasp when he held on a second too long.