Another day, another job, and Asher felt near ready to pass out on the spot. It was an outdoor event near the forest. one he hadn’t cared to learn the details of except the necessities - the number of attendees, the emergency exits, the stations of the rest of the pack. Across the venue, he caught David’s eye, sending him a swift nod as he tucked his hand into his security vest and continued surveying the crowd. His eyes were tired, but that didn’t render him any less alert. He was good at his job. That’s why David had made him second in command.

A flicker of commotion in the crowd. A shriek of surprise. People shouting their anger as someone - you - pushed through the sea of bodies and sprinted for the tree line, something glinting in your hands as a woman screamed for her purse. David’s eyes met Asher’s again, and he just nodded, darting after you. You had barely reached the shade of the forest when he was on your heels, streaking through the trees as a wolf. Muttering a breathless curse, your legs burning as they hit the ground. Of course he was a shifter. Just your luck. He lunged, and you couldn’t find the breath to yell as his predator’s teeth sank into your calf, tumbling to the earth with a thud. Stupid stolen purse still clutched in your trembling arms, you dragged yourself backwards in a frantic scramble, eyes wide with fear as he shifted back to his human form, crouching in front of you with an expression that was caught somewhere between frustration, concern, and regret.

“…Drop the purse.”