“I want you to officially join my pack,” he said, eyes on the road but clearly gauging my reaction. “You and Liam both. Become part of Storm Valley Pack.”
I thought about it for a moment.
“I think I’d like that,” I said slowly. “Being officially recognized as part of your pack would be good for Liam too.”
His face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Really? That’s wonderful, sweetheart.”
“But,” I added, seeing his expression, “that doesn’t mean I’m coming to work for you.”
His smile faltered. “What do you mean?”
“I know where this is going, Draven. You want me to quit Puma Global and come back to be your assistant again.”
“We work so well together,” he argued. “I need you, Caroline. The office isn’t the same without you.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not going back to that office after everything that happened there. Every time I’d walk into your office, I’d remember seeing you with Ella that day. Besides, I’ve built something for myself at Puma Global. Joseph values my work, and I’m good at sales.”
“I can give you any position you want,” Draven offered, pulling into the parking lot and turning to face me. “Head of sales, marketing director-name it.”
“That’s not the point,” I explained gently. “I need something that’s mine. Something I built myself, not something given to me because I’m the Alpha’s mate.”
He looked disappointed but nodded. “I understand. But I’m not giving up, little wolf. I miss having you around all day.”
“I miss you too,” I admitted, leaning over to kiss him softly. “But this is important to me.”
“Fine,” he sighed, pulling me in for another kiss. “But don’t think this conversation is over.”
I laughed against his lips. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from my stubborn Alpha.”
As I got out of the car, he called after me, “I’ll pick you up at five. And Caroline?”
“Yes?”
His violet eyes glowed with possession and promise. “Think about what I said. About joining the pack officially. There’s a ceremony involved that I think you’ll enjoy.”
The heated look he gave me left little doubt about what kind of “ceremony” he was implying, and I felt warmth spread through me all over again.
“I’ll think about it,” I promised, then headed into Puma Global.
Draven’s POV
After taking Caroline to Puma Global, I went back to Thorne Enterprises. My mind was full of our perfect weekend. She had finally accepted being mine, and her parents welcomed me into their family. Even with Marcus and Selina causing trouble, our time together was amazing.
She came back to me and said she loved me. Those words warmed my heart like nothing had in years. And Liam made everything perfect. My parents would have loved them both if they were still here.
Thinking about my parents hurt, especially now that I knew their accident might have been planned. Alpha Arthur was looking into everything, but waiting for answers made Alaric restless. He paced inside me, wanting justice.
In my office, I couldn’t stop thinking about Caroline refusing to work with me again. She would join my pack and become part of Storm Valley pack,but she wouldn’t come back to Thorne Enterprises. That wasn’t enough. I needed her close, needed to see her every day.
I called Ava to my office and closed the door behind her.
“Ava, you already know that Caroline and I are back together,” I began, leaning against my desk. “But she’s refusing to come work with me again. Says it would remind her of all the bad things that happened here.”
“Of course, Alpha,” Ava replied, glancing at the leather couch. “She probably wouldn’t feel comfortable, especially with… that.”
“If I changed everything in here, made it completely new, would that help?” I asked.
“Honestly? We should probably burn that couch,” Ava smiled.
“Ava,” I growled mildly, “focus on the whole picture, not just the couch.”
She grinned. “Look, Alpha, changing everything is a good start. A new environment without those memories would help.”
“Excellent. You’ll handle the renovation,” I said.
“Me?” Ava looked surprised. “Why not hire an interior designer?”
“Because you have good taste and I trust you. Spend whatever you need. Find me another office on this floor, and put your desk near mine while this happens.” I tapped my fingers on the desk. “How long will it take?”
“A week, since we need to repaint everything. I already have ideas,” she said excitedly.
“Perfect. Go through my schedule, then I’ll clear out so you can start. I’ll work with Ryan until you set up my new space.”
After checking my appointments, I grabbed my laptop and files. At reception, I gave Ava my office key.
“Only you and the renovation crew can enter my office. Linda stays at reception during this project.” Ava understood – keep Linda from snooping around.
I walked to Ryan’s office but still caught Linda’s eager voice asking Ava what I had requested. I couldn’t help but smile when I heard Ava’s curt reply, “None of your business.””I’m renovating my office and Caroline’s old one too. I want her to come back, but she’s refusing because of the memories. I’ve put Ava in charge of completely redoing everything.”
“That’s brilliant!” Ryan exclaimed, looking excited. “Now I want to redecorate too.”
“We should throw that snake Linda out and redo the reception area as well,” Kyle added from her desk.
“Not a bad idea, Kyle,” I mused. “While we’re at it, we need to come up with a plan to bring Caroline back. How’s Ava doing in her role?”
“She’s fantastic,” Kyle evaluated. “Very competent, smart, catches on quickly. And she handles people well. She even made Mr. Richardson smile, and that man is perpetually grumpy.”
“Sounds like we don’t really need Linda anymore,” Ryan confirmed what I’d been thinking.
“True, but I’ll keep her on this week since Ava will be busy with the renovation,” I decided reluctantly. “I don’t like it, but it’s practical. Plus, I still need to figure out how to fire her without revealing my true reasons.”
Ryan leaned forward, eyes gleaming with interest. “Now tell us about Caroline. How was the weekend with her parents?”
“I’ll tell you everything at lunch. Joseph’s joining us, so I can share the details with everyone at once.” I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as I thought about my weekend with Caroline.
They already knew we were back together. I’d been sending updates through our pack bonds and texts, but they wanted all the details. I was happier than I’d been in years, now I just needed my mate back working by my side.
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