Wiley had worked closely with Garvin on several project loans. He knew the Alpha’s temperament, and more importantly, his influence. So when Celina’s name resurfaced in that context, Wiley connected the dots immediately.
He remembered her face: striking, almost alarming. The kind of beauty that curls around the edges of reason like smoke-dangerous, like a myth or a ruinous queen.
Even now, the memory lingered.
Ever the cautious operator, Wiley took it upon himself to remind Alpha Yardley.
Oddly, Alpha Yardley hadn’t cared, which only deepened Wiley’s suspicions.
Now he was convinced Alpha Sebastian had been compromised-perhaps blinded by beauty, or worse, using the bank’s power to settle personal scores against the Shadow Pack. In Wiley’s eyes, this wasn’t strategy; it was reckless leadership disguised as wisdom.
He intended to challenge it.
–
Sebastian
The office door was open when Beta Sawyer entered, accompanied by a group of people.
They approached with exaggerated respect, every word carefully measured. Despite their polite demeanor, it was clear they came to voice complaints. Each statement implied I had made a serious mistake.
Wiley even mentioned he had already reported the situation to my father.
I didn’t scowl or assert my authority. Instead, I smiled and made a call on speakerphone right in front of them.
“What’s the situation with the Shadow Pack?” I asked.
“Alpha Xavien stormed in furious and left even angrier, his parents following. Alpha Garvin chased after him, and they argued fiercely at the entrance before parting on bad terms,” came the reply.
“Oh, wait,” the voice on the other end suddenly perked up.
“Breaking news-apparently, the Blood Moon and Shadow families had a massive falling out at the Shadow Pack’s dining hall. The Shadow Pack threatened to terminate their joint project if Xavien doesn’t marry Cira. Xavien flatly refused, saying they could do whatever they wanted. The two packs are completely at odds now.”
I ended the call, amused at how quickly my intelligence network had gathered such detailed information.
Wiley and the other executives looked stunned, their expressions shifting from disbelief to shock, then dawning comprehension.
After Luna Daria’s public announcement, everyone had assumed the Blood Moon and Shadow packs would unite through marriage. This development was entirely unexpected.
Had we released the second loan installment only to discover this later, recovering our money from a failed project would have been nearly impossible. I could see them mentally retracting every criticism they’d just aimed at me.
My expression cooled as I addressed Wiley directly. “Wiley, I think you owe my father, Alpha Yardley, an apology.”
Wiley’s face flushed deeper than a blood moon.
My phone rang, rescuing him from further embarrassment. I glanced at the caller ID and was suddenly flooded with a wave of tenderness and concern.
This was a call I needed to take.
Sebastian
I answered the ringing phone, barely acknowledging the swarm of executives in my office who were trying to assert their authority through thinly veiled political games. Their sudden departure was anything but subtle-each one practically bolted for the exit as if their very survival depended on it.
“Celina, is something the matter?” I asked, holding the phone close to my ear, my voice calm and composed as always.
She explained, “I was supposed to return to work the day after tomorrow since my leg has healed, but I need to visit my grandmother. I’d like to ask for an additional week off.”
Though her tone remained steady, I could sense a subtle tremor beneath her words. She was clearly masking her distress, trying to appear brave, but I wasn’t fooled.
I stayed silent for a few moments, weighing my response.
“You seem to be getting quite fond of playing hooky, Celina. Don’t tell me you plan to milk that workplace injury indefinitely,” I teased, deliberately provoking her.
“No, that’s not it,” she quickly countered.
“I expect you back at work the day after tomorrow.”
“What about five days-“
“Not even half a day extra is acceptable. I want to see you here first thing the morning after tomorrow.”
A heavy silence hung between us.
Finally, her voice deflated like a balloon losing air, tinged with unmistakable disappointment. “I’m sorry. I never imagined divorce would be this complicated. If I had known, I wouldn’t have jumped at this job so recklessly and caused you so much trouble. Just give me five more days to get everything sorted, or else…”
“Or else what?” I pressed.
“You’ll end up the subject of gossip too.”
This situation had been spiraling for nearly three hours now. The chances that I was still in the dark were slim at best.
She clearly doubted her ability to turn public opinion around in just two days. Showing up at Silver Peak Pack headquarters and being seen with me constantly-she feared the rumors that would inevitably spread about me.
“So that’s what’s been keeping you awake at night,” I said, a flicker of understanding crossing my mind.
But I didn’t let her linger in that thought. My voice sharpened, cutting through the tension.
“What’s your plan to fix this mess? You do have one, right?”
She paused-five seconds that felt like an eternity-before responding crisply and with control, “Confront. Negotiate.”
“Celina,” I said softly, more surprised than I expected, “you’ve caught me off guard.”
“I don’t usually act like this,” she replied quickly, almost defensively. “But they’ve crossed a line. They’re forcing my hand.”
“It’s not your defiance that surprises me,” I said, my tone cooling, “it’s your blind confidence.”
“You’re smart,” I continued, my voice hardening with steel. “So surely you’ve figured it out by now-Luna Daria isn’t acting alone. The Shadow Pack’s fingerprints are all over this.”
I let the weight of that statement settle before adding, quieter but more dangerous:
“What makes you think you can take on two of Denver’s most powerful families… by yourself?”
“I have my methods,” she replied stubbornly, though I could hear the strain she was trying to conceal beneath those four words.
“Celina,” I said her name slowly, deliberately, like a warning.
“Courage is admirable. But it’s no substitute for real power. A unicorn charging into a pride of lions isn’t brave-it’s a martyr.”
“Even if it means sacrifice,” she snapped, fire flaring in her voice, “I’ll take down the one pulling the strings. If I have to go down with them, so be it!”
The silence that followed was deafening.
I could almost feel her regret the moment she spoke, like a match dropped too close to gasoline.
My jaw clenched, and my voice dropped several degrees-maybe ten.
Even through the phone, she would have sensed the shift, like the sudden drop in barometric pressure before a storm.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, her voice shrinking. “That was foolish. I wasn’t thinking.”
I exhaled slowly, releasing the tension from my shoulders. My expression softened-just enough.
“You represent me now, Celina,” I said firmly and measured. “You’re my person. You carry the weight of my name, my reputation.”
Then, softer but only slightly:
“Come to work as planned, and I’ll handle this. We’ll find a solution. Together. How does that sound?”
My voice held a subtle, persuasive quality, as if a simple nod from her could dissolve even the most insurmountable obstacles.
I knew she wouldn’t question my abilities. After all, I was Alpha Sebastian Black.
But maybe she was wondering why I was being so accommodating.
Even if I liked helping others, even if she had proven herself during the branch inspection, even if she was “my person”… Wait-“my person”?
[She’s blushing,] Soren observed in my mind, his curiosity piqued.
I waited patiently for her reply, but the silence dragged on.
“Haven’t decided yet?”
“I appreciate your kindness, but I’ll handle my own problems! Thank you! Goodbye!” she snapped before hanging up abruptly, leaving me staring at my phone.
[She’s definitely flustered,] Soren commented.
I set the phone down thoughtfully, amusement clear on my face.
Celina
I gripped my phone tightly for a full five minutes before my heartbeat finally slowed to a steady rhythm.
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