Seeing my deepening blush, Clara intervened. “Boys, don’t make Caroline quit. I’m heading to the London pack soon and I won’t be finding you another assistant, Draven!”
“Alright, Clara,” Alpha Draven conceded, though his eyes still held mine.
“Let’s discuss Caroline’s new responsibilities and compensation package. With your promotion, her role will be expanding significantly.”
Rory practically purred inside me as Draven continued to hold my gaze, making me flush all over again.
Caroline’s POV
Clara and I had spent the last few hours going through trip reports, and the day was finally coming to an end. Just as we started packing up our belongings, Alpha Draven emerged from his office while Ryan materialized at my door.
“Ladies, your day of hard work is done!” Ryan announced with his signature bright smile. “Alpha Draven and I are heading to Bella Vita for dinner. We’d love for the two most beautiful women in the company to join us.”
Bella Vita was the city’s most prestigious Italian restaurant, famous for both its steep prices and exceptional cuisine. Eleanor had been urging me to try their renowned gnocchi and house-made wine this weekend, insisting I needed to get comfortable with such upscale venues now that they might become part of my work routine.
“I’m so sorry, Ryan, but we already have plans and people waiting for us. Maybe another time?” Clara replied gracefully, referring to our dinner plans at my place.
I smiled and thanked him politely but couldn’t miss how Alpha Draven’s expression darkened, his violet eyes turning stormy.
“You would decline dining with your Alpha? Some might consider that disrespectful,” he said, his voice sharp with displeasure.
Rory stirred uneasily within me at his tone. Even without being part of his pack, I could feel the dominance radiating from him.
“Draven, stop being grumpy,” Clara said with the easy familiarity of an old friend. “Last-minute cancellations would be far more discourteous. We can have dinner together tomorrow, right, Caroline?”
“Yes, of course,” I agreed, then immediately wished I hadn’t added, “But if Alpha Draven considers it important, I’m sure my friends would understand.”
His eyes locked with mine, something wild and possessive flickering in their violet depths. His jaw tightened visibly.
“That won’t be necessary. I wouldn’t dream of disrupting your plans. Enjoy your evening, Miss Bennett. Just ensure you’re punctual tomorrow.”
He strode away, his footsteps echoing his barely contained anger. From the elevator, he called curtly to Ryan, “We’re leaving.” Ryan gave us an apologetic grin before hurrying after his Alpha.
As I stood there confused by his intense reaction, Clara’s soft laughter caught my attention.
“His wolf really doesn’t handle rejection well, even for something as simple as dinner,” she said with a knowing smile.
When we arrived at my house, Eleanor greeted us warmly. The entire place was filled with the enticing aromas of her amazing cooking. Liam, who had been playing on the living room floor, jumped up and ran to me with open arms. I lifted him up and introduced him to Clara, whose expression changed peculiarly as she studied my son.
“Caroline, your son is absolutely gorgeous!” Clara exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly. “And you’re right, he does have the exact same violet eyes as Draven,” she added thoughtfully.
She and Eleanor clicked immediately, as if Clara had always been part of our group. She spent time playing with Liam, who proudly displayed his entire toy collection and had already started calling her “Auntie Clara.”
After putting Liam to bed, we gathered in the living room. Eleanor opened another bottle of wine and shared news about her father’s position on the Alpha Council, along with her excitement about her new job at Harbor Bay. Clara talked about working with Alpha Gerald, describing him as both funny and approachable.
Then Clara turned to me suddenly. “Carrie, what’s your son’s father’s name?”
I felt my cheeks flush, embarrassed about what I needed to confess.
“It’s complicated, Clara,” I admitted, fidgeting with my wine glass. “I don’t know his name.” She watched me intently as I continued. “I had been drinking, and he asked me to dance. Between the music and conversation, we never properly introduced ourselves. At the masquerade ball, I only saw those distinctive violet eyes and that smile that…” I paused, remembering how my wolf had reacted that night, “that smile that made me forget everything else.”
Rory whined within me at the memory. After Marcus rejected me because of my scentless nature, I knew I could never form a true mate bond. Even my destined mate wouldn’t recognize me without a scent to identify me.
“This is incredible!” Clara exclaimed, leaning forward eagerly. “It’s like something from a romance novel, a passionate encounter with a mysterious masked stranger. My wolf is dying to hear more!”
Caroline’s POV
I shared with Clara about my encounter with Liam’s father, how that night changed everything, and my decision to avoid relationships afterward.
Her smile faded suddenly as a thought struck her. “You remind me so much of Draven. He’s the same way about love. He met someone special once, but lost her the same night his parents died. When he tried to find her later, she had disappeared completely. He couldn’t track her scent anywhere. He’s never recovered from either loss.”
“What happened to his parents?” I asked, feeling Rory stir with interest.
“They were killed in a rogue wolf attack while returning from the Blood Moon Pack Alpha’s dinner. His father had received urgent pack business and needed to head back immediately. Draven was still at the ball with this woman, and when his parents couldn’t find him to say goodbye, they left a message through mind link with Ryan. During that ball, Draven learned about their deaths.” Clara’s voice wavered with emotion. “He was never the same after that. He never truly connected with another female wolf again. He has his occasional encounters, but nothing beyond meaningless nights.”
“That explains his intensity,” I said softly, my heart aching for his loss. “Losing his parents so suddenly must have been devastating.”
“It was. He wasn’t ready to take the Alpha position yet, but he had to face it. It was either that or leave it in Howard’s hands. As pack elder and financial director of Thorne Enterprises who worked closely with Draven’s father, Howard had the skills to assume leadership. At that time, Draven hadn’t even entered company management, still focused on Alpha training, but his father was always by his side teaching him everything about leading both the pack and company. He decided he wouldn’t leave his legacy and territory in the hands of others and would take over as Alpha no matter what. I remember Howard was very upset, saying he couldn’t handle it, that he was just a spoiled pup who would run the pack into the ground. They had a huge dominance fight, and since then he only tolerates Howard because he wanted to keep all the pack members who served his father. Howard thought he would become second-in-command then, but Draven brought in Ryan. They had always been friends, bonded like brothers since they were cubs. It was the best thing Draven ever did. The two of them breathed new life into the pack and business, and it’s grown even stronger since then. Ryan and I are the closest thing Draven has to family now.”
Eleanor and I were stunned. Eleanor had tears in her eyes and asked Clara, “But Clara, how long ago was this?”
“About three years ago. Draven and Ryan are now thirty-one. They were very young when they took over leadership of both the pack and company.”
“And how long have you been with them?” Eleanor was very curious.
“I’ve been with the Storm Valley Pack for thirty years. I changed Draven’s clothes after his first shift. I started as the ex-Luna’s advisor when I was twenty, having just completed my mating ceremony. Two years later, I gave birth to twin cubs. A year after that, my mate rejected me for some omega female. I raised my daughters alone, and Draven’s parents helped me tremendously. I soon became senior advisor to the ex-Luna. Before Alpha and Luna died, it was already settled that I would go to London to run the overseas pack branch there, but I didn’t want to leave Draven, and we agreed that once he had the reins of the pack firmly in his grip, I would go. And now the time has come.”
“Clara, I didn’t know you had children. Do they live with you?” I asked, feeling guilty for not having taken the time to know her better.
“No, they live in London. They went to study at Oxford and found their mates there. They’re both mated now and have already given me three beautiful grandcubs,” she said proudly, taking out her phone to show us the photos. “That’s why I’m moving to London, to be closer to my family. But my heart aches to leave my Alpha.”
“That’s wonderful, Clara. Pack bonds are so important,” I said, remembering my own parents and feeling a pang of homesickness for my birth pack. “But doesn’t Alpha Draven have any other family in the pack?”
“Only very distant relatives he barely acknowledges in the pack hierarchy. Like his parents, Draven is an only child. But Carrie, tell us how it was meeting Alpha Draven, because according to Ryan, it was quite a show of dominance.”
Eleanor immediately raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the news. I told them everything that happened, and Clara kept highlighting parts of the story she had witnessed.
It was a lovely evening, sharing stories and laughing together like our own little pack. Eleanor had us in tears with tales from her workplace, especially about her boss’s embarrassing gift mix-up that had the whole company gossiping for weeks.
After lots of good conversation, Clara said goodbye and went home. While we were cleaning up, Eleanor was quick to ask, “Spill it, Carrie. I want to know all the details that Clara doesn’t know about.”
“What do you mean, Elle?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Caroline Bennett. You sent me a text saying your Alpha grabbed you-clearly there’s more to the story than what you just told. Come on, talk.”
There was no escaping my best friend’s intuition. I told Eleanor about how worked up my Alpha got when he held me and how he got me all hot and bothered just by touching me. Eleanor looked at me and understood I was really in trouble, but she couldn’t help laughing at my situation.
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