“I just want you protected from what I went through,” she said softly.
I nodded, then remembered the gift bag at my feet. “Oh! I brought something for Grandma.” I pulled out a handcrafted door charm woven with protective symbols. “Can you give it to her? Tell her I’ll visit as soon as I can get a weekend off.”
Mom looked at the charm with an approving expression. “She’ll love this.”
“Thanks. Oh, and you won’t believe what happened yesterday at the store.” I told her the story about the arrogant Alpha who had come into the the mystical goods store. I detailed our confrontation and the prayer card I had left for his mother.
Mom laughed until tears streamed down her face. “You did not! Ava Flynn, sometimes I worry about your self-preservation instincts.”
“You should have seen him, Mom. He was a typical Alpha. Gorgeous but so full of himself. I swear, all that power goes straight to their heads.” I hesitated. I did not mention the strange pull I had felt toward him. I also did not mention the electricity that had shot through me when our eyes met. Mom’s warnings about fated mates were still ringing in my ears.
“Well, I hope for his mother’s sake he learns some manners,” Mom said. She was still chuckling. “More wine?”
As she refilled my glass, I pushed thoughts of the handsome, irritating Alpha from my mind. Mom was right. Wolves were nothing but heartbreak waiting to happen.
The next morning at work, I was arranging a new shipment of designer blouses when a familiar, annoying voice interrupted me.
“Well, well. Look who’s still here. I thought you might have quit the job.”
I turned slowly to find Cybele standing there. Her perfect makeup could not hide the mean look in her eyes. She wore our store’s most expensive items. She probably bought them with the employee discount she barely deserved.
“Cybele. Lovely to see you too,” I said flatly.
“I just thought you should know. Isaac and I are together.”
I gave her a cold look, then returned to my work. “Congratulations. You’ve taken my trash out for me. How thoughtful.”
Her smug expression changed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ve always been jealous, haven’t you?” I faced her directly now. “Jealous that I consistently outsell you. Jealous that I had an attractive boyfriend. Is that why you went after him? To prove you could?”
Cybele’s face turned red. “Jealous? Of a wolfless Omega? Please. Isaac is training to be a warrior in the Storm Valley Pack. He deserves someone worthy of his status.”
“Is that what he told you?” I laughed. I was genuinely amused now. “Let me save you some disappointment. His ‘warrior training’ is just weekend fitness classes. And between us?” I lowered my voice. “His performance in bed is about as impressive as your sales numbers here. Mediocre at best.”
“You’re just bitter because…”
“Bitter? Honey, I’m relieved.” I straightened a rack of dresses. “Have fun playing second-best to a fated mate he hasn’t met yet. That’s all you’ll ever be to a wolf. Temporary.”
Before she could respond, the store’s front door chimed.
I looked up to see two elegantly dressed women entering. One had dark hair styled in a sophisticated bob. The other was tall with honey-blonde waves falling down her back. Both carried designer handbags and looked wealthy.
“Excuse me,” I said to Cybele with a fake sweet smile. “Some of us have actual work to do.”
I approached the customers with my most professional manner.
“Welcome. I’m Ava. Can I help you ladies find something special today?”
The blonde-haired woman smiled warmly. “I’m Caroline, and this is Eleanor. We need complete outfits.”
“You’ve come to the right place,” I said. I was already thinking about the commission on what could be a big sale. “We just received our fall collection. Would you like to start with evening gowns?”
For the next two hours, I became their personal stylist. I brought selections, suggested accessories, and created complete looks. By the end, both women had bought multiple outfits, shoes, and accessories. As I rang up their purchases, they were easily several thousand dollars’ worth. I could not help but notice Cybele watching with poorly hidden envy.
“Your eye for style is perfect,” Caroline said as I carefully packaged her purchases. “Most salespeople just bring whatever’s expensive, but you actually thought about what would flatter us.”
“That’s because she’s not just a salesperson,” Eleanor added. She handed me her credit card. “She’s clearly a fashion consultant who happens to work retail.”
I smiled at the compliment. “Thank you both so much. It was truly a pleasure helping you.”
After exchanging business cards and promising to call when new items arrived, the women left with their many shopping bags. As the door closed behind them, I caught Cybele’s sour expression from across the store.
I could not resist. I walked past her with a triumphant smile and whispered, “That, darling, is how it’s done. Maybe if you focused more on your job and less on stealing boyfriends, you’d actually make a decent commission.”
Joseph’s POV
“Alpha Joseph, you have a board meeting at 10, lunch with the development team at noon, and the Storm Valley conference call at 3 PM,” Eleanor’s voice came through my office intercom.
I groaned, rubbing my temples. Two days with Eleanor Larson as my new executive assistant, and my life had been completely restructured. No more late mornings after club-hopping. No more canceling meetings on a whim.
“And don’t forget to review those contract amendments I left on your desk,” she added, her tone all business.
“Yes, ma’am,” I muttered, flipping through the stack of papers she’d organized with color-coded tabs.
Dean, my wolf, chuckled inside my head. “She’s exactly what you need. Someone who doesn’t fall for your charm.”
“Shut up,” I replied mentally. “I’m the Alpha here.”
“And yet she’s the one calling the shots,” Dean remarked with amusement.
I could not argue with that. Eleanor was a force of nature. She was efficient, dedicated, and completely immune to my attempts at charm. No wonder Alpha Gerald had recommended her so highly. If she had been born male, I would bet Sebastian would have serious competition for the Blood Moon Pack Alpha position when Gerald retired.
When my office door opened, I looked up to see Eleanor enter with a fresh cup of coffee. I had to look twice. She was wearing a stunning navy blue dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She had tasteful gold accessories with it. It was very different from the conservative pantsuits she had worn the previous days.
“Wow, Eleanor. You look…” I paused, searching for a professional compliment that wouldn’t get me slapped with a harassment suit. “Very put-together today. New outfit?”
She placed the coffee on my desk. “Thank you. Yes, actually. I went shopping with my friend Caroline yesterday.”
“Well, whoever helped you pick it out has excellent taste.”
Eleanor’s expression brightened. “Oh, it was not Caroline who helped me choose it. There was this amazing sales associate at Harbor Bay Mall. She was a young woman with the most incredible style sense. She put together this entire look.”
“She was gorgeous too. She had stunning eyes. She reminded me of Caroline, actually.”
My interest piqued immediately. Beautiful women with good taste had always been my weakness.
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