“Don’t wear those dresses anymore.” He doesn’t use his bossman voice with me. The words ring as more of an appeal. Friend to friend. “Please. I truly can’t take it.”
It’s an absurd pronouncement, but for some reason, I believe him. For whatever reason, my billionaire boss seems to actually find me
-a young woman barely out of college with mediocre sex appeal, and a strong dose of nerd-to be irresistible.
I can’t fully digest that information-it makes my head swim. I touch the window cut-out of today’s dress. I didn’t wear it to taunt him. The dresses have become part of my identity here.
Blackthroat offers a grim smile. “Expense a new wardrobe. Fly to Paris on my dime to shop. Just please stop with the torture.”
I can’t seem to think of a single response, so I settle for a wobbly nod and “Understood.”
He appears almost pained as he turns away. “Thank you.”
I draw a breath and pick up the phone to call Adalwulf’s office.
His assistant seems to recognize my name. “Yes, Ms. Evans. What can I do for you?”
“I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Blackthroat. He has an eight-figure offer on the Adirondack property, but he’s willing to entertain a competing offer from Mr. Adalwulf this afternoon, provided he brings a certified check.”
The assistant is silent for a half-beat, then she draws a quick breath. “Will you hold for just a moment, Ms. Evans?”
“Yes.”
I wait on hold a full three minutes before she returns and says, “Mr. Adalwulf will send a courier over with an offer this afternoon.”
“Oh, I’m afraid Mr. Blackthroat insists that Mr. Adalwulf deliver it personally.” I’m not sure if that’s true, but Blackthroat wanted to sweat Adalwulf, and I don’t care for the guy, so I’m going to represent my boss’ interests here.
“Please hold.”
Another three minutes passes. “Mr. Adalwulf will bring it personally to Mr. Blackthroat this afternoon.”
“May I tell him what time to expect Mr. Adalwulf?”
“I will call when he leaves the office.”
“Thank you so much.”
* * *
She calls close to five. Adalwulf probably thought he was sweating Blackthroat back, but it’s not like he was in any position to win anything. Blackthroat has something he wants, and now he has to beg for it.
That has to hurt.
I call Brick via intercom to let him know.
“Get my executive team up here for the meeting,” he replies.
I call each of them, and the team streams upstairs looking both gleeful and deadly, like the badass adventure team slow-mo walking away from the explosion.
They’re definitely out for blood. I would pity Adalwulf if I weren’t so firmly on Blackthroat’s side in the matter.
Adalwulf arrives equally padded with courtiers. A half-dozen men enter, all dressed as expensively as their master.
“He’s waiting for you in the conference room.” I extend a polite arm, like a butler. “It’s right this way.”
Adalwulf gives me a raking glance, and his nostrils flare on an inhale as he walks by me.
I follow the men into the conference room and stand politely in the doorway. I already set the fancy glass water bottles at every place, but I look at Blackthroat. “May I get you anything?”
His eyes glint that strange golden glow they sometimes take on in the light. “Stay and take notes.” That amber gaze meets mine, and I understand what he’s asking me.
For some unfathomable reason, Brick Blackthroat finds my presence stabilizing, and he wants me in the room when he deals with his treacherous cousin.
“Of course, sir.”
Adalwulf, who is positioned with his back to me, turns with a leer. He seems to think he knows something about me. About us. He appears almost gleeful now.
What was the secret he mentioned to me that night he was waiting outside?
How did he know I’d come home at that time? My brain suddenly snags on the thread and pulls. I don’t know why I didn’t consider this question at the time. Was he waiting for me? Or was there someone inside the building who told him when I left for the day? Or was he there for another reason?
I find my chair in the corner and sink into it, chewing on this mystery.
“You sure you want her in here for this?” Adalwulf taunts Blackthroat.
My brow furrows.
“I would’ve thought these negotiations might be kept a bit more private.” There’s a sneer to Adalwulf’s words I don’t like. I also don’t like not knowing what in the hell he’s talking about.
“Did you bring an offer?” Eagle cuts across the tension.
Adalwulf tosses an envelope-literally flicks it through the air-across the table. “I think you’ll find it more than adequate,” he drawls.
Eagle picks it up, glancing at Blackthroat for approval before opening the flap and pulling out a note. “What the fuck?”
Red tints his cheeks as he shows it to Blackthroat.
“An offer to take the property off your hands,” Aiden says. “For nothing.” One of his men sniggers.
“What is the meaning of this?” There’s violence in Blackthroat’s voice.
The temperature in the room drops twenty degrees.
“A more than adequate offer now that the acreage is fouled with the Blackthroat stench.” Aiden glows with the pleasure of delivering the insult. Both sides of the table are glaring at each other so murderously, it’s getting hard to breathe.
“How dare you-” Billy starts, but Brick raises a hand, and Billy snaps his mouth shut.
“No,” Blackthroat growls, crumpling the paper in his fist. “Nothing will induce me to sell to you now. Nothing short of controlling interest in Adalwulf Associates.”
“Controlling interest.” Aiden’s chuckle sends a frisson of terror down my spine. “Have you grown tired of playing with fake money?” He flicks his fingers, and the way Jake stiffens I know that’s a crypto dig. “You must be longing to see how a real company is run.”
A tremor runs through Brick, his shoulders tensing so hard, his muscles bulge under his suit. He looks ready to pummel his fist into Aiden’s face. But then he seems to get a hold of himself. “I should’ve known you’d deal in bad faith. You’re not really in charge. Your father makes the real moves.”
Adalwulf surges to his feet. His henchmen also rise. “My father is not CEO. I am.”
“But he does have you on his leash.” Blackthroat’s smile is fake and cold. “How does it feel, to be counting down the seconds until your old man croaks?”
I suck in a breath at Blackthroat’s heartless attack, but Adalwulf isn’t shocked by it. Instead, he narrows his eyes.
“At least he hasn’t been poisoned by his own mate. How does it feel to have your beloved mother bring about your entire family’s downfall?”
An inhuman roar rips from Blackthroat, and violent chaos erupts. I don’t even know what happened, nor how it happened, but I hear the rip of shredded clothing right before something huge and furry hurtles across the table at Adalwulf.
A beast. Some kind of animal.
A wolf.
A giant, tan and black wolf arcing through the air, fangs snapping for Adalwulf’s throat.
Everyone surges into action-men shoving back from the table and putting hands on each other’s expensive suits.
My scream pierces the air.
The huge wolf turns at the sound of my scream.
“Not here! Not in the boardroom! Are you nuts?” Nickel shouts, shoving one of Adalwulf’s men away from him and focusing on Blackthroat.
That’s when it finally comes together in my head that the first wolf is Blackthroat.
Brick Blackthroat. My boss.
He’s a wolf.
Werewolf. Something unnatural and terrifying.
I’m on my feet. I can’t seem to stop screaming. My throat hurts with the effort, but I have no control over my reaction. It’s like I’m in a horror movie, rooted in place, only able to sound an alarm with my vocal cords.
Someone-Jake, I think-grabs me from behind and claps a hand over my mouth. Later, I would understand he was just trying to shut me up, but I’m in full flight or fight mode, so I wrestle against his hold on me, trying to escape.
Blackthroat wheels between Aiden and me, snarling and showing fangs. His eyes glow amber, unnaturally bright.
Goosebumps rise on every inch of my skin as I remember seeing those eyes on him before.
The eyes of a wolf.
He abandons Adalwulf, now charging for me. I scream louder. More frantically. This thing is clearly not Blackthroat-it’s some feral beast, out of control, and he’s going to kill us all.
I struggle against Jake’s hold.
“Stop screaming, Madi,” Jake growls in a low voice. Somewhere in the back of my brain it occurs to me that Jake seems quite calm considering there’s a wild beast coming at us.
Blackthroat leaps, but Jake turns sideways and kicks at the wolf’s great jaws, jamming his thousand dollar Louboutin Greggo in the animal’s mouth.
“
Brick! I’m not hurting her,” Jake shouts, maneuvering me away from the wolf and kicking at it. “
You are the one freaking her the fuck out. Change back.”
The wolf snarls and lunges again. His fur stands up on his neck and across his broad shoulders. Jake blocks his snapping jaws with another swift kick. “Change back you fucktwat,” Jake snarls at the wolf.
“For fuck’s sake, Brick,” Nickel shouts. “Are you insane?”
Now it fully sinks in. Jake is not surprised that Blackthroat is a wolf. Nor is Nickel. In fact, no one here is surprised by the wolf in the room.
No one but me.
There’s a snap and crackle of joints, and then suddenly Blackthroat looms before us in human form, completely naked, muscles bulging. “Let go of her!” he roars.
Jake immediately unhands me. “For fuck’s sake. I was trying to keep her safe.”
I remain frozen another moment, trembling. Taking in the scene in the room.
Across the room, Aiden Adalwulf’s eyes glitter silver. He’s smiling, showing canines that are a touch too long to be entirely human.
He’s one of them.
The room filled with angry, jostling men in the two camps. All of them are in on the secret I hadn’t known. All of them are probably wolves, like their masters.
I take in my naked, beautiful, terrifying boss.
Who is not a human.
A whimper escapes my lips, and every eye in the room fixes on me.
“You had to fuck the secretary,” Billy mutters bitterly. “Now what are we going to do with her?”
Brick
Aiden’s fangs shrink and his eyes stop glittering as he gets his wolf under control and calmly wipes the blood from his throat, a small smile on his face, like I played right into his hands. Like he loves that I lost control, and he didn’t.
I don’t give a shit about any of them. Not about the carnage in the room or the weakness I just exposed. Nor about how close I might be to moon madness.
All I care about is Madi. My trembling, terrified dream assistant. The scent of her fear drives my wolf mad. Seeing Jake restraining her made me murderous.
“The Blackthroat king’s weakness,” Aiden pronounces, studying Madi. He sounds like he’s quoting something.
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