I’d searched, discreetly of course. Made inquiries, had Lucas investigate the guest lists from that night. But the Lunar Assembly attracted wolves from hundreds of packs, and many attendees used false names or arrived without proper registration. My mystery woman had disappeared like smoke, leaving me with nothing but memories that grew more vivid rather than fading with time.
“She probably found her true mate,” I said aloud, the words tasting bitter. “Probably forgot all about that night.”
Perhaps I was a fool for still thinking about a woman whose name I didn’t even know.
“Stop torturing yourself,” I muttered, pushing the memories aside with practiced force. “Focus on the present.”
The present, where most of the women who applied to be my assistant were either incompetent or had ulterior motives. They’d flutter their eyelashes and wear low-cut blouses, trying to seduce their way into my bed or my bank account. Others would cower at the first sign of my temper, then quit via email without bothering to give notice.
“Pathetic,” Alex agreed. “None of them had any backbone.”
These women invariably crumbled under pressure, which was why I was still relying on Claire, who should have retired years ago but refused to abandon me to a parade of useless assistants.
But this Seraphina Knight… something about her seemed different. The way she’d handled my explosive phone call, maintaining professionalism despite obvious fear.
“Maybe she’ll surprise us,” Alex said hopefully.
“Maybe,” I agreed, though I tried to keep my expectations low. After so many disappointments, hope had become a luxury I couldn’t afford. “But before that, she needs to be tested.”
Seraphina’s POV
Claire patiently explained the workflow to me, her elegant voice weaving through the complexities of managing an Alpha’s schedule with the skill of someone who’d been doing this for decades. I found myself frantically scribbling notes, trying to capture every nuance of her instructions.
“The key,” she said, adjusting her reading glasses as she pointed to a color-coded calendar system, “is anticipating his needs before he even realizes he has them. Damien operates three moves ahead of everyone else, so you need to think like a chess master, not a checkers player.”
I nodded enthusiastically, feeling like a student absorbing wisdom from a master. “So the red entries are pack business, blue for corporate meetings, and green for…?”
“Personal time. Though between you and me, he rarely takes it.” Claire’s expression softened with motherly concern. “That boy works himself to the bone.”
We had established a surprisingly good working rhythm over the past few hours. Claire’s decades of experience paired with my fresh perspective created an unexpected synergy. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows bathed everything in a golden glow, and for the first time since arriving at Nightshadow Industries, I felt like maybe -just maybe -I could actually succeed here.
“I need to take a call in the conference room,” Claire announced, glancing at her phone. “You’ll be fine on your own for a few minutes, won’t you?”
“Of course,” I replied, feeling confident enough to flash her a genuine smile. “I’ll just review these notes and start organizing tomorrow’s schedule.”
The moment Claire’s heels clicked away down the marble hallway, the office fell into a peaceful silence. I spread my notes across the pristine desk, marveling at how different this felt from my cramped workspace at my previous job. Here, I had room to think, to breathe, to actually –
*RING!*
The sharp sound of the phone cut through the tranquility like a knife through silk. My heart jumped into my throat as I stared at the sleek black device, its red light blinking insistently.
I took a deep breath, smoothed my skirt, and lifted the receiver with what I hoped was confident grace.
“Nightshadow Industries, CEO’s office. Good afternoon, how may I help you?”
The silence that followed stretched for what felt like an eternity. Then, like thunder rolling across a clear sky, came that voice –
“Ha! It’s you again!”
The low chuckle that followed sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. Why did he sound… almost pleased?
“Yes, Mr. Nightshadow. It’s me again!” I managed to chirp, though my voice came out higher than intended. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m your new assistant, remember? Do you have any new instructions for me?”
I could practically hear him smiling through the phone, and somehow that was even more terrifying than his anger had been. “As a matter of fact, I do have something for you.” His voice dropped to that dangerously smooth tone that made my wolf whimper in my mind. “I’ve decided to move up my weekend return to tomorrow. Change of plans -pack business wrapped up earlier than expected.”
“Oh!” I scrambled for a pen, nearly knocking over my coffee cup in the process. “Of course, sir. What time should I expect you?”
“That’s not all.” There was definitely amusement in his voice now, like a cat playing with a particularly entertaining mouse. “When I arrive tomorrow, I want to host a dinner for all company management personnel. Consider it a… welcome celebration for our new team member.”
The pen froze in my hand. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
“A dinner party, Miss Knight. Tomorrow evening. All fifteen department heads, their spouses if they have them, somewhere elegant but not ostentatious. Wine pairings, dietary accommodations, the works.” He paused, and I could practically hear his smirk. “I expect everything to be arranged perfectly by the time I get there. Make sure to collect everyone’s preferences, coordinate with their schedules, and for the love of the Moon Goddess, don’t screw this up.”
My mouth fell open. I stared at the phone as if it had suddenly sprouted fangs and started hissing at me. “What? Wait, sir, I don’t think organizing elaborate dinner parties is part of my job description! And today is almost over -I’m still familiarizing myself with the work environment, learning people’s names, figuring out where the coffee machine is!”
My voice rose with each word as the sheer impossibility of his request hit me like a freight train. “Your request is completely unreasonable!”
The silence that followed was so complete I wondered if the line had gone dead. Then, in a voice that could have frozen hellfire, he spoke:
“Alphas don’t make unreasonable requests, Miss Knight.” Each word was precisely enunciated, sharp as broken glass. “We make expectations clear and trust our pack to meet them. If you feel you can’t handle the job, you’re welcome to resign at any time. Your predecessor’s desk is still warm.”
The line went dead with a decisive click that felt like a door slamming in my face.
“What?!” I stared at the phone in my hand as if it were a venomous snake. “WHAT?!”
I stood frozen by my desk, the receiver still pressed to my ear, listening to the dial tone while my entire world spun off its axis. On my very first day -my FIRST DAY -my mysterious, terrifying boss was already making my life a living nightmare with what seemed like a completely impossible task.
I felt my eye twitch.
The sound of familiar heels clicking on marble announced Claire’s return. She took one look at my flushed face and disheveled appearance and immediately understood what had happened.
“Oh dear,” she said mildly, setting down her phone with the calm of someone who’d weathered many storms. “He called again, didn’t he?”
“Claire…” I turned to her with what I was sure were slightly wild eyes. “He’s absolutely, completely, utterly insufferable! He wants me to organize some fancy dinner party for tomorrow night -fifteen department heads, spouses, dietary restrictions, wine pairings -and he acts like it’s as simple as ordering a pizza!”
Claire’s lips twitched with what looked suspiciously like suppressed laughter. “Take a breath, dear.”
“And another thing!” I continued, too wound up to stop. “His voice is all smooth and… and SMUG, like he knows exactly how impossible this is and he’s enjoying watching me panic! I bet he’s sitting in his fancy hotel room right now, probably drinking expensive whiskey and laughing about the poor omega who’s about to have a nervous breakdown trying to plan his stupid dinner party!”
I paused to gasp for air, realizing I’d been gesticulating wildly while ranting. “I’m sorry, that was completely unprofessional. I shouldn’t have called him insufferable. Or smug. Even if he is both of those things.”
Claire burst into delighted laughter -not the polite chuckle I’d expected, but full-bodied, genuine amusement that transformed her elegant features.
“Oh, Seraphina,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “You are exactly what this place has been missing.”
I blinked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Backbone, dear. Fire. The last three assistants would have burst into tears and quit via text message by now.” She moved to her desk and began pulling out files with practiced efficiency. “Our Alpha doesn’t want a simpering yes-woman. He wants someone who can think on their feet, handle pressure, and yes -push back when necessary.”
“Push back?” I squeaked. “I think I just committed career suicide!”
“Nonsense. If he wanted to fire you, you’d already be gone. Trust me -I’ve seen it happen.” Claire’s expression grew thoughtful. “Damien is… complicated. He’s been hurt before by people who wanted to use him, so he tests everyone who gets close.”
I stared down at the directory of members, its weight both literal and metaphorical in my hands. “And if I fail?”
“Then you’ll fail having tried your absolute best, which is more than most people can say.” Claire’s voice gentled. “But I don’t think you’re going to fail. Do you know why?”
I shook my head mutely.
“Because you’re already thinking about Mr. Harrison’s shellfish allergy and Ms. Chen’s dietary preferences. You’re not focusing on the impossibility -you’re focusing on the solution.”
For the first time since the phone call, I felt a tiny spark of hope flicker in my chest. “You really think I can do this?”
“I think we can do this,” Claire corrected with a conspiratorial smile. “I didn’t survive forty years in this business by abandoning promising young women to sink or swim alone.”
And so began the most intense three hours of my professional life.
Seraphina’s POV
After what felt like the longest afternoon of my professional life, I finally managed to complete all the arrangements for tomorrow’s dinner party at eight o’clock. My phone had been buzzing incessantly with calls from Ophelia, each message more frantic than the last. She’d already picked up Adrian from school, and according to her increasingly dramatic voicemails, my four-year-old son was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement about his first day, demanding to know when his mommy would be coming home.
When I finally escaped the office building, I found Ophelia leaning against her car in the parking garage, arms crossed and wearing the expression of someone who’d been plotting my lecture for the past hour. Adrian was secured in his car seat in the back, his little face pressed against the window as he waved enthusiastically at me.
“Mommy!” he called out, his voice muffled by the glass but his excitement unmistakable.
My heart melted instantly, washing away the stress of the day like magic. I slipped into the passenger seat and immediately twisted around to face him.
“Hey, my little man! How was your first day at the big kid school?”
“It was AMAZING!” Adrian bounced in his seat as much as his safety harness would allow. “I made three new friends, and the teacher said I was very smart, and we painted pictures of our families, and -“
“Whoa, slow down there, champ,” I laughed, reaching back to ruffle his dark curls. “We’ll talk about everything over dinner, okay? Right now we need to get you some supplies for tomorrow.”
Ophelia started the engine but kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror with barely contained curiosity. “Sera, you look like you’ve been through a war zone. What exactly happened on day one of your fancy new job?”
I let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Ophelia, I think I might need to dust off my resume and start job hunting again.”
Her foot slammed on the brake so hard we all lurched forward. Adrian giggled at the sudden stop, but Ophelia whipped around to stare at me with genuine horror.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply