Chapter Two

I swear under my breath at leaving the laundry partially done and took off out the back door to the packhouse. I flew through the open door, narrowly missing someone and took the stairs two at a time, stopping at the third floor and sprinting into my room. Stripping as I made my way into the bathroom and took a quick shower, feeling suspicious of why Orso would want me there. Sure a warrior at an Alpha’s meeting makes sense, but a young she-wolf still in training? That makes no sense.

After the world's fastest shower and a rushed swipe of the towel to get most of the water off my body and so my hair wasn’t sopping. I changed into jeans and a grey shirt before leaving my room and sliding down the banister, my bare feet making little smack sounds on the tile as I hopped off. I ran to the boardroom, accidentally slamming the door open, causing it to slam against the wall and 6 heads to look in my direction. I looked at Orso and Dorin who were both frowning and gave an apologetic shrug as I closed the door behind me and made my way to Orso, taking the pen and legal pad he gave me.

“Now that Kara has finally decided to grace us with her presence, we’ll get started. Kara, sit here and take notes.” Orso instructed from his spot at the head of the table and motioned to the empty seat to his right that was usually reserved for Ava. I nodded and sat down, pen at the ready.

“Not going to introduce us to the she-wolf, Orso? She’s a pretty thing.” One of the men at the table said, giving me a once over with a smirk on his face. I bit back my growl of disgust and glared down at the paper instead of the asshole.

“Who she is doesn’t matter. She’s got a job to do, so let her do it.” Orso barked at the man, looking extremely annoyed as his hands were fisted on the tabletop. The man, to his credit, didn’t look bothered. In fact, he looked smug to have gotten a rise out of Orso.

“How about we get back to what’s important. We’ve all got our packs to get back to.”  A man at the end of the table urged as he leaned back in his chair and stared at everyone at the table. 

With that Orso went on with the meeting and I took relevant notes, making sure I didn’t miss anything. A few times things got pretty heated but thankfully someone more level-headed was always able to get them back on track. The meeting lasted a few hours and was mostly going over pack alliances and new possible threats. Mostly they argued and it was slightly entertaining to see a room full of Alpha’s and Beta’s get all pissy with each other.

At one point an older Alpha, old to the point of complete grey hair, which is rare considering our longevity, called asshole Alpha a limp dick child. Which made me snicker. Immediately the jerk’s eyes were on me and he looked pissed.

"You think something is funny, pup? Huh, do you?” he stood up and growled in a challenge. I looked at Orso who was smirking. He winked at me and I knew then he wasn’t going to punish me if I talked back to an Alpha. I smirked and looked back to the angry man who I learned was named Anders.

“Yes, I do. I think it’s hilarious that you got called a limp dick child. Because as far as I’ve seen, it’s the truth.” I smirked at him as I leaned back in my chair, looking like the picture of ease. In truth, I was ready for an attack. He growled at me and took a step towards me, trying to intimidate me by towering over me. I growled at him in warning, a warning he ignored as he made another move towards me. I tensed, ready for an attack, instead, Orso stood up and moved in front of me to block Anders. I was immediately annoyed, I can fight my own battles.

“Since when do you defend a mouthy pup? Is this the newest one to warm your bed? She sure looks like she has the body for it.”  Anders taunted as his eyes raked over my body lewdly before looking back to Orso with a smirk. Instantly I saw red. I take the mating bond seriously, how dare he insinuate otherwise. I growled and launched myself at him, intent on clawing his eyes out.

Before I could reach him, Orso grabbed me around the middle and held me tight to his chest, tight enough to restrict my air slightly. Damn, he’s stronger than I remember. I snarled at Anders who looked momentarily surprised, before glaring at me and moving the last few steps so he was in front of Orso and me. As soon as he was in front of us, Orso growled low in warning, Dorin standing and moving beside Orso so he could defend his Alpha if need be.

“Enough Anders! I will not stand for you coming into my home and insulting one of my wolves. Apologize to Kara for the insinuation and then get the hell out. This meeting is over.” Orso barked as he glared down at him. Normally I’m never this close to Orso when he is angry, I could feel his Alpha aura pulsing around him and brushing against my skin, like a metaphysical touch. It made me shiver but Orso was the only one to notice as he flexed his grip just slightly so I was a hair closer to him.

Anders scoffed as he stepped back and shook his head. He may be a dick, but apparently, he wasn’t stupid. He knew fighting Orso was suicide. No one has ever won a fight against Orso. He’s ruthless and has a well-deserved reputation as one of the strongest Alpha’s. Orso, his oldest son who I never met and some faraway Alpha called Kane or something. The three of them were the most formidable and ruthless Alpha’s out there.

“I will not apologize to your bed warmer. I’m out of here. Greg lets go.” he motioned to his Beta, who sighed at the outburst, and followed his Alpha out the door.

The other Alpha’s and their Beta’s stood up and started to file out, saying goodbye to Orso and Dorin, all of them saying they will contact him later to finish their conversation. As they all filed out I tried to move away from Orso, his aura still pulsing around him and making my skin tingle, my wolf close to the surface so she could bask in the aura. He kept his grip tight, his arms locked around me so my back was tight to his front.

The last man finally came forward and stopped in front of Orso, his eyebrow raised in curiosity as he watched me struggle in Orso’s grip. He smirked at me slightly as I looked up at him in a huff, finally giving up on trying to escape Orso’s death grip. I was annoyed that my wolf seemed to enjoy the rush and touch of an alpha’s aura, however, the enjoyment wasn’t sexual, more familiar. I suppose as an Alpha’s daughter I grew up feeling that type of aura when my father would help me connect and bond with my wolf. A dull ache formed in my chest as I recalled my deceased father, an ache full of sorrow, but I shoved it away to deal with later. Showing that vulnerability was not something I wanted to do in front of Orso.

“My Alpha will still wish to talk with you, Rolins. This meeting didn’t answer any of his questions.” he said as he buttoned his blazer over his dress shirt. His green eyes raked over me once, a smirk still prevalent on his face. Orso growled at him once, the sensation reverberating through my chest due to our proximity, before replying.

“If your Alpha want’s his questions answered then he should have come instead of sending his Beta to do his job.” Orso growled out, his jaw clenched as he glared at the man. Beta's smirk widened as he ran a hand through his hair as he looked at me, his eyes dancing with something only he understood.

“My Alpha is a busy man, it’s a demanding responsibility to run the largest pack in North America, he asked me to handle this for him. I intend to do just that, however, this meeting did not go accordingly. The focus seemed to be elsewhere since this young she-wolf came into the room.” I looked up at him in surprise before frowning, it was not my fault everyone was on edge in this room. My focus however was on the fact that he said his Alpha ran the largest pack in North America. That must mean his Alpha was Kane of the Bedford pack. Holy crap. If the rumours were any indication then Beta here had to be a strong wolf in his own right.

“This young she-wolf has duties to get back to. Let go… Alpha.” I grit out between my teeth as I tried once more to get out of Orso’s grip. It took all my self-control not to dig my claws into his arm.

I could feel Orso looking down at me and feel the growl reverberate through his chest, into my back, vibrating through me as he laces it with an Alpha command, warning me into submission. I clenched my teeth together, hard enough to hurt, and my entire body tensed as I fought to ignore the command. I was not going to submit to him. Not now, not ever.

I heard a deep masculine chuckle and it surprised me enough that I stopped fighting Orso and looked over at the mysterious Beta who was grinning and looking down at me.

“Well, she certainly is feisty. And able to refuse an Alpha’s command it seems. Is she a warrior? Why do you have her wasting her potential by playing secretary Orso?” he smiled at me before looking at Orso, his green eyes darkening as some of the humour leaked away from him.

“She is not yet 18. She is still going through training as a warrior. Till she’s of age she does not go into the ranks of a full warrior.” Orso explained, his grip on me tightening and his body tensing as the Beta showed interest in me.

“Hmm right. So you have her training and fighting for her position in your pack. What is your standing I wonder?” he mused as his gaze shifted back to me. I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and clenched my jaw once before answering.

“Middle of the pack I suppose. I’m not anybody's meat but nor do I walk around like I own the place. I have to fight to keep my place though.” I answered honestly, I didn’t see a point in lying.

“That’s right, Richmond makes everyone fight for their dinner so to speak. Well, I won’t keep you anymore little she-wolf. Good luck and perhaps I will see you soon.” he smiled at me and held his out for me to shake. I tilted my head to the side and scrutinized him as I shook his large calloused hand. The moment my skin touched his, Orso growled against my back, causing the Beta to smirk. He squeezed my hand before letting go and looking back to Orso and Dorin. “Gentlemen, My Alpha and I will be back soon to finish our conversation.”

With that he turned and left the room, heading out of the building. Dorin followed after him a moment later, leaving me alone in the room with Orso. No sooner did the door close behind Dorin, than Orso moved quickly, not giving me time to react. With a grunt my front was pushed against the table, my chest flush with the cool glass and Orso was pressed firmly on top of me. He held me to the table, his weight and strength not allowing me any movement. He ground his hips firmly into my ass and let me feel how happy he was to be pressed against me, he skimmed his nose along my ear and growled low.

“You are mine. Not anyone else’s. Do you understand that Kara?” his breath was warm against my ear and I shuddered in revulsion as he nipped it gently. His chest reverberated as he mistook my shiver for pleasure.

“I am not yours, Orso. I belong to myself. You have a mate, a bond I take seriously, even if you don’t. I will never be yours.” I state adamantly as I’m pinned under him. I feel his face move and he begins to place soft kisses on my neck, where a mate mark would go. I stay stiff under him, refusing to respond to his latest attempt to sway me. After a moment Orso stands and lifts me to my feet, turning me to face him. He looks at me, his brown eyes becoming darker as he looks over my body.

“You’ll see soon enough. You’re excused for the rest of the day. Go get rest.” he said before turning and walking out of the room. I stared after him, opening my mouth in shock. Orso wasn’t usually one to let go of something, so I knew that he would pick this up eventually.