CHAPTER 3

LILA'S POV

"So let me get this straight," Brooke says, sliding a plate of fries across the table to me. "You caught your boyfriend balls-deep in another woman, left him, went to your brother's place, ran into a hot stranger, had mind-blowing sex with said stranger, and then found out he's Liam's childhood best friend?"

I grab a fry and shove it in my mouth, nodding miserably. "That pretty much sums up my life right now."

Brooke lets out a low whistle. 

She's been my best friend since college, and right now, she's supposed to be working.

We're sitting in the back corner of Nocturne's, one of the pack's restaurant where she waitresses, but she's been listening to my disaster of a life story for the past twenty minutes instead.

"Lila, that's..." She pauses, searching for the right word. "That's monumentally fucked up."

"Tell me about it." I steal another fry. "And the worst part? My wolf won't shut up about him. She keeps insisting he's our mate, which is just… I can't even think about that right now."

"Your mate?" Brooke's eyes widen. "Oh shit, Lila. That's huge."

"It's a disaster is what it is." I drop my head onto the table with a thunk. "I can't be mated to Liam's best friend. Do you know how awkward that would make everything? Liam would probably disown me."

"Liam loves you. He wouldn't disown you."

"You don't know how he gets, Brooke. He might murder Wade if he finds out we had sex. And me. Mostly Wade, but still."

Brooke reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "For what it's worth, at least you're finally over Connor. That cheating asshole didn't deserve you anyway."

Connor. 

Right. 

My ex-boyfriend who I'd lived with for two years, who I'd been planning to surprise with my good news before I walked in on him fucking Amber.

The same Amber from my high school who somehow wormed her way back into my life through mutual friends. With her fake laugh and her too-tight everything. 

I should have seen it coming, honestly. The way she always found excuses to text Connor, the way she'd show up at our apartment uninvited.

Goddess, how could I be so stupid.

"I was going to tell him about the job," I say quietly. "I finally got that secretary position at Meridian Enterprises. Good pay, benefits, actual career growth potential. And I was going to celebrate with him, and instead I found him with his dick in Amber."

"Amber from highschool? The one with the annoying chihuahua?"

"That's the one."

"Ugh." Brooke makes a disgusted face. "You definitely upgraded with the hot stranger. Wade, right?"

Just hearing his name makes my stomach flutter and my wolf perk up with interest. "Yeah. Wade."

"And you're sure you can't just... I don't know... date him anyway? Liam would get over it eventually."

"I barely know him, Brooke. And what I do know is that he's dominant, stern, and has the emotional availability of a rock. Plus, there's the whole 'he's my brother's best friend' thing, which makes it completely off-limits."

"But the sex was good?"

"The sex was…" I close my eyes, remembering. "It was incredible. Like, I've never felt anything like that before. He had me on my knees, then pressed against the wall, and he was so commanding, so in control, so…"

"Okay, okay, I don't need all the details,” Brooke covers her ears, then lowers her hands. “But I get it. Good dick is hard to find."

"Great dick," I correct. "And now I can never have it again because my life is a cosmic joke."

My phone buzzes with a text, and I glance down to see it's from Liam.

‘Liam:’ You doing okay? You left early with my car. Want to talk about it?

‘Me:’ I'm fine. At Nocturne's with Brooke. We'll talk later.

‘Liam:’ Okay. Love you, little sis.

‘Me:’ Love you too.

I set my phone down and look at Brooke. "Liam wants to talk about it."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"I have no idea. The truth seems like a terrible option."

"Lying also seems like a terrible option."

"Everything seems like a terrible option." I check the time on my phone and curse. "Shit. I have to go. First day at Meridian starts in an hour, and with traffic, I'm going to be cutting it close."

"Go, go!" Brooke shoos me away. "And text me later. I want to hear all about the new job."

"Will do." I grab my purse and stand. "Thanks for listening to my mess of a life."

"That's what best friends are for." She grins. "Now go be a badass secretary."

I leave Nocturne's and head to Liam's car, trying to psyche myself up for my first day. New job, new start. I can do this. I can definitely do this.

Except traffic has other plans.

I sit in bumper-to-bumper hell for forty-five minutes, watching the clock tick closer and closer to my start time, and by the time I finally pull into the parking garage at Meridian Enterprises, I'm fifteen minutes late and sweating through my carefully chosen blouse.

Perfect. Just perfect.

I rush through the lobby, all glass and chrome and expensive-looking art, and find the elevators. 

The receptionist had told me during my interview to go to the fifteenth floor and ask for Richard Chen, the office manager who would be showing me around.

The elevator ride feels like it takes forever, and when the doors finally open, I practically sprint down the hallway looking for Richard's office.

"Miss Reeves." A sharp voice calls my last name, and I turn to find a tall man in his forties with steel-gray hair and an expression that could freeze hell. "You're late."

This must be him.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Chen. Traffic was…"

"Traffic is not an excuse," he interrupts, his tone cold. "Everyone in this city deals with traffic. Successful people plan accordingly and arrive on time. Do you consider yourself a punctual person, Miss Reeves?"

I swallow hard. "Yes, sir."

"Then I suggest you start acting like one." He checks his watch with obvious disapproval. "You were supposed to be here at nine o'clock sharp. It is now nine-seventeen. That's seventeen minutes of the CEO's time you've wasted."

CEO? My stomach drops. I thought I'd be meeting with a department head or something, not the actual CEO on my first day.

"I'm truly sorry," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "It won't happen again."

"It certainly won't." Richard starts walking, and I have to practically jog to keep up with his long strides. "The CEO values punctuality above almost everything else. He's an Alpha, Miss Reeves, which means he expects excellence from everyone who works for him. Especially his personal secretary."

Wait. His personal secretary? I thought I was just a secretary in the operations department.

"I... I didn't realize I'd be working directly for the CEO," I admit.

Richard shoots me a look that clearly says he thinks I'm an idiot. "Did you not read your employment contract? It explicitly states you'll be serving as executive secretary to the CEO of Meridian Enterprises."

Before I can respond, Richard stops in front of a massive door made of dark wood with a gold design. 

"Here we are.” He says. “Try to make a good first impression, despite being late."

He knocks once, sharp and efficient.

"Come in," a deep voice calls out, and my blood runs cold.

Richard opens the door, and there, sitting behind a huge desk in an expensive charcoal suit that probably costs more than my rent, looking every inch the powerful Alpha CEO, is Wade.

The same Wade who had me on my knees yesterday. 

The same Wade whose cock was inside me. 

The same Wade who's my brother's childhood best friend.

His eyes lock on mine, and I watch the recognition hit him. 

For a split second, his carefully controlled expression cracks, and I see shock flash across his features. 

But then, just as quickly, his neutral and professional mask falls back into place.

"Sir," Mr. Richard says, oblivious to the fact that the air in this room just became unbreathable, "this is Lila Reeves. Your new secretary."

I'm completely and utterly fucked.