LOGINEstherThe office was different the next morning.I noticed it the moment I stepped off the elevator. Heads turning. Quick glances that slid away when I met them. The assistants who'd been politely neutral nodded with something closer to respect.They thought I'd won.The gala. Aaron choosing me as his companion. The story had spread overnight, and the verdict was clear. Esther Hale had beaten Vanessa for the permanent assistant position.Vanessa sat at her desk with a rigid expression and didn't look up when I walked past. I felt the heat of her stare the moment my back was turned.She was wrong. They were all wrong.Aaron arrived at nine sharp. He nodded at Vanessa. "Conference room. Bring the quarterly files."Not me. Her.I sat at my desk in my navy blazer and pressed slacks. Smiled at the colleagues who congratulated me. Accepted a coffee from the coordinator. Said nothing about the fact that my boss had kicked me out of a car last night and given me seven days to do the impossib
EstherI met Aaron's eyes in the rearview mirror.His displeasure filled the car like pressure before a storm. His gaze moved across my reflection, measuring, dissecting, daring me to push back.I should have accepted the order and stayed quiet. The smart move. The survival move.But his demand was impossible, and we both knew it.“With respect, Mr. Blackwood,” I said, keeping my voice level because one of us in this car needed to sound reasonable, “you told Lucian I was just your life assistant. Now you want me to broker an inter-pack medical deal in seven days. That’s not a probation task. That’s insanity.”His eyes didn't move from the window."If the terms are unreasonable, you can resign.""That's not —""Marcus. Stop the car."Marcus looked up at the mirror, clearly debating whether this was one of those moments where pretending not to hear might save everyone some trouble."Alpha —"“Stop. The car.”The car pulled to the curb. The door unlocked with a click. Aaron still wasn't
EstherThe word hung between us like a blade waiting to drop."Back?" Aaron repeated. His voice was quiet. The kind of quiet that preceded storms.My lungs locked. One wrong syllable and everything I'd built would collapse. My identity. My job. My children's safety. Six years of hiding, undone by a man I'd stitched together in a safehouse basement.I smiled. Smooth, professional, airtight."Mr. Vale and I crossed paths in the Yards," I said. "Once or twice. I'm surprised he remembers — I was convinced Mr. Blackwood had fired me at the time."Lucian's gaze lingered on my face. Whatever he was measuring, he kept the result to himself. He turned to Aaron with that polished smile."We met briefly. She left an impression." He tilted his head toward me. "Have you considered working for my pack, Miss Hale? I could use someone with your instincts."My stomach dropped.Aaron's jaw tightened. His body, still close enough that its warmth registered against my bare arm, went rigid."I work for Mr
AaronCeleste's grip found my arm again the moment my assistant stepped away."You left me standing there." She kept her voice low, but the edges were sharp. "For your assistant. A Yards nobody who can't even dress herself without your credit card.""Careful." I didn't look at her. "She's my employee. Not yours. You don't have the authority to fire my people, and if you try again, I'll take it as a breach of our agreement."Celeste's jaw flexed. I could feel the anger coiled behind her composure, hot and unspent. But she was her father's daughter. She knew when to push and when to fold.She folded.Her expression softened. The practiced warmth returned — camera-ready, boardroom-smooth. She adjusted my lapel with the easy intimacy of a woman who'd been doing it for years."Let's not fight over someone who doesn't matter." She slipped her hand into the crook of my arm. "We have people to impress."I let her.Six years ago, I'd refused to trade my freedom for her father's support. Told t
EstherThe foyer went silent.Every face in a ten-foot radius turned toward us. Celeste's mouth opened, then closed. Her expression folded inward, disbelief curdling into something uglier. The smile she'd worn like armor cracked at the seams.I wasn't any steadier. My pulse slammed against my throat. Aaron's arm was still extended, his sleeve sharp and dark under the chandelier light, waiting.He looked at me. Not with warmth. With expectation.I took his arm.My fingers closed over charcoal wool and I felt the muscle beneath. Solid. Warm. The scent hit me next — clean, expensive, and underneath it something older. Something my body remembered before my brain could stop it.We walked in together.The main hall opened around us. Marble floors, crystal chandeliers throwing fractured light across a hundred polished faces. Pack Alphas with mates on their arms. Council members nursing champagne. Everyone pretending they weren't staring.They were staring.I'd spent six years within arm's r
EstherI showed up at Aaron's office at two o'clock sharp.My hair was washed. My makeup was careful. I wore my best suit: navy slacks, a pressed blazer, and the only pair of heels I owned that didn't come from a thrift store.Aaron looked up from his desk. His eyes traveled from my shoes to my collar. Slowly."What are you wearing?"I looked down. Pressed creases. Clean lines. Professional."My work suit." I smoothed the lapel. "It's the most formal thing I own."Something shifted in his expression. Colder.He stood and grabbed his keys. "There's a boutique on Fifth. Pick something appropriate. Quickly."I followed him to the car without a word.*The boutique smelled like gardenias and money. Silk and chiffon lined the walls in neat rows. A woman in a cream blazer greeted Aaron by name.I scanned the racks. My hands found a powder-blue dress on instinct. Fitted bodice. A skirt that fell just below the knee. My favorite color. The kind of dress I used to dream about owning.I took it







