Chapter 10

Draven's POV

When I stopped at the door and looked at the woman leaning over the filing cabinet with her back to the door, my wolf Alaric immediately perked up.

My eyes went straight to those legs and landed on that sexy pair of shoes. And what shoes! Those heels were killer. I should have banned them from the office before some poor wolf lost control. Then I heard Ryan's appreciative whistle. She stood up immediately, and I could see she had a stunning figure. Her waist-length blonde hair was partially tied back and gleamed beautifully in the office light. Of course Ryan started drooling over her right away—he's an incorrigible ladies' man, even for a Beta. I shot him a stern look, which only made his smile wider when he noticed my displeasure.

But when that woman turned around, Ryan's eyes grew even bigger. She was incredibly beautiful, with bright, strikingly green eyes that reminded me of a forest during the spring moon. Alaric growled possessively. I just wanted to get my Beta out of there immediately and forbid him from even looking at her. She was definitely my new assistant, and there was no way I was going to let Ryan work his charm on her. But of course, he didn't care about my look of disapproval. He knew exactly what was going through my mind and stepped forward as if to provoke both me and Alaric.

She was friendly and professional, and when I moved closer to shake her extended hand, I tried to catch her scent but found nothing. Then I remembered Clara mentioning she was a scentless wolf. A pity, really. I couldn't help but think how captivating she would be with a sweet scent to match her beauty. She would drive more wolves wild.

Still, I felt an electric current pulse through my entire body when our skin connected. She scrambled all my senses; I needed to get away from her presence immediately before Alaric decided to make his dominance known.

I quickly called Ryan into my office, and as soon as we entered, he barely closed the door before starting. "Alpha Draven, are you really going to be able to work with that goddess? Where did you find this woman? She's amazing! I think I want to switch assistants. I'll send Kyle to you and take Caroline to my office."

As Beta, Ryan held the position of Vice President in the company and assisted me with pack matters. He maintained his own office and personal assistant within the corporate structure.

We grew up together, and as my best friend and loyal Beta, he knew me better than anyone else. He was also the only person who dared to push my buttons.

I looked at him with obvious ferocity, my eyes briefly flashing their wolf violet. Ryan knew exactly how my new assistant's beauty had affected me. And of course, he already knew to stay away from her and was just provoking me, but it wouldn't hurt to reinforce it with some Alpha command.

"Ryan, don't even start! I don't want you hitting on her. She's my assistant, and I don't want any complications here in the office."

"Ah, Alpha Draven, give me one good reason why I shouldn't approach that knockout. Is she your mate? Did you catch a binding scent?" Ryan asked with curiosity.

"Simply because I don't want you to!" I spoke like a stubborn Alpha who didn't want to share his territory. My cedarwood and musky scent thickened in the room with my possessiveness.

"And are you thinking of breaking your own rule about not getting involved with your employees? Because you've never stressed about me dating any pack member before," Ryan said with a teasing smirk on his face, completely unfazed by my display of dominance.

"No, Ryan, I'm not going to get involved with Miss Bennett. But she's my assistant, trained by Clara, who's going to London. I don't want to lose the employee and have to search for and train another one myself." I spoke as if it were purely a matter of professional interest, but even I didn't believe that.

Ryan had already noticed how much my assistant had impressed me and was looking at me with that smile.

Suddenly, we heard a commotion in the anteroom. This kind of disturbance was unusual in my territory. My office was a sanctuary, and I didn't tolerate any chaos that might threaten pack stability. The confusion and chatter on the other side of the door were something new.

Then I heard Caroline's voice.

"Miss, I apologize, but you need to be announced. I cannot allow you to enter without Mr. Thorne's authorization."

"And who do you think you are to stop me or tell me what to do, you little employee? Do you even know who my father is in this pack?"

I heard that irritatingly shrill voice and recognized it immediately. It was Ella Howard, Gerald Howard's daughter. Her father was my financial director and one of the pack elders. What an unbearable she-wolf! She had become fixated on me, wanting to make me her mate, and I needed to end it—but didn't know how without causing a rift with her father. Until I could figure out how to get this persistent wolf off my trail, I had to keep avoiding unpleasant situations like this one.

"Listen here, you little nobody. Move now, or I'll have you howling at the border like some Omega beggar, scraping for scraps."

That made my blood boil, and Alaric roared inside me. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and looked at Ryan, who seemed to be enjoying my misfortune.

I opened the door without looking, took a step out, and bumped into my assistant's back, pushing her forward. My wolf's reflexes kicked in instantly.

I quickly caught her by the waist and pulled her against my chest to prevent her from hitting the floor because of my carelessness.

I felt her body pressed against mine, and an unexpected electric current surged between us. As she shivered in my arms, that peculiar sensation stirred something in my memory, reminding me of a passionate night years ago that had driven me wild. I closed my eyes to try to detect her scent, but found nothing.

But I was in big trouble, sporting a massive erection just from hugging my assistant.