4. PERSONAL ASSISTANT

The silence in the office was suffocating. The sound of car horns and the busy road faded into a dull, distant hum, leaving only the sharp tick of the wall clock.

The air between them was thick, heavy with unspoken arguments.

“What are you planning to do now?” Flynn finally broke the silence, his voice cutting through the suffocating quiet.

“I don’t know.” Alaric sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “But one thing is certain. I need her close to me.”

“You can’t be serious right now.” Flynn’s voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “She’s human.”

“How do you plan to explain to the entire pack that their Alpha has a human mate?”

“I can already see how this will go, and it’s not good. Trust me.”

“They will have no choice but to accept her.” Alaric’s voice remained calm, almost unnervingly so. “At the end of the day, she’s my mate. The future Luna of this pack.”

“You know, sometimes I wonder if you’re thinking straight,” Flynn retorted, taking a few steps towards Alaric.

“You really think your parents will accept a human mate? Even if they do, you think they can go against the entire pack of elders?” 

“They have to.” Alaric’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “They’ll have to.”

“Oh—did you forget about Bianca?” Flynn’s expression hardened. “What are you going to tell her? What are you going to tell her family?”

Flynn sighed heavily, “Bianca is going to lose her mind when she finds out.”

Alaric’s expression darkened, “I never promised her anything.”

Maybe not you, but everyone else did,” Flynn replied. “The pack. The elders. Your parents.” He shook his head. “And you didn’t exactly say no either.”

“Well, that’s clearly not my problem.”

“It becomes your problem the moment her father starts asking questions.”

Alaric’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t care what he thinks.”

“That’s because you haven’t considered the political disaster yet. This could escalate far beyond what we’re imagining. Her father even owns shares in this company. Did you forget that?” Flynn asked, his frustration becoming increasingly obvious.

“Look, I understand.” Alaric exhaled slowly. “But there’s hardly anything I can do about it.”

“You don’t understand,” Flynn said, dragging a frustrated hand through his hair.

Alaric’s expression hardened. “No. You don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me,” Flynn said, his laugh dry and humorless. 

“Fine. Let’s say the elders somehow miraculously accept her. Let’s say Bianca doesn’t lose her mind. Let’s say your parents don’t object.” Flynn paused. “What happens when Selene finds out?”

Alaric fell silent. For the first time, the certainty in his chest wavered. He hadn’t considered what would happen when Selene learned the truth. He didn’t know how she would react—or whether she’d look at him with fear once she knew what he really was.

“Exactly,” Flynn continued. “She’s human. She doesn’t know about wolves, packs, or mates. You walk up to her and tell her she’s your mate, and she’ll think you’ve completely lost your mind.” He paused. “Worse, you could scare her away before you even get the chance to know her.”

A muscle ticked in Alaric’s jaw. “She deserves the truth soon. I’m not going to lie to her.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Flynn folded his arms. “But definitely not today.”

“And why not?”

“And you thought today would be a good time for that?” Flynn stared at him. “You just met her.”

Alaric glared at him.

Flynn raised both hands. “What? Am I wrong? You don’t even know anything about her.”

“I know she’s my mate.” Alaric’s voice was quiet, but unwavering.

“That’s not enough.”

For a moment, neither man spoke.

Alaric’s fingers curled slowly into fists at his sides. He knew Flynn was trying to be reasonable, but reason had very little to do with what he was feeling.

Then Alaric quietly said,

“It’s enough for me.”

Flynn stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“That’s at the bottom of the list of names I’ve been called.”

“Oh, I know.” Flynn pointed at him with a grin. “Arrogant. Stubborn. Annoyingly dramatic. I could go on all day.”

Alaric raised an eyebrow at him.

“Dramatic?”

“You fired someone for spilling coffee on a piece of paper.”

“She was clumsy. She wouldn’t have lasted long anyway,” Alaric protested.

“Thanks for proving my point,” Flynn scoffed. 

For the first time since they’d entered the office, the tension eased slightly.

Alaric strode toward his massive, ink-black executive desk. He settled into his chair and pulled the file toward him.

His eyes immediately moved to the name printed across the tab.

SELENE HART

His fingers brushed over the passport photo before lingering on the name printed beneath it.

His mate.

His human mate.

“Oh, this is bad.” Flynn’s voice was flat. He’d noticed the subtle way Alaric’s gaze softened as he stared at her photograph.

Alaric’s face scrunched up in annoyance, “What now?” 

“That look.”

“What look?”

“The look men get when they’ve found the one thing capable of making them weak.”

Alaric ignored him and opened the file.

The first page contained the basics.

Name: Selene Hart.

Age: Twenty-five.

Position: Junior Marketing Manager.

Emergency Contact: Hattie Hart.

His eyes lingered on the last line.

His wolf stirred inside him, the reaction catching even him off guard. He barely knew this woman. They had exchanged exactly zero words, yet something deep inside him already reacted to her as though he’d known her all his life.

Was she happy?

Was she safe?

Was she protected?

Was she being cared for?

The questions came one after another, instinctive and relentless.

His mate.

The words echoed through him, settling into something that felt dangerously close to certainty.

Alaric turned the page and began reviewing Selene’s employee records. The file contained everything from attendance reports and disciplinary records to performance evaluations and recommendations. The further he read, the deeper his frown became.

“What’s wrong?” Flynn asked.

“Nothing.”

“That’s not what your face says.”

Ignoring him, Alaric continued reading.

The reviews were almost identical. Selene consistently delivered excellent results, exceeded expectations, and had received repeated recommendations for promotion from multiple supervisors over the years.

Yet somehow, she had remained a Junior Manager all this time. That didn’t make sense.

Leaning back in his chair, Alaric looked up from the file. Something about the records bothered him. “Who oversees the Marketing Department in this branch?”

“Harris Tucker. Why?”

Interesting.” Alaric’s gaze returned to the file, his expression unreadable.

Without another word, he slid several reports across the desk. “Look at the promotion recommendations.”

Flynn skimmed through them, his expression gradually shifting from curiosity to disbelief.

“Okay, now that’s strange.”

“Exactly. She should’ve been promoted years ago. If nothing else, her salary should have reflected her performance.”

Flynn glanced at the file and let out a low whistle.

“They’ve been underpaying her.”

The realization irritated Alaric far more than it should have.

According to the reports, Selene was one of the strongest employees in the department. Yet somehow, the recognition and rewards she deserved had never reached her.

He didn’t know why the discovery bothered him so much. 

Perhaps it was the fact that she’d been despite clearly earning better. Or perhaps it was the possessive instinct already taking root inside him.

Either way, he didn’t like it.

And he was going to change it.

“Okay, what now?” Flynn sighed, already wary of the look on his friend’s face.

“I’m moving her up here!” Alaric said, a glazed look in his eyes.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake!” Flynn groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“Selene Hart will now officially become my personal assistant.” 

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

🎧 SPEAK UP! Okayyy… what did you think of Alaric’s arrival? 👀🔥

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🔮 PREDICTION: What do you think Alaric wants from Selene? 👀

🎤 RANDOM QUESTION: What’s one thing you absolutely cannot leave the house without? 😂

Thank you for reading! 😍❤️ See you in the next chapter!