Chapter 3

Keyla's POV

I stared at my phone, waiting for the email.

Oakley grabbed my shoulders from behind, leaning in closer. "Has it come yet?"

I let out a sigh. "No, it hasn't." It was two days since I had the interview. We were told that the results would be sent by noon, today. It was already past 2 p.m. and I still hadn't seen anything. I had already lost hope, but Oakley was the opposite.

She sat on the kitchen stool next to me, throwing her hand around my shoulders. "Well, you don't have to worry about it. I'm sure they'll pick you."

"It's not that simple. Besides, I told you I messed up at the interview. I don't think they'll want me."

Oakley pressed on. "Still, Keyla, he is your mate. I'm sure he'll want to have you close by, and then you two can do a little—" She pouted her lips, making weird kissing sounds.

I couldn't help but chuckle. But I knew she was wrong. I closed my eyes, feeling frustrated as I reminisced about what happened that day.

After walking into the interview room, I stood by the door staring at my mate. He was handsome, so handsome I wanted to grab him and hold him forever. He had strong facial features, jet black hair that was neatly styled, and then there were his eyes. They were a deep shade of brown. His gaze was intriguing, like he was piercing through my soul. I kept staring at him. It was like the world had frozen. That was until he spoke up.

"Are you here for the secretary position, or did you come to audition for the role of a mime?" He folded his arms below his chest and leaned back in his seat—his eyes now holding no expression.

"Um... Well, I came—"

He turned to the organizer. "You brought a clown here. Is this some kind of joke to you?"

"I'm... I'm sorry Sir... I didn't know she was like this," the organizer muttered.

I watched how the bold man who spoke to me earlier cowered in fear at the words of my mate. I was both shocked and confused. I could have sworn that when I came in I saw his eyes widen in shock, like he knew that I was his mate. But right at that moment, the man I was staring at was completely different.

"If she isn't ready for the interview, then call the security to take her outside. I don't have time to waste," he said, staring at his watch. All of a sudden, he turned to me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. "Yes... Yes, I am mat—I... mean, Sir," I stuttered. And the rest of the interview went on with me stuttering, staring, and acting weird every single time I caught him looking at me.

Just then, my phone beeped, pulling me back to reality.

"Is it them?!" Oakley asked as she leaned close, staring into my phone.

I opened the notification, and my eyes widened in shock.

"You got it! You got the job!" She yelled, pulling me in for a hug. She noticed my indifference. "Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

I dropped my phone on the kitchen counter. "I don't know if I should be or if I should be wailing in pain."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I... I didn't just get the job, but I got the position of secretary of Knights Group's acting CEO."

Oakley looked confused. "Okay... And?"

I turned to her. "And he is Chase Knight, my mate."

***

One week later

"Taxi!" I screamed at the first one I saw as I left Oakley's house. He pulled over. I opened the door and jumped. "Please take me to Knights Group's Head Headquarters."

He nodded. "Okay, Miss."

I closed my eyes and prayed to the Moon Goddess for us to get to the company soon.

"You seem bothered, Miss," The taxi driver said, staring at me through the rearview mirror.

I sighed. "Yes, I am."

"Is it something you can share? Who knows, it might help with the stress."

I looked out of the window pane, chewing my nails. It was a habit I had started after Mom and Dad died. "Well, I recently just got a job at Knights Group's HQ, and today I'm running late for work— "

"—Wait a minute! Did you just say Knights Group?"

I looked at him. "Yeah. I just did."

He chuckled. "Then you should be bothered. I heard the CEO is a demon. He drags people who mess up and throws them into the gutters like trash."

I swallowed hard as I looked away. Fear had crept in. If the driver thought he had helped, then he was so wrong; he just made things a lot worse.

The moment we got to the company, I paid him and hurried in. I glanced at my watch.

"Shit!" I was two minutes late already. I entered the elevator, hoping to get to the top floor as soon as possible. Just then, I felt an excitement rampaging inside of me, something that happened only when he was there. Fear gripped me.

Suddenly, a hand poked through the elevator doors before it was completely shut. When the doors opened up again, my eyes widened in shock. It was Chase.

Without saying anything, he walked into the elevator and stood next to me.

"Good morning, Sir," I greeted him, but he ignored me.

Though I was freaking out inside of me, I couldn't help but take in that cinnamon smell. He looked handsome as always. My wolf seemed to be sharing in my thoughts and feelings. She kept hopping, screaming the word "mate!" every second. I hated it.

As we got to the top floor, Chase headed straight for his office while I followed from behind. Noticing the pitiful looks that everyone else gave me, my heartbeat fastened. I knew I was in for a whole new level of scolding.

I stopped at my table which was in front of his door, sat down, and started on some work I had left the night before. An hour passed, two hours, then four hours, and I didn't hear a single thing from Chase. A part of me felt happy. For the past few days, he had been treating me like I was nothing to him. Now, I can't help but feel like he cared about our mate bond.

Just then a call came in. "This is Knight's Group Headquarters, how may I help you?" I asked as I answered the phone.

"By coming to my office and making a cup of coffee for me, just the way I like it," Chase said. My heart skipped a beat. "And please, hurry up."

"Yes... Yes, Sir." I stood up and hurried into his office.

Chase was in his chair. He didn't bother making eye contact with me. He just stared at the screen of his tablet. I walked towards the coffee machine to get it started. When I was done, I took the coffee to him. He took a sip out of it and nodded.

"I'll be leaving then, Sir," I said and turned around.

"Hold on," he commanded. I turned to him, but he was still staring at the screen, not glancing at me. "Get me the blue file on the top shelf."

I nodded. "Okay, Sir." I walked towards the shelf and reached for the top layer. It was a lot higher than I thought it was. I stretched my hand, hoping to get to the file, but I couldn't reach it. All of a sudden, that smell hit me, closer than ever.

When I turned around, Chase was right behind me—his brown staring at me. I was intoxicated by his smell. It made me react. It made my whole body react. It made my wolf react, giving her some power. She was about to place her hands around his neck when he took a step backward. That was when I realized what he was doing. He had gotten the file himself.

He looked at me before heading for his table. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes... Yes, Sir," I nodded.

He kept the file on the table. "Are you here to do your job or something else?"

"I'm... I'm here to do my job, Sir," I replied.

"Then why did you resume late today and —" He turned, his eyes glaring at me. "—what makes you think you can touch me?"

My heartbeat fastened. "I never meant to come late, Sir, something happened at home, and I also didn't mean to touch you. I—"

"—Let me guess, your wolf was the one who wanted to?"

My eyes widened in surprise, a smile playing at the corners of my lips. "Yes, Sir. She made me do it. She was the one who—"

"—Do I look stupid to you?" He asked. His eyes had darkened. He walked towards me, closing the gap between us. I took a few steps back, but when I got to the wall, there was nowhere else to retreat to.

He raised my chin, his brown eyes staring into mine. The places his fingers brushed went hot, sending electric waves through my body.

"Listen here, Ms. Scott, I know you feel like I am entitled to you because you are my mate, but get this, I am not, and will never be. So get that stupid thought out of your head. You will come to work early, and you will keep your filthy hands to yourself. To me, you are just an employee, got it?" He growled.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as his words pierced through me like a sharp sword. I was about to say something when the door to the office flew open.

A woman stood by the doorway, looking confused. "Babe, what the heck is going on?!"