Chapter 4

Nichole stepped out of the kitchen. She carried a cup of black coffee without sugar in her right hand.

​She approached her folding bed with slow steps. The sweet smile she usually reserved for King Industries' most difficult clients was now painted on her face. However, this time, the smile was laced with immense sympathy.

​"Here is your coffee, Mr. King," Nichole said in an incredibly soft and cautious tone. "Black, no sugar, exactly as you usually drink it at the office."

​Samuel accepted the cup. However, instead of drinking it right away, the man narrowed his sharp eyes. His predatory instincts detected that something was wrong.

​The woman in front of him was no longer trembling in fear or screaming hysterically like she had been five minutes ago. Instead, Nichole was looking at him with a gaze of... pity?

​"Why are you looking at me like that?" Samuel demanded in his deep baritone voice, a suspicious tone clearly radiating from every syllable.

​"It's nothing, sir. I just... understand your situation," Nichole replied, her voice lilting softly. "The pressure of leading a multinational company must be very heavy, right? Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

​Samuel's jaw clenched. He placed his coffee cup on the nightstand with a thud loud enough to make Nichole flinch slightly.

​"I will say this one more time so your narrow human brain can understand," Samuel hissed, leaning forward. His aura of dominance radiated once more, filling the cramped apartment room.

​"I am a werewolf. Not just a regular wolf, but an Alpha. And what you did last night was a massive insult and a highly inappropriate act."

​Nichole fell silent for a moment. She stared at her boss's face—handsome and fierce, yet now looking so convincing in his delusion.

​Instead of arguing or panicking again, Nichole actually smiled even wider. An understanding smile she often gave her five-year-old nephew when the boy claimed to be a superhero.

​"Alright, sir. I understand," Nichole said in an incredibly annoying, patronizing tone. She nodded slowly.

​"You are absolutely right. I was very careless. I promise I won't treat an Alpha like that ever again. You are the mightiest male wolf, Mr. King. Of course."

​Silence.

​Samuel lost the last of his patience. He stood up, towering over her once again. The sudden movement caused the blanket wrapped around his waist to part slightly, exposing his muscular thighs, but the man no longer cared about his ridiculous appearance.

​He stepped forward, closing the distance until Nichole had to look up to meet his face. Samuel's dark eyes stared sharply, piercing straight into Nichole's eyes.

​"Whatever is in that head of yours right now, this is not a fictional story, Nichole," Samuel growled in a low, threatening voice. "This is not fiction. And I assure you, I am not crazy at all."

​To prove his words, Samuel decided to take the most extreme measure. Words alone had proven ineffective at penetrating his stubborn secretary's head. He had to show his true form right now.

​With one rough yank, Samuel undid the knot of the blanket at his waist and let the thick fabric drop to the wooden floor.

​"Oh my God!" Nichole let out another stifled scream, reflexively covering her face with both palms.

​Samuel paid absolutely no mind to decency or his secretary's screams. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, summoning the wolf side that dwelled in his blood.

​He prepared to display a transformation both terrifying and mesmerizing; he would show the sound of shifting bones, muscles expanding manifold, pitch-black fur sprouting through pores, and deadly fangs.

​He would make this woman tremble in fear, believe him, and beg for the Alpha's mercy.

​Samuel focused his energy. The muscles in his abdomen, chest, and jaw hardened. He growled, taking a deep breath to trigger his transformation.

​A minute passed and…

​Nothing happened.

​There was no sound of cracking bones. No ferocious roar rattling the windowpanes. The room was only filled with an incredibly awkward silence, punctuated by the sound of dripping water from the coffee maker in the kitchen.

​Feeling that something was odd about the prolonged silence, Nichole slowly peeked through the gaps in her fingers. Her eyes blinked in confusion.

​Mr. Samuel King, the CEO of King Industries who claimed to be the mightiest male wolf, was still standing tall in front of her.

​Completely human. Completely stark naked. And right now, his handsome face looked red and strained hard, looking more like a man struggling with severe constipation than a savage monster ready to pounce.

​Samuel's wolf side—whether due to the shock of being dragged by a queue rope or simply throwing a tantrum—flat-out refused to come out.

​Samuel opened his eyes, then looked down at his own body. His eyes widened in disbelief. No fur. No claws.

​Damn it. Where did that bastard wolf go?! Samuel cursed in a panic inwardly. He tried to bear down once more, pushing his instincts harder, but to no avail. His body remained in plain human form.

​The agonizing silence continued. A cold breeze from the air conditioner in the corner of the room began to blow, making Samuel's bare skin slowly break out in goosebumps.

​Finally, Nichole let out a long sigh.

​Nichole slowly stood up from her position. She leaned down, picked up the blanket from the floor, and with an incredibly cautious and patronizing movement, she wrapped it back around her boss's waist, covering the man's manhood, which now looked very pathetic in Nichole's eyes.

​While tidying up the knot of the blanket, Nichole looked up. She gently patted Samuel's arm, looking at the man with an understanding smile that was a hundred times more annoying than before.

​"It's alright, Mr. King. Don't force it," Nichole whispered in a highly sympathetic tone that felt like a razor blade slicing through Samuel's pride.

​"Sometimes... the wolf is just feeling shy, or tired, and doesn't want to come out. It's completely normal. You just need plenty of rest."

​A vein on Samuel's temple throbbed violently. His face flushed with immense anger and embarrassment. His jaw was clamped shut so tightly that it made a sharp grinding sound.

​His pride as an invincible Alpha had just been trampled, spat upon, and burned to ashes by his own secretary.

​I am going to kill this woman, Samuel thought to himself.