1

RAYNE

My blood ran cold as my heart rate was tripling every second. An innocent trip to the bathroom to set up for the big meeting instantly turned into a horror movie scene about to happen. 

The muffled sound of a female voice crying out for help from one of the bathroom stalls left me with a lot of questions. 

And I needed to get ready for the big meeting about taking place in the next couple of minutes.

I was scared of uttering a single word as I couldn't help but wonder if whatever was making her scream would come for me. 

Not that I couldn't defend myself, but then I couldn't risk blowing my cover. 

"Screw it..." I muttered under my breath as I walked slowly over to the stall. If someone needed rescue, then it wouldn't take a lot for me. 

"Hello...are you o—" my words got stuck in my throat when I opened the door of the stall only to see two of my employees making sweet love on the toilet seat. 

"What in the world...?" I couldn't believe my eyes. I was expecting more from the employees of the prestigious Kadence Hedge Fund Company. 

The frightened lady quickly descended from her cowgirl position and began pleading while the guy stood up barely looking up at me. The humiliation made him instantly dumb. 

"Please don't tell anyone..." The lady was more vocal with her pleas. The guy remained silent like a statue. "If you do, we are going to get killed."

“Of course you are… the Kades hardly forgive.” I took a deep breath, trying to erase the images of what I had just seen. Humans were really more cheesy than I had expected. 

"Just go..." I sighed, deciding to put them out of their misery at once. By the time I was all alone, I took a long stare at the mirror and let out a short laugh. I hadn't foreseen those side quests coming with my mission as an insider in the Kades' Family's grand hedge fund empire.

My pack, the Ashfords, were probably thinking I was in a high risk situation every single day blending in as a mole in our rival family's company— the Kades. Moments like that made my job seem less like the suicide mission it was. 

As I stared at myself in the mirror of the white themed convenience area, I reminded myself of what it was all about as I put on the special spray that kept the unique scent of my pack hidden. It made me scent like a human to the wolves who worked for the Kades.

But then, it was pointless as I didn't even have a scent to hide. That made me the perfect one for the job. All my life I had been despised by the pack, and that mission looked like my chance to redeem myself for being the weirdo with no scent. Like it had been my fault.

Today was the big day where I would finally be in a meeting with Roman Kade, the Alpha of the Kades, who happened to be the one leading the company. And the one I believed had killed my brother. 

I knew the company was just a camouflage for the real dirty business going on, the same dirty business that killed my brother five years ago. I was sure Roman had been the one behind it as he was named the Ghost of Kade. He did most of the dirty work for his father before becoming Alpha.

"Are you alright?" The voice of Diane, one of my coworkers called me back to the moment. "You seem a bit nervous. Is it about the meeting with Mr. Kade."

"Well, yeah..." And I wasn't lying. I was scared that his Alpha senses would be strong enough to fish me out and end my mission along with my life. "What kind of man is he?"

"He's a pretty simple man. Just be reasonable enough and you'll be good to go." Diane walked up to me and helped me arrange my collar. "You've been amazing in the past two weeks you were here. I'm sure he would be dying to meet our new fascinating employee."

"Sure thing." I nodded as I forced an innocent smile. Diane seemed clueless and had been the closest one to me ever since I got there. She happened to make all the tension disappear in her own special way. 

"Did you run into that slut, Suzy and her boyfriend?" 

"Diane, keep your voice down?" I was disturbed by how those words echoed off the tiles in the room. "Anyone could be hearing us?"

"Fine..." Diane whispered. "Those two are always sneaking around here and it's not cool to have a guy in the ladies room. What if—"

"The meeting will begin soon and I don't want to think so much about all that crap right now. I need to think about how to give an analysis report on how the trading week has been without stammering."

"Like I said, you need to relax. That's all you would have to do in the meeting. It's not like it's a big deal." Diane comforted me, not knowing I was intentionally putting up that shy act to keep my actual personality as hidden as possible. 

"By the way," Diane continued, still whispering out loud. "Roman is kinda cute though. Try not to cream in your skirt while giving your report.”

"Oh come on... let's get going." I waved it off. Nothing she said would make me feel that way for the man who killed my brother. All I wanted was to see him pay up for his deeds.

We headed to the room where the meeting was to happen. It was going to be my first time being in the board room. The board room was only opened when a meeting was to happen and that made it one of the places in the building where I hadn't wired or installed a mini camera. But then, I had quite good coverage everywhere in the building. 

It was quite a long table with six chairs on either side. The seat at the head of the table was a decorated office chair. It looked like it could make anyone seated in it take a nap. 

I was pointed to my seat which was close to the end of the table. In no time, all the seats were filled and the room was full of the scents of Kades. 

Most of the executives were part of the Kades' Family, and I had learned most of their names before I began my mission two weeks ago. It was hard to believe I was in the moment I had spent the past five years of my life training for. 

I began going through the report all over again till suddenly, the room went silent. All the side talk stopped as a new scent filled the entire room. It smelt like musk in a flaming incense of burning coffee, with a pinch of honey. 

Instantly, Lexa, my wolf jumped within me. She was going nuts as I found myself itching to see who had that scent. 

By the time the door opened, I was short of breath as time seemed to slow down. I held on to the last strand of composure I could find within myself.

"Good morning, Mr. Roman Kade..." Everyone in the room, besides me greeted like it had been rehearsed over and over. 

By the time he came fully into view, he stared me down with his cold, icy gaze. 

He tried to speak, but only one shaky stutter came out "M... mate...?"