CHAPTER 7

Alpha Blake

I flopped back in my chair after Ryley stormed out. She was a force to be reckoned with. I'd never met anyone pack or not who could resist my command outright. I run the largest, richest pack in the wolf world. Most other packs either fear me or are too foolish not to. Young, naive alphas think they can overstep, and I always win in the end. I'd do anything to protect my pack, including kill. So having this lone wolf challenge me outright made me curious about who she really was. I'd never heard the surname Halliwell before, and that was something I intended to look into.

Not every wolf without a pack becomes a lone wolf most become rogues. So a woman with a child, and no mark? Wolves can only conceive with a fated or marked mate. Which meant she had a fated mate somewhere. So where was he? And why would any wolf abandon his mate and his child?

My jaw was tight, fists clenched, by the time Luca walked into my office.

"Blake, you good?" he asked, taking the seat across from my desk.

"No. Did you get anything out of her son?" I asked.

"Nothing. He said his father was never in the picture. That's the only thing he'd answer. You should call Isaac he should've told you he was sending a wolf," Luca said.

"What did she say to you?" he asked as I reached for my phone.

"That her personal life was none of my business. She fought my command," I told him, and he let out a low whistle.

"Wow."

"Mr. Orion, what can I do for you?" Isaac answered on the third ring.

"First, you can explain why you never mentioned Miss Halliwell was a wolf," I said, putting weight on the word Miss.

"Did you not know?" he asked when I stayed silent.

"I knew," he admitted with a sigh. "My brother-in-law scented her at a company party."

"And it didn't occur to you to warn me before sending another wolf into my territory?"

"I didn't think it was relevant. Her being a wolf doesn't make her any less capable," he said, defensive.

"It matters. Where's the father?" I demanded.

"I don't know. I've never seen her with anyone but her son." I tried to hide the satisfaction that admission gave me.

"How old is she?" I asked that, at least, he could answer.

"Thirty-four," he said, and I did the math without meaning to.

"Blake, I didn't tell you Ryley was a woman because she's had a hard time in this industry. She's brilliant, but when powerful men learn she's not just a pretty face and that she won't take their shit they demand a man instead. Usually she works from the sidelines and lets everyone believe a man named 'Ryley' fixed the problem. She hates it, but she puts up with it for her son's sake. She's one of the hardest-working employees I have."

"I understand. And I shouldn't have assumed she was male. But it doesn't change the fact that I now have a lone wolf on my land." I sighed. And I can't even command her.

"What do you want to do? Send someone else?" he asked, and Gunner growled loud enough that Luca gave me a look. I pressed my lips into a line.

"I'll handle it."

"Yeah, I bet you will," Luca muttered, smirking.

"I want her file."

"I can't afford to lose her, Blake. She's the best I've got, and clients come back specifically for her. I only sent her because you demanded the best."

"File, Isaac."

"Fine. But she can't find out I sent it. If she quits, I'm billing you for every loss."

"And Isaac for the next two months, she works for me. Only me. Understood?" I didn't need her distracted.

"Understood. She won't take another case from me. I'll remind her, though I can't control what she does on her own time. But she's a hard worker I trust her." He blew out a breath.

"I'll be expecting the file," I said, ending the call.

Luca sat across from me, smirking.

"What?" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"You want to tell me the real reason you're not sending her packing?" he teased.

"You heard Isaac. She's good at her job. She already saved this pack almost a million dollars," I said, and he grinned wider.

"She's also easy on the eyes."

"Fuck off," I growled, and he threw his hands up in surrender.

"Just saying," he said, then added, "Better move fast, Alpha. She's a beautiful, unmated wolf in a pack full of unmated males. If I weren't already mated to my fated, I'd let her dominate me." He wiggled his eyebrows, and Gunner growled loud enough that I threw the nearest book at him. Luca bolted from my office, laughing like an absolute menace.

My phone chimed with an email. Isaac had sent Ryley's file. Now it was time to find out what she was really hiding.

"Yes, Alpha," Warrior Aidan answered my mind-link.

"Come to my office.”