It ended up being quite a presentation for Mr. del Conselho. Businesslike and acquainted, I explained to him all the details of this prestigious project that definitely will bring us more wealthy clients with such assignments. His face is expressionless as he fires the questions at me. But I am well prepared, this is not my first project. Both for the company and privately, I prepare many assignments that have all been blockbusters so far. Most disturbing is the way he looks at me with his deep blue eyes. His piercing glances seem to want to see through me, but I stand firm. If he thinks to make me insecure, he has another thing coming. I know my job like no other, ever since college, I've been a math nerd. When I've explained everything and there are no more questions, he nods approvingly. "I'm very impressed with your knowledge, Miss Weiner. Next week I have a meeting with the client, be ready to assist me with that," he declares briefly and turns to his desk, a sig
Calling Home After work, I drive to a protected national forest about twenty kilometers from Conselho Construction Enterprises. I'm so down again, I miss Jasper terribly and can't stop thinking about my mate. It breaks me up to be far from him, sometimes I just want to pack my bags and go back to the safe arms of my buddy. But then I remember the disappointment in the eyes of the pack, the words of my in-laws. Jasper deserves a better woman than me. And now after two years, he must have moved on with his life. He never made an effort to contact me, which proves a lot. I have to hold back. 'We are strong,' runs through my head, the words of Ruth, my sister. I think now is the time to contact her, she must have already graduated and I wonder if she got the scholarship of the pack or if Jasper helped her after all. Arriving at my usual spot, I park my car in a safe place. I walk a short distance into the forest where huts have been built at the edge.
"Alpha."Ruth steps uncertainly into my office. My mate's younger sister. Since Rain left, her attitude toward me has cooled considerably. She used to be excited when she saw me, always jumping around my neck and overwhelming me with compliments. Always ensured me how fortunate she was to have me as her brother-in-law, thanked me for treating her sister so well and bragged about it everywhere she went to anyone who wanted to hear it. But everything has changed now, Ruth is distant and doesn't quite know how to take her attitude. And she declined my help to pay for her studies at a university outside the Storm Forest.I had promised Rain to do that. But Ruth probably didn't consider me a family anymore and rejected my help. "Alpha, I come to ask your permission to leave the pack to study in Human Town," she says, fidgeting with her fingers. With a jerk, my shoulders straighten. "You turned down my help earlier. How are you going to pay for all that now? And will John le
Rain's POV "Ruth!!!"I can't believe my little sister has finally arrived. I have missed her, she is not only my sister but also my best friend. Unlike Rachel, we get along supremely well, we can talk for hours about all kinds of things. Now I close her in my arms after two years. "Oohhh girl, I can't wait until we get home. I hope you will have a good time here," I whisper in her ear. And then I see her mate standing there. "John, welcome. Thank you for being willing to let Ruth fulfill her dreams. You know how much she wants to be the pack doctor. And she has the talent for it," I greet my brother-in-law with a smile. John is the son of the former Gamma. "Thank you, Rain. I do anything for my little mate. And if she wants to study, it's no problem," he promises. We walk to my car and when Ruth catches sight of it, she circles it admiringly. "Waw, sis. Is this yours? Goodness, you must be loaded to be able to afford one of these," she whistles
The days fly by.Every day I watch my little sister blink with happiness. Josh is obviously good to her. She told me she shifted on her eighteenth birthday, and her wolf instantly claimed John as her mate. The young man stood teetering nearby as she shifted, jauntily in front of her, for her wolf to make eye contact with him right away. This confirmed my suspicion that John had known they were mates for some time. That reminds me of my own incompetence, now even at twenty-three, my wolf has not shown up. Deep sigh. Ruth and Josh are moving into their new apartment today.They were delighted with the one a few floors below mine and immediately closed the lease with management for two years. They went furniture shopping and decorated their place themselves and I must admit the result is stunning. As a gift for their first new home, I gave them a coffee maker. Seeing Ruth so happy is the best thing happening to me in a long time. But as the days passed by, th
An incredible warmth washed over me at his words. Jasper had told me these same things when I was only fifteen and he seventeen, long before the mate bond overwhelmed us. And he had kept his word when I was ready to mate, he came to the door of my parent's house to claim me. Only then did I learn that he had already asked my father for my hand when he was only sixteen. On my eighteenth birthday, I did not shift. The whole pack found out, and I locked myself in my bedroom, ashamed and defeated. Jasper had almost broken down the door to come in and comfort me. He took me straight to the packhouse that same night. And then he had promised to make me his top priority, I was his Queen, he had sworn to me. And kept his word. To hear these exact words again now, makes me so emotional. For a moment, I rest my head against Mr. del Castilho's shoulder, longing for the safe and loving feeling my mate had offered me. However, the moment is disturbed by the elevator doors sliding
Ralph and I are growing closer each day.We now officially have a love affair going on and are inseparable. At work, however, we continue to interact formally. Ralph wanted to announce our relationship in a management meeting so there would be less gossip and my place in the company would be clear. But fortunately, I was able to persuade him to wait with that; our relationship is just in the very beginning. As I said before, we are formal in the workplace.But as soon as we can, we steal some kisses or an embrace. The offices are glass-walled, so we usually do a quick make-out in the elevator or hallway to the parking lot. He takes me to dinner several times a week and then we take long walks along the beach. We talked about our lives before we met, our family and our dreams for the future. I told him about Storm Forest, my father, the Beta of the former Alpha, my mother, and my sisters Rachel and Ruth. Also that I had a happy childhood and loved my famil
Alpha Jasper's POV Another Lupercalia Full Moon without my mate.Last year she wasn't here either and this year I'll miss her either. If it were up to me alone, I would be aboard the next plane to her right now. But with a reluctant wolf, that is definitely hard, we fight all day to make the right decision. According to Jax, our mate should come back to us, not the other way around.When she left, we lost face considerably. After I did everything to keep our relationship sound, it was the last I thought she would do to hurt me. Not that I had to put much effort into making her happy, I love Rain, she is my first and only lover. But she didn't trust me enough to share her grievance with me and left me without considering my feelings. That's harsh, I always thought our trust in each other was ironclad.Some pack members reacted with relief over her departure, urging me to reject her as a mate and ban her from the pack. Officially, she is still my mate and a member of Stor