C3

Rowan Everly POV

"Oh no!" Piper screams as the elevator shakes loud and stops fast.

The elevator gives a big thud. I lose my balance on my feet. My plus-size body falls right forward before I can grab the metal rail. I bump straight into the big man next to me. My forehead rubs against his open shirt collar. He is so close I can smell a little bit of sharp tobacco mixed with a super clean, cold wolf scent.

Piper stands up straight and looks at me with huge eyes. She grabs my arm and pulls me up. "Rowan! Are you okay?"

When I fell, a big, heavy hand reached out fast. It caught me tight right around my waist. His big fingers pressed hard into my skin to hold me steady, and he felt so strong.

"I am fine," I whisper to Piper.

The big Alpha caught me before I hit the floor, but my heart is thumping like crazy. I have never been this close to any male wolf except Grayson. I look up at Alpha Declan. His face is completely blank like stone, but his warm hand is still holding onto my waist.

My skin feels so hot where his palm is touching me. "Alpha Declan..." I say soft, but my words just stop.

It was just an accident because the elevator shook, so I should not be scared, but his hand feels so big.

He does not even look at me for a few seconds. Then he turns his dark eyes down and sees his hand still on my waist. He looks at me for one short moment and pulls his hand back fast. His face goes back to being totally cold.

Nobody in the elevator breathes. It is so quiet. I keep my mouth shut too until the doors slide open on our floor.

We walk out, and Piper looks back at the closed doors with her hand on her chest. "Wow, Rowan! Like I said, a beautiful Alpha like him is only for looking at from far away. My heart would pop out of my chest if I had to work near that cold iceberg every day!"

I give her a small smile, but I cannot stop thinking about his sharp, dark eyes. I shake my head to forget it, and we walk into the Project Den inside the Hawthorne Dominion Hall.

The elevator keeps going up to the top floor. All the other pack men get out fast when it stops.

Garrett Sterling presses the top button, then he looks at Declan and gasps loud. "Oh my gosh, Alpha!"

Declan looks down at his clean white shirt. A pink smudge of my lipstick is right on the front. It looks like a little pink rose blooming on his chest.

"Alpha Declan..." Garrett stutters, looking very worried.

Everyone knows Alpha Declan hates dirt and cannot stand people touching him. No human or wolf is allowed to come close to him, but I just fell right into his chest.

Declan looks at the pink spot. His face does not change. "Go find out what those two girls are doing here in the Dominion Hall."

"What about your dirty shirt, Alpha?" Garrett asks.

Declan does not answer. He just rubs his big thumb over the pink lipstick on his shirt. He looks at his hand with a strange, deep look, then he walks out into the hall.

Garrett just stands there with his mouth open. He remembers how Declan told him to hold the elevator doors open for us earlier. Something big clicks in his brain. Who were those two girls?

This is our very first time showing our drawings to the Hawthorne pack, so I know we still have to fight other packs for the job. After we say hello to Holden Mercer, the project boss, Piper and I drive back to the Ashbourne Alpha Citadel.

But as soon as I drive my white car into our basement garage, a fast black sports car speeds right past me.

It is so close I can see inside. Cassidy Vale is sitting in the front seat wearing a super tight dress. She leans over and gives Grayson a big, wet kiss on his cheek while he drives the car.

The girl with him today is not even Brielle. It is Cassidy. Grayson likes playing with all these different pack girls, but he hates touching his own human wife.

I slam my foot on the brakes hard. The tires make a super loud screeching noise. SCREECH!

Piper jumps in her seat. "Rowan! Are you okay?"

I do not say anything. My face feels completely frozen and white as snow.

Sometimes I think about breaking our marriage bond and leaving, but I am too scared. I loved Grayson for so many years, and I am used to being around him. His mother Autumn always tells me he will wake up one day and love me. Right now, I feel like I am drowning in a big, scary storm at sea, and I am only holding onto a tiny piece of wood.

"I am fine," I tell Piper. "Let us go upstairs."

I know the Hawthorne pack will call me, but I did not think they would call this fast.

Holden Mercer, the project boss, talks to me on the phone line. He sounds very polite. "Miss Everly, Alpha Declan is going to rule over the Silver Creek Pack Territory project himself. He saw your design drawings, and he wants to meet you tonight to talk about the plan."

I freeze. I am so surprised. The Hawthorne pack has a million big projects. Why does the grand Alpha want to look at this one?

"Master Holden," I say, then I stop for a second. "Thank you so much. I will bring the best plans for the Ashbourne pack."

Holden sounds worried that I might say no, so he speaks fast. "You must come, Miss Everly. The Alpha's assistant told me Alpha Declan is free tonight. Do not lose this big chance."

The Silver Creek project is the biggest thing in the whole territory this year. The Ashbourne pack only started doing land work two years ago, so getting this job would make everyone respect us.

"Okay, I will come," I say, and we agree to meet at the grand Ritz Manor tonight.

Piper is busy with her own work, and Cassidy has been missing since lunch time. I tried calling Cassidy's phone, but she did not answer. I give up, grab my big project folder, and drive out to the manor.

Holden is waiting for me by the big doors when I get to the Ritz Manor. He has a huge, bright smile that makes me feel a little bit strange. "Good evening, Miss Everly. Alpha Declan is already waiting inside the private room. Follow me."

"I am sorry I am late," I say, walking fast behind him.

When we get to the door, Holden stops and smiles at me. "Miss Everly, if you have any trouble with this project, just come tell me."

I blink at him because he is being way too nice to a human girl.

He clears his throat. "I saw your drawings, Miss Everly. You are very young, but you have a great talent for design."

He sees that I look confused, so he stops talking and opens the big wood door to let me inside.

I walk into the private room feeling very mixed up. The heavy door shuts loud behind me. CLICK. I turn around and see that Holden stayed outside.

"Sit down," a deep voice says from the dark. It sounds like a big, beautiful cello string vibrating.

I turn around fast.

I did not see him at first, but now I see Alpha Declan sitting all alone at the big table.

He is not wearing his suit coat anymore. His tie is loose, and the sleeves of his white shirt are rolled up high. He looks much softer than he did in the elevator this morning. He holds a cigarette between his long fingers and lights it with a silver lighter. A bright spark flashes, and then his beautiful, sharp face is covered in a thin cloud of gray smoke.

"Alpha Declan, I am sorry I made you wait," I say soft.

I thought there would be a lot of pack workers here. I even practiced all the answers to their hard questions in my head. But it is just Declan.

I give him a polite smile and pull out the chair across from him. The table is full of fancy food, and my stomach starts to feel nervous. Facing this scary Alpha all by myself is very intimidating. His dark eyes look right through me, like he can see my whole soul.

"Alpha Declan, I am Rowan," I say, trying to sound professional. "I run Team A in the Design Den at Ashbourne Holdings. I am in charge of the Silver Creek project, and this is the first drawing I made. Please look at it."

I slide the big paper across the table to him.

Just as I take my hand away, he lifts his head up. He blows a big ring of smoke right into my face.

Cough! Cough! The smoke makes me cough loud. I look up at him, and his pitch-black eyes are staring straight at me. I feel so embarrassed that I slide back into my seat.

Declan looks down at my drawing. His face tells me nothing. After a long, quiet minute, he pushes the paper away to the side of the table.

He tilts his head back, and his sharp jaw looks even more beautiful from below. He looks like a real king wolf.

"I heard you are a married woman, Miss Everly," Declan says suddenly. "Is that true?"