Chapter81
I let out a soft sigh.
Alpha Gideon glanced over from the back seat. Catching my listless expression, his brows furrowed slightly.
If he knew the troubles swirling in my head, he’d probably tell me straight up that letting Vanessa run free wasn’t because he couldn’t handle her.
It was temporary-a calculated move to send her straight to her own personal hell.
“Next Wednesday, who’s coming with me?”
Alpha Gideon’s low, smooth voice snapped me out of my brooding.
I tilted my body slightly toward him.
Elliot flicked a glance at the rearview mirror.
I spoke first.
“I’ll stay. Still got a ton to get up to speed on.”
Elliot shrugged.
“Works for me. I’ll go.”
We’d sorted it out, but five minutes later, Alpha Gideon’s cool, casual voice cut through again. “Vivian’s
going.”
He continued, unfazed.
“It’s not a heavy lift this time-just showing up, going through the motions.
Perfect for Vivian, since she’s still getting the hang of the operations.”
I blinked.
Is he saying I’m just a pretty face for show?
And if he’d already decided I was going, why bother asking me and Elliot?
Just give the order and be done with it.
Elliot’s expression stiffened, looking a bit awkward.
He stole a glance in the rearview mirror, his mind flashing back to the strawberry cake from this morning,
Alpha Gideon’s protective vibe at the dinner, and then-like a dam breaking-a flood of overlooked details clicked into place.
Holy crap!
His hands shook, and the car swerved.
Alpha Gideon, who’d been resting his eyes, snapped them open at the jolt.
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< Chapter81
“Elliot, you been drinking?”
“No, no way!” Elliot stammered.
“Just, uh, a rock in the road.”
His eyes darted to the passenger seat, where I sat oblivious.
We got back around one. Alpha Gideon, as usual, headed to the break room for his afternoon nap.
Elliot and I stepped out of his office.
“Elliot, later-”
“I’ll wake Alpha Gideon up,”
Elliot cut in before I could finish.
I paused, then broke into a pleased grin.
“Cool, you got other stuff to handle? Just leave it to me, I’ll take care of it.”
Elliot nodded.
“Sounds good.”
I practically skipped to my office.
Elliot watched me go, a mix of pity in his gaze.
Sure, his theory was a stretch-Alpha Gideon wasn’t that kind of wolf.
But you couldn’t rule out that he might be… lonely.
I had no clue what was running through Elliot’s head.
Over the next week, work went smoothly.
I mapped out the key players in the main pack and its branches, got a solid grip on the major and minor projects they’d been pushing over the past year, and started building rapport with the managers and
higher-ups across departments.
I even took the secretarial team out for lunch a few times, speeding up the bonding process. After all, I relied
on them daily-having a loyal crew was key.
At first, they’d been a bit wary of me, but within days, they were acting like old friends, even dropping off milk
tea at my desk.
Best of all, Elliot hadn’t made me wake Alpha Gideon from his naps.
Morning coffee?
Afternoon tea?
Elliot was always quick to say, “I got it, I got it.”
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Morning departure, back the next afternoon.
The night before, as I packed, Cassie sprawled on my bed, hugging a pillow, chin propped up like a starry-eyed pup.
“Whoa, just you and Alpha Gideon? That’s intense. You gotta seize this chance, girl!”
I tossed a shirt at her face.
“Seize what? I’m going for work.”
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Cassie yanked the shirt off, grinning.
“Work, sure, but you could also… have some fun on the side. Locking your heart doesn’t mean locking up your body. A little physical tune-up’s good for your health-might even make you live longer.”
I burst out laughing.
“What, you think he’s some gigolo at a cowboy club? Toss him ten grand, and he’ll just roll over and let you have your way?”
Cassie’s almond eyes sparkled with mischief as she raised a brow.
“Maybe he’d be… willing.”
I snorted. “Willing to play gigolo?”
Cassie groaned, flopping back onto the bed. Hopeless.
Next Morning
I overslept by fifteen minutes.
I scarfed down a slice of bread and a glass of milk for breakfast, then hauled my luggage to the top floor.
Alpha Gideon was eating breakfast.
I stood nearby, waiting.
A mouthwatering whiff of meat hit my nose.
I glanced at his plate-just bacon?
How was it that fragrant?
When he popped a piece into his mouth, I couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Then I noticed him fork up some salad.
The vibrant green leaves looked so fresh they might’ve been plucked from the ground that morning. The crisp crunch as he bit down was practically seductive-I could only imagine how fresh and delicious it was.
I didn’t realize I was staring at my boss’s lips, swallowing repeatedly, my eyes practically devouring him.
“Vivian,” Alpha Gideon finally said, his voice tinged with unease from my intense gaze. “Why don’t you sit and
eat with me?”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t-wouldn’t want to impose.” But my body betrayed my words, plopping down at the table.
Frank, grinning, set a plate in front of me.
He explained that the bacon was his special recipe, impossible to find anywhere else.
The salad greens came from the Hartley pack’s orchard, picked at six that morning. Even the fruit for the
juice was the freshest available.
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“I need a butler like Frank,” I said, green with envy.
Alpha Gideon, sipping his juice, said casually,
“Dream big, and it’ll happen.”
My mind raced.
Is Alpha Gideon mocking me for daydreaming?
Frank, standing nearby, grinned even wider.
After breakfast, Frank drove us to the airport.
Our destination: the sprawling pack of Ydoria.
Alpha Gideon and I flew into Ydoria’s airport, then hopped in a car headed for the resort pack.
Nestled deep in a valley cradled by towering mountains, the resort was a marvel-a luxurious emerald oasis carved out of a wild, mystical wilderness where few wolves ever roamed.
The total investment topped $23 billion, with Hartley footing sixty percent and William’s Prescott covering the
rest.
I hadn’t visited Ydoria much.
My impression? Stunning views and air so crisp it practically sparkled.
As the car left the bustling heart of the pack behind, the sky opened up, vast and dotted with cotton-candy
clouds.
I gazed out the window, my body relaxing, eyelids growing heavy.
My head tilted toward the glass.
A warm hand gently caught me, guiding my head to rest in a different direction.
The driver’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Time blurred as the car wound its way into the mountains.
I stirred from my nap, my vision filling with dense forests and distant peaks shrouded in mist, like something
out of a fairy tale.
Up close, the woods were thick and lush, tendrils of fog curling through the trees.
It felt like stepping into another world, timeless and surreal.
Gorgeous, I thought, marveling at the scenery.
I shifted my shoulders, settling into a comfier position.
But something felt… off.
What kind of high-end seat was this warm, faintly scented, perfectly firm yet yielding, with just the right
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bounce?
My neck creaked like rusty hinges as I turned my head.
A white dress shirt filled my view.
My eyes flicked upward-a sleek neck, a sharp Adam’s apple.
My heart sank like a stone.
“Sleep well?”
Alpha Gideon’s warm breath brushed my cheek, soft as a feather.
“Uh-huh.”
