Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Lucas
My wolf is trying to claw his way out of my skin.
Why is she here?
The question screams through my mind as Darius introduces me to the assembled division heads. I maintain the dignified aura expected of the Alpha of Silvercrest Pack, but on the inside, I’m barely holding on.
She’s sitting three seats down from me. I saw her the moment I turned around. Charcoal gray suit, dark hair, eyes that met mine with shock and then…anger.
I made my face blank and pretended she was no one. The hurt that flashed across her face was like a knife to my chest.
Mate. Mate. Mate.
The word pounds through my skull with every heartbeat. My wolf hasn’t shut up since last night, since I felt her hands on my shoulders in that hallway, since her scent wrapped around me like a warm hug and I knew with absolute certainty what she was.
Mine.
I was rude—pushed her, even—and walked away from the most important person I’ll ever meet.
And now, she’s here. In this room. Close enough that I can smell her scent, that same heavenly blend of jasmine and citrus that haunted my dreams last night.
Focus. I need to focus.
Darius is explaining the merger timeline to the assembled department heads. This alliance matters. Silvercrest and Moonvale combining resources could reshape pack dynamics across the entire region.
I’ve been working toward this for two years. I can’t let personal complications derail it. Even if the complication is sitting three seats away, radiating fury in my direction.
“The integration will happen in three phases,” Darius says, pulling up a slide on the screen behind him.
“Phase one is assessment: understanding each pack’s current operations, identifying synergies and potential conflicts.
Phase two is planning: developing the actual integration strategy. Phase three is implementation.”
I nod, forcing myself to look at the screen, at Darius, at anything except her. The division heads around the table are watching carefully, some taking notes, others exchanging glances. They’re evaluating me as much as I’m evaluating them.
I can feel her gaze on me. Burning into the side of my face.
I don’t look.
“For phase one, we’ll have teams embedded in each other’s territories,” Darius continues. “Silvercrest will have observers here at Moonvale, and Moonvale will send a team to Silvercrest. The goal is transparency—no surprises, no hidden problems surfacing after we’ve committed.”
“How long is phase one?” someone asks. A man in his fifties, head of Moonvale’s operations division, based on his nameplate.
“Four weeks on site for the assessment teams,” I answer, grateful for someone else to focus on. Anyone who isn’t her. “Weekly video conferences between leadership to discuss findings. At the end of four weeks, both teams present their assessments, and we decide whether to proceed to phase two.”
I speak normally. No one would guess that every nerve in my body is screaming at me to look at her, to acknowledge what she is to me, to close the distance between us.
“And if the assessment reveals deal breakers?” another division head asks.
“In that case, we won’t proceed,” I say simply. “This only works if it benefits both packs. I’m not interested in a merger that weakens either of us.”
Darius nods. “Agreed. Which is why we’re being thorough up front. On that note, leading the Moonvale assessment team will be our newly appointed chief strategic advisor,” he says, his eyes moving in a direction that makes my stomach drop.
No. There’s no way—
“Sienna, would you stand?” he prompts.
As was my dreaded expectation, it’s her. Three seats down from me. Close enough that if I turned my head at all, I could see her properly instead of just in my peripheral vision.
Sienna. So, that’s her name.
I can’t help the small feeling of pride and respect that blossoms in my chest. She’s the head of her division? She must be very talented to have gotten that position at her age.
Instantly, I squash the thought. This is not a good thing. Of all the positions she could hold, why does it have to be the one that puts her directly in line to work with me?
I don’t turn my head to acknowledge her.
“Sienna will handle our pack relations,” Darius continues. “She’ll be selecting a team of four additional members from various divisions to accompany her for the first week, after which she will spend three weeks at Silvercrest conducting the assessment on her own.”
Four weeks. Four weeks of her in my territory, in my estate house, close enough to—
My wolf surges against my control, and I have to lock every muscle to keep from reacting visibly.
“I trust her judgment completely on team composition,” Darius adds.
My throat is tight. I nod once, not trusting myself to speak.
Sienna sits back down. I can feel the tension radiating off her even from this far away.
“And Silvercrest’s team?” the operations head asks.
“I’m leaving Marcus Rodriguez behind,” I say, keeping my voice professional. “He’s my own chief strategic advisor. He’ll be working with your teams here to assess Moonvale’s security infrastructure and protocols.”
Marcus, sitting across the table from me, nods. He knew this was coming; we discussed it on the drive over this morning.
“Marcus will report directly to me,” I continue. “Weekly updates on his findings, any concerns, any recommendations. Just as Moonvale’s team will report to Darius.”
The meeting continues. We walk through the specifics of what each assessment team will be examining. Security protocols. Financial systems. Pack hierarchy and governance structures. Training programs. Territory management.
I contribute when expected, answering questions about Silvercrest’s operations and explaining our corporate structure, our pack dynamics, our security systems. I’m careful, precise, giving them enough information to understand what they’ll be evaluating without revealing anything we can’t afford to make public yet.
Darius does the same for Moonvale’s operations.
Through it all, I don’t look at her. Don’t acknowledge her presence beyond the bare minimum professionalism requires.
My wolf is furious. Howling. Demanding I stop this charade and claim what’s ours.
I ball my fists under the table and ignore him.
“One concern,” the operations head says. “Four weeks is a long time to have outside observers embedded in our daily operations. How do we ensure sensitive information stays protected?”
“NDAs,” I say immediately. “Everyone on both assessment teams signs comprehensive non-disclosure agreements before they arrive. Violation results in immediate termination of the individual and forfeiture of significant financial penalties.”
“And if the merger doesn’t proceed?” someone else asks.
“The NDAs remain in effect,” Darius answers. “Indefinitely. Whether we merge or not, neither pack shares what they learned about the other’s internal operations.”
All around the table, heads nod in agreement with this plan.
“Any other questions?” Darius asks.
Silence.
“Excellent. Then we’ll break for today. Lucas and I will finalize some scheduling details. Sienna, I’ll need you to join us in my office.”
Panic sets in.
I stand quickly, grabbing my laptop and immediately starting to move toward the door. If I can get to Darius’s office first, establish some physical distance before she arrives…
It’s a coward’s strategy, but I’m fresh out of better options.
The way to the door is blocked, though, as the division heads mill about, gathering their materials and exchanging quiet words with each other. Finally, I’m in the hallway and heading for the elevator.
Darius catches up to me, and I can hear her behind him. Heels clicking against the polished floor, keeping pace easily.
I don’t turn around.
The three of us ride up to Darius’s office in silence. I position myself in a corner as far from her as the small space allows. But her scent fills the elevator, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
I dig my nails into my palms hard enough to draw blood. The pain helps, but only barely.
The elevator doors open, and I’m out first, putting distance between us before my control snaps entirely.
Darius’s office is massive, with dark wood and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. I take a seat across from his desk, deliberately choosing the chair farthest from the door.
Sienna enters a moment later. For a fraction of a second, she hesitates, and I think maybe she’s feeling it, too: this pull, this overwhelming need to be closer.
Then, she walks straight to the other chair and sits down.
She’s close. Too close. I can smell her scent, can hear her breathing, can feel the bond like a rope around my chest, trying to drag me toward her.
I grip the arms of my chair and don’t move.
Darius settles behind his desk and starts pulling up files on his computer. “I wanted to formally introduce you to Alpha Steele, Sienna, since you will be the one representing us at Silvercrest.”
“No.” The word comes out sounding harsh, and both of them turn their heads to stare at me.
Darius’s eyebrows rise. “No?”
I need to recover. Need to sound rational instead of desperate. “I think we should reconsider the personnel assignment.”
“What’s wrong with the personnel assignment?” Darius asks carefully.
Everything. She’s my fated mate, and I can barely breathe when I’m in the same room as her.
“Isn’t she too young?” I say instead, grasping for any excuse that might be reasonable. “I think she’s a bit inexperienced for a project of this magnitude.”
The temperature in the room drops about ten degrees.
Sienna’s tone is ice cold. “I’m twenty-six, and I was just promoted to chief strategic advisor with a solid recommendation from my predecessor. My age and experience are clearly sufficient for Alpha Darius, or he wouldn’t have given me the position.”