22. Rowan
22
Rowan
“ O kay.” Teddy passes the coffees around, waving me over from my position against the wall. “Just us, okay? It’s not fair to ask you to interview when you’re surrounded by alphas.”
Fallon glances up at me shyly, her hair a curtain around her face as I take my tea from Teddy and settle opposite her. “You’re…,”
“A beta.” My smile easy, I take a sip of my tea. “Name’s Rowan.”
“And also part of our pack,” Teddy adds. He flops down beside Fallon. “We’ll do a run-through, but you’ll get the hang of it in no time.”
Fallon curls her hands around her coffee, hunching over it. “Fox is your pack leader?”
I nod. “Fox is the pack leader, and he’s the Chief Operating Officer here, so he manages day-to-day operations across Ink & Quill.”
Slowly, she nods. “And Teddy—,”
“CEO,” he drawls, but his shoulders straighten with pride. “I manage overall company strategy and direction, and Fox answers to me while we’re at work.”
Fallon looks surprised. “That’s… unusual. Isn’t it?”
I roll my eyes affectionately at Teddy. “Teddy is the CEO here, but Fox is our pack leader. So anything that falls under the company ultimately sits with Teddy, and Fox takes the pack issues. It works.”
“Most of the time.” Teddy laughs, his head tilting back. “We butt heads occasionally, but those are my favorite days.”
Fallon’s flushed cheeks deepen when he winks at her. “That… makes sense. I already know Zeke is the CFO. Finance, right? And you, Rowan?”
“He’s a technical wizard,” Teddy says before I can answer. “He should probably be working for the Secret Service or in some shadowy government organization, but I managed to keep him with me instead.”
I grin. “I’m still waiting for someone to notice the SOS message on the roof. So I’m the Chief Technical Officer. All of our technology, our systems, apps, cyber-security runs through me.”
“Each of the five of us has a role at Ink & Quill, and together we make up the Board, so we make major decisions jointly.” Teddy bounces.
I see the moment it registers with Fallon, the way she silently counts in her head. “Wait. There’s five of you?”
Teddy stops using the chair as his personal trampoline and casts me a wide-eyed look. “Uh. Yeah. So you haven’t met Wilder yet, but you will. He’s our CMO – heads up the design, marketing and advertising teams.”
“You’ll like him.” I pitch my voice as reassuring.
“Yup.” Teddy tilts his head with a coy look. “Wilder is crazy good at what he does. Has a real flair for the dramatic .”
I yank out the cushion from behind me and throw it at his head. He ducks, laughing. “What?”
I shake my head, turning back to Fallon’s bemused look and trying to find the words to explain. “So… Wilder is an alpha, like Fox and Zeke. But he struggles with some of his designation. Sometimes it’s hard for him to regulate emotion.”
Fallon glances between us, her brow furrowing at my clumsy explanation. “Okay?”
“He’ll probably explain it to you himself when you meet.” I glare at Teddy again, but he looks unrepentant.
“She needs to know,” he points out, and he even manages to make it sound reasonable. “Wilder is a sweetheart, Fallon. Sometimes he gets a bit caveman , and he can’t always control it. Nothing for you to worry about, but you should be aware.”
“Feral,” she says softly, and we both stiffen. “He… is that what it is? He has feral tendencies?”
I nod. And worry for my packmate has my brow knotting. “Is that… does that make a difference? He’s well-respected here.”
Not that it matters now. She’s Wilder’s scent-match.
But he deserves to have a mate who isn’t scared of him, who isn’t dragged into wanting him purely because of a bond.
If Fallon is scared of him, it’s going to be much harder for both of them.
When Fallon shakes her head, both of us relax. “He can’t help it, right? I’ve never seen a feral alpha, but I’ve read up about it before.”
Teddy gives me a smug look, but I ignore it.
I don’t need to say anything. Fox will pin him down and spank him before the end of the day – both for shutting him out and for discussing Wilder.
But I can’t stop the thread of relief.
At least she knows now. Whatever happens when they meet, it hopefully won’t be such a shock.
Teddy claps his hands.
“So,” he says brightly. “We should probably discuss the actual job. It’s yours if you want it, Fallon, but we need to iron out the details. Basically, you’ll be my right hand – diary management, appointments, some admin. And the same for the rest of the pack. We’ll start out light, and the role will grow as you become more comfortable with us.”
Fallon’s eyes grow wide. “You’re just… giving it to me? The job, I mean?”
“Sure.” Teddy shrugs. “I’m a good judge of character, Fallon. I think you’re nice and you’ll work hard, and that’s all I really need. Obviously, we’ll talk about your experience, salary expectations, working hours, et cetera. I know you have set hours you need to start and finish by. But… how does that sound so far?”
We both wait. I’m holding my breath as Fallon’s face flickers with something indecipherable.
I don’t think any of us considered what would happen if she didn’t want the job.
Even Teddy is holding his breath as he watches her.
Fallon stares down into her half-empty drink. And she almost looks… guilty.
“Yes,” she breathes finally. She looks up at us and any hint of whatever worried her is gone, her eyes shining. “I would like the job. Please.”