Chapter 8 #2
“Honestly? It’s a nightmare.” She pulled up her preliminary assessment, pointing to the various connection points she’d mapped.
“The main lodge is running off an ancient server setup and whoever did the wiring either didn’t understand basic networking protocols or was actively trying to create chaos.
I found a router duct-taped to a water pipe in the basement. ”
“Did you really?”
“With actual duct tape. The silver kind.” She couldn’t quite keep the horror from her voice. “The signal from that router serves three separate buildings. It’s a miracle anyone can check email, let alone run coordinated pack communications.”
“Pack communication has traditionally been more… direct,” Irene said. “Wolves rely on scent, sound, physical presence. The digital infrastructure is a relatively recent addition.”
“An addition that needs a complete overhaul if it’s going to actually function.
” She pulled up another window, this one showing a list of required upgrades that seemed to grow longer every time she looked at it.
“Fiber-optic backbone for the main compound, mesh network for the outlying buildings, a proper server room with temperature control and backup power, security protocols that don’t involve password123 as the universal access code. ”
“Not good enough?”
“It needs to be longer. With capitals. And special characters. And maybe a blood oath, if wolves are into that sort of thing.”
Irene laughed suddenly. “I like you, Harper. You don’t bother pretending to be anything other than what you are.”
She wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that, so she defaulted to her standard coping mechanism: more information.
“I’m presenting my initial assessment to the pack leadership this afternoon. Adrian said there’d be a meeting.”
“There will be.” Irene sighed. “A word of caution: the elders will not be receptive to change. Elder Howard in particular views any modernization as a threat to tradition. He’ll challenge you.”
“He already has.” She winced, remembering his attitude at dinner. “I can handle criticism of my work.”
“It won’t be criticism of your work. It will be criticism of your nature.
” Irene met Harper’s gaze steadily. “You’re human.
Female. You have no wolf dominance to command respect.
In their eyes, you’re the lowest possible ranking in their hierarchy—someone to be dismissed.
Unless you’re under someone’s protection. ”
“I don’t need protection.”
“No,” Irene agreed. “But you’ll receive it regardless. Adrian has made his intentions clear to the pack.”
“His intentions?”
“To ensure your safety and comfort during your assignment.” Irene’s smile turned cryptic. “Among other things.”
Before she could pursue that dangerously ambiguous statement, footsteps sounded in the corridor outside.
Firm footsteps accompanied by that scent that her brain had apparently decided to catalogue without her permission—forest and rain and spice with a wild undertone that made her pulse do inconvenient things.
Adrian appeared in the doorway, and the kitchen suddenly felt smaller.
“Irene.” His voice was perfectly neutral, but she caught the subtle shift in his posture, the way his golden-brown eyes moved immediately to her before dragging back to the older female. “You’re here early.”
“I’m precisely on time,” Irene said calmly. “You’re late.”
“I was detained. The patrol found signs of movement along the eastern boundary. Nothing concerning, but worth monitoring.”
“I’ll inform the relevant parties.” Irene rose briskly, straightening her already-immaculate blouse. “Harper and I were just discussing the upcoming presentation. I believe she’s well prepared.”
“Is she?”
The question was directed at Irene, but his gaze had fixed on her with an intensity that made her want to simultaneously squirm away and lean closer. His scent seemed stronger today, more potent, curling through her awareness like smoke.
Five days until the full moon, Irene had said. Adrian tends to become more intense.
“I’m standing right here,” she pointed out. “You could ask me directly.”
His lips curved into a hint of a smile. “Are you well prepared, Ms. Bailey?”
“I’ve documented the current state of your infrastructure, identified critical failure points, and prepared a phased implementation plan that accounts for both budget constraints and pack…
sensitivities.” She straightened her spine, refusing to look away and the air thickened between them. “I’m ready.”
His jaw tightened. For a moment, she thought she saw his nostrils flare, like he was breathing her in.
“Good. The meeting starts in an hour.” He turned to Irene. “You’ll attend as well. Your perspective may be useful in managing the elders.”
“Of course.”
He left without another word, but she could swear she felt his attention linger even after his physical presence had departed. The air in the kitchen seemed to resettle, molecules rearranging themselves in the absence of his particular gravity.
“Well.” Irene’s voice was mild, but her sharp eyes missed nothing. “That was interesting.”
“Was it?”
“He didn’t once look at your documentation. Most Alphas leading technology initiatives would at least pretend interest in the details.” Irene moved towards the door, pausing at the threshold. “Instead, he looked only at you.”
Heat crept up her neck. “He’s probably just… assessing my competence. Making sure I’m not going to embarrass the pack in front of the elders.”
“Probably.” Irene’s smile was entirely too knowing. “One more piece of information. When wolves are interested in something, we watch it. Constantly. Possessively. It’s instinct—we can’t help doing it any more than we can help breathing.”
She was gone before Harper could formulate a response.
Interested. Adrian watched her constantly because he was interested? Not because he was suspicious? Or because he genuinely didn’t trust her and was waiting for her to fail?
The logical answer was the latter. She was a human outsider disrupting his traditional pack with modern technology they didn’t want. Of course he was watching her.
The other possibility—that he watched her for the same reason she felt a jolt of electricity every time their eyes met—was too dangerous to contemplate.
She quickly shoved the thought aside and returned to her laptop. She had a presentation to finalize, elders to convince, and a pack to modernize. She didn’t have time to analyze the behavioral patterns of one infuriating, overwhelming, impossibly distracting Alpha.