Chapter 13: Chapter 13
"I thought so." Harold’s voice was soft, dangerous. "Allow me to explain something to you, Miss Turner. This pack has controlled this territory for fifty years. We built this company from nothing, created jobs for our people, and protected our own. We don’t take kindly to outsiders who threaten that stability."
"I’m not threatening anything," I said, my voice barely steady.
"Aren’t you?" Harold stood, moving to the window again. "My son is the heir to everything we’ve built. His mate will be the next Luna of the Shadow Ridge Pack. That’s not a position we take lightly."
Luna. The word made my wolf perk up with interest, even as my human brain recoiled in horror.
"I’m not—"
"You’re not what, Miss Turner? Not interested in my son? Not planning to use whatever attraction exists between you to advance your position." He turned back to me. "Because I can smell the mate bond on you. Faint, but there. And that makes you very dangerous."
My heart hammered against my ribs. He knew. He knew about the mate bond, about the connection I’d been trying to ignore.
"I just want to work," I said desperately. "I need this job."
"I’m sure you do." Harold’s smile was cold. "But you see, Miss Turner, we have a problem. My son is promised to another. Has been since he was eighteen. A political alliance that will strengthen both our packs."
Vanessa. He was talking about Vanessa.
"I understand," I said, though the words tasted like ash.
"Do you?" He moved closer again, his presence overwhelming. "Because if you truly understood, you would know that interfering with those arrangements would be... unwise."
The threat hung in the air between us like a blade. I could feel my wolf cowering, every instinct screaming at me to submit, to promise I’d stay away from Christian, to do whatever it took to appease the Alpha standing in front of me.
But I’d never been good at backing down from a fight.
"I’m not interfering with anything," I said, lifting my chin. "I’m just trying to do my job."
"Your job." Harold’s laugh was harsh. "Miss Turner, your job is whatever I say it is. This is my territory, my pack, my rules. And if I decide you’re a threat to my son’s future, to the stability of Shadow Ridge Pack..."
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
The door opened, and Victoria Blackwood stepped in, her pale eyes taking in the scene with calculating intelligence.
"Harold," she said, her voice carefully neutral. "I wasn’t expecting you."
"Victoria." Harold’s demeanor shifted, becoming more professional. "I was just getting acquainted with our new employee."
"I see." Victoria’s gaze flicked to me, noting my tense posture and pale complexion. "How lovely."
"Miss Turner was just telling me about her background," Harold continued. "Weren’t you, Miss Turner?"
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent." Harold moved toward the door. "Well, I should let you get back to your work. I’m sure you have a lot to learn about how we do things here."
He paused at the door, looking back at me one last time.
"Miss Turner? A word of advice. In a pack, loyalty is everything. Betrayal..." He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Well, let’s just say it doesn’t end well."
And then he was gone, leaving me alone with Victoria and the lingering scent of cedar and threat.
"Well," Victoria said, settling behind her desk. "That was illuminating."
"I should get back to work," I said, starting to stand.
"Sit." The command in her voice was softer than Harold’s, but no less effective. "We need to talk."
I sank back into the chair, my legs suddenly unsteady.
"You’re in over your head," Victoria said bluntly. "Do you understand that?"
"I’m beginning to."
"Harold Knight is not a man to cross. Shadow Ridge Pack is not a pack to underestimate. And Christian..." She paused, studying me. "Christian is not free to choose his own path."
"I know."
"Do you?" She leaned forward, her pale eyes intense. "Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’ve walked into a situation that could get you killed."
The words hit me like ice water. "Killed?"
"Miss Turner, you’re a lone wolf who’s caught the attention of an Alpha heir. You’re carrying mate bond scents that threaten a political alliance years in the making. You’re standing in the middle of pack politics that have been generations in the planning." Victoria’s voice was matter-of-fact. "What did you think would happen?"
I stared at her, the full weight of my situation finally crashing down on me. I wasn’t just an employee here. I was a threat. A complication. A problem that needed to be solved.
"What do I do?" I whispered.
"You have two choices," Victoria said. "Run. Tonight. Get as far away from this territory as possible and never look back."
"And the other choice?"
