Page 13 of Wolf Promise

Bolt would do whatever his alpha and his pack required him to do. Even if it meant sucking it up and getting his bonkers wolf to follow orders.

Or at least appearing to behave.

CHAPTER 7

Regie pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to tune back into her assistant’s monologue.

Payel rattled off another long list of action items for the week. Without missing a beat, she recrossed her legs and straightened the crease on the front of her grey linen pants. She'd paired them with a white, loose button-down shirt, over which she wore a darker grey long vest. The outfit would have looked unshapely and dowdy on anyone else, but with Payel's olive skin tone, her jet-black bob with full bangs, her startling violet eyes, and most of all, her endless amount of energy, it somehow came across as chic.

"And then, on Friday, there is the women's shelter benefit," Payel said at the end of her litany of things Regie needed to deal with.

"Oh, crap. I'd forgotten about that." Normally, she loved the busyness of her professional life. Well, maybe not the public appearances. She hadn't had to deal with this many of those before the IPO announcement. But she loved the day-to-day details, as well as planning long-term strategies for Lofn Wellness.

It also distracted her from not having a personal life. She much preferred a fulfilled professional career to having a ton of friends, anyway. The people she worked with were the best in the business, and they made challenges fun to take on and the resulting victories fun to celebrate.

But today, she felt so tired.

Maybe it had to do with the ongoing stress of knowing that someone out there wanted her dead. Or, actually, maybe someone in the company. She refused to think that a colleague would be this cruel, though.

She couldn’t wrap her mind around the betrayal of one of her employees hating her so much that they wanted to kill her.

Or maybe the fact that sleeping in an apartment under surveillance turned out to be impossible. Even though she knew the camera didn’t watch her bedroom, she had turned and tossed all night.

Or maybe the man—the very hot man—sleeping in her guest bedroom made it impossible to get any rest.

Either way, she was exhausted.

And she felt guilty for not telling her assistant about the email threats. Normally, they shared everything that had to do with the business.

The creepy messages had been sent to an address that went directly to Regie without going through her assistant’s account. And now Heimdall Shields—and her grandfather—had ordered her not to show them to anyone.

Of course, she didn’t suspect Payel. They’d worked together for years, and she trusted the younger woman implicitly.

"Do you want me to cancel?" Payel frowned, an unusual expression on her face. She was one of the most positive and perky people Regie had met.

"I would love it if I didn't have to go." Regie smiled at the assistant. "But grandfather insists we make an appearance. The board thinks favorable media coverage will be good for the IPO." She widened her smile, but it took some effort. "Plus, the benefit raises money for a good cause."

Payel put down the stylus by which she had been writing on her tablet. "Yes, but if you're tired or not feeling well, you can send them a check without spending the whole evening listening to speeches."

Regie nodded. "I could. But I'm also going publicly to announce that I am...engaged." The word felt foreign in her mouth, even wrong. Not because she didn’t discuss personal things with her assistant. They often shared what went on in their lives outside of the office. Well, they discussed Payel’s personal stuff. Regie usually didn’t have much to contribute during those talks. Until now.

"What?" Payel straightened so quickly that the tablet and stylus slid to the ground. "Since when? And to whom?" She looked pointedly at Regie's left ring finger.

She felt horrible for lying to the one person who was probably closest to a personal friend. "Ah yes, the ring is getting resized." Mr. Varg had taken her measurements the night before and promised to have a ring for her today. Maybe she should have waited to tell anyone until after the jewelry adorned her finger. But then it would have been weird that she and Payel discussed the benefit just now, and Regie didn't say anything about introducing her new relationship.

"Why haven't you said anything? I didn't even know you were dating anyone." A bit of hurt crept into Payel’s voice.

“I haven’t actually known him very long, and the proposal came as a bit of a surprise.” She hated that things had gotten complicated. Regie usually made confident, quick decisions. This whole stalker and fake fiancé situation had her second-guessing herself continuously. She didn't like it.

Payel’s voice softened. “But when he asked, it felt right?” Her eyes sparkled.

Regie had memorized the narrative that Heimdall Shield had prepared. “He’s been working overseas for a long time. I met him during a trip last year, but we kept our long-distance relationship a secret. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you, but I didn’t want to jinx it. And his job is somewhat sensitive. He can’t really talk about it.”

Payel sighed. “That sounds so romantic. And forget about not telling me. I understand. Long-distance relationships are hard to make work during any circumstances. When both partners have demanding jobs, it’s even harder.”

Regina nodded, grateful for her assistant’s understanding, but also feeling guilty for lying to her. “He’s going to be stateside now, so he proposed.” She might have said all the backstory a little too quickly, and maybe it sounded a little rehearsed. Her assistant didn’t seem to notice, though.

Payel stood and paced the office. "This is so exciting. We need a press release. We need an engagement party." She suddenly swiveled around and faced Regie, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "What about your dress for the benefit? What are you wearing? You're going to be photographed like crazy once this hits the media." She squatted and retrieved her tablet and stylus from the floor. "Never mind, I'll get your favorite designers to send things over and get you an appointment for makeup and a blowout."

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