Page 4 of Wolf Promise

Inwardly, he sighed and exchanged a look with his Alpha. It wasn't the first time a client facing death threats preferred to deny the threat level.

At least her grandfather understood. It was the older guy who'd called Heimdall Shield. That much Bolt had snapped up as he’d skimmed the case file on their ride over from the Pack House in Marine.

His wolf snored loudly inside him, and Arek looked at him sharply.

Bolt shrugged. He couldn’t do much about his inner beast wanting sleep.

The animal and human spirits were two different parts of himself—controlled by the human, mainly. But sometimes, his wolf got a little stubborn about what it preferred to do. Besides, this case seemed pretty straightforward. Later, he’d read the entire write-up of information that the Heimdall team had gathered, but he knew how to handle a standard stalker, even when it had escalated to threats.

Of course, a high-profile client always made it trickier since their media coverage made them recognizable, and they attracted attention wherever they went. A corporate client wouldn’t be as much of a hassle as a celebrity, though. Bolt hated bodyguarding celebrities. Most of them craved attention and refused to cancel public appearances despite the danger they faced from some obsessed fans.

"Regina," Tore Lansford engulfed his granddaughter's hand with his. "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. Ease my worry."

The old guy played the emotional manipulation card well. What would it have been like for Regina to grow up not only surrounded by wealth but also by a family who cared about her?

Bolt ignored the stab of slight envy that accompanied the question in his mind. He might not know who his parents were, but he had a family. His pack was his family, even if they weren't blood-related. And he again refused to think about his one true family member. That wound never seemed to heal, but he tried not to let it fester, at least.

Instead, he turned his thoughts to who the ice princess’s stalker could be. A disgruntled employee? A spurned lover?

His wolf growled low at the thought of Regina having lovers.

That was new.

Arek shot him another frown, which Bolt ignored.

It didn’t matter who stalked the beautiful Regina Landsford. The Heimdall Shield team would figure it out. They always did.

The woman in question sighed. "Grandfather, I know you think you’re doing what’s best for me, but this is going too far, even for you. There is no way I can do my job if I have to be under surveillance twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week." For the first time during this meeting, her face lost its composure, and frustration furrowed her brow.

"It's not just about you," Tore said. "As the CEO of Lofn Wellness, you also need to think about your board. Our board." He patted her hand, but she pulled it away, a flash of hurt flickering so quickly in her eyes that Bolt wouldn’t have caught it unless he’d been watching her closely. He doubted anyone else had noticed.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice rose. Clearly, this was a sore enough point if even the ice princess couldn’t keep her emotions in check.

Tore turned and faced her directly. "Any threat to you is a security risk to the company. One little whisper about instability, and you can say goodbye to taking the company public."

"You're exaggerating. How would a few dumb letters addressed to me jeopardize our IPO?" She shifted in the chair. “Maybe the stock price will open a little lower, but our results will speak for themselves, and the price will soon stabilize at the appropriate level.”

Arek leaned forward. "That’s what you could expect a few years ago. But these days, as the CEO, you are associated with the company's brand. The initial public offering isn't only about the company starting to trade on the stock exchange. It's also about you representing—even becoming the icon—of the brand." He tapped the table for emphasis. “The most successful companies in today’s business climate are the ones who put a person behind the brand. People want someone to relate to. Someone to admire. That’s what makes them trust and buy a product or service.”

Tore Lansford nodded. “And think about what’s happened to the stock prices of companies when their CEOs were accused of harassment or embezzlement. Today, even a misguided social media post can create turmoil in the stock market.”

“You can’t seriously compare me receiving these stupid messages to some male CEO sexual predator.” The Ice Princess’s voice turned as cold as Bolt’s nickname for her. “Those people did horrible things to their employees. I haven’t done anything to deserve this harassment.”

“Of course not,” Arek said quickly. “You absolutely do not deserve this. However, those examples demonstrate how the current social climate doesn’t distinguish between executives and the companies they represent. To the public, the two are the same.”

Regina's eyes widened. The lady seemed finally to understand the severity of the situation. Bolt had skimmed the client file enough to know that she'd received death threats both in the mail and via email. The messages had been disturbingly specific about Regina's daily routine, so the perp had either stalked her for a long time, was someone in her social circle, or had worked—or currently worked—with her closely.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair. Her shoulders slumped. "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

Arek looked toward Bolt. This would be when he usually spoke up during a client meeting about the particular safety measures they’d put in place. He shook his head, however. He needed to read the file first before he gave his thoughts on how to protect this privileged princess. However, Ice Queen might have been a better title since she was the CEO and at the very top of the organizational chart, on the top of the throne of the company.

His boss flipped through screens on his tablet. “I have your schedule for the next month and noticed that there are several functions that involve large crowds. You need to limit those.”

Her eyes flashed. “The board insisted they’re necessary because of the impending public offering. I wanted to skip them all even before the letters started arriving. What’s on the calendar is the minimum on which the board insisted.”

“Well, perhaps they’ll change their mind once we tell them about the threats,” Tore said.

Arek shook his head. “No, we don’t want them to know. Not yet.”

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