The budget increase piqued my curiosity, but I resisted peeking over my shoulder. I already knew Oswald was steeped in negotiations with the Alpha of our leading pack, but the outcome hadn’t been publicized yet. Once Mrs. Foster thanked Luke for his time and help, he left, and my teacher returned to the office, rounding her desk to settle in front of me.

Luke must have been nothing more than an IT technician for the Silent Shadow Pack. His attractive smile hovered in my mind’s eye for the first hour of the lesson, though I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t like I was interested in anybody other than my fated mate.

“Exactly how much of a budget increase can we expect?” I asked.

Mrs. Foster raised her eyebrows. “You haven’t met with Oswald yet?”

“No.”

“Perhaps it’s best you speak with him first,” she said. “I don’t have all the details.”

I didn’t think anything of it, but my excitement for the budget negotiations was enough to make me forget about the IT technician until Mrs. Foster dismissed me for the evening.

Reviewing the conversation I’d overheard, I headed for the Lodge Café to have dinner with my family. While the lower tiers of the pack ate in the communal cafeteria, my family and I were privileged to live and dine in the Lodge. Through hard work and dedication, my parents had raised our family through the ranks—and certainly, the fact that I was the Alpha’s fated mate helped some—so for most of my life, I reaped the benefits of our high ranking. I was excited to sit down with my family and share news of the budget increase with them, until walking through the corridor, through a window into the café, I spied the man of my dreams.

All previous thoughts of the negotiations and IT technician were dwarfed by the joy of seeing my fated mate. It was the same joy I felt every time I got to see him.

Walking faster, I zeroed in on Oswald Moore standing at the café counter, speaking to his Beta Male, Harvey Glenn. My fated mate looked sophisticated and clean in his dark grey suit, his brown hair styled into swooping points that made him resemble some Wall Street tycoon. As I approached, he caught me in his periphery and firmly fixed his attention on Harvey until I popped up right beside him, hands clasped politely behind my back. “Good evening, Oswald,” I greeted. “You’re having dinner in the café tonight?”

He bit back a sigh. “No, Harvey and I are going over the minutes from our meeting with the Silent Shadows’ Alpha. We’re just grabbing a bite to eat first.”

My spirits dampened a little. I remained smiling, looking between the two men. “Can I speak to you later then? The mating ceremony planners still need ideas for the flowers we want for our floral arrangements, and I need to know about the outcome of your budget negotiations.”

“Yeah,” said Oswald. “Come to my office around eight tonight.”

Just as quickly, my spirits lifted again, warmth blooming in my chest. “Okay.”

The café clerk brought two clear plastic bags full of food containers to Oswald and Harvey. They each grabbed one and turned away before Oswald paused. I held my breath for his parting words. “And bring tea,” he said, then followed Harvey toward the exit.

“Okay,” I said after him, eager to please my fated mate. “See you later!”

Oswald was already out the door and didn’t acknowledge me.

To the untrained eye, it would have looked like Oswald was indifferent toward me, but that was just who Oswald was. He was aloof and uninterested in most things, exasperated easily, and had little time for me. Being the Alpha of our pack put a lot on his plate. But he was a steadfast protector of our home and worked hard to give us all the best life he could. I would prefer he commit his attention and energy to pack business rather than me. Once I became his mate, he would see me as an equal and let me into his life. Until then, I was content to support him in any way I could.

My family was already seated together at a table on the patio. I grabbed a meal and joined them. They hadn’t bothered to wait for me before eating, and by the time I sat down, they were already deep in conversation.

“What time is the soccer game?” asked my father.

“Seven PM,” replied my sister Emma. “We’re playing against the Crescent Moon Pack. It’s our first game together with the new alliance.”

“Are you going to completely crush them like you crushed the Moonstone Pack?” scoffed my other sister Cassie.

Emma hummed. “Obviously. I’m still buzzing from those three goals I got in the first five minutes of the game. They didn’t stand a chance.”

“Don’t crush them too hard,” said my mother, “we want to maintain friendly relations with them.”

I opened my mouth to praise Emma, but everyone else kept talking.

“You know, I’m leading the next TV commercial project for Shadow Manufacturing, and most of my creative team is from Moonstone,” said Cassie.

“Is that so?” drawled my eldest sister, Lacey. “Those Moonstone dopes don’t know half a thing about creative genius.”

“Just because you got some art show in Rock State doesn’t mean your art school genius has any place in a TV commercial,” said Cassie. “You’d probably fill it with abstract cutaways and close-ups of somebody’s lips.”

Lacey sneered. “The subtlety of indirect influenceisthe modern advertisement.”

“Did you guys hear about the budget negotiations?” I piped up.