Page 18 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

A flurry of panic has gripped me, and I'm not sure what to do.

Cyrus Rudolph is the owner of a large tech company who wants me to infiltrate a government system.

Why?

“Where is he?” I ask the waitress in a tiny voice.

She gulps, then turns toward the restaurant's left and points at the bar along the wall.

“He's at the sushi bar, ma'am.”

Following the young woman's eyes, I see the ghost of my current disposition, the reason for the loss of color in my cheeks in the form of the tall, broad-shouldered Alpha of the Moon Shine Pack. Even with his back facing us, the soft, sheen bristles of the tips of his dirty-blonde hair skimming his crisp white collar is unmistakable. With a bedhead of tousled, wavy locks on the top of his head, I know that's him.

When he glances at the blonde woman seated on his right, the corners of his eyes are crumpled and full of laughter. His lips stretch with a smile, and it ignites something frightening inside me.

I quickly dart behind the waitress's head, not wanting to be seen.

“Should I go get your husband, ma'am?” she asks with raised brows when she glances over her shoulder at me. “I don't think he meant anything—”

“It doesn't matter,” I whisper blandly, the taste of bile filling my mouth.

Not only is the client the Alpha I know, but he's flirting with the woman at the sushi bar.

I scoff under my breath, tugging on the strap of my purse on my shoulder and deftly turning toward the front of the restaurant.

“Don't bother calling him over,” I tell the waitress. “I'm leaving.”

“But, Ma'am—”

I don't stick around to hear the rest of the woman's attempt to subdue me. It's not like I can afford to be here right now, so I quickly dart out of the restaurant and flag down the first cab from the sidewalk.

Cyrus Rudolph is the client I'm supposed to meet.

I can't let him know that I am the infamous hacker who goes by the name “Asuka”.

I can't trust him to keep my identity a secret, not when I have no idea what his motives are.

Hacking a government system is not child's play. Why would Cyrus, the Alpha of Moon Shine, want to infiltrate a government satellite when the risk is too high? Not only is it illegal, but he's the leader of a werewolf pack whose identity is meant to be kept a top secret.

Why would he risk the safety of the pack?

***

Pacing the wooden floors, I gnaw on my bottom lip as I contemplate the very close call I had tonight.

My cell phone rings for the umpteenth time, and I finally decide to answer the damned thing. If I don't, the incessant ringing will only serve to interrupt my thoughts.

“Jesus, Cassandra! Finally!” Kenji exclaims on the other end of the line. “What the fuck is going on?”

“I couldn't do it, Kennie,” I relent with a huff, plopping my rear on the armrest of the sofa. I wince at the force of the impact. Still, it's probably what I needed to snap me back to reality instead of walking around the cottage like a headless zombie.

“Cold feet?” he chuckles. “Ya coulda just told me you weren't ready—”

“Oh, trust me, this isn't a case of cold feet, Kennie,” I chuckle dryly. “I… I can't explain everything right now, but I can't take the job.”

“Well…” Kenji sighs. “... They aren't happy, but they're still willing to give you another shot.”

Of course, Cyrus isn't happy. For someone who's accustomed to getting his way in life, this must have bruised his ego substantially.

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