Page 19 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

Strangely enough, I feel like this adds to the tally of my quest for vengeance against the brutal Alpha.

He deserves a couple of knocks to his inflated ego.

“Not happening, Kennie,” I declare boldly. Apart from punching the Alpha in the gut by backing out, I can't risk being outed.

I'd worked hard to keep my identity a secret. Being a hacker in the underworld was my ticket to freedom, a means of escape into better pastures.

Just because I'm back in Mysthaven, it doesn't mean that I'm going to risk losing the sanctity of my alias, Asuka. She's everything I have, everything I built on my own strength.

I can't let Cyrus take that from me.

“This might get ya a bad rep if the word goes out,” Kenji sighs. I know he only means well when he goes on to explain that Cyrus's assistant, who conveniently is the Beta of this pack, has given me another chance without threatening to wreck my name in the underworld.

I've never backed out of a job before.

What Kenji says makes sense, but I'm not ready yet to take on this job for Cyrus. Even if he doesn't meet me and Kenji goes in my place, I need to know what Cyrus is up to.

“Just tell them that something came up, Kennie. Tell them Asuka's rep had an emergency or something. I need some time to decide if I want to do this.”

“Look, I dunno what's going on, but I'll be on standby, m’kay?”

Kenji remains supportive despite my reluctance to take the job right now. He knows I have good reason not to take the job right now. But I have to consider my reputation if I'm going to do this in the long run.

As soon as he ends the call, I blow out a frustrated breath and fling my phone on the coffee table, getting to my feet in desperate need of fresh air.

I need to get to the bottom of this. Why does Cyrus need Asuka's help when he has a whole company of technological masterminds?

Is it the man's greed that drives him? Is this some grand plan to take over the country? Is being the leader of a werewolf pack not enough?

“Urgh!” I groan toward the heavens, the moon's radiant light shining down on me as if to highlight my dilemma. Another groan, and I drop my head down, staring at the floor on the side of the little cottage.

Why do I feel like this?!

It wouldn't be so risky to have Kenji take my place at the meeting so that I can work from behind the scenes. That way, Cyrus will never know that I'm Asuka. Even if I was posing as the representative, I couldn't be exposed.

He'd ask too many questions.

Then why am I still reluctant?

It's because you saw him flirting with another woman…

The stark realization, that inner voice of reason, causes a gasp to escape my lips. My brows furrow into a frown as I stare ahead into the blank void of the dark forest.

It shouldn't bother me that he'd been chatting up a human woman. What was I expecting? Some kind of loyalty from a werewolf who's only proven in the past that he thinks she-wolves are below him?

I'd faced the wrath of his abuse for years. Why would I think that he isn't some playboy, using women only for bodily pleasures when he couldn't even see what's right in front—

“What are you doing out at this time of the night?”

Startled, I squeal and almost jump out of my skin when Cyrus appears out of nowhere. As if an apparition materialized from the recesses of my mind, his dark silhouette emerges from between the trunks of two trees.

With his hands shoved into the pockets of his perfectly tailored slacks, his striped tie hangs loose on his chest, three buttons undone to reveal brown chest hair framing the top contours of defined muscle.

Gulp…

None of tonight matters now that he's in front of me. Not the job, not the woman in the restaurant…

Not even my hatred for him.

---