Page 65 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

When I get to her office, my friend is staring at her phone, looking stressed.

“Got a minute?” I knock on her door, and her smile blooms when she sees me.

“Alice! I was just about to call you. They pushed up the meeting! They’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“What?” I stare at her, shocked. “But you said—”

“I just found out. Is everybody else here with you?”

“No. I’ll give them a call.” I quickly take out my phone and call Holly. Relaying my instructions to her, I know my assistant will take care of it. She’ll get everyone here even if she has to drive them herself.

“Relax,” I reassure my friend. “It’s going to be fine. Let’s go to the boardroom, and we’ll talk on the way. There are a few things we need to go over before the meeting starts.”

I can feel how tense Katherine is. This project really means a lot to her. Even more than I thought, apparently.

My team is still on its way when Katherine’s assistant, Brandon, knocks on the door. “The people from Acme Intech Corporation are here, Miss Lockhart.”

Katherine exchanges a nervous look with me before straightening her suit jacket and getting to her feet. “Let them in.”

I stand up, as well.

The door to the boardroom opens, and two men walk in. Alarm bells immediately start going off in my head.

Wolf shifters.

Those are wolf shifters! Dammit!

Suddenly, the whole thing about a selective network begins to make sense to me. This corporation must be owned by a wolf shifter, and they only deal with other wolf shifter companies. No wonder! It’s very rare for shifter-owned businesses to work with human-owned ones.

The two men who enter the boardroom sniff the air discreetly, and their eyes settle on me. I see their interest in me written all over their faces, and I give them a cool look. Even if they recognize what I am, they don’t know who I am. Just because I live in Phoenix, it doesn’t mean every shifter in the city knows I’m here. I know for a fact that my identity was erased from the shifter registry after I disappeared. Mary told me.

It’s not like I haven’t run into shifters in the last seven years. However, with my scent diluted, they usually have a hard time figuring out what I really am.

The taller of the two speaks first. “Miss Lockhart. I’m Mark Turner, and this is Smith Miller.”

He’s speaking to Katherine, but his eyes are fixed on me.

Katherine exchanges polite pleasantries with them as others walk in. There are totally eight people in the room now, and Mark says, “Our CEO is joining us as well. He’ll be here in a minute.”

My own team has not arrived yet, and I’m feeling uneasy. I know Holly will not let me down, but having the people from Acme Intech here already puts us at a disadvantage.

Mark’s eyes keep flicking toward me, and he finally says to Katherine, “You haven’t introduced us to your associate.”

Before Katherine can say anything, the door opens, and all eyes turn toward it.

A man is standing there.

A man far too familiar.

His dark hair is styled into soft curls that give him a distinguished but handsome look. His green eyes, once filled with laughter when looking at me, are cold and empty. Exactly the way they were on that day seven years ago.

When he enters the room, I see the way his body turns stiff. His head turns, and he looks directly at me.

My heart skips a beat, but it’s not out of attraction. It’s fear.

It’s Darian Kassel.

Chapter 13

---