Page 4 of Billionaire Wolf Needs an Assistant

My heart jumped. I knew Lacey meant well, but her interference would only prove to Mr. Song that I couldn't handle the workload.

Me: "No! I can't abandon ship now. Besides, someone has to show him that Christmas miracles exist. I will get this project done even if I have to work my fingers to stubs."

Lacey: "Girl, take care of yourself! He's an idiot if he can't see how amazing you are."

I worked straight through until dawn. By the time I knocked on his door, my eyes burned and my hands shook from exhaustion and caffeine overload.

He looked up from his computer monitor. The first light of Christmas morning crept over the city skyline behind him. It wasn't fair that after an all-nighter, he looked fresh and rested as if he had just arrived at work.

"The Singapore presentation, sir," I said, trying not to sway on my feet. "I've included market projections, demographic analysis, and a strategic implementation timeline. The slide deck is formatted for both Western and Asian business styles, with cultural considerations integrated throughout."

I wrung my hands as he flipped through the materials I had prepared. A frown appeared on his face as his fingers traced the charts I spent hours compiling. Was that a sign of disapproval of my work? Or was he surprised that I managed to pull it off in such a short time?

"This is acceptable," he said finally, his voice rougher than usual. For a moment, he seemed to lean slightly toward me, that strange tension filling the air between us again. "Take tomorrow off."

"Thank you, sir. Merry Christmas," I said. My heart swelled at his reluctant praise. For Mr. Song, acceptable was the equivalent of receiving a gold medal and confetti raining on me. It was a Christmas miracle. As I turned to leave the office, I noticed the tin of cookies was still on his desk. There was an entire layer of cookies missing inside.

Biting my lip, I suppressed the smile that threatened to spread across my face. With a renewed spring in my step, I walked out of the office. Reeve Song had a tough exterior, but I was going to crack through it.

Chapter 3

REEVE

I was going mad.

The holidays were always the worst time of the year for me. Employees expected to use their vacation days, ruining our project deadlines. Happy families all around reminded me of the backstabbing den of wolves I descended from. This year, I couldn't even hide away from it all with my best friend, Blake, since he was too busy making googly eyes with his new nanny.

On top of all this, I had to deal withher.

Her scent was riling up the wolf inside of me, driving me crazy. I paced my office like a caged animal, fighting the urge to rip through the door separating us. Katie's sweet vanilla-honey aroma tempted me through the cracks of the door.

My wolf raged at me for not taking her like it demanded. She was everything tempting and comforting that my beast craved. It roared in my chest for me to go out there and claim what was mine, consequences be damned. My wolf's intense desire to possess her set my nerves on edge. The human part of me knew too well how dangerous it was to give into uncontrolled passion.

It took me three years to build the walls around my heart after Celeste ripped it to shreds with her betrayal on Valentine's Day. Three years of suffocating the weak part of myself until I operated with ruthless, cold efficiency and detachment. Now, this sweetly fragranced human from some rinky-dink town in the middle of nowhere threatened to destroy my defenses with nothing more than a smile and a couple cookies.

The phone on my desk flashed. I pressed the button to take the call.

"This is the fourth call you've ignored today, Reeve Alexander Song."

I swore under my breath. Sophia was going to hear from me later. She knew better than to put my mother's calls through unless I was expecting her.

A growl rumbled in my chest. "I'm running a billion-dollar company, Mother. What do you want?"

"Don't take that tone with me, young man." My mother, Victoria Song, had perfected the art of maternal disapproval over five decades as matriarch of the Song pack. "The New Year's gala is in a couple of days."

"I told you I'm not coming." My fangs lengthened at the thought of what awaited me there. The suffocating pheromone-laden perfumes of the eligible she-wolves, the calculating stares from allied and rival wolf packs. Even after Celeste had humiliated me in front of wolf-shifter society by choosing to mate with a more powerful alpha, my mother still insisted on playing matchmaker.

"You are heir to the Song pack, Reeve." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "When you were younger, we indulged in your fantasy of staying a bachelor wolf like your friend, but times have changed. Your father's barely cold in his grave, and you're neglecting your duties. The pack needs to see you taking your role seriously. Especially now that you've hired a human assistant."

I snarled. My mother had spies in every corner of Huntington Harbor, even in my office. Someone was leaking information to her.

"My assistant is exceptional at her job." More than exceptional. Brilliant, innovative, infuriatingly optimistic. Every task I set to drive her away, she conquered with a cheerful smile and enthusiasm. "The board will be pleased with her work."

"The board agrees with me that bringing a human into a wolf-run business is a reckless decision. Sophia Roberts comes from excellent breeding. Her father's pack would make powerful allies."

"Enough!"

"Fine. But you're coming to the gala." Mother's voice held steel beneath the silk. "Bring your human assistant if you must. The pack should see what they're dealing with. Don't embarrass us, Reeve."

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