Page 22 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

Our success grew surprisingly quickly, and we started to expand into making electronics. We sourced our materials ethically and made sure to pay a living wage to our employees and give opportunities to every designation. Our biggest competitor was Harringday Industries. They had been around forever, had a stronghold in the region, and used every slimy practice in the book to stay ahead. But we knew we had something special. We also knew that Celeste’s company was doing horrible things, worse than most of the public realized. And so, our goal was also to chip away at their profits, fight until their slice of the pie shrunk smaller and smaller, and somehow, take them down.

Times were changing, and luck was on our side. Many consumers were eager to support an ethical alternative, even if it came at a higher price point. Our greatest challenge arose when we decided to expand into the Western Province. This also turned out to be our biggest win, and set us on the course to be a legitimate rival to Celeste’s company.

The Western province had a better designation rights track record, and took labor rights very seriously. Once we proved that our products not only matched but often surpassed the quality of Harringday’s offerings, we gained a warm reception from the community. Customers were willing to invest in our brand, valuing the exclusivity and integrity we provided.

We were flying high, but every time we thought we would finally be a true contender, something disastrous would happen to set us back. When we finally traced it to corporate espionage and found that Harringday was behind it, we weren’t surprised. But we needed to win. And to do that, it seemed like we’d need to bend in our ethics for once.

The car came to a stop, jolting me out of my thoughts. Celeste opened the door and quickly trotted to the house, her heels clipping away on the stone of our walkway. I followed my pack in behind her, still trying to ignore the massive white elephant in the room. My inexplicable attraction to her was a risk, and a betrayal.

“Well well, if it isn’t the media’s hottest new pack.” Elijah's voice startled me out of my thoughts. He came strolling into the entryway, clapping his hands at us as he grinned. “I have to hand it to you, that video was so spicy it nearly had me believing it was real.” He said with a smirk.

Vigo stepped toward him, running his hand through his hair, now carefree and wavy from the dancing. “What video?”

Elijah pulled out his phone, and we crowded around to look at the screen. A news outlet had uploaded someone’s cell footage of our night - me, Vigo and Celeste, in such a close position that I felt my pants get tight again. From the looks on our faces, even I would have been convinced that we were all madly passionate about each other. That is, if I hadn’t seen Celeste’s ability to act first hand. When she turned to kiss Vigo, you could hear the crowd gasp. She even lifted her knee up against his thigh for a moment, as if she was asking to be picked up.

Dante let out a sound of disgust and turned away. I felt ashamed again. He had every reason to hate her, and we had lost ourselves momentarily in an effort to make the date look real.

“Hey, I’m sorry man, I know it was probably hard to get through.” Elijah said to Dante as I looked around.

“Where did she go?” I asked, and Elijah put his phone away.

“She went straight back to her room.” He said as he looked at us conspiratorially. “But let’s go somewhere private anyway. I have news.” Elijah motioned us to follow him, and we went to one of our offices. We’d tasked him to search Celeste’s room while we had her distracted. Once we were certain that we had no ears on us, Elijah sat down and we gathered around.

“I looked for cameras and recorders, but so far her room appears to be clear. I did manage to find her laptop, but she might have triggers set up to notify her if it’s been tampered with.” His words hung in the air, heavy with implication.

Dante let out a low growl of frustration, his tanned skin taut with tension. He ran a hand against his stubble, the gesture a habit from all the trauma that lay beneath his stoic facade. “Then how are we going to get anything from her?” he snapped, his voice a mix of anger and frustration.

“Just let me finish; there’s more,” Elijah said, his confidence unwavering. “As long as she’s connected to our Wi-Fi, I can try to hack into her computer. She’s likely anticipating that, but right now her cell and laptop are using a portable internet device. We need to figure out how to get her onto your network, and then we can proceed.” Elijah’s eyes gleamed with excitement, a stark contrast to the weight of the situation.

I leaned back against the wall, considering his words. “Are you sure she hasn’t planted any spyware devices here?” I asked, skepticism creeping into my voice.

“None that I can find,” Elijah replied with a shrug. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t any. She might have some advanced ones that haven’t hit the market yet.”

He had a valid point. The biggest challenge with Celeste and our pack under one roof was we both had access to cutting-edge technology and pre-market developments. Vigo crossed his arms and sat up straighter, his tone lightening. “I’m not worried about our secrets. We don’t play dirty. What’s she going to find? Our plans to start a mining company with transparent labor rights?” He chuckled, dismissing the thought. We didn’t have any real dirty secrets - well, maybe one, but that was something Elijah had already handled.

Dante stood up, his frustration still palpable, a lingering reminder of our earlier encounter. “For now, let’s focus on finding a way to hack into her accounts. We need proof before we can make any moves.” His intensity was a reminder of the grudges he held and the depths of his determination. I was jealous at the way that he didn’t seem to be a prisoner to his instincts, like I had been tonight.

“Alright.’ I said, desperate to stay on track and not lose sight of our ultimate goal. “I'm going to make us some coffee. We’re going to need to come up with some new strategies if we want to win this. Let’s find a way to get her to use our Wi-Fi at least.” As I stood to prepare us the drinks, I mentally braced myself for the idea of the next month with her. This woman was more trouble than any of us realized.

Chapter 15

Celeste

“Thanks for the update, I’ll get an answer for you by the end of the day.” I hung up my phone and sighed in relief. Our latest project launch was selling better than I expected, and our new policy for parental leave had improved employee morale and been a huge boost for staff recruitment. I only had a few more things to do before I could relax and get my mind off work. I’d been focusing on my duties even more than usual to keep my mind off the tabloids.

Articles about me and Pack Lockwood had been dominating the press, so much that I asked my team to give me absolutely no updates unless it was urgent. I blocked any sites that mentioned us so that I could focus on my projects at work. After our first “date”, public interest had exploded. Everyone wanted to know more about how we ended up together after our turbulent past.

I just wanted to get this over with. I wanted no part in the fake love story, the obsession over my personal life, and I really wanted to get out of this house. I’d nearly lost myself in just one fake date with them. The longer I was here, the more at risk I was of exposing myself and my real feelings. Those feelings were just biological, not anything from my true heart, or course. Scent matches might mean we physically were meant for each other, but I knew that nothing short of a miracle would overcome our mutual hate.

Just then, my phone rang. I wasn’t expecting a call, but when I saw that it was my uncle, I knew I had to answer.

“Hi, uncle.” I sighed, hoping this would be routine and nothing too urgent.

“Good afternoon, Celeste. I wanted to call you and let you know I met with some of the board members today, and they are thrilled with the numbers so far.” He said with confidence, and I felt my energy rise just from hearing the good news. “They are also pleasantly surprised at how well the parental leave policy is doing.” He added.

I felt myself smile, despite everything. I knew that if Harringday set the standard for designation rights, even a little at a time, that we could make a difference. Now that the policy went over well, perhaps we could take even more steps toward equality. But almost as if he read my mind, my uncle pulled me back into reality.

“The optics for us are great. Of course, they are not happy with the lost time and wages that will occur from the policy. So in the future, no more of this nonsensical justice crusade of yours.” He said, almost admonishing me. I tried not to let the frustration show in my voice as I answered.

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