Page 18 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Maid

"The little things." She smiled at a photo on the mantel. In the brass picture frame, a younger version of herself smiled at the camera while a tall man looked at her like she hung the moon. "The way he'd leave fresh flowers on my doorstep but neveradmit to it. How he'd check my car's oil without being asked. His walls came down brick by brick, not all at once."

I thought about Dean's small gestures. The way he noticed when I was tired, how he encouraged me to pursue my dreams, his gentle handling of Max's drawing.

"But weren't you scared?" I asked softly. "Of getting hurt?"

"Terrified." Mrs. Abernathy reached over to pat my hand. "Love is always a risk, dear. But sometimes the ones who seem the hardest to love are the ones who love the deepest, once they let themselves."

"Dean's complicated."

"The best ones usually are." She winked. "And I've noticed he barks considerably less since you arrived. Used to hear him stomping around at all hours, muttering to himself. Now? Much more civilized."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not sure 'civilized' is the word I'd use."

"Progress takes time." She cut another slice of cake. "And patience. And occasionally, really good lemon cake."

As if to prove her point, she wrapped up several thick slices. "Take these up with you. That boy's too thin anyway."

Later, as I rode the elevator back up to the penthouse, I thought about Mrs. Abernathy's words. About walls coming down brick by brick, and the courage it takes to be patient with someone else's healing.

The cake felt warm in my hands, like it was infusing me with the fire and strength to take a leap of faith. Maybe some risks were worth taking, even if they might break your heart.

Chapter 8

DEAN

Red warning messages flooded my screens, the harsh glowing letters burning my retinas. Every shrill alert, every digital alarm screaming that Sean was inside our systems pierced my ears like ice picks. The bastard's code slithered across my systems like poisonous snakes, each line a potential death strike to everything I'd built. Rage burned in my chest as I watched him methodically dismantle our outer defenses.

"Come on, come on," I muttered, as my fingers flew across the keyboards. The mechanical clicks echoed my racing heartbeat. Lines of my own code flowed back, digital walls rising to meet his attack. But for every breach I patched, three more appeared. Sean had definitely upgraded his team of hackers. The thought made my wolf snarl, territorial anger bleeding into my technical focus.

Jenkins's warning indicators pulsed an angry crimson. "Sir, unauthorized access detected in the client database."

"Not happening." I bared my teeth at the screen, feeling fangs start to descend. "Not my clients, you bastard."

My vision blurred at the edges, dark spots dancing across the screens as I deployed defense after defense. Every muscle trembled with the suppressed urge to shift. The familiar ache started in my joints, as my bones threatened to reshape themselves. Sweat soaked through my designer T-shirt, the fabric clinging uncomfortably as my temperature spiked.

"Sir." Jenkins's voice cut through my concentration. "Your blood pressure is rising to dangerous levels."

I growled, eyes scanning endless streams of data. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I typed. I heard her familiar footsteps as she approached my office. Nina's scent drifted through the closed door. My wolf surged, recognizing our mate. The beast's energy exploded beneath my skin, eager to end this so I could get to her.

Breathing deeply, I let her scent fill my nose. Beneath the floral shampoo she used, her own essence, fresh lemons and strawberries, was like a drug to the wolf. The steady rhythm of her heartbeat echoed in my enhanced hearing, slightly elevated with concern. Even through the closed door, I could detect the subtle changes in her breathing that indicated worry.

"Dean?" Her voice was soft with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Not now." The words came out harsh, almost a snarl. My hands shook violently as I tried to type. "Please."

She hesitated. The scent of her worry made my wolf whine. Every instinct screamed to comfort her, to bury my face in her neck and breathe in her calming presence. But I couldn't risk losing control. Not with her so close. Not with the beast so near the surface. The cyber attack had triggered something primal,bringing the wolf too close to the surface. "Damn it." This couldn't go on any longer.

An hour later, I sat in Dr. Sabrina Wu's private office, still trembling with unreleased energy. The sterile examination room reeked of antiseptic and anxiety of each patient in the building, including myself. I recoiled at the stench, wishing that I had a normal human's dull sense of smell.

The room's stark white walls seemed to close in, made worse by the harsh fluorescent lighting that highlighted every shadow. All around me, medical equipment hummed at frequencies that set my teeth on edge. Down the hall, there was a high-pitched whine from an ultrasound machine. In the room next door, a patient's monitors beeped steadily. Up overhead, the air filtration system whooshed as it sucked out the stale air inside. Chrome and steel surfaces reflected my agitation back at me, while the leather exam table creaked ominously under my restless movements. Sabrina's office felt too small.

"Sit down before you wear a hole in my floor." Sabrina didn't look up from her tablet, but her voice held that familiar mix of concern and exasperation

"I'm fine." The words came out as a growl.

"Really?" Now she did look up, one elegant eyebrow arched. "Because your blood pressure disagrees. 190 over 120, Dean. You're a wolf shifter in peak condition. You shouldn't be anywhere near these numbers."

I ran a hand through my hair. It's just stress. I just fended off another cyber attack from Sean."

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