Page 11 of Knotting else Matters

“You know, you don’t have to come tonight. Sophie’s just worried Olivia will feel out of place, and I thought you being there might help keep the peace. After all you are the leader of the pack.”

“No,” I snapped, a little too quickly. “I’ll be there.”

“You sure? Because you look like you’d rather eat glass than spend another minute with her.”

I clenched my jaw, forcing a slow, steady breath. He wasn’t wrong. I hated that I had to attend the dinner. Hated the idea of sitting through polite conversation while she tossed out her sharp, sarcastic jabs, stirring up trouble just because she could. But I’d rather be there, keeping an eye on her, than let her run her mouth unchecked.

Someone needed to keep her in line.

But even as I tried to convince myself that this was just another duty, another responsibility to the pack, the image flashed through my mind again—Olivia, leaning against my arm, her head resting against me, her breath warm against my sleeve, that lazy, mocking smile I wanted to wipe off her face.

And worse—my wolf’s reaction. Not just anger. Not just annoyance. Something else. A pull. A need to provoke, to challenge, to see that fire in her eyes burn hotter.

I pushed the thought away, shoved it into the darkest corner of my mind where it belonged.

“Alright, I’ll see you tonight,” Karl said, already halfway out the door. “Try not to growl at her too much. I think Sophie would prefer her sister in one piece for the ceremony.”

“No promises.”

He laughed, his voice fading down the hallway, leaving me alone with the pile of paperwork I had no hope of finishing.

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling, trying to banish the image of her stubborn face, the feel of her hand gripping my arm.

Chaos. That’s what she was.

And I’d be damned if I let her ruin this.

I leaned back in my chair, the weight of responsibility pressing down like an iron mantle. The screen in front of me glowed with a flood of emails—territory updates, security reports, disputes between neighboring packs that required careful negotiation. Real problems. Problems that mattered.

Not floral arrangements. Not seating charts. Not the endless, glittering chaos of Sophie’s mating ceremony. That was Karl’s world—bright, cheerful, romantic. Mine was here, in this office, where decisions weren’t made with smiles and champagne but with strategy and steel.

The phone rang, a crisp, efficient chime that cut through the silence. I answered without hesitation.

“Yes?”

“Alpha, the report from the southern perimeter just came in,” came the voice of Ethan, one of my most trusted scouts. “No signs of rogue activity, but there’s been increased movement near the border. Unaffiliated wolves.”

“Keep a close watch. I want hourly updates.”

“Understood.”

I ended the call, my gaze drifting to the map of our territory pinned on the wall—lines drawn with precision, each border marked with care. Territory was power. Safety. Order. The kind of order I fought for every day, the kind that kept the pack secure.

Not like the chaos Olivia brought with her.

The thought slipped in, unwanted, but stubborn. Her sharp smile, her careless words, the way she leaned against me in the elevator, that reckless spark in her eyes. A wildfire. Unpredictable, untamed.

A threat.

My wolf snarled in agreement, a low, restless growl beneath my skin. He didn’t trust her. Didn’t trust what he couldn’t smell. She was a mystery wrapped in a sarcastic smile, and I didn’t have time for mysteries. Not when they walked into my territory, tangled in family drama and sharp-tongued chaos.

A soft knock at the door broke the tense quiet.

“Come in.”

The door swung open, and Mrs. Reyes stepped in with her usual calm efficiency. Short silver hair, sharp blue eyes that seemed to see through everyone, and the quiet, unshakeable confidence of someone who had spent years keeping this pack in line.

“Alpha,” she began, a gentle smile softening her lined face. “I’ve arranged for the security teams to double-check the guest list for the ceremony. Your instructions have been passed to the perimeter patrols, and the supply chain for the eastern sector has been re-established.”

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