Page 5 of Forsaken Desire
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, low, keeping eye contact with the human. Her eyes smiled even though her mouth remained stiff.
“Good. Go ahead, Karol, I’ll look after the desk.” Karol was already around the counter. “Don’t forget to takethatdelivery.”
Karol nodded and waved at me to follow her. I fell into step beside her. She peered behind us and slowed until she matched my stride.
“I’m new to town, I haven’t had time to request a meeting with the Alpha,” I said quickly.
“Usually you do that before you come onto pack land.” A small smile played on her lips with her words.
“I didn’t know.” I licked my lips and rubbed my sweaty palms together. Only day one, and I had already fucked up. Would he kick me out of his territory? I didn’t even know what that entailed. How far would I have to travel out of his region?
Fuck, it wasn’t like I could go any notable distance under probation.
“A lone shifter requesting to join his pack really isn’t his forte, but I can get you into contact with Cierra, one of the dominant three. She tends to handle requests like this.”
“They won’t force me to leave?” I stiffened. “Or try to kill me?”
She laughed, her white teeth flashing.
“No, shifters don’t go around killing people. Honestly, if you hadn’t gotten a job here, you might have been able to fly under the Alpha’s radar.”If I hadn’t gotten a job here?
“What’s wrong with this hotel?” I asked hesitantly.
“It’s our Alpha’s territory. Cierra oversees it.”
“Oh,” I breathed.
Well, fuck, if I had known a little more about all this shifter bureaucratic bullshit, I wouldn’t have almost cost myself my job.
Karol scanned me.
“You shouldn’t have a problem getting Cierra to agree to you temporarily joining the pack. Just make yourself seem as frumpy as possible. She hates competition for her Alpha.” Her nose wrinkled. “And sadly, she sees most pretty women as competition.”
“I’m not trying to get in any sort of drama,” I blurted. “She has nothing to worry about.”
“She shouldn’t be worrying, regardless.” Karol rolled her eyes. “The man cheats on her all the time. It’s been happening for years. It’s not like she doesn’t know. I’ve been in his pack from birth, and they’vealwaysbeen together.”
I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to give in to the gossip, not while I was so new. We passed the elegant lobby, the scent of fresh roses tickling my senses. An arched pathway led to six elevators with polished, reflective surfaces. She continued guiding me down a hall where the soft classical music played more clearly. Double Ivory doors lined the end, and they swung open. A man with polished black shoes, black slacks, and a blue button-down tucked into his pants strode out and smiled at Karol. His gaze flicked over to me, and he came to an abrupt stop, blocking the door handles behind him. His brown eyes met mine, and his pupils dilated.
“You okay there, Alex?” Karol asked, and he smoothed his palm down the front of his thin black tie. The underlying woodsy scent reached my nostrils, and I dropped my gaze, not able to hold his. Another shifter, and this one was dominant.
“Yes,” he cleared his throat, attention still on me.
“We’re in a hurry. I’ll introduce you later.” Karol pressed her fingertips to his arm, and he jolted from whatever trance he was in and finally moved to the side, no longer blocking the path. I hurried through the door she held open. The hall split into two, and I followed her down the left.
“He’s a good connection to have.”
I hummed, and Karol went quiet. I scratched the back of my hand. Should I have tried talking more?
Karol came to a halt in front of a large rectangular opening starting around my waist. Clothes lined the other side of the booth from wall to wall.
“Wilbert, I need a receptionist uniform for our new hire.” The gray-haired man standing on the other side of the gaping wall peered at me over his glasses.
“Send her in.” I went through the latched gate, stepping on a platform to the side of the door. Wilbert pulled out a measuring tape and scribbled on a notepad as he lined the tape on every part of my body. “I should have it done by the end of orientation. Come get it from me before you head home, young lady.”
“Thank you,” I said and slipped off the incline to rejoin Karol right outside the door. She motioned to an opening a few yards down the hall.
“That’s the employee area.” She headed for the eggshell archway carved with elegant designs framing the path that split into two directions. I followed her to the right, which opened to a wide room with a ton of rows of metal lockers, and some seating areas at the end of the rows. Fluorescent lights beamed down, and I blinked to get my eyes to adjust.
