Page 111 of The Pack Next Door
“I guess…” Emma looked me up and down. “You do look scary.”
“Lucien will either freak out or want to make out with you,” Seb snickered.
“Then he’ll be sorely disappointed.” They both watched me cross my arms. “I belong to Briar only.”
“But…” Emma looked me up and down. “You could be the eye candy. Keep Lucien distracted and help me get that deposit out of him.”
The idea was completely alien to me, but if this was a trial, I was determined to succeed at it.
“Tell me more about what is likely to get under this Lucien’s skin on the drive over,” I replied.
Be scary, remote, and imposing, she said. As we walked up towards the convention centre front doors, I knew I had that in the bag. Half of any game of alpha challenge was the mental game. Larger and stronger packs than us had failed when we succeeded because they didn’t have the same strength of will. There was a relief that came from finally having something to direct it at.
“Emma.” We were ushered into this Lucien’s office and his focus stayed on his computer screen for several seconds. Taking his time to acknowledge us. That was a power move if ever there was one. The man was fastidiously dressed, his suit tailored to fit him, but as he looked up, I settled against the wall, arms crossed. One eyebrow rose as he fought to take me in. “And who do we have here?”
“Gideon Whitlock.” I moved to offer him my hand. His shake was firm, didn’t linger, but his eyes did. They seemed to eat me up in big bites and I just smiled, flashing a little fang in the process. “Briar Reynold’s mate.”
I felt a little pang at labelling myself as such. It was like claiming a prize I hadn’t earned, but it remained true. Whether she accepted the bond, I belonged entirely to Briar, and given a chance, I’d shout that to the rooftops.
“I didn’t realise Briar had found her mates.” Lucien nodded at me before turning to Emma. “Is that why the invoice for the venue hire went unpaid? We’ve had to give the space to someone else, as per the terms of our contract. The lack of response to our emails and calls about the situation unfortunately means that the deposit has been forfeited.”
“It is…?”
Emma’s stricken tone was not what was needed here, so I stepped forward.
“I’m sure you are following all the terms and conditions of the agreement to the letter.” The possible threat of having a lawyer look it over was left unspoken, but when Lucien focussed back on me, I was sure he understood what I was inferring. “Seems like a hasty decision to make with someone you’ve had a longstanding business agreement with?”
I didn’t know that for sure, but the way this Lucien sat back in his office chair made me think that I was right. His fingersformed a steeple as he regarded the two of us through slightly narrowed eyes.
“Briar has been a client for some time. It’s why we extended the grace period for payment.”
“While she was dealing with her mother and her own…” How did I put Briar’s heat in discreet terms. “Health emergency? She’s had a perfect history of promptness before this?” Lucien’s jaw muscle flexed, right before he nodded. “I understand the frustration you must’ve felt, not being able to get an answer or payment finalised, but did it occur to you that there might be a very good reason for that?”
My tone was perfectly pitched, firm but not getting louder for a second. Just a trace of a growl, my wolf pressed against my skin, wanting to tear into this male for daring to disappoint our mate.
So I reminded him that we’d done the exact same thing.
That had my wolf going very still and quiet.
“So what do we do to move past this?” Lucien was cutting straight to the next point of action and that earned my respect. “Briar is a valued client. Is the launch still going ahead?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Emma and I looked at each other and she blinked, then nodded, indicating I should continue.
“It’s had to change in some aspects to deal with some… challenges that have arisen,” I said. “So, if the original space has been allocated to someone else.” I sat down in the chair opposite the man, Emma taking the other one. “What can you do for us, Lucien?”
With a sigh, the man turned to his computer monitor, opening up his bookings calendar.
“The renovated warehouse at the port,” I said, looking at the brochures. This was the point where I was out of my doubt.The room looked massive, bright and airy, but Emma shook her head.
“The proportions of the room are all wrong. The high ceilings and industrial atmosphere is brilliant for large scale paintings.” Her hands moved through the air. “Something epic, expansive. Omega Core is all about cosy.”
“Then the reception centre on the river is no good to you either.” Lucien removed that brochure, then turned and flicked through a folder, pulling something else out. “Though… We usually use this space for weddings, but maybe…?”
When he slid the glossy brochure over, I knew this is what we wanted. The state was filled with beautiful old churches and this was a particularly good example. Hewn from raw stone, I looked up at Lucien.
