Page 14 of Change the Plan
Benji gives another bitter laugh. “You’re a fuckin’ cunt.”
I force myself to count to ten, and then I keep counting, because neither of my wolves are being quiet right now, and it’s taking a hell of a lot of self-control to not shift. Minutes go by without either of us saying a word, until finally Benji cracks.
“Why do you want me?” He’s calmer than before. “I was under the impression that for a small pack, it’s stacked when it comes to enforcers.”
“It is. I don’t need another enforcer, but that’s what you’ll be, obviously. You’ve met my father.” I wait for Benji to nod before continuing. “You know he’s an alpha. I don’t think I need to explain to you what that meant for me, once I turned thirteen. You left your old pack for a reason, after all.”
Another nod.
“When my mother was pregnant with me, a pixie supposedly cursed my father and his firstborn child.” I shrug reflexively. “It sounds ridiculous when I say it, but their magic is fae-based. As I’m sure you’re aware, so is my mate’s magic.”
“Yeah. Are you saying that the curse was you being an alpha?”
“It feels like a curse.”
“And yet you’re asking me to join your pack so you can feel the same way again. That’s…” He makes an unpleasant face. “I don’t want to be in conflict every day of my fuckin’ life. It’s bad enough as it is, with you declaring the whole island your fuckin’ territory.”
“I understand the reluctance.”
“So what am I missing here?”
He may be an employee, but I’ve personally avoided him for the past year. Ellie and my staff have handled every interaction with him, and I hadn’t realised just how bold he’d become.
“That the pixie cursed me, specifically, in addition to my father. That I’m aware there’s a possibility that given that fact, the curse may continue with a future generation. I would like to avoid that. There are only ever one or two alphas in a pack at any one time. I need a placeholder alpha until my children are born.”
“That’s a lot of ifs and whens and maybes. Is she pregnant?”
“Not yet. Would you risk it, knowing what you know?”
“Fuck no. Nah, I don’t envy you, that’s for sure.” He looks me up and down, yellow eyes assessing. “My wolf doesn’t like you as it is.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“So what’s in it for me, then? What’s my incentive for not killing your arse and taking over your pack?”
“I mean, the incentive to not attempt to murder me would be avoiding a prison sentence, right? Now that we’re in this post-Unravelling world, things are harder to cover up. A wealthy businessman disappearing into thin air is going to make the news whether you like it or not. I keep aspects of my pack private, but our presence on this island is well-known for that very reason; it’s an insurance policy for my wolves here against those that might seek to harm us.”
He’s restless; I can see it in the set of his shoulders. “I get it, you’re rich. Just give me the fuckin’ dollar amount.”
“Five hundred thousand per year, paid annually on thecompletionof each year with the pack. Say yes today and I’ll arrange a payment of an additional hundred grand this week to start off with in good faith.”
“Nah. Inflation’s a bitch. Double it, and then throw in a severance package, for when you decide you’re done knocking your missus up. An extra five million at the end of this job for me to not take the pack out from under you. And just to be clear, we’re talking US dollars here.”
I have no clue where this kid learned about severance pay. “No, we’re not. New Zealand dollars only.”
“I’m not making my life a shit show for half a mil a year. That’s not worth it.”
I hold back my comment about the fact that he currently earns seventy grand working at Lost Moon, and that’s higher than what any other local businesses pay for his role. “A million NZD per year, then. One hundred thousand additional dollars today. Two million on completion of our contract.”
“Four million on completion. And you pay me every six months.”
“Three million on completion, with the stipulation that you leave Motuwai once we’re done. Five hundred thousand paid every six months. A hundred thousand today. That’s my final offer.”
“You could be doing this all for nothing.”
“I know.”
“And I’m going to quit my job.”
