Page 9 of All for the Beast

“I’ve been running cruises for almost ten years now, so you should leave the planning to the experts.”

He stopped in his tracks. She stared up at him with a raised eyebrow as though daring him to disagree. He waved an arm for her to continue.

“First, we need to write up a contract. We can make it a standard boilerplate or something more specific regarding the duties you want me to perform.”

“Easy.”

“Great. Let me tell you about what I expect in this role.” She sat back with her hands clasped over her stomach, legs crossed, and her gaze defiant. “A decent salary. I have the expertise, and I deserve to get paid for it.”

Vharlk narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Is that all she was after? Money? “We can talk numbers whenever you’re ready.”

Her gaze deepened as though she saw him for the first time … and liked what she saw.

“I also expect you to follow my lead. Since I have the expertise and I’ve been doing this for a long time, I know how to run things and what to expect when something goes wrong. Trust me, something always goes wrong. Whether it’s bad oysters or being locked out of the Lido Deck. Got it?”

“Hold up …” he started before she grinned in triumph. “I’m the alpha here. It’smycruise ship, and I call the …”

He realized what she was doing: she wanted him to push back so she could assert her dominance. Well, he was more than willing to play that game. He managed to get where he was, Siborim's pack heir, by reading people. He could strategize as well as she could.

“If you don’t like it,” she said, chin tilted high to show her confidence. “Then I’ll just leave. I’m not here to be bossed around by someone with no experience. It’s up to you,mate.”

A warmth fluttered in his stomach at the term. No doubt she knew what she was doing when she used it, but the reaction he felt was still genuine. He would pursue this woman to the ends of the planet, and he would prove that he was the pack leader he was born to be.

Vharlk would prove he was worthy of that term.

He glanced at Gerri to see her hiding her smile behind her wine glass. He wasn’t the only one having a good time in this meeting.

“Sorry,” he said, gazing downward for a brief moment before his eyes shot back up to meet Katy’s. “You’re right. You’re entirely correct. You’ve done this countless times before, and I should defer to your expertise.”

She raised her brows at that, looking taken aback that he would submit so easily. This wasn’t the first time he had surprised her today, and he wanted to keep doing it because of how beautiful the surprise looked on her face.

“Well, now that’s settled, we can continue on with the details.”

Vharlk interrupted her. “I have to stress that being a mate is a very important honor. As my mate, you would rule my pack by my side. It’s unusual for a human, especially one from Earth, to have that privilege.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wow, the honor is all mine.”

Vharlk smiled at her temper. “You’ll have to get used to the weather. If you want to stay here on Nova Aurora, that is.”

“I think the weather here is fine. It’s not sunny like Los Angeles, but it’ll do.”

“We also don’t have the earthquakes or tornados you might be used to.” He took a sip of his wine, the rich taste coating his tongue, and he moaned softly to show how good it was.

She shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind taking a break from the earth-shaking natural disasters.”

She made a point of looking elsewhere, but Vharlk could tell by the way she glanced at him twice that she was interested, even if she didn’t know it yet. He would just have to show her how interesting he was.

“Would you like me to show you around? Siborim is a beautiful place, and I’d like to introduce you to more of my people.”

Katy’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Would this be like a date? Because I’m not that easily won over, you know. I have some self-respect.”

Vharlk let out a hearty laugh, spurred on in part by the Sidaii wine. “I have no doubts about that. If you ever want to see the sights like a true Auroran, I’d love to take you to all the places that the tourists don’t know about. You’d be surprised what being friends with the Siborim pack heir will get you.”

Her gaze softened as she smiled at him. “Friend? I can do friends. None of this ‘mate’ business, though.”

“Of course,” he replied. He was willing to play along even if he knew better. Gerri watched them with amusement, still hiding her smile behind her wine glass whenever Vharlk looked at her. She was a matchmaker, after all, and he could only think of one reason why she would set him up with a cruise director from Earth who knew nothing about Nova Aurora.

This was more than a meeting of colleagues. Katy was someone who could put him to the test and challenge him in new ways … ways different than being a pack leader. If he could win Katy over, then he would prove to himself, and maybe to others, that he was worthy of the title. And if he didn’t secure a mate, he would never ascend to that rank. He would have to accept defeat and let someone else take over. He didn’t know which was worse: never finding a mate or never being the pack leader.

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