Page 84 of Pack Rivals, Part One

"We need a date. For the Macaby dinner."

"Are you asking me?" she asks with a frown.

"You wanna come?"

"With you clowns? No."

"Soooo," I say, jigging my seat from side to side, "any ideas?"

"I assume you want to take Bea."

"Yep."

She glares at me and then at Axel, before wagging her finger at us like we're a pair of naughty school boys. "She's a nice girl and she's doing a good job for me. I don't need you boys messing her around and–"

"We have no plans to mess her around," Axel growls. She stares at him like she doesn't believe him for a minute.

Fair enough.

Mrs. Finch has had to strong-arm omegas out of our apartment in the past. She's had others she's had to escort away when they've rocked up at the office. She's well aware of our previous woman drama.

"It's true, Mrs. Finch. This one's different."

"She is." She crosses her arms. "Then what's stopping you asking her out?"

"She's not dating," I say.

"Smart girl. Maybe you should respect her wishes."

"It's just a dinner dance," Axel mumbles.

It always warms my damn cockles how that giant of a man can be cut down to size by Mrs. Finch.

"Oh, sure sure," she says with a coating of sarcasm.

However, she's always had a soft spot for me.

"We need your help Mrs. Finch. I like her."

"Hmmm." I give her the puppy dog eyes. Works on women all the time. "Fine, but if you hurt this girl, God help me, I'm going to skin the lot of you alive. One at a time. Slowly." She jerks her head towards the door. "Come on then, let's see what we can do."

I leap to my feet and trot behind her.

"I'm sorry Mr. York but they're insisting. No packs at the dinner dance unless they are accompanied by an omega," Mrs. Finch says, as we stroll towards her desk.

This isn't the first time she's had to put on an act for us. She's a damn good liar with a poker face. I should know. She's beaten my ass at cards multiple times.

She gives a little nod to Axel, encouraging him to continue the ruse.

"This dinner dance is extremely important to our business interests, Mrs. Finch. If we don't show up, the French deal will fall through."

There's no French deal. I grin and peek at Bea. I can tell she's listening to this conversation.

"Did you explain the circumstances? Did you tell them our pack doesn't have an omega?" Axel continues.

Mrs. Finch tucks herself behind her desk. "I did, and I stressed how displeased you'd be if you were barred from the event. But I couldn't get them to budge."

"Well, find us a date then, Mrs. Finch. If this deal collapses, it's going to cost our business millions. I'm talking cuts. People are going to lose their jobs."

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