Page 21 of Obsessed Wolf Daddy

It was also a reminder of how badly this could go for me if I'm not careful. Saffy is the beta's sister. I may have been away from the pack for many years, and I still distance myself from them in many ways. But even I know not to screw around with an important female member of the pack who's nearly fifteenyears younger than me. Not if I want to keep my balls intact and my business running smoothly, anyway.

This isn't Vegas.

And there's Saffy herself, so young and innocent. Is she too fragile for me? For my wolf? I've always stuck with women who can match my darkest desires. I briefly picture Carmela, a true witch with enough power to match my shifter side. Hell, she belongs to one of the most formidable covens in the US and is one of the strongest witches on the West Coast. I never worried about breaking her.

Ironically, I should have been more concerned with her breaking apart our family. I can't help thinking I won that war, though, seeing as I have Annie. My daughter is all that ever mattered to me. Carmela and I were never really family. We were actually toxic as hell together. I briefly mistook lust for something more, and I'm not going to make that mistake with Saffy. I need to be sure before I make a move. Because once I do, I don't think my wolf will let go of its prey.

I return my attention to the screen and watch as Saffy laughs at something Sarah, my head of R&D, is saying. Her whole goddamn face lights up as she does, and I sit back in my chair to watch the scene play out in front of me, struck once again by how fucking sweet she looks.

Before I can spiral on that thought, I’m pulled back to reality by my phone beeping. I assume it’s my one o’clock and tap the message without really checking the screen. After a quick scan of the first line, I realize it's from Carmela.

I'm not surprised to hear from her; we message regularly about Annie. Or rather, I send her pictures and updates, and she replies accordingly. What does surprise me is that she says she's flying to the US tonight and looks forward to seeing me and Annie.

So, Annie was right about her mom visiting. I groan. A little heads-up would have been nice. It's not that I don't want Carmela to have a relationship with Annie. I'm not a total jerk. I just don't want Annie to get hurt. Carmela is a force to be reckoned with, but her focus is entirely on building wealth and becoming the best in the tech world. She's obsessed with success and power. Not a little girl who just wants to be loved.

In many ways, I was initially attracted to Carmela’s drive and thirst for success. After all, I'm no different. But after Annie was born, my sense of success simply expanded to include my daughter. Carmela's, apparently, did not.

At the moment, Annie seems well-adjusted to the reality of having a mom who lives far away and only exists in the form of video calls and elaborate gifts that arrive occasionally. But I wonder how obvious Carmela's rejection will be as she grows. My own attraction to Carmela died years ago, and I feel ambivalent toward her, but knowing how much she could potentially hurt Annie with her careless attitude always has me on edge.

I sigh, staring at my phone for a moment before replying.

Let my assistant have your travel details, and I'll have them prepare an apartment for you.

I don't bother putting my phone down because I know she'll fire back a response.

I can stay at the house with you. I know Annie will want me there.

Not a fucking chance.

You'll be more comfortable in the apartment. I'm going into a meeting now. Give my assistant the details.

I slam my phone onto the desk in front of me and lean back in my chair again, pivoting so I can look at the mountains. Taking a few deep breaths, I try to cleanse Carmela from mysystem. Not that I can completely; she's Annie's mom, and I'm just going to have to deal with that.

She's also now heading up my biggest competitor, a tech firm with offices on the West Coast and in Singapore, where Carmela currently lives. Is this visit to truly see Annie, or to spy on my company? Or, to try to reignite things between us? As she usually does, though to no avail. Between managing the first few months of Brite Corp's transition to the mountains and my growing obsession with Saffy, the last thing I need is Carmela playing games.

And if there's one thing witches love to do, it's play games.

The intercom buzzes, briefly distracting me from thoughts of Carmela. "Jonah is here to see you," Carla’s voice says.

"Send him through." Pausing for a second, I add, "And Carla, you'll be getting a call from Carmela. She's arriving tomorrow, so have the penthouse ready."

"Of course," Carla replies just as Jonah waltzes into my office. He sits dramatically on the sofa by my picture window, eyeing me carefully.

"Tell me I didn't just hear that," he groans. "Is the witch really coming?"

I roll my eyes slightly, well-aware of Jonah's feelings regarding Carmela. To be fair, she's not his biggest fan, either.

"Don't start, Jonah," I warn, my voice harder than intended. "She's Annie's mom, and she's visiting. That's it."

Jonah is one of the few people who don't instinctively back down from me. The others are probably my grandparents, Diego, and Zack. I'm not entirely sure how Jonah and I developed this dynamic, but I wouldn't change it. He's one of the few people my wolf feels on a par with. Perhaps because Jonah’s been a lone wolf most of his life, too.

He's also a complete pain in my backside regarding Carmela. Not helped at all by the fact that he fucked several witches from her coven, upset everyone, and started something of a hex spat. For that reason, he's probably safer out here in the mountains for a while.

Before he can reply, my phone buzzes again. It's Carmela.

If you insist. I have an exciting cross-market proposal for you, though, so clear your schedule.

So she is visiting for business. I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not.

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