I hurried into the elevator, heart hammering with the instincts of a mother wolf sensing her pup in danger. The doors slid open on the 8th floor, and I bolted toward the president's office, knocking once before realizing I didn't even need permission I had to see him, my son.
When I glimpsed Jared perched on Elliot's sleek, black leather couch, relief surged through me like warm sunlight cutting through a dense forest. But instinct soon flared into anger. "Jared, are you trying to give me the fright of my life?! Why did you run off like that?!" I shouted, my voice trembling between relief and the primal protectiveness every mother wolf feels for her pup.
Jared froze for a second, wide-eyed, then bounded toward me and clutched my leg, tail or rather, the energy of pure trust wriggling in apology. "Mommy, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
I knelt and enfolded him, feeling my heartbeat slow as the tension drained away. "Don't do that again, little wolf," I murmured, stroking his hair as I tried to mask my lingering worry.
A deep, controlled voice rumbled behind us, rich with Alpha energy. "Go back to work and leave him to me. I'll watch him for you."
I froze, instinct bristling. Elliot's offer… it was generous, but it was unnecessary. I didn't want my pack's resources, my time with my pup, borrowed by anyone even him.
"It's fine. Thanks for the offer," I replied carefully, keeping my tone neutral.
Jared's gaze turned pleading, sparkling with that innocent courage only a young wolf could muster. "Mommy, I like being with Mr. Handsome. Can I stay here until you finish work? Please?"
I blinked. Of all the packmates he could cling to, he had chosen this Alpha this man radiating dominance, strength, and a quiet command over everything in the room.
"No. Come back to my office, honey. Mommy has a meeting, but I'll make it up to you with something special for lunch," I tried, though my instincts warned me he would resist.
"I don't want to! I want to play here in Mr. Handsome's office!" His lower lip protruded, and for the first time in ages, he sulked. My heart both melted and bristled. He was mine, yet he had claimed another in his trust.
I gritted my teeth and looked up at Elliot. Alpha presence, control, dominance all of it emanated from him like the scent of a full moon over the forest. I let out a small sigh. "Then, please… help me watch him for a while."
"Sure." Elliot's nod was firm, almost reverent in its calmness, as if pledging loyalty to the tiny wolf before him.
"Jared, don't cause any trouble, okay? Mommy is going back to the meeting."
"I'll be good," he promised, his eyes sparkling like the bright moon reflecting on a still lake.
I turned and left, my instincts still alert but tempered by a strange calm. Elliot sat across from my son, watching him with the measured focus of an Alpha studying a promising new pack member.
Jared pulled a Rubik's cube from his backpack, the energy of curiosity and confidence radiating from him. He twisted and turned the colors with nimble fingers, completing it in less than two minutes a sign of cunning intelligence that made my wolf heart swell with pride.
"Who taught you that?" Elliot asked, voice calm but probing, like a master wolf assessing a new member of his pack.
"I learnt it myself. Mr. Handsome, how long would you take to finish it?" Jared asked, eyes bright with challenge.
Elliot smiled faintly, that predatory yet controlled grin of an Alpha who always knows he's the strongest in the room. He scrambled the cube, then fluid, precise, unstoppable completed the puzzle in ten seconds.
Jared's mouth fell open, eyes wide, tail-energy practically vibrating with awe. "You're awesome, Sir!"
Elliot's dark gaze softened ever so slightly as he glanced at my little wolf, a silent acknowledgment of a bond forming one not of blood, but of instinct, trust, and the unspoken ties of pack loyalty. And in that moment, I realized that in this modern world, in this concrete jungle of glass and steel, pack dynamics Alpha, pup, bond, dominance, and mate still ruled above all else.
Jared laughed, his joy pure, and I felt my chest swell with pride. For my son, for the pack I was building around him, and for the strange, powerful Alpha who now held a quiet claim on his and perhaps my heart.
It was just a small compliment from my little wolf, but I felt my chest swell with pride. The way he looked at me, that raw, unfiltered trust in his eyes it was more satisfying than any praise from my pack. I grinned, baring teeth in a friendly wolfish smile. "You're quite good yourself too," I said, letting my voice carry the quiet dominance and encouragement of an Alpha.
If anyone had stumbled upon us in that moment, they might have thought the pair of us man and pup were mirrors of each other, the same spark of instinct and joy lighting our faces when we smiled.
I watched Anastasia retreat to the meeting room, her movements controlled but alert, like a lone she-wolf guarding her pup. Felicia didn't comment on our little interlude, thankfully, and by the time the meeting ended, it was already noon.
I could almost hear the mental gears turning in her mind, wondering where she would take Jared for lunch. But before she could decide, her landline rang. She answered, voice polite but tense.
"Jared is coming with me for lunch. Come and join us. We're at the restaurant opposite the company." My voice was low, controlled, Alpha-calibrated no room for refusal.
I could almost feel her fur bristle over the phone. My pup. Lunch. Without permission. I'd stolen no one just extended my territory to protect and indulge them both, like any responsible Alpha would.
Her pulse must have spiked as she grabbed her bag and darted out, instincts flaring between irritation and protectiveness. The restaurant opposite the company had the kind of dominance that matched the pack's status. When she entered the hall, she immediately spotted Jared perched next to me by the window, small but radiant with energy.
She inhaled sharply and sat down, placing a hand over her heart as if to steady her wolf instincts. "This lunch is my treat," she said, finally releasing some tension, "as thanks to President Presgrave for taking care of my son." The words were polite, but her tail-energy I could sense it still flicked with caution and pride.
I met her gaze across the table, my Alpha senses sharpening. She had refused my kindness before, guarding her independence like a lone she-wolf protecting her den. And yet, here she was, acknowledging it now.
"Mommy, Mr. Handsome only needs ten seconds to solve the Rubik's cube!" Jared chimed, his pride in me evident, his voice bubbling like a river full of new life.
She smiled, a flash of softness beneath her vigilant exterior. "Oh, really?" Her tone was light, casual, but her wolf senses still twitched with alertness, measuring me.
Orders were placed, and ice cream arrived before the meal a playful offering, almost a ritual to mark the bond forming in this strange pack of three. Jared dug in immediately, joy radiating like the warmth of a summer sun. But I knew, as any Alpha knows, the limits of his pack. She leaned in, concern flickering in her gaze. "Let me try some too," she said gently, protective as always.
Jared scooped some up for her, and she ate it quickly, his little paws steady with care. Moments later, he offered more to me, innocent and bold. "Sir, do you want some too?"
Anastasia's instincts flared, and she leaned in, stopping him. "Jared, I ate from this spoon earlier, so you mustn't offer it to someone else. It's not polite." Her voice carried authority, but underneath I sensed something else curiosity, perhaps even a flicker of challenge.
I narrowed my eyes, Alpha instincts kicking in, but my tone remained calm, just low enough to convey a quiet assertion. We've already shared a bond, a kiss of trust and connection. Why does it matter to you who I share a moment with now?
The little wolf beside me giggled, oblivious to the tension in our pack dynamics, and I allowed a small smile to curve my lips. Lunch had become more than food; it was territory, trust, and the delicate weaving of pack bonds my pup, her care, and the silent pull of a mate whose presence neither could deny.