by Vivian Arend
Alex glared at both of them, but failed to keep a straight face. Within moments all three of them were snickering. “Okay, I give you that the one with the mayor was a little over the top, but he had snuck into the top drawer of Gramps’s desk when he thought no one was looking.”
“Smuggling Snickers chocolate bars to a friend when Grandma had the old man on a diet was not a punishable crime,” James drawled.
Nope. Alex had blown it on that one, which was why he was determined to not make any more mistakes going forward. “I promise I’ll be northern hospitality personified.”
It seemed he had some research to do. Maybe he’d watch a dozen or so episodes of the damn TV show to find out exactly what made a person a winner. There had to be some kind of point to the evening beyond shoving food down his gullet.
Because whatever Alex did for the family, he was going to do it right. No way was he going to lose—
Not that life was a competition.
Well, only most of the time. And to be honest, he liked winning. He was good at it. Hell, he did it often enough to be great at it.
His bear sent him another dirty shot. The sensation of soft feminine fingers in his hair, sliding down his neck and over his chest. The heat of a soft womanly body pressed against his, her hands doing dirty things to him until the deceitful creature stepped away and left him handcuffed to a railing.
What is wrong with you, he demanded of his bear.
The damn beast snickered.
It’s not over. She hasn’t won, Alex informed the animal.
All his bear did was offer up a happy sigh and a totally nonsensical comment. I like her.
Good grief.
Instead of demanding his bear see logic, Alex went with the most mature solution he could think of. He grabbed the decanter off the table and poured himself a triple.
Maybe next week he’d find time to deal with the delectable Ms. Lazuli.
4
Lara slowed to a stop and perked up her ears instead of rushing forward at high speed like usual. It was already the middle of August, and she still hadn’t found anything specific to solve either dilemma—the pack problem or her mate issues.
Frustration was her constant companion.
The conversation drifting from around the corner was quiet enough to raise her suspicions. She pressed her back against the wall and eased closer to the pack office where her oldest sister, Alpha Supreme of the Orion pack, was talking on a phone to someone.
The one-sided conversation was…tantalizing.
“I hate that we have to go so slowly,” Crystal complained. “It’s not right. But I suppose if the alternative is slashing throats and excessive bloodshed, I can force myself to work covertly for once.”
Lara felt her eyes widen. The murmured response was so low that not even her fantastic wolf hearing could interpret it. The tone of voice was reassuring, though, which seemed to work its magic on her sister because when Crystal spoke again, there was a little less bloodthirsty violence in her words.
“One step at a time. I agree. The best part about this, you realize, is that they’re not going to know what hit them once the dust settles. And if we do things right, we’ll be able to tie up all the loose ends and there will be no going back. No way to fight what is clearly in all of our best interests.”
Whoever she was talking to said something that caused Crystal to laugh, a warm, happy sound that seemed somewhat out of place considering the rest of the conversation.
“Yes, I’m being careful. It’s risky, but it’ll be worth it. And then all the… Of course. I’ll meet you in our usual spot. Watch your back.”
The sound of a phone being laid on the desk and her sister pacing the room to settle into her chair were enough to jar Lara from her stillness.
She pulled a pencil from her notebook and deliberately tossed it back down the hallway to make it seem as if she were only now rounding the corner. Lara shifted her feet with increasing pressure as she took her time approaching the office door.
She wasn’t the only one with wolf hearing, and until she had more time to ponder it, she didn’t want Crystal knowing the cryptic conversation had been overheard.
Lara pasted on a bland expression before stepping into the room and squarely meeting her sister’s powerful gaze. “Alpha.”
Crystal snorted. “What have you done?”
“Nothing.” Lara folded her arms over her chest, her notepad pressing against the crisp cotton of her security shirt. The one emblazed with the Midnight Inc. security logo. “Suspicious much?”
“Only when you come in here and call me Alpha instead of your usual less than hierarchy-based ‘Yo, butthead. How’s it hanging?’ ”
Lara lifted her gaze to the ceiling briefly before grinning wide enough to show teeth. “I figured I’d use my best manners since I have a favour to ask.”
Crystal rolled her chair away enough to lean back and place her feet on the surface of her desk. “Oh, you’re trying to suck up. I approve. Please.” She gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Make yourself comfortable while you grovel.”
Mentally, Lara rapidly ran through options. She had a real request for Crystal, a minor one that she wanted to discuss, but in light of the conversation she’d overheard, it might be good to take better advantage of this opportunity.
Maybe being upfront and blunt would help. It’s not as if Crystal expected Lara to fawn all over her in the first place.
Which was good, because Lara didn’t fawn.
“I wanted you to know I’ve completed the security review for Midnight Inc. and modernized the few places we had problems. Overall, we’re in excellent shape.”
Crystal nodded, her gaze hard and assessing. “Done already? Impressive.”
“There’s no wasted time when you know what needs to be done. We’ll need minimal upgrades in the future.” Lara placed her notepad on the table, leaning forward in the chair to rest her elbows on her knees. Making every part of her body language powerful and determined, yet not challenging. “I’m ready to become more involved in the pack.”
The corners of Crystal’s lips curled up slightly. “So eager. I thought when you left town six years ago, you were ready to abandon the Orion pack for good.”
“I was eighteen and looking forward to college. I was even more excited to get out from under the watchful eyes of five older matriarchs,” Lara drawled. “If you remember, everyone was still living at home. You, Auntie, and all three of our sisters.”
Crystal snorted. “Oh God, yeah. I’ll give you that one. Since taking over after Mom and Dad abdicated, I’ve only had to deal with Auntie Amethyst hanging over my shoulder and making comments. Things like ‘Oh, that’s a curious way to deal with the situation,’ and the extremely judgmental ‘interesting,’ and the worst of the lot—”
“That low pitched hmmm she does that just screams disapproval, but you can’t call her on it because she didn’t really say anything?” Lara suggested.
Crystal’s eyes blazed. “I hate that fucking noise.”
The two of them laughed spontaneously, and hope rose in Lara’s gut. This was what she remembered. The good times. The connection.
The sensation of nearly equal power. She’d never pushed it, but something inside had always told her that she was strong enough to be Alpha if she wanted it.
Of course we could. Power might be fun, her wolf said with a lazy stretch, flexing her claws.
Fun? A whole lot of work.
At eighteen, she hadn’t wanted that kind of responsibility. Now, she’d take it if necessary. She’d do what needed to be done.
Cryptic conversations aside, Lara had always admired her sister…until the rumours had begun. Their parents had left town shortly before Lara’s seventeenth birthday, but Crystal had already been in charge for years by that time. Lara had looked to Crystal and Auntie Amethyst for guidance in the rare moments she, as a head-strong teenager, had felt the need for advice.
Now what she wanted
more than anything was for all of Midnight Inc.’s dealings to be on the up and up. For the Orion pack to be a rock-solid part of the Yellowknife community.
Her sister swung her feet to the floor and leaned forward as well. “I’m glad to see you’re interested in expanding your involvement with the family. I’ve been thinking about it as well, only I wanted you to dive in and use your training before getting you involved in more pack business. It’s been good to have you take charge of Midnight Inc.’s security. It’s shown everyone how competent you are.”
Lara held her hands palms up. “That’s me, Ms. Competent. And I do like my role in security, don’t get me wrong, but I feel I’m ready for more.”
Trying to tease out an opening to discover what had been going on in the overheard conversation without poking too hard was a delicate task.
There was a reason Crystal was Alpha of the Orion pack—she was strong, powerful, and she wasn’t stupid. Lara worked hard to keep her lighthearted and eager expression in place. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to suspect she knew something was going on.
A bloodless takeover…
If Midnight Inc. was planning a financial attack on their nearest competitor, getting it accomplished without a physical attack was certainly better than the alternative. Businesses run by shifters tended to break out of the mould when it came to best business practices.
That is, sometimes bills and banking errors were disputed with teeth and claws. Not good for so many reasons.
So, yeah, a legal takeover that was quick and conclusive was a positive thing. On the other hand, Lara had ethical standards she refused to cross. Using underhanded or illegal moves to take over Borealis Gems or put them out of business was a solid no in Lara’s book.
She’d like to think it wasn’t simply because her yet uninformed mate was one of the inheritors to the competition. She’d like to think that it was strictly a moral and upright decision, but Lara realized she was hormonally compromised enough that she couldn’t claim absolutely pure motives.
The truth was she didn’t want anything to hurt her mate, even if she never got around to telling him what he meant to her.
That he was it. The one and only option, forever and ever. Because wasn’t that just a dandy thing to inform a person? Hey, I know you kind of hate my guts, but if you and I don’t manage to make this work I’m going to pine after you for the rest of my life. Not only will my heart be broken, but I will never have sex again because you’re it.
Nope. No pressure whatsoever.
“I think we’ll be able to use your abilities a little more broadly in the future,” Crystal offered, bringing Lara’s wandering mind back to the topic at hand.
Lara jerked upright. “I’m ready.”
“I’m ready…Alpha,” Crystal prompted before ducking to avoid the pencil Lara tossed at her head. “I have something in mind. It’s a good way to get your feet wet, yet your security training shouldn’t be required. Stay alert, though. While I want you to make a good impression, I also want you to practice stealth. If you know what I mean…”
This open-ended hint, offered with a dramatic wink, bordered on the opening Lara needed.
She spoke slowly in response. “You mean that while I’m taking care of whatever task you assign, I should also take an extra hard look around?”
“If it’s appropriate, yes. Also, I need you to get a little…closer…to people. You need to make sure people trust you. Make friends. That will go a long way at some pivotal moments in the future.”
Lara’s mind raced with conspiracy theories. This sounded so much like the early setup for a takeover. Security skills, stealth. Pivotal moments?
Crystal eyed her. “It’s too bad you don’t have a mate yet. It would make it easier to…discuss…projects with certain influential couples.”
What? Oh God, she was not talking about mates with Crystal. Not now. Lara raised a brow as she shoved the conversation down a different line. “Having a mate would also make it difficult for me to get closer to other individuals. Ahem.”
“Oh. I guess you’re right.” Crystal waved a hand. “Never mind, we’ll worry about that issue later.”
Later, as in much later if Lara had anything to do with it. She schooled her features and nodded briskly. “I’ll do my best.”
5
Lara stood outside the pack house a few hours later, dressed to the teeth. Her fanciest purse was tucked under her arm as she carefully leaned against the wall and peered at her phone.
While she waited to be picked up for the big event Crystal had assigned her to attend, Lara was holding a three-way text message conversation with the two women who had become her best friends since her return to the north.
Different as they could be, Kaylee and Amber were uber-friends, but they’d willingly welcomed Lara into their tight-knit group.
Kaylee was a Northwest Territory–born bobcat shifter who had recently ended up mated with Alex’s younger brother. She was a longtime friend to the Borealis family and now the source of all sorts of interesting polar bear factoids that helped fill a teeny bit of Lara’s unmet cravings for anything remotely personal about her mate.
Amber Myawayan was a Japanese-Canadian human who’d come north a couple years earlier looking for her missing brother. The petite human seemed to have zero issues being surrounded by shifters in her role as admin assistant for Alex’s oldest brother, Cooper, the acting CEO of Borealis Gems.
The three women had originally banded together over their shared interest in stopping anything illegal at their respective companies. Since then they’d added an even bigger aspiration to their list: to discover the best source of chocolate, at least 90 percent pure, in all its varying taste combinations, that was available by three-day delivery to the north.
Mostly though, they were friends.
Kaylee: And then Crystal gave you a public relations task? How is PR even remotely related to the hostile takeover of another corporation?
* * *
Lara: Beats me, but at this point I’m willing to do anything to get my family to spill the beans. It made sense that no one let me know what was going on while I was at school the past few years, but I’ve been home for six months now. It’s time they let me into the backroom conversations.
* * *
Amber: Well, let’s take this as a positive move. I can tell you that Crystal didn’t simply make up a job to test your loyalty. Tonight is a big deal, so she’s trusting you with a real situation.
* * *
Lara: I’m not sure how you know this stuff, but thank you? I guess that means I have to actually be nice to people. How weird is that?
* * *
Kaylee: Stop pretending. You *are* perfectly nice
* * *
Lara: What I am is looking for the barfing emoji
Amber: I agree with Kaylee. You’re a great person—who incidentally can knock the knees out from any linebacker who’s getting handsy. Honestly, I think you’ll be good at PR. Just don’t start a fight. Or end one. Or really…try to not use your ninja skills.
* * *
Lara: I thought you said I was nice! So, you’re saying if a “heated discussion” arises during the course of the meal, I shouldn’t flip any of my dinner companions to the floor and shove peas up their nostrils? No problem. Let’s hope there’s no one in attendance who ruffles my fur.
The little *typing* symbol showed up to indicate that Amber was formatting a text. It sat there. Vanished. Reappeared. Vanished.
Amber: is typing…
She was doing it again. Amber had this annoying habit of wanting to share something and then having to reword it fifty million times.
Kaylee: For God’s sake, just spit it out.
* * *
Lara: What she said.
* * *
Amber: …
* * *
Amber: Fine. I was debating whether I should warn you, because no one is supposed to know who else has been invited, but you’re my fr
iend. I didn’t know what to do with the fact that I was contacted by the organizers, which means I know most of the invitees. Alex is going to be there, and that’s all I have to say, and good luck, and oh my God, don’t kill him.
Lara read the ramble with increasing concern, pausing when she hit the most important detail in Amber’s message.
Alex was going to be there.
Great.
Fantastic.
She had no idea what was going on with the Orion pack and now suddenly she was attending some extravagant dinner with Alex where she had to have opinions about the fancy food when all she was going to be thinking about was how much she wanted to climb him like a tree?
Her sister had ordered her to get closer to people. People like…Alex?
Peachy keen, jellybean.
She was about to send off another message when a sleek, black stretch limo pulled up in front of her. The passenger door on the far side opened, a head popped into view, and she froze.
Even pre-warned, the first sight of the bear shifter had her mesmerized. He unwound his long limbs and muscular torso to glide to a standing position. His head pivoted toward her as he made his way around the back of the limo and strode closer like the predator he was.
A very delicious-looking predator dressed in an immaculate black suit with a crisp white shirt peeking out from beneath narrow lapels. His hair was perfection except for one unruly curl that was barely long enough to dip tantalizingly over his forehead. He was clean-shaven, yet the hint of a heavy beard shadowed his firm jaw.