Chapter 4

"I can't believe that asshole is back!" Alanna said, alone, tossing her bag onto the office couch. She had spoken with a different wolf, Zander, but since she had refused to give up the land, he asked her to speak directly to the CEO of UpRise. The thing is, she already knew that the issue had nothing to do with business, and today that was confirmed. She'd smelled wolf on Zander the first time he'd entered the building. Sniffing out a werewolf wasn't difficult for someone like her. Now, their damn Alpha has decided to show up. Sure to subdue her, like the weak human they thought she was.

However, she didn't expect THAT one to be the Alpha. She would recognize that face anywhere, no matter how long it'd been. Six hundred years wasn't long enough for her to be in doubt. She didn't deny that he was handsome and charming—and, now that his hair was longer, he was much more attractive. But he was who he was, her biggest enemy, the reason her life had gone wrong and her existence was empty and painful.

However, something confused her. He seemed to be attracted to her in an unusual way. He was giving off pheromones like crazy, and he had that idiotic look on his face when he looked at her. She laughed, in disbelief and trying to push away the possibility that popped into her mind.

"Could this be it?" she asked herself, sitting in the chair behind the desk, thoughtful. It would be very ironic, indeed! Without a second thought, she called a number she rarely looked for, unless it was an emergency.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was as melodious as Alanna remembered it.

"Morana? We got a problem."

*

Faolán was in the shower, thinking. The plan was to get to Westminster, use his Alpha aura on the CEO of Paradise, settle the whole situation, and return, perhaps on the same day, to his pack. However, the reality was quite different. Not only had he not resolved the territorial situation, he had also discovered that she was his mate. And obviously, even if he wanted to use his aura, he couldn't, since Alpha's mates are immune to that.

"What the hell!" He punched the water in frustration. He couldn't go back to the pack without talking to Alanna. There was no way he was going to leave that town and leave his mate behind. What if she moved and he lost her forever?

He got out of the shower and went to bed. He turned on the computer and started researching more about Paradise, more specifically about Alanna Doyle. There wasn't much about her on the internet, which was weird. She was a young, beautiful woman with a large company on the rise. She was twenty-five, had a dual degree in Economics and Business, and was single—for which he was immensely grateful. There was no information about her affairs. No children, no living relatives—except for a distant aunt who helped her a lot after the death of her parents. There was no information about her likes, hobbies or anything. Absolutely nothing.

"You're very discreet, aren't you?" He spoke to the picture of her that was there on the computer screen. He saved the few pictures he'd found of her.

'Are you going to look at these pictures or are you going to go after her?' Rafe asked, annoyed. This was the first time he had spoken, since Faolán had let Alanna leave the cafe.

"I already told you why I can't push her too hard. She's human, and also preferred for purchasing something our pack needs a lot. I don't want to either frighten or offend her." Faolán tried to keep his voice down, but Rafe was too agitated. "Let's do the following, then. I'll wait for her after her office hours and invite her to dinner."

'What a dumb plan! She's not going to walk out of her office just like that. For sure she will park the car inside the garage, where you don't have access. If you are going to ask her out right after she gets off work, how the hell is she going to get ready to have dinner with you?' Rafe asked contemptuously.

"Oh yeah, you have a good point there." Faolán said, pursing his lips.

'It doesn't even seem like you've lived among humans for so long, since you still haven't learned what they're like, especially women.' Faolán could almost feel Rafe's eyes roll.

"All right, smarty-panties. I will call her at her company, right now." He picked up the phone and, before Rafe could complain, Faolán put a lock on the wolf, in order to hear what the operator was saying.

Alanna was so immersed solving some problems about another resort that was almost ready, that she didn't hear her office landline phone ringing. That's when her secretary quit trying to make the call, got up, walked into Alanna's office and said that the CEO of UpRise was on the phone and needed to speak with her, urgently. Alanna wanted to blow him off, but her secretary insisted that he seemed very nervous. Alanna frowned and said she would take his call. Then the secretary went back to her desk and transferred the call to her boss. When Alanna heard the phone ring, she irritably hit the line button.

"Hello?" She said, without much patience. Faolán noticed it, and it made him more nervous.

'Oh, Miss Doyle, I need to see you later today.' He said, over the phone, rather coldly. Alanna raised her eyebrows.

"Really? And why is that? I have nothing to say to you, much less do I intend to listen to your whining. If it's about Wyoming land, I've already said I'd think about it, as well as talk to my shareholders. Obviously I haven't done either, yet, for I've got many other matters to tend to. Being a CEO yourself, I thought you'd understand." She said, annoyed.

"It's not about that." He said, hurriedly.

"It's not?" she asked, surprised.

"No. Please, it's something very important. It's personal. I can't say much over the phone."

Alanna narrowed her eyes. It just seemed like an excuse for her to meet up with him. If she were an ordinary human, she might be afraid. After all, a man who was much bigger than her might be able to hurt her. As it was not the case, she accepted it.

"I'll get off in two hours. Where are we going to meet?" she questioned.

"Since I don't know the city. I'll leave that up to you." He gave her his personal number and asked her to text him the address. She agreed and hung up.

Faolán heard the line go dead and tapped the hang up button on his phone's screen. He was very happy, because he was going to see her again. Rafe was unlocked from his mind and the wolf was jumping for joy.

"Now, let's choose what to wear." Faolán said.

'Yes, you have to go looking fucking handsome.'

"I already look fucking handsome." He teased, and Rafe chuckled.

While he dressed up, Alanna texted him the address. He saw her picture on the messaging app and grinned silly. She looked really gorgeous.

It wasn't long before his phone rang. He ran to pick it up, thinking it was Alanna, but it was Zander.

'Bro?'

"Hi, Zander. Is everything okay over there?" Faolán asked, checking himself out in the mirror.

'Yes, everything's under control. How was it with the hottie?'

Faolán became serious at once.

"I think it would be great that you'd keep those thoughts of yours to yourself! No, better yet—don't even have them at all! She is mine!" He blurted out, menacingly. Zander was confused for a few seconds, but quickly understood it.

'Is she your mate and our Luna?' he asked, to which Faolán grunted, as confirmation. 'Congratulations, my Alpha! That makes me really happy! And sorry for calling her a hottie! I didn't know.'

Faolán knew that his friend and Beta would never do anything to hurt him or go against the hierarchy.

"Right. I gotta go, because I'm going to see her. We're gonna have dinner together. I'll tell you everything, afterwards. See ya!" He hung up without even waiting for Zander's reply.