CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24 THE CONFERENCE

Caroline’s POV

I entered my apartment with Draven’s last words still echoing in my mind. "I’m definitely going to keep provoking you."

What did he really want from me? Today had been an emotional roller coaster. Would things ever become normal at Thorne Enterprises?

I went to check on my son, who was already sleeping like an angel, clutching his teddy bear. His violet eyes, so much like his father’s, were peacefully closed, his golden hair splayed across the pillow. I thought about asking Eleanor if we could spend Sunday at the park with him. Liam would love that. I passed by my friend’s room, who was also asleep, and grabbed the baby monitor.

I took a shower to wash away all the day’s stress, fell into bed, and drifted off to sleep thinking about my Alpha boss. Goddess help me, I must be going crazy.

I woke up early and got my little one ready to drop him off at daycare. Liam always woke up in such a good mood, his violet eyes sparkling as he smiled at me and chattered about how much he loved his school. While I was getting him dressed, he told me a thousand things about everything he was discovering.

"Mommy, Miss Sarah says I draw the best wolves in class!" he announced proudly, making my heart swell.

I smiled like a fool. It was wonderful to see my son growing up happy, even without knowing his father. The thought sent a familiar pang through my chest.

I got myself ready and went to the kitchen, where I found Eleanor had already prepared our coffee. The scent of fresh brew filled the air as my best friend’s brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Good morning, Caroline," Eleanor grinned, sliding a mug toward me. "I want to know everything that happened yesterday. Your life is better than those human soap operas!"

"Elle," I sighed, taking a sip, "I’ll tell you everything tonight, but just to give you an idea, Alpha Draven was the devil himself yesterday."

"Uh-huh." She raised an eyebrow. "And by any chance, honey, didn’t you provoke the devil? I know you, Carrie. You went to work early and left me a note saying you were ’going to war.’"

"And I did," I admitted, "wearing that black dress you gave me for my birthday last year and those blood-red heels."

My friend’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging open. Rory preened inside me, proud of our boldness.

"By the Moon Goddess! If that Alpha didn’t jump you yesterday, I’ll change my name and join a different pack."

"No need for that," I laughed. "But I’ll tell you everything tonight. I have to drop Liam at daycare. Are you coming with us?"

"Hmm, yeah." She said, taking a final sip of coffee. "But I’ll be dying of curiosity until tonight. Joseph’s been asking about you, by the way. Says you made quite the impression on Alpha Draven."

"I want to hear about your day too. Working as Joseph Taylor’s assistant at Puma Global seems more fun than dealing with my Alpha."

"You have no idea. Being the Blood Moon Pack Alpha’s daughter has its perks, but Joseph is quite a character. Having our pack alliance with Storm Valley means I get all the gossip about your boss too."

She paused, eyeing my outfit critically. "But tell me, do you think wearing that pantsuit will help you go unnoticed by an Alpha wolf? If your intention is to hide those curves, sorry, but it won’t work. Your assets look amazing in that shirt."

I rolled my eyes at her. After being too exposed yesterday, I’d decided to wear a charcoal gray pantsuit with a blazer to hide a bit today, paired with a white shirt. I hoped Elle was wrong, but the shirt was indeed quite form-fitting. Damn, there’s no time to change now.

Thursday started quietly at Thorne Enterprises. Alpha Draven had a meeting with the financial director, so he wouldn’t show up for a while. I was getting through my scheduled tasks when I received a message from Clara saying she’d be arriving a bit late.

"Sorry, Caroline, I’m handling some last details for my transfer to London. I’ll be there soon."

I was reviewing the Puma Global contract when Alpha Draven burst into the office looking disgruntled, his violet eyes stormy. He went straight to his room, his dominant scent filling the space as he called over his shoulder for me to follow him.

"Good morning, Ms. Bennett. Have you reviewed the Puma Global contract yet?"

Back to ’Ms. Bennett’—he was in stress mode today. Alaric must be agitated too.

"Good morning, Alpha Draven. Yes, sir, I just finished and sent it to you by email. I’ve also checked the shipment to Harbor Bay, and everything is proceeding well. The cargo is being loaded onto the ship and leaves tonight. I verified all documentation, and everything’s in order. I’ve sent you an email report about that as well."

"Excellent!" His tone softened slightly. "Today we have the meeting with Joseph from Puma Global after lunch. I want you there taking notes of everything. Has our financial report meeting been scheduled?"

"Yes, Alpha, scheduled and confirmed for five o’clock. It will be here in your office, as per your instructions."

"Perfect. Has Clara arrived yet?"

"No, she notified that she’d be late, something to handle with her move to London. Anything else, Alpha Draven?"

"No. That’s all, you may go."

I was already leaving when I heard his voice in an amused tone,

"Wearing long pants and a blazer won’t help you hide your sexy curves from mine, Caroline." I froze where I stood and turned around slowly, watching him close the distance between us. His scent made my knees weak. "And what I haven’t seen, I still remember vividly in my mind."

He whispered in my ear, "You can’t hide from an Alpha, little Beta wolf. Especially when he’s already touched your most sensitive spots."

Once again, I returned to my desk in shock, Rory whimpering with need inside me. He was such an arrogant Alpha! At noon, Kyle walked into my office all cheerful.

"Pretty she-wolf, you won’t believe what my mate did. Want to grab lunch?"

When we returned from lunch, I was feeling much lighter, having had a great time listening to Kyle’s stories; her mate sounded amazing. Before we each went back to our offices, she told me she’d send a message with details about Clara’s farewell gathering that she and Ryan were organizing for the following week.

At two o’clock, we went to the meeting room, and I was surprised to see Eleanor there. We hugged tightly. She introduced me to her boss, Joseph Taylor, CEO of Puma Global and longtime ally of the Blood Moon Pack.

"Eleanor," Joseph said with exaggerated formality, "I’ll have to pick a bone with your father. When Alpha Gerald asked me to recommend Ms. Caroline for the position here at Thorne Enterprises, he didn’t tell me she was a goddess worthy of the Moon Goddess herself!"

I smiled awkwardly and heard a threatening growl behind me,

"Taylor, keep your hands and eyes off my executive assistant." Alpha Draven’s voice was low and dangerous. "Ms. Bennett isn’t like those unmated she-wolves you usually chase across territories!"

I noticed Joseph Taylor’s amused glance shift from me to my boss.

"Well, well," he chuckled, "the mighty Alpha Draven Thorne is being possessive over you, Ms. Bennett! How interesting! But, my dear friend Draven, I’m not sure I can resist staying away from such a beauty, even if she is a Beta wolf with no scent."

"You’d better stay away, Joseph." Ryan walked in, his tall frame filling the doorway. "You wouldn’t want to provoke our Alpha’s wrath."

He smiled mockingly. "But who’s this lovely she-wolf with you, Joseph?"

"Don’t even try, Ryan. This is Eleanor Larson, and besides being Alpha Gerald’s daughter from Blood Moon Pack, she has a mate who looks like he stepped out of wolf legend. In short, untouchable like Ms. Bennett; no wonder they’re best friends," Joseph answered, rolling his eyes.

"What a shame!" Ryan lamented dramatically. "But you two could introduce me to a friend who’s as beautiful as you are, right? I’ve been feeling so lonely since my last mate-rejection..." Ryan made such a pitiful face that everyone started laughing.

"Moon Goddess help us, Ryan, you have no boundaries!" Alpha Draven groaned.

"Unfortunately, we don’t have another super hot and cool she-wolf like us to introduce you to, Beta Ryan. I’m sorry," Eleanor replied, laughing.

"Well, now that you gentlemen can keep your wolves in check, can we start working?" Alpha Draven said, ending the chitchat, but we still heard Ryan’s complaint.

"Aw, but we were having fun bonding between packs."

We all laughed. The meeting went very well in a friendly atmosphere. Joseph and Alpha Draven discussed expanding their territory alliance to include business ventures, with Eleanor and I taking detailed notes. The partnership between Storm Valley Pack and Blood Moon Pack had been beneficial for both territories, and now they were extending that to their corporate empires.

Afterward, I said goodbye to my friend with a promise to share all the details that night, and when I returned to my desk, I only had time to answer some emails before the next meeting about the financial report.