Werewolf ceo 4, p.2
Werewolf CEO 4, page 2
“You’re right,” I agreed as I looked around at my pack. “We do all need this.”
Tyler was an orphan now, even if he did hate his dad. Luke and Amy had been orphans for a long time after what Drake did to them, and Katie and Finn didn’t seem to have any family they could go back to, either. Hallie had lost enough family, and Mia had her brother and sister but no one else. Emily’s dad walked out on her, and she didn’t speak to her mom much, and I had lost both of my parents.
But we had each other now. And that was something I needed to focus on before I completely unraveled and started overthinking what had gone down today.
Emily beckoned Hallie over to join her and Mia, and the reporter sent me a questioning look.
“Go ahead,” I said as I plastered a smile on my face. “Go show off your amazing dance moves.”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” the brunette said dryly, though a smirk tugged at the corner of her plump lips. “I’m waiting patiently to see yours.”
“You will, once I’ve had a few drinks in me,” I joked.
As soon as Hallie was close enough, Emily tugged her into their little trio and started to dance against her. I watched for a few moments before I took a long swig of my cocktails.
The flavors hit my tongue, but they didn’t stir any other emotions in me. I could taste passion fruit and vodka, but I just let it slip down my throat as I became enveloped by my raging thoughts.
I was trying to let loose, but, God, was it hard. My entire fight with Arlo was just replaying in my head on a loop, like when you’re trapped in a nightmare you can’t wake up from. Every time I blinked, I could see those glowing green eyes, and every time I tried to shake my head, I could feel his thick pulsing arms wrapped around me.
I couldn’t get it out of my head. The sickening zombie he had turned into was etched into my brain permanently, and I don’t think any amount of alcohol was gonna get rid of it.
“Hey, you okay?” I heard Mia’s soft voice ask me, and it momentarily snapped me out of my trance.
“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I lied through my teeth, and I knew immediately that Mia could see right through it.
She narrowed her green eyes at me and raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow as she leaned against the counter next to me.
“Don’t even try that,” she warned. “I know you too well, St. James.”
“Yeah, I know,” I chuckled as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her into me.
The contact was like an anchor, and I felt myself relax a little now that her body heat was against mine, but it still wasn’t enough.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” she said as she put her arm around my waist and looked up at me with doe eyes. “Maybe I can help?”
“I don’t know if this is something you’ll be able to help with, babe,” I admitted with a sigh. “This is permanent psyche shit.”
“Come on,” Mia said as she put her drink down on the bar and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go outside.”
I quickly put my drink down, too, and I let her lead me out of the den. The cool night air was a welcome jolt to my system, and I released a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
Mia walked me a little down the path which was, thankfully, free of any passersby, and we stopped just before the junction onto the street behind us. The moon was still full and bright, and it looked like a huge pearl up in the black sky. It illuminated the streets with a pale light that almost overshadowed the fluorescent street lights lining the road.
It looked beautiful, and I could still feel its power thrumming in my veins.
“It’s about Z-TECH, isn’t it?” Mia asked after a few moments of peaceful silence.
“Yeah,” I sighed and ran a hand through my dark brown locks. “I can’t get Arlo out of my head. What he became…”
“I don’t blame you,” the blonde Omega said as her brow furrowed. “It was awful.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” I snorted. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. And I… I’m worried. I’m worried about how many other wolves out there could have access to whatever was in that syringe.”
“It’s normal to be worried about something like this,” Mia said. “And I don’t blame you. I’m scared, too. But, right now, we can’t let that fear and worry eat away at us. We will figure this out, but it will take time.”
“But what if it’s too much time?” I asked as my mind began running a hundred miles a second again. “What if it’s too late?”
“Josh, you’re overthinking,” my mate said with a soft smile, and she squeezed my hand. “You’ve done the impossible before. Think about everything you’ve done since becoming CEO. You killed Drake and saved so many Betas. You stopped the ones still loyal to him, and you killed Drake’s father. And as if that wasn’t enough, you just took out the goddamn Guild of the Silver Claw. And in doing so, you stopped another war from breaking out.”
Hearing her lay it out like that filled me with pride. She was right. I had done all of that. Of course, I’d had help from my pack and from the treaty packs toward the end, but there had been a time where I had to face all of it alone. I was the Alpha, which meant it was up to me to orchestrate everything. And I had. I’d done the impossible, time and time again, especially for someone who’d been just an average Joe living out a normal life a few months ago.
“You’ve come so far, Josh,” the blonde added. “And you’ve done so much. So, don’t let this weigh on you. You’re not alone in this, and we have the treaty packs on our side now to try and figure this out.”
“You always know the right thing to say, don’t you?” I asked as I tugged her closer to me.
Mia smiled bashfully and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her face nuzzled into my neck, and I wound my arms around her frame. It still amazed me just how much being close to her could help. Pair that with her words that had really struck a chord inside me, I could start to feel my mind calm down a little.
It was the morale boost I needed, and I knew we would figure this mess out. As daunting as it was, we weren’t alone. We had more allies than ever, and this Z-TECH didn’t stand a chance against us.
All we needed to do was sniff them out.
“I can’t wait until we can have a normal week in Manhattan,” I said. “One week. Is that too much to ask?”
“Apparently it is,” Mia joked as she nuzzled further into the crook of my neck. “I feel like you really drew the short straw. When I used to work for your parents, there was hardly ever any drama, apart from when Drake started raiding the warehouses.”
“Yeah, they got lucky,” I said with a soft smile.
I missed my parents more than anything, but I knew they would be proud of me. I’d taken this new life they had hidden from me in stride. The business was still excelling, and Manhattan was safe, for now.
I’d never expected I’d be taking on the role of werewolf vigilante when I stepped into their shoes, and I doubt they would have expected that either, but I guess that was how the world worked. And I was happy taking up that role, as long as people didn’t start calling me Wolf-Man, or something dumb like that.
“You know I’ve been thinking…” Mia trailed off.
“A dangerous prospect,” I teased. “What about?”
“About us,” she said. “About our future.”
“Anything in particular?” I asked as I rubbed her shoulder soothingly.
“Maybe,” she said, and I could feel her grinning against my neck. “I was thinking about us starting a family.”
“One outside of the band of ruffians in there?” I joked.
“Yeah,” my mate said as she pulled away and looked up at me. “Our own family.”
I felt my breath hitch in my throat, and my eyes widened. She was serious. I don’t know why it took me so much by surprise, but it did. The idea of having a mini me or a mini Mia running around made my heart thud in my chest, and I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“You… You’d really want that?” I asked in a low voice.
“I would,” Mia murmured. “Maybe not right now, with this whole Z-TECH thing looming in the distance, but… one day. One day soon.”
“Yeah?” I asked breathlessly as I reached up to tuck a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. “You want a baby?”
“I do,” she giggled and put her hand over mine against her cheek. “Is that something you’d want?”
The second I pictured her being a mother, I knew what my answer was. I’d always wanted kids at some point, but I’d never found anyone who would allow me to even consider that possibility. But Mia… Mia was my mate. We were bonded in a way that went beyond normal human relationships, and if anyone was going to mother my children, it would be her.
“Yeah, that’s something I’d want,” I said as I stroked her soft cheek with my thumb. “Especially with you.”
Her smile was almost as bright as the moon above us, and I felt myself letting out a breathless chuckle at our shared revelation.
“We don’t have to rush into it,” she said. “I’ll keep taking my heat suppressants for now, because the moment I stop, it’s basically a one-way ticket to a kid. Especially with how we’ve been acting.”
“Good point,” I said with a wolfish grin. “First, we deal with Z-TECH, and then we can start thinking about that.”
“Sounds like a plan, St. James,” Mia said as she turned to kiss my palm. “I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I,” I breathed.
I tried not to dwell on how much the image of Mia pregnant with my child affected me. Her stomach, swollen with the life inside, and the idea of impregnating her in itself ignited something in that wolf side of me.
Instead, I leaned forward and softly kissed her plump lips, and the blonde sighed against my lips as she kissed back. It wasn’t long, but it was enough.
Eventually, she pulled back and nudged her nose with mine before she slipped out of my grasp.
“Let’s head back inside,” she said. “I’m sure the others are probably wondering where we are.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” I said as I took her hand in mine and started to lead us back to the den.
The exhaustion from the day’s events was quickly catching up with me, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before it was unsafe for me to get behind the wheel. The only thing I could think about was my king-sized bed back at my penthouse waiting for me, so once we were inside, I quickly corralled my girls and said goodnight to my pack.
Luke seemed adamant they were gonna party through the night, but from the looks Amy and Katie gave him, we all knew it was only a matter of time before he passed out on the couch.
I could tell the others could see just how tired I was, because they didn’t put up a fight about us leaving. Finn gave me a hard clap on the shoulder as we made our way outside, and Katie promised she’d make sure they all got a good night’s sleep, eventually.
After that, we hopped into the car and started to head back to Midtown. The drive back was silent, but not in an awkward way. Mia and Emily were falling asleep on each other in the back of the Porsche, and Hallie had her head pressed against the windowsill with heavy-lidded eyes.
The moment we got into the penthouse and climbed into bed, we were out like a light. I’d only just managed to tug off my dirty clothes before I was gone, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
There were no gnarled claws digging into me. There were no bright green eyes staring down at me lifelessly. Just a blank nothingness that consumed me and allowed my body to heal whatever aches and pains the moon couldn’t.
My alarm blaring woke me up the next morning, and I rose from the bed like a mummy waking up from its tomb. I was groggy, but I felt like I’d slept for a whole week. I stretched my arms above my head and looked down at the sleeping wolves on either side of me. They were still fast asleep, and the soft sound of their breathing made me smile.
The sun was shining in through the floor-to-ceiling windows and hit them in the most perfect way. There were no clouds in the sky from the looks of it, and the usual hustle and bustle of New York was loud as ever on the streets below.
It was time for a new day.
And I couldn’t wait.
Chapter Two
As soon as I climbed out of bed, the girls started to stir. Mia was the first to sit up with her eyes still closed as she tried to adjust to being awake, but Emily and Hallie laid flat on their stomachs and groaned as they came to and the sun’s light hit them square in the face.
“Good morning,” I said in a raspy voice as I also adjusted to being awake.
“Morning,” Mia replied as she rubbed her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand.
Hallie grumbled something out that kinda sounded like good morning, but it was genuinely hard to tell.
“God, what time is it?” Emily groaned as she rolled onto her back.
“Seven-thirty,” I said as I glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table.
“Shit!” The cherry-haired Beta shot up and immediately flew out of the bed like her ass had just been set on fire.
“Jesus Christ, Em,” I chuckled as I staggered back into my dresser. “You got somewhere you need to be?”
“Yeah, work,” she deadpanned as she started to slip her clothes from yesterday on.
“Hey, you can’t go to work covered in Beta blood,” I said, and I walked over and grabbed her hands to stop her from pulling on her ruined jeans. “Help yourself to my mom’s closet and drawers.”
“Are you sure?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said with a soft smile. “I’d much rather my girlfriend didn’t end up getting arrested today.”
“Good point,” Emily said with a half-grin before she rushed toward the walk-in closet.
“I’ve got work today, too,” Hallie grumbled as she put her hand over face. “My boss will kill me if I don’t go in.”
“Have you got anything exciting lined up that you can talk about?” Mia asked as she finally pulled herself out of bed and started to shuffle toward the bathroom.
“Nothing that compares to taking down a werewolf family syndicate in Central Park under the light of the full moon,” Hallie said with dramatic flair. “It’s probably gonna be another piece about going green.”
“So, riveting stuff then?” I teased as I started walking toward the bathroom, too.
“Don’t you know it?” The newborn Beta lifted her head to smirk at me before she dropped it down with a groan. “Just twenty more minutes, though.”
Mia and I shared an amused look before the blonde grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bathroom with her. We were quick in the shower, as much as I wanted my hands to wander down that drop-dead gorgeous body of hers. We needed to go into work today to-- hopefully-- have a normal day at work. Plus we needed to fill the Board in on what went down, and I’m sure Victor, especially, was eager to hear how it went down in person.
We could hear Emily practically throwing herself around the room as she scrambled to get changed into something of my mom’s that could be acceptable to wear at a coffee shop.
It felt nice in a way, knowing we all had our separate schedules. We needed to lay low for now and take this whole Z-TECH mess piece by piece. The phrase ‘duty calls’ came to mind, and I was more than willing to really get stuck into something other than fighting werewolf bosses. I didn’t get my degree in that, after all.
After Mia and I showered, we quickly brushed our teeth, and Mia started putting on a light layer of makeup. She didn’t need any, but the mascara she put on accentuated her long lashes, and she rubbed a little bit of pink blush onto her tanned cheeks to give her a little bit of color.
I left her to blow-dry her hair while I headed back into the bedroom to pick something out to wear. By this point, Emily had managed to throw on some blue jeans and a black button-up blouse, and she was quickly pulling on her converse with one hand while the other attempted to tie her hair back.
“Damn, Em, relax,” I said as I walked behind her and took the band out of her hand. “You’re not gonna be late.”
“Oh, I am so gonna be late,” she said with a puff of laughter as she finished pulling on her shoe. “And I do not wanna lose this job.”
“You know I’d take care of you if you did, right?” I asked as I started to pull her shoulder-length hair back and tied it into a short ponytail.
“I know you would, but I don’t want you to,” my mate said as she readjusted her blouse. “Besides, working at that damned coffee shop is the only thing that makes me feel like a normal human these days.”
“Fair enough,” I said as I finished tightening up the ponytail. “I know what you mean. I feel like we haven’t had many ‘human’ things going on in our lives recently.”
“You can say that again,” Hallie joked from the bed, which she was still spread out on.
Emily turned and put her hands on my shoulders before she leaned up and pressed a short, sweet kiss to my lips.
“Don’t get into any trouble while we’re apart, capiche?” she asked.
“No promises,” I said as I squeezed her waist. “Besides, you know most of the trouble I get into isn’t by my own choice.”
“Are you sure about that, Alpha?” the cherry-haired Beta asked and raised a dark eyebrow.
“For the most part,” I mused as I stuck my bottom lip out in thought.
Emily laughed before she reached up and pressed another kiss to my lips.
“You’re a terrible liar,” she said plainly before she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and started to rush toward the front door. “I’ll see you guys later!”
“Be safe!” I called out to her. “I mean it!”
“I will, don’t worry!” she shouted back before the door slammed shut.
I chuckled to myself as I heard her run toward the elevator and excessively press the call button, like it would make it come up any faster.
“Alright, Hal, come on,” Mia said as she exited the bathroom and fiddled with an earring she was putting on in her right ear.
“Just five more minutes,” the brunette moaned.
