Hazel49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazUFk7qeRG
I feel so nervous that my mind is reeling, and my palms are sweating.
I can’t understand why this man’s presence affects me so much. Maybe I feel scared because he is a werewolf. After all, he is an Alpha. An innate mechanism of self-defence against a predator. But I don’t feel the same towards his Beta. I feel at ease in his presence, like with other humans.
There must be something weird about this subject in particular.
“Thank you for accepting the job, Hazel.”
There again, my name on his lips. Sounds so nice, so musical.
“A funny coincidence that we meet twice on the same day.”
The last part is accompanied by a small, playful smile that makes me narrow my eyes.
What game is he playing? I knew it; this was payback for earlier. Is he going to murder me in cold blood now that we are alone in this room? If he thinks I am his mate, maybe he’ll spare me.
I decide to play dumb; I want this job, and I can’t antagonize him.
“Yes. Such a coincidence! I should be the one to thank you, Alpha O’Brien, for choosing me for this important project. I am very grateful, and I will do my best.”
That small smile keeps playing on his lips, and I can see him pondering what to say next.
He makes up his mind and suddenly asks, “What pack are you from?”
I was not expecting that. Does he think I am a wolf like him?
“I am from no pack. I am human,” I state matter-of-factly.
He frowns and looks uncertain. Then he straight out declares, “You are lying.”
I am momentarily shocked at his unfair accusation. Why would I even want to lie about it?
I don’t have time to come up with a retort when he continues his allegations.
“I can smell your wolf. You are a werewolf.”
I want to laugh. “Really? And what does my wolf smell like?”
“A tropical flavor. Mango, with some hints of coconut. My favorite. Absolutely mouthwatering.”
I can’t help but blush at his last comment. Again, I wish I could physically stop my blood rushing to my face. So humiliating!
“I think that’s my shampoo you are detecting, not my wolf,” I say, trying to keep my cool.
He looks annoyed at my reply. He probably thinks I am making fun of him. But I am not!
“Seriously, do you really think I’ll buy it? Do you think I am stupid? There is no way a wolf would confuse the scent of his mate with the scent of a generic shampoo. Especially an Alpha wolf at that.”
“Maybe your wolf got a cold, and his sense of smell is affected,” I offer.
“Wolves don’t get ill. My sense of smell is perfectly fine.”
Oh, oh. He looks more and more pissed by the minute.
“I don’t understand why you are doing this. Is this some kind of joke? Do you like to play hard to get? It shouldn’t be like this between mates. They usually find each other, declare their love, mark, mate, and leave happily ever after. Easy-peasy. You are making it so damn difficult!”
Now it’s my turn to be pissed!
“First, I am not playing hard to get because I don’t want you to get me! Second, I don’t know what kind of pathetic delusion you are harboring in your weird mind, but let me explain the reality of the facts to you. I am a human. Not a werewolf. Only werewolves have mates. Ergo, I am not your mate because I am human.”
Anger flares in his features; he stands up and slams his fists on the meeting table so hard that one leg gives away, and the table crumbles to the floor. At the same time, he bellows, “YOU ARE MY MATE!”
I managed to avoid getting crushed by the table, and I quickly stood up, gaping at the fuming Alpha. I am completely astonished by his outburst and scared, too. If that happened to an innocent table, what will happen to me if I continue defying him? This is exactly why I hate werewolves. So hot-headed, unreasonable, and unpredictable.
I hear a commotion, feet running away, and the meeting room door bursts open. The Beta is the first to enter, followed closely by Mr. Jones. They stare wide-eyed at the wooden mess on the floor, positioned between the Alpha and me like a barrier.
Mr Jones is the first to speak up. “Hazel, what have you done?” he reprimands me accusingly.
“I have done nothing! He is the one who went berserk and crushed the poor table!” I defend myself, feeling quite offended.
The Beta stifles a small laugh at my description of the events but sobers up immediately when he sees the mood his Alpha is in.
Mr. Jones seems hellbent on pinning it on me, so he keeps going, “You must have done something to anger Mr. O’Brien; otherwise, there is no way such an esteemed public figure would react this way. Apologize immediately to Alpha O’Brien!”
By the time he ends his ranting, I am fuming. But I am not having it! Mr. Alpha Asshole should be the one apologizing to me for nearly crushing me under the table, not the other way around.
So, I just looked the other way and pretended I hadn’t heard my boss’s command.
“Hazel, APOLOGIZE. RIGHT. NOW!” Mr. Jones command-yells me.
Unbelievable! The nerve of this man, yelling at me and ordering me around in front of our clients like I am some kind of undisciplined child he needs to correct. What the hell!
Before I could choose between caving in and keeping my job or answering very rudely and being sacked on the spot, Mr. Alpha Crazypants stepped in, surprisingly, to defend me.
“Stop yelling at her! She is not the one at fault. I am the one who lost his temper, and I sincerely apologize for my behavior and my actions. I will pay for the damages and add a 5% bonus to the project’s commission.”
Hearing about the 5% bonus, Mr. Jones looks immediately appeased and elated.
Alpha O’Brien turns my way with a regretful expression.
“I am sorry for what I did and for scaring you. Are you hurt? I don’t know what got into me; I never lose my cool like this.” He sounds sincere and truly concerned. My rage dissipates, but I still feel scared of him. He is unstable and not safe to be around.
I manage a curt reply, “I am fine. Thank you.”
He looks quite disheartened by my clipped answer and my cold demeanor. What did he expect? I jumped in his arms after he yelled at me like a mad man, accusing me of being a liar. He can go hang himself for all I care. I don’t want to see him ever again.
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