Chapter 5 No.5

Amiyah POV

The shutter clicked for the final time, signaling the end of the shoot. The studio crew let out a collective breath they seemed to have been holding for hours. Jadyn Ramsey, however, didn't rush to the changing room. Instead, he bounded off the set, grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat from his neck as he made a beeline for me.

"Dinner," Jadyn announced, his amber eyes sparkling with an intensity that made several female assistants swoon. "You. Me. The finest steakhouse in the city. My treat. Consider it a tiny down payment on the life debt I owe you."

The murmurs in the room ceased. Everyone, including a seething Ingrid, watched with bated breath. A Beta heir from a powerful Pack asking a lowly assistant out? It was unheard of.

I closed the file in my hands with a sharp snap. "I'm afraid I have to decline, Mr. Ramsey. My shift isn't over, and I have a mountain of paperwork waiting on the executive floor."

Jadyn's face fell, resembling a kicked puppy. "Come on, Amiyah. You're not seriously going to choose filing papers over a reunion with your favorite... well, acquaintance?" He lowered his voice, glancing around. "Is your Pack in trouble? Is that why you're working here? I can help. Redstone has resources-"

"I am fine, Jadyn," I cut him off gently but firmly. "And I am here because I choose to be. Now, if you'll excuse me."

I turned on my heel, expecting him to leave. Instead, he flopped onto a plush sofa in the waiting area, crossing his long legs.

"Fine," he declared, flashing a charming grin at the stunned room. "I'll wait. Even the Alpha's assistant has to eat eventually."

Ignoring the whispers that erupted behind me like wildfire, I marched back to the elevator.

*

The atmosphere on the executive floor was suffocating. The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I felt the tension radiating from the Alpha's office. The glass walls seemed to vibrate with suppressed energy.

I had just sat down at my desk when the door to Grayson's office flew open.

Grayson Wilder stormed out. His jaw was set so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek, and his scent-ozone and dark, brooding cedar-rolled off him in waves of agitation. He looked like a man who had just lost a wrestling match with a ghost.

He stopped in front of my desk, his shadow looming over me.

"Get your things," he commanded, his voice rough. "We're going out for dinner."

I blinked, looking up at him. "Excuse me? I have the quarterly reports to finish, and-"

"That wasn't a request, Amiyah." His eyes flashed, a swirl of gold bleeding into the dark iris. It wasn't desire; it was the frustration of a man forced into a corner. "My grandfather... insists. We are to be seen in public. Together. Now."

I realized then that this wasn't his idea. Elder Douglas must have pulled the leash. My Inner Wolf bristled at his tone, but I knew better than to argue with an Alpha whose pride was already bruised.

"Fine," I said, standing up and smoothing my skirt. "Lead the way."

*

The restaurant was dimly lit, smelling of expensive wine and truffle oil. It was the kind of place where deals were made and secrets were whispered. But as the maître d' led us to our reserved table, I saw a familiar figure rise from a booth near the window.

Grayson stopped dead in his tracks. A low, menacing growl rumbled in his chest, audible only to those with enhanced hearing.

"What is *he* doing here?" Grayson hissed.

Jadyn stood there, looking entirely too pleased with himself. He had evidently charmed the location out of the receptionist back at the office.

"Wilder," Jadyn nodded, his tone lacking the deference usually shown to an Alpha. He turned his beaming smile to me. "I told you I'd wait."

The dinner was a disaster from the start. The air around our table was thick enough to choke on. Grayson sat in stony silence, radiating a cold fury that kept the waiters trembling. Jadyn, conversely, seemed determined to poke the bear.

"So," Jadyn said, swirling his wine glass. "How long do you intend to keep her locked up in that glass tower, Grayson? She's a warrior, not a secretary."

"She is my fiancée," Grayson snapped, his hand clenching around his fork. "And her position is none of your concern, Beta."

I sighed, placing my napkin on my lap. "It's a three-month engagement, Jadyn. A contract. Nothing more."

I said it to diffuse the tension, to remind Jadyn that I wasn't trapped. But the words seemed to have the opposite effect on Grayson. His scent spiked, sharp and acrid.

Jadyn laughed, a sound of genuine relief. "Three months? Thank the Goddess. You deserve better than a man who treats his Pack like a corporation and his mate like an acquisition." He leaned forward, his eyes locking onto Grayson's. "You're boring, Wilder. And cold. You have no idea what fire you're trying to dampen."

Grayson leaned in, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "Careful, Ramsey. The Redstone Pack is currently negotiating for the southern territories. It would be a shame if those talks... collapsed."

The threat hung in the air. Jadyn's smile vanished. But instead of backing down, he looked at Grayson with something akin to pity.

"You think you can bully everyone into submission," Jadyn said quietly. "But you have no idea who you're sitting across from. You're disrespecting a wolf of the Holloway bloodline. If her grandfather knew how you treated her..."

Grayson frowned, confusion flickering in his eyes. "Holloway? The Silvermoon family? She's from a no-name pack in the boonies."

"Believe what you want," Jadyn said, standing up. He threw a stack of cash on the table. "I've lost my appetite."

*

We left moments later. The walk to the valet stand was silent, but the air crackled with electricity.

"Amiyah!"

Jadyn caught up to us on the sidewalk. Before I could react, he pulled me into a tight hug. It was warm, smelling of sunshine and cut grass-a scent of safety from my past.

"Call me if you need anything," he whispered into my hair. "Anything at all."

I pulled back and patted his cheek, a gesture I used to do when he was a scrawny teenager. "Go home, Jadyn. Drive safe."

I didn't see Grayson move. I just felt the sudden, violent displacement of air.

A hand clamped around my upper arm, iron-hard and possessive. Grayson yanked me away from Jadyn, practically shoving me toward his waiting SUV.

"Get in," he snarled.

He slammed the door behind me and stormed to the driver's side. As soon as he was inside, the confined space was instantly flooded with his scent-overwhelming cedar, leather, and a burning, primal rage.

He didn't start the car. Instead, he turned on me, his eyes glowing with the full force of his Alpha power.

"Is that it?" he roared, the sound vibrating through the chassis of the car. "Is that why you look at me with nothing but ice in your eyes? Because you've already chosen *him*?"

"Grayson, you're being ridiculous-"

"Don't lie to me!" He leaned across the console, invading my space, inhaling deeply near my neck where Jadyn had hugged me. His lip curled in disgust. "You let him touch you. You let him leave his scent on you like a common stray marking a lamppost! Do you have no concept of your duty as my future Luna?"

My own wolf snarled in my head, hating the submission his Alpha tone tried to force on me. But beneath his anger, I sensed something else-something raw and terrified that he was trying desperately to bury under his rage.

"Duty?" I spat back. "Or property rights?"

The engine roared to life as he stomped on the gas, peeling away from the curb with a screech of tires that mirrored the scream of frustration in the air between us.