Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

11 Chapter 11

Damien’s POV 1

The private jet touched down at Silver Moon Harbor International two hours ahead of schedule, but I'd been

restless for the entire flight, unable to focus on any of the documents spread across my mahogany desk.

Something about tomorrow's dinner arrangements-and more specifically, the woman who'd managed them-had

occupied far too much of my mental bandwidth over the past twenty-four

hours.

It was ridiculous. | was a powerful Alpha who commanded respect from wolves across three territories, yet here |

was, completely distracted by a voice I'd heard exactly twice over the phone.

| couldn’t stop thinking about those two conversations. The way her voice had trembled with barely controlled

fury when she’d called my request unreasonable. Most assistants either cowered in terror or quit via email after

their first encounter with my temper. But Seraphina Knight had done neither. She’d pushed back, challenged me.

“You're thinking about her again,” Alex observed with what sounded suspiciously like amusement.

I ignored him, but my wolf wasn’t wrong. | was thinking about her. Far more than was appropriate for an

employer contemplating an

employee he'd never even met.

“Maybe she’s already gone,” | found myself thinking as the car pulled up to Nightshadow Industries, and the

possibility sent an

unexpected spike of panic through my chest. “Maybe the reality of working forfinally sank in and she

decided to cut her losses.”

What the hell was wrong with me? | was practically eager to meet a woman whose only qualification so far was

that she hadn't run away

screaming.

As | strode through the marble lobby, employees immediately straightened to attention, offering respectful nods

and murmured

greetings. But as | approached the executive floor, something unexpected caught my attention.

The door to my outer office was slightly ajar, and through the gap, | could see a figure bent over what appeared

to be scattered papers

on the floor. The woman was on her hands and knees, reaching under a desk, and the position offered a

spectacular view of long, shapely

legs encased in silk stockings, a perfect curve of hip and thigh, and the tantalizing glimpse of delicate lace

underwear beneath a hiked-

up emerald dress.

My steps slowed involuntarily. The woman's movements were graceful despite her awkward position, and

something about the elegant

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line of her back, the way her dark hair had cslightly loose from its updo, sent an unexpected jolt of

attraction straight through me.

| cleared my throat softly, not wanting to startle her but unable to ignore the professional impropriety of the

situation-or the way my

body was reacting to the enticing view. Heat pooled low in my belly, and | had to adjust my stance slightly as my

pants grew

uncomfortably tight.

She froze completely, her entire body going rigid, and | could practically feel her mortification radiating through

the air like waves of

heat.

She scrambled to her feet with impressive speed. The movement was fluid and graceful despite her obvious

panic, and | caught a flash of

long, silk-clad legs before she yanked her dress back into place and spun to face me. The sight of her flushed

face, those wide, apologetic

eyes, and the way her chest rose and fell with quick, shallow breaths did absolutely nothing to ease the tightness

in my pants.

The woman standing beforewasn’t just beautiful-she was breathtaking in a way that hitlike a physical

blow. Her face was a

perfect oval framed by waves of dark hair, her skin luminous and smooth as cream. But it was her eyes that

nearly broughtto my

knees.

Brilliant emerald green, framed by thick lashes, they sparkled with intelligence and spirit even as they widened

with what appeared to be

shock. Those eyes... there was something familiar about them, something that made my wolf pace restlessly in

my mind.

“MATE!” Alex's voice exploded in my consciousness with such force that | actually took an involuntary step

forward. “MATE!”

The scent hitthen-vanilla and jasmine with an underlying sweetness that was uniquely hers. It wrapped

aroundlike silk ribbons,

making my head spin and my wolf how! with recognition and desperate need.

“Miss Knight, | presume?” | managed to say, though my voice cout rougher than intended.

She opened her mouth but no sound emerged. Her green eyes were wide with what looked like panic, and | could

see her pulse

fluttering rapidly at the base of her throat. The air between us crackled with electricity, thick with an attraction

so intense it was almost

suffocating.

Before either of us could recover from the moment, familiar footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by

Lucas’s cheerful voice.

“Damien! | saw your car pull up-you’'re back early!” He rounded the corner at his usual energetic pace, then

stopped short when he

spotted the woman standing frozen by my desk. “Well, hello there.”

Lucas’s eyes immediately began traveling appreciatively over Seraphina’s form, taking in the way the emerald

dress hugged every curve,

the flush on her cheeks, the elegant line of her neck. I could practically see his interest spike, and my wolf

snarled in fury.

“I don’t believe we've met,” Lucas continued, moving forward with his most charming smile. “I'm Lucas, Beta of

this pack and Damien’s

right-hand man.” He extended his hand toward her. “And you must be the mysterious new assistant I've been

hearing so much about.”

The sight of him reaching for her hand sent a bolt of pure rage through my system. My vision actually tinted red

around the edges, and |

had to clench my fists to keep from physically pulling him away from her.

“I... yes, I'm Seraphina Knight,” she managed to stammer, her voice barely above a whisper as she reluctantly

placed her hand in his.

“Seraphina,” Lucas repeated, and the way he said her name-like he was tasting something delicious-made me

want to rip his throat out.

“Beautiful nfor a beautiful woman. Tell me, are you free for dinner tonight? | know this amazing little place

downtown-"

“Lucas.” My voice cut through his flirtation like a blade, sharp enough to make both of them jump. “Don’t you

have somewhere else to

be?”

He turned to look atwith raised eyebrows, clearly picking up on the dangerous undercurrent in my tone.

“Actually, | was hoping to

discuss the Pack alliance with you, but | suppose that can wait.” His smile widened as he turned back to

Seraphina, completely ignoring

my obvious displeasure. “So what do you say? Dinner?”

| watched Seraphina’s face cycle through confusion, embarrassment, and something that looked almost like fear.

She glanced between

Lucas and me, clearly at a complete loss for words.

213

That's when | stepped forward, close enough that my presence would be unmistakably territorial. “I believe Miss

Knight has more important things to worry about than your social calendar, Lucas. Like explaining why she’s

apparently been reorganizing my filing

system on the floor.”

Seraphina’s eyes widened at my tone, and | saw her shoulders square defensively. “I'm sorry, Mr. Nightshadow. |

accidentally knocked

over sfiles and was just-"

Before she could finish her explanation, a sickeningly familiar voice rang out from the hallway.

“Brother! | heard from my husband Gabriel that you're hosting sfancy dinner party tonight, and you didn’t

even think to invite us?”

Valerie burst through the office doorway like a pink tornado, her bleached blonde hair bouncing as she practically

skipped toward us.

“How could you possibly-” She stopped short when she noticed the back of Seraphina, her artificially enhanced

lips curving into a cruel

smile. “Oh, well well. What do we have here?”

| watched Seraphina’s entire body go rigid at the mention of Gabriel's name, her face draining of color so quickly

| was genuinely

concerned she might faint.

“Letguess,” Valerie continued, circling around Seraphina like a predator sizing up prey. “Another desperate

little assistant trying to

claw her way up the corporate ladder by batting her eyelashes at the big bad Alpha?” She deliberately bumped

into Seraphina’s shoulder

as she passed. “How long do you think this one will last before she runs away crying? A week? Two days?”

“Valerie.” My voice carried enough menace to make several nearby employees visible through the doorway take

strategic steps backward.

But she was far from finished. “You know, Gabriel has been telling you for months that I'd make a perfect

assistant. I'm family, after all,

and | certainly wouldn't spend my first day crawling around on the floor in inappropriate dresses, flashing my

underwear at anyone who

walks by.”

“GET OUT!” | roared, my Alpha authority flooding the room with such force that every wolf present. “GET OUT OF

MY OFFICE NOW,

VALERIE!"