Chapter 358

I was digging into my second sandwich when there was a soft knock on the door. I looked up to see Alannah staring down at the floor. “Alpha Amy?” I put my sandwich down and smiled.

“Alannah, please, I am serious. You can just call me Amy.”

She shook her head. “Alpha Vince likes the distinction.”

I sighed. “Okay. What can I do for you, Alannah?”

She bowed again. “Alpha Brandon is here to take you to lunch…” Her eyes flashed in terror as she looked at the food on my table.

“Send him in.”

Brandon came in a few seconds later but stopped short. “Oh…” He looked back, and I heard Alannah running back to her desk. “I didn’t realize you were already eating. I wanted to take you out for lunch on your first day.”

I smiled and winked. “I’ll have to reschedule. Maybe we can go tomorrow. Today, I have a date.” I rubbed my hands together and checked the time.

Brandon furrowed his brow and walked over, sitting down. “A date? With who?”

I looked up, surprised to hear the jealousy in his voice. “With Rick.”

Brandon’s mouth fell open. “You have a date… with Rick? Old man Rick? Seriously?”

I laughed. I laughed so hard tears fell from my eyes. “Wait.”

“I don’t see what’s so funny.” He started to pout.

I laughed harder. “Wait. Wait. Wait.” I wiped my eyes and then heaved a deep sigh, trying to catch my breath. Brandon growled. “I’m sorry, it’s not what I meant.” I wiped my face again. “It’s not a date, date.” He finally stopped pouting.

“What do you mean, then?”

I smiled. “Rick wants to test me. He’s currently finding a spot to hide a bit of code in the mainframe, and I have to find it and try my best to eradicate the hidden code.”

“Oh.” Brandon looked out the door. “Like a test?”

I nodded. “Exactly. He’s testing me and seeing how good my abilities are. That’s why we had lunch a little early. While I finished eating, he laid his code, and once the time limit is through, I can start hunting.”

“You’re excited about this…” Brandon looked at me, confused.

I nodded, excited. “I am. I have a friend that I play around like this with. They have honestly helped me so much in finding hidden code, and I am super excited to give Rick a run for his money.”

“A friend?”

I nodded, then lied. “A girl who is human.” I watched his eyes widen. “We met online, and she helped me with my course work since she went through the same course years ago. Like a mentor.”

Brandon’s mouth was hanging open. “You’re friends with a human woman?”

I shrugged. “Sorta.”

“That’s crazy. What do you guys talk about?”

I chuckled. “Server maintenance. Website design. She helped me set up my business in my first year.”

Brandon leaned in. “A business?”

Nix and Megan rolled their eyes.

This whelp of a man is so predictable. Nix shook her head.

I know. Say a friend, he thinks man. Megan chuffed. Say human and he loses his mind.

Say business and he zero’s in. Predictable. I tossed back.

Nix whipped her tail across the ground. But we don’t actually know anything about Thoth.

True. I focused back on Brandon. But he needed to think Thoth was a woman, otherwise he would make my life even more difficult. Both my wolves nodded and turned away.

I nodded to Brandon. “Yeah, I help humans build websites for their businesses. It’s a fun little side job.”

“How much money do you make?”

I thought about it. “I think last year I made a couple hundred… five hundred thousand dollars is not really chump change,” I laughed. “It was a nice little boost into my investment portfolio.”

“You made five hundred thousand dollars from your side business?” His words were soft.

“Uh huh.” I bit the side of my cheek to stop the smile. “Yeah. It helped build up my portfolio for school, so the money wasn’t really my goal. I needed a better portfolio for my finals.” I shrugged and pulled up a program on the computer. “I just took the money and invested it. I don’t even know what my investments are at.”

There was a knock on my door, and we both turned. Rick opened the door, and his smile faltered when he saw Brandon. “I’m ready whenever you are, Amy.”

“Awesome. I’m just going to finish my sandwich and then I’ll start.” I saw Rick vibrating with excitement. I laughed and glanced at Brandon. “I should be less than fifteen minutes.” Rick nodded and knocked again before he left.

Brandon turned back. “He is actually excited by this?”

I nodded. “I am too.” I grabbed my sandwich and took a bite.

Brandon sat back and watched for a few minutes, but I busied myself with my food. “Tomorrow then, keep your lunch open, okay?”

“Will do.” I smiled up at him and then turned back to my computer. He stood and then, with another look, he turned and walked out of the office. As soon as he was gone, I hopped up and ran to the door. “Alannah.” She looked up. “Tell Rick it’s on.” I winked at her, earning a soft smile, and then I ran back to my computer.