Chapter 422

I walked out of the office with an exhausted grin on my face.

“Did you do it?” Alannah stood at her desk, a grin mirrored on her own face.

“I did. Got it just as the counter was counting down.”

Alannah jumped as the door swung open and Vince walked in. “Amy!” he yelled as soon as he entered. Alannah swung around me as naturally as she could.

“Yes, Alpha Vince. What can I do for you?” Alannah stepped into Rick’s office, creating more space between them. Vince looked at her retreating form, but I turned away from him and grabbed my purse from its hook, pulling his attention back to me.

“You can’t call off the mating ceremony.” His face was smiling, but I saw the glint in his eye. He sounded like he was begging, but he meant it as an order. “Brandon loves you.”

I nodded. “And I love him, but I love him enough to respect him and his reputation.”

Vince furrowed his brow. “What do you mean by that?”

I sighed as I stepped out of my office, pulling my door shut. “Alpha Vince, I know rumors don’t often get back to you, because you are the Alpha. But the pack is already talking. Shannon saying she was potentially pregnant by Brandon has gotten around. Everyone is talking about how they got back together.” I shook my head. “Brandon has loved and been with an unranked wolf. And while I understand in some packs that kind of relationship is fine…” I felt my skin crawl as I said these words. This made me sick. “But in our pack, it’s something to talk about. I can’t add to the drama. If I still mate with him, not only will he seem like a man who can’t decide, who can’t figure out his own feelings, but they will see him as weak for falling for an unranked wolf, as someone who chose the weaker wolf. Having a weak and indecisive Alpha can break a pack. I won’t muddy the waters around Brandon any more.” I walked to the door. “I’m not Shannon. I actually love and care about him.” I looked back.

“Wha–” He paused, and I watched him replay what I just said over again. “What do you mean you’re not Shannon?”

I chuckled. “How do you think the rumors got out so fast?” I headed back to Rick’s office as Vince processed what I had just said.

“Motherfucker,” he whispered before he stormed away.

I waited a few minutes before I knocked on Rick’s door. “Are you ready to go?”

Alannah opened the door and stepped out with a big box. “Yeah. I found it.” Then she handed it to me.

“What’s this?” I grabbed the box from her, feeling its considerable weight; it was stuffed with papers.

“Tomorrow’s job. I just remembered it, and I was going to put it on your desk, but since you’re still here…” She pointed to it. “You might want to take it home to get a head start on it.”

I shook the box, but there was nothing surprising about it. “What is it?”

“Rick’s files.” She laughed. “He wants you to organize them by firewall. Apparently there are sections to the box and he said since you have been through it, you can organize his ‘process’.” She grabbed her stuff and turned away. “He also said to take out the stuff that means nothing and toss it.” She made sure I was looking at her when she said the last sentence.

“Oh, goddess,” I groaned, playing along. “Can’t he organize his own files? Or have you do it?”

She sighed. “I tried to tell him that when he told me about the files, but he said I wouldn’t understand.” She turned off the light, and we left the office.

“Hey.” Ternen came around the corner, and I nearly had to gag at the stench coming off his body. “Ready to go, baby?” He beamed down at Alannah, and she nodded. “Bye, Amy.” They waved and turned away, the cologne on him nearly burning the little hairs inside my nose.

I had forgotten I was holding the box because of the stench, and nearly spilled everything everywhere when I went to grab my nose.

“Bye.” He looked over his shoulder and laughed back at me and my disgusted face.

I just shook my head and headed back home. I grabbed some food and took the box upstairs to my bedroom, locking myself in. I went to the cabin for dinner and to see everyone before heading back.

“Why are you heading back to the house?” My mom crowded behind me after I got up from the table.

“I have a video chat with Dad and Thoth, so I need the internet at the house. And I have paperwork that I need to sort through for work.”

“Okay.” She hovered for a minute, like she was worried, but I closed the door behind me, shutting everything out until I had the call. I needed to figure out what the heck was in this box of papers.