Josie stands and whispers something in her friend’s ear. And the stiff, rigid tension in Willa’s frame deflates. Her shoulders sink a little, and her expression looks defeated.
“Willa?” Marshal says with a long, quiet look at her. The only affirmation is a small nod as she lowers her eyes.
“Then we have no problem,” Marshal says, and I swear there’s relief in his voice. “Pack courtship is protected under the contract. Miss James is free to continue her employment without penalty, and McCrae is in no danger of losing out at the end of his season. This matter is closed.”
He calls the legal team back in and briefs them.
They look a little skeptical but nod. “Agreed. If it’s an official courtship, there’s no violation.”
Marshal stands, signaling the end of the meeting. “I’ll make a statement to the board. Gentlemen, Miss James—you’ll need to sign a Pack Disclosure document in HR, then you’re free to go.”
“What happens to the person who sent the video?” Beau asks, his voice low, eyes burning with retribution.
Marshal holds his gaze for a long, steady moment. Something unspoken passes between the two Alphas—something I make a mental note to ask Beau about later. Finally, Marshal’s lips curve into something that isn’t quite a smile.
“Oh, rest assured,” he says, his tone cool and final. “APBRA doesn’t take kindly to blackmail.”
I watch him walk out. And then I’m looking at Willa as she stands and stiffly walks out of the room without so much as a glance in our direction.
TWELVE
willa
I makeit exactly three hallways, two flights of stairs, and halfway across the parking lot before a strong hand wraps around my arm and pulls me to a stop.
“Willa. Wait.”
Charlie’s voice. Of course it’s Charlie.
I yank my arm free and spin to face him. Beau and Jake step behind him. My heart is racing, my hands are shaking, and I can’t decide if I want to scream at them or burst into tears.
I settle for cold fury instead.
“Wait?” The word comes out sharp enough to cut. “You want me to wait? After what you just did in there?”
“We need to talk,” Charlie says, his voice maddeningly calm.
“Oh, now you want to talk? That’s interesting, considering you just made a life-altering decision for me without bothering to ask what I wanted.”
Jake steps forward, his expression pleading. “Willa, we were trying to help?—”
“Help?” I laugh, and it sounds unhinged even to my own ears. “You call claiming I’m in a courtship with you—with all three of you—without my consent helping?”
“You were about to lose your job,” Jake says quietly. “We couldn’t let that happen.”
“So instead you decided to trap me in a fake relationship?” My voice is rising, and I don’t care. Let the whole parking lot hear. “Did it occur to any of you that maybe I’d rather lose the job than be forced into this?”
The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but I’m too angry to care. Too angry and too scared and too overwhelmed by the fact that fifteen minutes ago, Charlie Holt, the first boy I ever pined for, my first kiss, just stood in a boardroom and claimed he and his pack had been courting me.
Courting me.
Like I somehow blipped out of my reality into an alternate dimension. I’ve never been courted; the only pack that ever really wanted me was Felton’s and fuck no.
Pack McCrea, courting me… It is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
“We’re not trying to trap you,” Charlie says, taking a step closer. I take a step back. “We’re trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need your protection. I don’t need you to swoop in and save me like I’m some damsel in distress. I had it handled.”
