Adrian stopped at the entrance to the room, and she nearly ran into his back. “This is Harper Bailey,” he announced to the room at large. “She’s from TalkToMe. She’ll be updating our technology systems.”
The silence stretched, thin and taut. A tall, older wolf with a scar cutting through one eyebrow and a scowl etched permanently onto his face stepped forward. His eyes were a flat, unfriendly grey.
“Human?” he asked, his voice a low growl. He looked at her as if she were something unpleasant he’d stepped in. “You brought a human into our home to play with our technology?”
The sheer hostility in his tone made her shoulders tighten. Her fingers itched for her keyboard, her one reliable weapon. In her world, problems were solved with logic and code, not by glaring contests with oversized men who looked like they wrestled bears for fun.
“Her work will benefit the entire pack, Elder Howard,” Adrian said, his voice quiet but infused with a power that even she could feel. “You will treat her with respect.”
Elder Howard’s jaw tightened, but he took a small step back. “Forgive me, Alpha. I was simply expressing concern for our security.”
“Your concern is noted.” Adrian turned to lead her down the hallway towards the back of the house. “My office is?—”
“Wait.” She stopped walking. “Your office? Why do I need to know where your office is?”
He turned to face her. In the narrower confines of the hallway, his presence felt even more overwhelming—she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes, and that earthy, intoxicating scent she remembered from their first encounter wrapped around her like smoke.
“Because that’s where you’ll be working.”
Her brain stuttered. “Excuse me?”
“Derek informed me you’d need a secure location with reliable power and a wired internet connection.” His expression was utterly neutral, utterly unreadable. “My office is the only room in the compound that meets those specifications. You’ll have a desk, access to the existing network infrastructure, and sufficient space for your equipment.”
“In your office.”
“In my office.”
“Where you… also work.”
“Where I also work.” Was that amusement in his voice? She couldn’t tell. “Unless you have some objection?”
A thousand objections,she thought wildly.Starting with the fact that I can barely think when you’re in the same hallway as me, and you want me to share a workspace with you for two months?
“I need privacy,” she heard herself say, her voice annoyingly high. “Cybersecurity work requires concentration. Minimal distractions. I can’t build you a secure network if I’m being interrupted every five minutes.”
“There will be no interruptions. My office is soundproofed, and the pack knows not to disturb me when the door is closed.”
“But you’ll be there.”
“Yes.”
“Working.”
“Yes.”
“With me. In the same room.”
His eyes flickered with something she couldn’t read. “Is there a problem with that, Ms. Bailey?”
Yes,her logical mind screamed.Yes, there is a massive problem with that, because you smell like a forest fire and you look like someone carved you out of a mountainside and every time you speak my entire nervous system short-circuits?—
“I need a dedicated, quiet workspace,” she managed instead. “Professional boundaries. Somewhere I can focus without…”Without being distracted by your stupid beautiful face.“Without outside interference.”
“You’ll have it.”
“I really think a separate location would be more efficient?—”
“Ms. Bailey.” His voice dropped, taking on an edge that made her spine straighten involuntarily. “You are a guest in my territory. I have extended hospitality, provided resources, and made accommodations. The arrangements are not up for negotiation.”
