Chapter 1During the pack executive meeting, my chosen mate's new beta threw an entire cup of coffee right in my face - in front of everyone.
"You're just some lazy-ass slacker sitting in your office playing games all day, and you have the nerve to question MY proposal?"
"Adeline Blizzard, you're fired! Get the hell out!"
I stood up slowly, wiped the coffee off my face, and looked straight at my chosen mate, Alpha Quentin Thorn.
He frowned and looked away. His wolf didn't even growl in my defense.
I smiled and pulled out my phone.
"Dad, did you hear that?"
"They just told me to get out."
...
Monday morning, I was deep into my game when someone knocked on my office door.
"Miss Blizzard, Dahlia just sent word - all managers need to be in the main pack hall in ten minutes."
Nora from admin stood in the doorway, practically breathless.
I didn't even look up, my fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Not going. I'm busy."
In the six months I'd been at this pack's company, I'd never attended a single meeting.
Not because I wasn't supposed to - I just didn't feel like it.
"But..." Nora's voice wavered. "Dahlia specifically said no one can skip today. She said it's the Alpha's direct order."
My fingers froze. My character instantly got obliterated by the boss.
As the screen went gray, I cursed under my breath and slammed my laptop shut. My wolf stirred in my chest, restless.
When I walked into the pack hall, it was already packed.
Several wolves shot me weird looks and immediately started whispering.
"Wait, Blizzard is actually here?"
"Doesn't she never come to meetings?"
"Who knows? Probably Dahlia forced her to show up."
"Dahlia's been on her case - can't wait to see this play out."
I ignored the gossip, found a seat in the back corner, and pulled out my phone to continue my game.
A full thirty minutes later, Alpha Quentin Thorn and Dahlia Lee finally strolled in.
Dahlia was carrying a stack of files, looking incredibly pleased with herself.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today."
Quentin scanned the room. His eyes landed on me for maybe half a second before moving on. No warmth. No recognition.
"Dahlia has an important proposal to present."
Dahlia cleared her throat and launched into her "revolutionary" marketing plan.
I half-listened while gaming on my phone. The more I heard, the more absurd it sounded.
Not only was the budget insanely high, but it completely missed our pack's market positioning.
"So I believe we should immediately invest eighty million dollars to dominate the luxury market within three months!"
Dahlia concluded with dramatic enthusiasm.
Scattered, half-hearted applause filled the room.
I couldn't take it anymore. Without even looking up, I said, "Eighty million for a bunch of useless exposure? You might as well throw the cash off the roof - at least that'd make headlines and actually get us some damn attention."
The room went dead silent.
Quentin's brow furrowed. A low growl rumbled in his throat - but not at Dahlia.
"What did you just say?" Dahlia's voice shot up an octave.
I finally looked up, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"I said your proposal is full of holes."
"First, your target demographic is completely off."
"Second, your channel selection makes zero sense."
"And finally, your ROI calculations are just flat-out wrong."
"You basically chucked twenty million into the toilet."
"And hey, the toilet would've at least given you a flush."
Dahlia's face turned bright red. Her wolf flashed in her eyes.
She grabbed her coffee from the table and stormed over to me.
"You're just some lazy-ass slacker sitting in your office playing games all day, and you have the nerve to question MY proposal?"
She was practically screaming.
SPLASH!
The entire cup of coffee hit me square in the face.
Liquid dripped down my cheeks, instantly staining my white dress brown.
The pack hall fell completely silent. Everyone held their breath. Someone's wolf let out a nervous whine.
"Adeline Blizzard, as the Alpha's beta, I'm officially firing you. Get the hell out!"
Chapter 2
Dahlia stood over me, her wolf eyes gleaming with contempt.
I slowly got to my feet, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the coffee off my face bit by bit.
My wolf paced beneath my skin, but I kept her calm.
Then I locked eyes on Quentin.
He frowned, then looked away. His wolf didn't make a sound.
I let out a low laugh.
Speaking into my phone on speaker, I said, "Dad, you hear that?"
"They just told me to get out."
A two-second pause. Then a deep, commanding voice came through.
"I heard. I'll take care of it."
The only reason I even worked here was because of a pack alliance my grandfather arranged years ago.
Quentin Thorn was my chosen mate.
I never wanted an arranged mating, but my dad wouldn't let it go. He hit me with that "you're being ungrateful" crap.
So I gave in.
To "help us bond," my Dad made me take a position at Thorn Pack's company.
For the past six months working for Quentin, I played games every day and acted like a total slacker.
But behind the scenes? I'd been pulling every string - using my family's connections to skyrocket the pack's business and even take it public.
Thorn Pack became a star overnight, and Quentin landed on New York's wealthiest Alphas list.
Even after doing all that for him, we barely spoke.
During our few dates, I realized he only knew me as his arranged chosen mate - he had no clue who I really was.
I dropped back into my corner seat, pulled out my phone, and went right back to my game.
My character respawned. My fingers flew across the screen as if the tension in the room had nothing to do with me.
Dahlia's face went from red to pale. Her wolf claws twitched at her sides.
She clearly didn't expect me to ignore her little power trip.
She slammed her hand on the table. A low growl rumbled from her throat.
"Adeline Blizzard! What do you think this place is? Everyone's here working, and you're just sitting there playing GAMES?"
I let out a cold laugh. "I already hit my annual targets. What's the problem with me playing a game?"
"Get out right now or I'm calling the pack enforcers!"
Without looking up, I said, "Go ahead."
The other wolves exchanged awkward glances. Their animals shifted uneasily.
Some pretended to flip through documents. Others sneaked looks at Quentin, waiting to see what his wolf would do.
Quentin finally stood up.
He was wearing a sharp black suit today, his expression cold and stern.
He looked at me, his eyes showing a hint of impatience and indifference.
"Adeline, your numbers have been solid."
His voice was calm but carried Alpha authority.
"But this is a pack business, not your den."
"Leave the pack hall. Now. You're disrupting the meeting."
My fingers froze. My character died again.
I looked up, meeting his gaze, a smirk playing on my lips. "Alpha Thorn, you SURE you wanna kick me out?"
Quentin frowned, his tone growing even colder.
"I'm not going to repeat myself. If you have any wolf's pride, you should know when you've crossed the line."
"And what if I don't want to leave?"
"Then don't blame me for what happens next."
Seeing Quentin take her side, Dahlia's wolf perked up. Her confidence skyrocketed.
She rushed over to me and slapped the phone right out of my hand.
SMACK!
The phone hit the floor. The screen instantly shattered into a spiderweb of cracks.
"Adeline, don't push your damn luck!"
She grabbed me by the collar and yanked me upward. Her claws nicked my skin through the fabric.
"The Alpha already told you to leave. What the hell are you still doing here? GET OUT!"
From day one as his personal beta, Dahlia had it out for me.
Once, when I was walking past the Alpha's office, I heard her going off.
"Alpha Thorn, this pack isn't a charity. Paying that much to keep some slacker who plays games all day is completely unfair to the rest of the wolves."
Her voice wasn't loud, but just loud enough for anyone outside to hear.
Quentin didn't respond.
But through the window, I saw him pause mid-page while flipping through documents.
After that, Dahlia got worse.
She started bringing up my "achievements" in department meetings.
"Some wolves collect fat paychecks and don't even show up to pack meetings. Really makes you wonder if they're here to work or just on vacation."
The pack's gossip mill ran wild.
Some said I was a spoiled rich pup who got in through connections. Others said I slept in my office all day.
A few even started betting on when I'd finally get chased out.
I knew about all of it.
I just didn't give a shit.
Chapter 3
But the more I didn't give a damn, the more her wolf pushed.
Now that she had her chance, she went completely overboard.
I wasn't about to let her. I grabbed her wrist and twisted hard.
"AH!"
Dahlia cried out, her wolf yelping inside her. She let go of my collar.
As I pulled free, my arm hit the edge of the pack table. My watch smacked against the solid wood with a sharp CRACK.
She stumbled back two steps, looked down, and her face went ghost white.
The expensive Patek Philippe on her wrist now had a huge, ugly scratch across the face - practically glowing under the lights.
"You bitch..."
She held up her wrist, shaking. Her wolf eyes blazed with fury.
"Adeline, do you have ANY idea how much this watch costs?"
"Alpha Thorn gave me this for my birthday! It's worth 800,000 DOLLARS!"
I calmly straightened my wrinkled collar. My wolf yawned.
"You lost your balance. How's that my fault?"
"Adeline!" Quentin finally snapped, his Alpha command sharp in his voice. "You've gone too far!"
"You're not just disrupting this pack meeting - now you've deliberately damaged another wolf's property."
"As Alpha, I'm officially notifying you - you're EXILED from this pack."
"Now pack your shit and get out of this territory. NOW!"
Dahlia jumped in, screeching, "Alpha Thorn, we can't just let her walk away! She has to pay for the watch!"
The pack hall went dead silent.
Everyone stared at me with either pity or smug satisfaction. A few wolves scented the air, waiting for blood.
"Fine. I'll pay."
"800,000 dollars, right?"
I bent down and picked up my shattered phone.
The screen was cracked to hell, but it still worked.
I started dialing. Before I could say anything, Dahlia sneered, "What eighty thousand? It's EIGHT MILLION!!"
I stopped. Looked at her.
"You sure about that?"
"Of course!" Dahlia said smugly, her wolf preening. "A gift from the Alpha is priceless!"
"Making you pay eight million is getting off easy!"
"Everyone here can back me up, right?!"
Dahlia dug her claws in.
She knew what my salary was. No way I could afford this.
She just wanted to humiliate me. Break my wolf.
The other wolves saw their opening and jumped in.
"She's right. A gift from the Alpha - how can you put a price on that?" The pack CFO pushed up his glasses. "Miss Blizzard, you should just accept it."
"This pack isn't a charity. You damage something, you pay for it. Simple as that." The marketing director smirked. "Though with your salary, you'll probably be paying this off until your fur turns gray, huh?"
Everyone burst out laughing. Their eyes full of mockery and wolfish glee.
They'd been dying to see me crash. Now that I was down, they were happy to rip me apart.
Quentin stood off to the side, frowning slightly but saying nothing. His wolf stayed silent.
Facing all the mockery, I didn't get angry. I just looked up at Dahlia. "Eight million. That's final, right? You're not gonna change it again?"
Dahlia blinked, then scoffed.
"Adeline, seriously? You're still putting on an act?"
"What's your monthly salary again?"
"Eight million? You gonna sell your organs to pay me back?"
I ignored her and lifted my phone.
"I need eight million in cash delivered to the Thorn Pack's pack hall. As fast as possible."
Dahlia rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You think making a phone call is gonna fool anyone?"
I didn't answer. Just waited.
My wolf sat quietly. We had all the time in the world.
Less than ten minutes later, the pack hall door swung open.
A middle-aged man in a sharp suit walked in. Behind him came three uniformed bank employees, each carrying a metal briefcase.
He walked straight up to me and bowed his head respectfully - a wolf submitting to a higher rank.
"Miss Blizzard, here's the eight million you requested."
I nodded.
"Thanks. Just set them down here."
One by one, the three cases opened, revealing stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills glowing under the lights.
The pack hall went dead silent. Every wolf's eyes locked onto the money.
The air felt thick. Someone's wolf let out a low whine.
Dahlia's face went pale. She couldn't get a single word out. Her wolf shrank back.
She stared at the cash, then looked up at the man in the suit.
Suddenly, the CFO's face turned white as a sheet.
"W-Wait... you are Thomas Hollins?!"
