Page 2

CHAPTER 2

RYLAN

"I've got this," I tell myself as I look in the front hallway mirror of my tiny garage apartment. This place is a rental I found while looking for job listings last week. It came cheap and that was what sold me the most.

Honestly, I didn't care where I got to stay so long as it was in Shelter Falls or one of the neighboring towns. The idea of a commute made me sick, but I would do it if I could get a job at Medina Manufacturing.

I've been obsessed with the company since I was a kid. They are one of the world's largest suppliers of supplements for Omegas like me. From keeping us protected in times we needed it most, to allowing us to share our fragrance in abundance with our desired mate, they had something for everyone.

When I was younger, I simply enjoyed the company for the products they had. As I've gotten older, I see there is so much more there. It's a legacy, a foundation, to which amazing things are happening.

I've always known I wanted to be a part of the company and today I'm finally getting my chance. If only I can make my feet move so I could walk out the door to make it to my interview.

The job listed is for a marketing role. As a business major in college, I had my fair share of marketing projects to tackle. I have no doubt I'm fit enough for the role. And if I'm not, then I'll keep applying until something sticks.

I've saved enough money over the last two years of college to support myself for a time. Thanks to several scholarships, I managed to make it out of school with zero debt. That means every penny I earned during school and over summer breaks went to keeping me fed, keeping a roof over my head, and into savings.Now my savings is what I'll use to live until I can land a role at the manufacturing plant.

I run my hands over my simple clothes once more before taking off. With this being a small town, I didn't want to overdo it in the appearance department. If you go in wearing a suit while everyone else is in overalls, it can give a bad impression. The opposite is true, though you can always feign not knowing the dress code is more formal. Or so I've found in the past anyway. Hopefully today is the same.

At the plant, I park my old station wagon in the back and march my way inside. Each stride I take feels more and more like I'm about to encounter the next level of my life. It feels like some big change is coming. Hopefully it's a job offer. That's what I'm aiming for anyway.

A pretty young woman sits behind the front desk. She greets me with a smile. "Hi, how can I help you?"

"Hello. My name is Rylan Mack. I'm here for an interview."

Her eyes widen slightly at my words, letting me know she's aware of what role I'm here for. She might even know what my chances are for getting the job.

I don't dare ask her, of course. That would be rude. Besides, I don't get a chance to say anything before she's picking up a phone on her desk and calling to someone else somewhere in this massive place.

"Hey Mr. Medina. Your applicant for the marketing position is here." She listens to the man on the other end of the line for a moment, then she quickly hangs up the phone and smiles at me. "I'll take you to him now."

I nod my head, then try to keep pace with her through the building. Even in heels, she's got speed on her side.

We go through a set of double doors set not far from the entrance. A brief hall greets us with a set of stairs at the end. I climb them behind her, careful to hang on to the rail. Some might say it looks silly, but I'm a safety-first kind of guy.

At the top of the stairs, I have to pause to take in the beauty of the plant. There's glass on both sides giving me an unobstructed view of the production areas of the factory. People in protective gear move around as the measure out different ingredients and drop them into the tubs. It's all so precise, so fascinating. It's hard to look away.

"Mr. Mack, if you please?" I turn to give the woman at the end of the hall an embarrassed smile.

"So sorry. I'm just rather excited to be here."

She nods at me once, then turns to the door. At her knock, a deep voice calls out, "Come in."

For some reason, the sound of it has my heart racing. I want to say it's the actual idea of working here, but it feels like more.

The woman opens the door. "Here's your appointment. Call me if you need anything else, sir."

With that barely there introduction, she leaves me in an open doorway staring at one of the most handsome men I've ever met. His full head of hair is thick and wavy, the edges graying just slightly in the way I've always found irresistible. His body is hidden by the desk he sits at, but I can see he's in a suit.

Dangit. Now I almost wish I'd worn the suit.

As I berate myself for not guessing correctly, the man moves from behind his desk to approach me. I catch a whiff of scent. Omega.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Zeke Medina. Thank you for coming in - "

"Rylan. Rylan Mack. It's an honor to meet you Mr. Medina. Your family has been great for Omegas like me and I'm excited for the chance to work here."

I feel slightly awkward after pouring my heart out. It's even more so intense with the way the man holding my hand has yet to let go of mine.

"Umm, Mr. Medina. You ok?"

My words have the desired effect of pulling him out of his trance. "I'm sorry about that," he says as he drops my hand. "I don't know where my head is today."

"That's fine." I say the words softly as I ponder over why losing his touch feels so wrong.

Mr. Medina moves back around the desk, taking to his seat. He waves at an empty chair across from the desk. "Please. Have a seat."

I ease myself into the chair as I will the nervous energy inside to calm down. Placing my hands on my lap, I watch the man across from me for signs of what will happen next.

He opens a folder on his desk and begins to read whatever is on it. From my angle it looks much like my resume. I'm hopeful there's enough there to convince him to give me a shot.

"Everything here looks good. You're a qualified candidate for the role and your experience lends to the position. Why don't you tell me why you think you're a good fit?" He steeples his fingers over his chin making his pointer finger of one hand press into his bottom lip.

I take a deep breath to focus my thoughts before answering. "Well, like I said before, I'm a huge fan of the company. The product you produce are of the highest qualities. I've been a customer for years and have loved everything I've used. There's also a legacy here that I'd be honored to be a part of. It's hard to find companies of your scale that are still family owned these days."

Mr. Medina smiles softly at me. "You're very right. Not many people we've worked with do things the way we do anymore. It's all big corporations and such now."

"Exactly! Not to mention the charitable work you do for the community and surrounding areas. It's all anonymous I know, but I put two and two together over the years. There's no other way things in Shelter Falls would be at the level they are without the Medina family and its business."

The man across from me stares with his jaw slack. I've clearly shocked him from my obsessive rambling.

I bite my bottom lip to control myself from saying anything else. I don't want to lose the opportunity to work here because he thinks I'm a stalker.

"You do seem to know your Medina information. I'd like to start you working as soon as possible. There is a ninety-day trial period in which you have the opportunity to leave or for us to let you go. My gut says we won't need to worry about that, so let's just get you going. When can you begin?"

"Does it make me seem desperate if I say now?" I asked bashfully.

He chuckles loudly, causing me to blush. "That's not bad at all. In fact, I think it works quite well in both of our favors. Let me escort you to the marketing team so I can introduce you to everyone. Today will be mostly about filling out paperwork and watching the team's dynamics. Tomorrow you can step in to evaluate where we're at and where you think we should be. Sound good?"

"Absolutely! I'm ready, boss." He winces at the title. "Boss no good? Maybe I could call you Chief or something?"

My joke falls flat as he eyes change. Gone is the laughter from before. Now he's focused, his gaze assessing me like a predator to its prey.

"You can call me Zeke just fine. Come now, Rylan. Let's get you settled."

I stand when he does, then I follow him out the door of his office. We take a left and move down a hallway I hadn’t noticed before. It's leads us deeper into the factory office space. I see people spread about working at computers and answering calls.

"This is the main area for the admin staff. You'll have a space in here, though as management you'll have your own office as well." He tells me this as we move through the open area at a quick pace.

Around another curve we come to an area with a sign hanging up that says, "Marketing Matters." I grin at it, appreciative of the fact I'll likely never get lost with something so clearly marking the way.

Three people move about the space, their voices speaking over one another as they shift designs over a large, canvased tabletop. "This is the team you'll be working with," Zeke says. Everyone looks up at the sound, their faces breaking into grins.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," a man with curly blond hair says as he steps forward to hug Zeke. An irrational bubble of jealousy hits me, making my fists tighten at my side.

Zeke laughs as he pushes the other man back. "Enough out of you, Ezra. I've been around. You know what’s going on."

"Yeah, I do. Doesn't mean it's not weird to not see you around this place." Blondie turns to me then. "I'm Ezra as this guy just said. He and I are longtime friends, so if you see me giving him crap just know it's because I'm aware of all his deepest, darkest secrets. It's my superpower."

I can't help but to laugh at the way he says it all. He's going to be a fun character to work with, that much is clear.

"Nice to meet you, Ezra. I'm Rylan Mack." We shake hands, then I'm introduced to the others. First is a young woman with long black hair named Maeve Brookside. The other is another man, except he's got copper red hair that's cut short to his head. His name is, ironically, Copper.

"It's good to have a fresh face on the team," Maeve tells me. "I know you'll technically be our boss, but Shelter Falls is not like most places."

Copper laughs. "Yeah, and Medina Manufacturing isn't either. We're a different breed."

I turn to look at Zeke who still stands beside me, a grin on his face as we watch everything take place. A different breed indeed, I think to myself as I fight the urge to rub against my new boss.

What the hell is going on with me? Another Omega shouldn't be having this big of an effect on me. I feel two seconds away from losing my cool when Zeke steps back quickly and takes off back the way we came. I watch him leave with a mix of relief and frustration.

I don't know if I want him to come back so I can climb him like a tree or if I never want to see him again lest I make a fool of myself.