Page 4 of Billionaire Wolf Needs an Assistant (My Grumpy Werewolf Boss #2)

KATIE

I stared at the email from Reeve, reading it for the third time to make sure I hadn't misunderstood. My heart fluttered with a mix of excitement and anxiety. After our almost kiss on New Year's Eve, which I was now sure was a figment of my imagination, he had barely spoken ten words to me. But this request meant that he wasn't mad at me. Hope blossomed in my chest. He wanted me to join him on a trip to Paradise Peaks for a crucial meeting with Alpine Tech. Tomorrow.

"I need you to prepare all documentation for the Alpine Tech project," his email read. "We leave at 7 AM sharp. Pack appropriately for mountain weather."

My fingers flew across the keyboard as I arranged everything from meeting schedules to accommodation details. Winter storms were forecasted, but the meeting was too important to postpone. I'd barely finished booking the last details when Sophia came up to my desk. As usual, her designer heels clicked on the floor with each step.

"I hear you're heading to Paradise Peaks," she said, her perfectly manicured nails drumming on my desk. Something predatory flickered in her eyes. "I should really be there to ensure you don't miss any important details."

"Mr. Song specifically requested just us two for this trip," I replied. I kept my tone professional despite her obvious disdain. The way she looked at me reminded me of a wolf sizing up its prey. It was an odd thought that sent a shiver down my spine.

"How convenient for you." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Well, don't get too comfortable. I know your type isn't used to traveling to places as upscale as Paradise Peaks. Try not to embarrass the company."

Before I could respond, Reeve's office door opened. "Katie, my office. Now."

I gathered my tablet and hurried in, eager to get away from Sophia. Closing the door behind me, I caught the scent of his cologne, woodsy and wild, like a pine trees after a heavy rain. My stomach did that strange flutter again, the one that had been happening more frequently lately whenever he was near.

"Is everything prepared?" he asked, not looking up from his computer.

"Yes, sir. Hotel reservations are confirmed at the Hughes Hotel. I have all documents related to Alpine Tech organized and backed up both digitally and in hard copy. The weather reports show that a storm is on the way over the mountains."

"Fine." He cut me off, finally looking up. For a moment, I could have sworn his eyes gleamed gold. "7 AM. A driver will come to pick you up. Don't be late."

The next morning, I waited outside my apartment at 6:45 AM, travel mug of coffee in hand and overnight bag packed. Following his directions, I wore a thick down jacket and thermals under my thick wool pants. When I got into the backseat of the car, I was surprised that Reeve was behind the wheel. He looked devastating in a charcoal suit that fit him perfectly. The fabric seemed to ripple with his movements, like shadows flowing over muscle. He barely acknowledged me as he began to drive.

The first hour of the drive was silent, except for my occasional updates about the meeting schedule. As we climbed higher into the mountains, snow began to fall. What started as gentle flurries quickly turned into thick, heavy snowfall. He handled the conditions well, but tension rolled off of Reeve in waves.

"The weather's getting worse," I murmured. The windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the falling snow. Not that it mattered much, as the world outside had become a swirling white void.

"I'm aware," he growled. He squeezed the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. Something about his posture reminded me of a coiled spring ready to snap.

"Maybe we should pull over." My words cut off in a gasp as the car suddenly fishtailed. Reeve fought for control, but the vehicle spun, sliding toward the edge of the road. I caught a glimpse of his face, his eyes definitely glowing with a strange golden light, before the car hit the guardrail with a sickening impact.

Everything happened in slow motion. The crunch of metal, the world turning upside down as we rolled down the embankment. When we finally stopped, the SUV was on its side, and icy wind howled through the shattered windows like a hungry beast.

"Katie!" Reeve's voice shook with panic, which was more emotion than I'd ever heard from him. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," I managed, though my whole body shook. "Just scratched and dinged."

"We need to get out. Now." His urgency frightened me more than the crash. There was something primal in his voice.

The temperature was dropping rapidly, and the storm was getting worse. We managed to climb out through the broken windshield, but the wind nearly knocked me over. Snow was falling so thick I could barely see three feet ahead.

"There's a ranger station two miles ahead," Reeve shouted over the wind. "We have to move!"

I tried my best to follow him, but after fifteen minutes of trudging through knee-deep snow, my legs were numb, and my teeth chattered uncontrollably. The cold felt like needles in my lungs. Reeve kept looking back at me, his expression growing more worried with each passing minute.

"I can't." My frozen legs refused to work. I stumbled, falling to my knees. Dark spots danced at the edges of my vision. I glanced up at him. He seemed so tall, and with the snow swirling around him, he towered over me like a mythical creature.

Something changed in Reeve's face. His features seemed to shift, becoming somehow wilder. "Katie, don't be afraid."

Before I could ask what he meant, he started changing. His body shifted and transformed before my eyes, clothes tearing away until a massive black wolf stood where my boss had been moments before. He was magnificent, with intelligent golden eyes and fur as dark as night. He stood taller than any normal wolf, his presence both terrifying and mesmerizing.

I should have been terrified. Instead, I felt safe. As if some part of me had always known this about him, had been waiting for this revelation.

The wolf nudged me with his massive head, urging me to climb onto his back. His fur was thick and warm against my frozen hands. Understanding dawned. He was going to carry me to safety. It took all of my remaining strength to crawl onto him. I buried my frozen fingers in his thick coat and held on as he bounded through the snow with supernatural grace and speed.

By the time we reached the ranger station, I was barely conscious. Reeve shifted back to his human form as soon as we were safe inside. He set me on a lumpy couch and went to rummage around the cabin for supplies. I was too delirious from almost dying of hypothermia to appreciate his rippling muscles and smooth golden skin before he pulled on an old pair of sweatpants and a sweater he found in a cabinet.

I closed my eyes and shivered. We were out of the wind, but the old cabin was just as cold inside as it was outside. Soon, Reeve had a roaring fire going in the wood stove. He wrapped a scratchy wool blanket over me and warmed my hands in his.

"You're a wolf," I whispered as feeling returned to my extremities. "An actual wolf."

He crouched beside me, closer than he'd ever been before, except for that night at the New Year's Eve party. The firelight cast dancing shadows across his face, making him look both more human and more otherworldly than ever. "Yes. Are you afraid?"

I looked at him. For the first time since I started working for him, I saw who he really was. His usual cold, indifferent mask was gone, replaced with a vulnerability I had never seen before. "No," I answered truthfully. "I'm not afraid. You saved my life."

Something shifted between us in that moment. The air seemed to crackle with unspoken possibilities.

"You should be afraid," he said softly, but he leaned closer. His scent enveloped me. Pine. Leather. Danger. It was arousing, intoxicating, absolutely addicting.

"Why?" I breathed, caught in his golden gaze. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.

"Because you make me feel things I shouldn't. Things I've been fighting since the day you walked into my office." His voice was rough, almost a growl. "You make me want to lose control."

My heart thundered in my chest. The cold that ran through my veins earlier was completely gone. Molten hot desire flooded my blood. "Maybe you should stop fighting."

For a moment, I thought he might kiss me. Instead, he pulled back, though his eyes lingered on my face with an intensity that made me shiver.

"Get some rest, Katie. We're not out of this storm yet."

The cabin groaned with each gust of howling wind outside. Quiet pops and crackles from the fire in the wood stove pierced the silence of the room.

Reeve’s presence loomed large in the small space, his every movement deliberate, his every breath measured. He was a man of contradictions, controlled yet wild, distant yet vulnerable. And now, after what I had just witnessed, he was no longer just my enigmatic boss. He was something far more dangerous. Something that defied reason.

I sat on the lumpy couch, the scratchy blanket wrapped tightly around me, but it did little to ease the chill that had settled deep in my bones. My mind raced, replaying the events of the afternoon. The car spinning out of control, almost dying, and then Reeve's transformation.

It was like a wild dream, the way his body shifted, bones snapping and cracking, muscles rippling and tearing through his clothes, the black fur bursting from his skin. He was a massive wolf. Even now, the memory sent a shiver down my spine, but it wasn't from fear.

Reeve moved around the cabin with an ease that suggested he was familiar with roughing it in the wilderness. He rummaged through the drawers and cabinets and found a can of beans, a box of dried pasta, and an old kettle. After a quick trip outside, he filled the kettle with snow, and settled it on top of the stove to boil. Even under the poor fitting borrowed clothes, it was obvious that his body was filled with power. His broad shoulders stretched the fabric, and with each movement, his muscles bunched and rippled under the clothing.

“You’re staring,” he said without turning around.

I blinked, startled. “Sorry. I just can’t believe this is real.”

He turned then, his golden eyes meeting mine. There was something raw and unfiltered in them that made my breath catch. “Believe it,” he said simply. “Because there's no telling how long we will be here.”

The kettle began to whistle, breaking the tension that had settled between us. Reeve poured the hot water into two chipped mugs and handed one to me. The warmth seeped into my frozen fingers, but it did little to calm the storm raging inside me.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “All this time, I thought I was imagining things at the office. That night on New Year’s Eve, when we almost--”

Reeve’s jaw tightened, and he looked away, his expression unreadable. “You didn't imagine it,” he admitted after a long pause. “But it couldn’t happen. It still can’t.”

“Why not?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, and I immediately regretted it. His eyes snapped back to mine, making my heart skip a beat.

“Because I’m not human, Katie,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “And you don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“Then tell me,” I pleaded, my voice trembling. “Help me understand.”

He hesitated, his gaze searching mine as though weighing the risks of letting me in. Finally, he sighed and sat down on the couch beside me. His body was tense, as though he was ready to bolt at any moment. “It’s not just about what I am,” he began, his voice barely audible over the storm. “It’s about what my kind has done. The dangers that come with being with a wolf. There's blood on our hands. You think you know me, but you don’t. You can’t.”

His words hung heavy in the air.

“I don’t care,” I said finally, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “Whatever you are, it doesn’t change how I feel.”

Reeve’s eyes darkened, and he leaned closer, his breath warm against my skin. “You don’t know what you’re saying,” he growled, his voice thick with emotion. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

“Then show me,” I challenged, my heart pounding in my chest. “Stop hiding from me.”

For a moment, I thought he might retreat back behind the walls he’d built so carefully. But then something shifted in his expression, and before I could react, he closed the distance between us, his lips crashing against mine in a kiss that was equal parts desperation and desire. It was nothing like the hesitant almost-kiss on New Year’s Eve. This was raw, unfiltered, and utterly consuming. His hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, as though he couldn’t get enough of me.

I surrendered myself to the heat of his touch, the taste of his lips, the way he made me feel alive in a way I never had before.

But just as quickly as it began, it ended. Reeve pulled away, his chest heaving, his eyes blazing with a mixture of longing and regret. “This is a mistake,” he said hoarsely, running a hand through his hair. “I won’t let you get hurt because of me.”

“You don’t get to decide that,” I shot back, my voice trembling with emotion. “I’m not afraid of you, Reeve. And I’m not going anywhere.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he stood and walked to the window, his back to me. The storm raged outside, the wind howling like a living thing, but the silence inside the cabin was deafening.

“Get some rest,” he said finally, his voice barely audible. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

I wanted to argue, to demand that he stop pushing me away, but the exhaustion was too much. My body ached, my mind was spinning, and the warmth of the fire was finally starting to lull me into a sense of calm. I curled up on the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around me, and closed my eyes.