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VIOLET

I clutched the textured strap of my duffle bag with both hands, clenching and unclenching them. Nerves would probably eat me alive at this rate. I inhaled through my nose, held my breath, and exhaled through my mouth.

Following Maggie down the hall, my shoes rubbed against the worn, plush carpet. A deep brown shade that complimented the cinnamon coloring of the walls.

“No need to be anxious,” Maggie said, offering me a kind smile.

She’d been so nice since collecting me outside where the hired driver dropped me off a few minutes ago, but her kindness did nothing to settle the knots in my stomach. I didn’t know what in Goddess’s name was going on, but with every mile closer to the Beaumont Pack, I’d increasingly felt like throwing up. At least I arrived in the middle of the night when there weren’t too many people around.

“Am I that obvious?” I wrinkled my nose.

“I can smell it on you.”

“Oh,” I offered lamely.

Maggie was one of the lucky ones. She looked around my age. The difference between us was that she’d come into her wolf when she was supposed to, and I hadn’t.

“Don’t worry, he’s not going around needlessly beating people.” She stifled a yawn. “His biggest thing is that he likes order. He’s weird about keeping things neat.”

I exhaled in relief; I could work with that. Anything was better than the last Alpha.

“Don’t let his, uh, gruffness, freak you out. He’s stiff with everyone.” She popped open a door. “I texted Graham that you’d wait in his office. He should be back from his run soon.”

She was on a first name basis with the Alpha. Was she the Luna and I didn’t greet her properly?

She must have seen the horror in my expression because she said, “He’s my brother.”

I exhaled with relief. New to the pack and I was already messing up. All I hoped for was that my new Alpha would ignore my presence after our meeting.

A rustic painting of a forest hung beside the door trim. I walked inside, then she waved and shut it. Immediately upon entering, there was a large chestnut desk on the left with a neatly lined pile of documents sitting at the edge of it. On the other end, sat a lit lamp. A painting of another forest hung behind the desk. Framing the canvas were two windows with the blinds slightly opened to allow moonlight through the slits. To my left was a wall-to-wall bookshelf leading to a closed door across the office. I tugged the duffel bag strap off my shoulder as I meandered toward the painting behind the Alpha’s desk to get a good look. Pretty shades of green washed the canvas in vibrant colors.

The artist shadowed the ? —

Rriiip.

Fabric slipped out of my hand, and I stared down at my bag that had thumped on the ground. Great . Dropping to the floor, I braced myself on my knees and grabbed the end of the frayed strap. I’d been tugging on it all day, so it was no wonder it tore. I could still work with this though. The strap just needed to be tied together.

The door slammed, and I looked up, but the desk blocked my sight. Footsteps thudded across the carpet. I held my breath. If I got up now, after being frozen, whoever it was would probably freak out. I didn’t want to scare anyone, especially since the likelihood of it being the Alpha was high. This was his office, after all. My hands curled into fists against the carpet. I should have just stood when the door opened instead of skulking like a weirdo.

I crawled forward to peek around the desk in time to watch him tug a shirt off his body in a smooth motion, exposing the dents and swells of his muscles.

Goddess, I’m in trouble.