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“I see,” she said evenly before focusing on the board. “I’m glad to hear that because if anything had been done officially without them having the authority to do so, people would have lost their posh board seats over that.”

“You go too far, Ellie,” Warren growled. “There’s no reason for you to block Dr. Clark joining or—”

“There isn’t and I don’t plan to,” she cut in.

“But there is a procedure and way things are done here, Mr. Warren . You are not looped in on it all, and I will not repeat myself again about behaving as you should. If you won’t behave appropriately with me, you won’t to others in the hospital. ” She nodded to someone behind us.

And in a flash, security guards were standing on either side of Warren. Holy crap, this woman did not play.

“Please escort Mr. Warren from the hospital and revoke his access for the next two weeks,” she told them. “Until he apologizes for his continued unprofessionalism—”

“You’re being childish and petty,” Warren snapped.

“No, I’m drawing a line in the sand,” Ms. Reed said clearly, her tone icy.

“My job is to protect everyone in this building. If you behave this way with me, then you do with others, and I will not allow it, Mr. Warren. I’m clearly saying you are being childish and petty, and you will not be allowed back into the hospital I run until you behave like a board member should. ”

And then he was escorted out, the guards ignoring his objections.

She nodded to the other stunned board members.

“I thank you for bringing such a talented candidate into the hospital and sending me such a complete background and resume. That was exceedingly helpful. Going forward, I hope we can get on the same page earlier and avoid such awkward situations. The focus is making ASH better, nothing else.”

“Yes, well, you weren’t open to discussing it,” Gordon replied, clearly annoyed she side-stepped him so utterly.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t ask for a discussion.

This is a discussion. You gave an order and told me to hire him.

I don’t answer to the board. If you need another hierarchy chart of the hospital, I will have someone send it to you, but it will still have me at the top.

” She focused on me. “Dr. Clark, follow me, please. I only have an hour for you.”

“Yes, of course, Ms. Reed,” I agreed, muttering a thanks to the board members before briskly walking over to her. A few of the board were clearly annoyed that I didn’t stand with them better or looked at me like I was a traitor.

Probably, but that had always been the plan.

Plus, they were so lovely that who wouldn’t want to be loyal to them?

I wasn’t sure what I was going to say as I fell in step with Ms. Reed, but I almost tripped over my feet when something big hit me. Something I’d never experienced before in all of my years.

Namely, I couldn’t tell what species she was.

She wasn’t a shifter. I knew that. I’d be able to sense her animal.

But she read as a witch… And a vampire.

She was either a vampire with the magic of a witch—which wasn’t supposed to be possible—or a witch who drank blood? I wasn’t sure on that last part, but it was the condition that vampires had that required them to drink blood that we could scent basically. Their strength that witches didn’t have.

But she had it.

Except that wasn’t possible.

I was so distracted by trying to wrap my mind around what I was sensing and figure it out that we were suddenly walking into the executive wing somewhere else in the vast campus of buildings.

She nodded to people who hurried to greet her, keeping her brisk walk until she stopped at one desk to gently check on someone.

“I’m really okay, Ms. Reed, I promise,” the man said quietly. “I could use the distraction right now even.”

“I fully understand,” she accepted after a moment. “If you want to take your laptop and hide in one of the meeting rooms, I’ll talk to your supervisor. I get lost in my work too, and having people ask too many questions or dealing with complaints makes things worse.”

He sniffled and nodded. “That would be amazing. Thank you.”

“Of course. I’ll handle it.” She gave him a kind smile. “Whatever you need, and if today is too much then leave. You were granted more leave time and it’s still available to you.”

“Thank you. I might take it for the funeral, but I can’t—everything is being handled and I didn’t want to get in the way.”

“You know yourself best. If anyone gives you trouble, send them my way.”

He chuckled. “Everyone knows you protect the administrative staff like a momma with her cubs. None of the medical staff ever bully us.”

“If only that was true,” she drawled before patting his shoulder and walking off.

“You’re really good to your people,” I muttered, trying to fill the awkward silence since she wasn’t going to bother giving me a tour. I mentally winced when she didn’t even reply.

Crap. This was not going well.

Once we were in her large office, she closed the door behind us and clicked a few buttons. Then she gestured to one of the chairs in front of her expansive desk and told me to sit.

And for the next several minutes we sat there in silence while she studied me.

“I apologize for going about getting my foot in the door this way, but I had to take the chance to get a meeting with you even if I knew what they were trying,” I said, cracking first. “I have tried several times to—”

“Yes, I know, Dr. Clark,” she cut in. “You would think my repeatedly passing over your applications and resume would have been a very loud message that I didn’t think you fit this hospital. Apparently, you missed that and simply care only about what you want.”

I winced, unable to hide that the shot she took landed. “Look, I know that’s how things are coming off and I’m sorry. I truly am, but I’m not—please just give me a chance. I promise I’m not the guy—I’m not the doctor you think I am. I’m a good doctor.”

“You are, or I wouldn’t care if the board or the gods demanded you be here, I would show you the door,” she said firmly. “The board wants you here to—”

“Bring fame and wealth to the hospital. Yes, I’m aware, and they weren’t subtle. They think I’ll change the policy somehow about outside donations. I don’t want to change that—”

“That is the second time you’ve lied to me, Dr. Clark. If there is a third time, I will not only show you the door, but drop-kick you out of my hospital,” she said firmly, her tone and face even.

But the fire in her eyes made it clear my death was also on the table. Wow.

And she wasn’t a vampire. They couldn’t sense lies. She had to be a witch with some type of rare magic to know if people were lying. It was very useful in her position.

I was simply shocked she was upset enough to let that slip.

I let out a slow breath and recentered myself.

“Yes, the board gave me an official offer. I knew it was bullshit, and I will give you everything. I just used them to get this chance. I’m not their guy.

” I waited until she gave a nod that she believed me.

“I do not think there should be the donor bullshit my hospital had. It’s part of why I want to leave. ”

Relief filled me when surprise flashed in her eyes and her anger toned back a bit. She was more powerful than me, and as an Alpha wolf, that anger was a challenge which could be a problem.

Except it wasn’t. It made my wolf agitated like when my mom or Alpha was upset with me. Which was… Odd. Very odd. So she was more powerful than me but something more.

“I do think there could be an anonymous donor pool for more research or risky cases that cannot pay for their own expenses. We had that at the first hospital I joined and it’s one of the best teaching hospitals because of it.

That’s it. That’s what I meant when I told some of the board that I agreed ASH could use more donations. ”

Again, she nodded, still studying me.

And again, I broke. “I cannot help that I’m a good doctor and have been involved in some big cases. I know how the hospitals I’ve worked at have framed it and pumped up that I’m a rock star or whatever. I honestly hate kissing babies at donor events.

“I honestly loathe that, but a few of those cases were groundbreaking and shined a light on conditions we didn’t know were hurting the community.

It’s led to some interesting research, and—I want to keep working on those kinds of cases.

I want to be at the forefront of medicine.

I want to do it here and push the barrier, not have my name sung or hog glory. ”

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her large breasts… That I failed in trying not to notice. Clearly, I failed.

“If you’re going to be blunt with me—which I genuinely appreciate—then I’ll be blunt with you, Dr. Clark,” she said after a couple more minutes.

“I have enough egotistical and problematic doctors around here. The position is vacant because I just got one out. I now understand the board was playing nice with me the past couple of votes and issues—”

“Because they wanted to pull this fast one on you. Yes, I now understand that too, and I’m not a fan of being that much of a pawn,” I admitted with a bit of growl.

“I knew I was using a bit of discourse to get in front of you, but I’m no one’s puppet, and the level of them thinking I would kiss their asses for the position was—I’m also not an intern. ”

“Welcome to my life,” she drawled. “I’m merely a lowly administrator.” She frowned when I snorted.

“Ms. Reed, you aren’t ‘merely’ anything,” I said firmly, realizing I needed to explain.

“This hospital is amazing. Most Alpha wolves couldn’t have applied here over and over again after being rejected out of pride, but being a part of this place is more important than my stupid pride.

And you run it. Screw the crap about admins—you run this monster.

“And flawlessly. Our board and department heads would brush off your accomplishments while dripping with jealousy that they can’t do a fraction of what you’ve done. Or you don’t work for them. You are the best coach and leader of any hospital in our world and—”

“I’ve already said that I won’t block your hiring, Dr. Clark,” she cut in. “There’s no need to butter me up or—”

“I’m not.” I made it clear in my eyes that I was telling her the truth.

“You’re an amazing leader and this hospital a miracle.

Because of you. I want to be here to learn from you on how to be a leader as much as I want to contribute as a doctor.

That’s the truth. The board can kiss my ass and if they want to yell at me, and good luck catching an Alpha wolf. ”

Her lips twitched and she let out a long breath. “Okay, Dr. Clark. You’ve convinced me that you’re not the enemy and could actually be the right fit for what we need. I’ll give you a month’s trial to prove you’re on the right side of all of this and your focus is where it should really be.”

“And then?” I hedged, not sure I was willing to uproot my life and move to America from the UK for a damn month.

Amusement danced in her eyes. “And then I’ll treat you like I had hired you of my own accord instead of the board backing me into this corner.

I’ll treat you like any other doctor here and like you’re on my team instead of someone I have to watch out for and make sure you’re not carrying a knife that I expect you to stab me in the back with. ”

Relief swarmed me. “Take sixty or ninety days.” I extended my hand to her over the desk. “Because I can prove it to you as long as you need. I’m on the side of ASH which is you. I just want a chance to be part of this place and what it stands for.”

She gave my hand a brief shake, just long enough for me to feel how soft her skin was and like how her smaller hand fit in mine. “We will see, Dr. Clark. We will see.”

There was a lot more to discuss with her and to my day. I was exhausted by the time I got back to my hotel, but I would say things turned out better than I could have reasonably expected.

I hurried to call my mum knowing she’d still be awake waiting for word no matter the time difference.

“Congratulations,” she said in greeting. “I told you no one could turn down my talented son.”

“More like you were right and being honest with a woman is always best even in a professional setting,” I countered.

“Good, then she is a smart woman who appreciates integrity,” Mum replied, a woman who was the same.

“And a powerful witch who can sense lies.”

She was quiet for several moments, long enough that I checked if the call was still connected. “Ellie Reed is a vampire, Ha-joon.”

“Really?” I whispered, waiting until Mum confirmed it. “I couldn’t tell. She—her energy was funny. She read as both vampire and witch almost. It was weird. I was actually going to ask you about that.”

“Hmm, so she is special. You of all people understand that.”

“Yeah, but can a vampire have magic? I thought that was impossible,” I muttered.

“Improbable, but if you live long enough, you find little is truly impossible,” she countered.

“She could be from a line of kitsune that mated with a vampire. There were whispers that some interspecies matings with their bloodlines could yield special ones. They were all wiped out when Japan learned of us—or so we thought.”

I nodded as she spoke, having heard her tell stories of her growing up in Korea and the different shifter species who were more than just people with animals. There was definitely more than we knew in the world, and we knew of a lot.

Ellie Reed clearly was one of those instances.