Page 12

A week later...

NORMAN CITY, OKLAHOMA

N aturiah's Agricultural And Livestock Company. NAALC.

Ismena stood at the clearing of the huge familiar skyscraper of her workplace, staring at the abbreviation of the company, written in bold letters at the very top of it.

A very famous and successful company that has branches scattered all over the world, Ismena can still remember feeling like the happiest woman in the world when NAALC accepted her job application seven year ago. It was a dream come true.

She'd applied for it and several other lower agricultural companies, all her hope had been in the lower companies, but when the most successful agricultural company in the world accepted her job application and gave her an interview, she walked in cloud all day long.

All these years, she never regretted her job.

Not even when it swallowed all her time, giving her little to no time for boys, fun, and relationships.

Not even with her direct boss, Mr. Macdonald, being a first-class asshole that overworked her, badmouthed her every single time, and underpaid her. She never regretted it.

But, now she's on leave and she has less than seven weeks to live, so she knows there's no coming back to work.

Time to cross off Tell Your Boss He's An Asshole from her To-Do list.

Holding that thought, she began walking forward, taking her time to really look around.

It's a very huge company, so there are many entranceways and lobbies.

She hasn't followed this lobby is all the seven years she worked there because it's a complete different part from her department, but today there's no hurry at all.

She can take a tour before going to her destination.

In the next few minutes that followed, she passed through several floors and passageways, inclining her head in greeting to everyone that was interested and ignoring the way some men stare back at her in admiration.

Ismena has long since made peace with the fact that most men find her attractive. It's not an ego booster or something, she tells herself just to feel good with herself, it's just there.

Her train of thought reminded her of a certain man who hates her, hunts her, and is probably pissed at her. Damn, she hasn't been able to forget him all week. And— A man bumped into her.

Hell, what is with her and bumping into people anyway ?

"I'm so sorry about that." Deep velvet voice said to her as he pulled back, and she stepped back too.

"It's no problem at all," she looked up at the stranger, and almost swallowed her tongue. "Jesus Christ." He is HAWT!!! Very hawt!

"Is anything the matter?" Perfect brows creased in bafflement.

Why am I suddenly meeting all the hot men in the world when I'm dying? That's what is wrong. "Nothing. Everything is fine." She replied instead, smiling sweetly.

Dressed in black-tailored suit, impeccably crisp, grayish-brown eyes and jet black hair, the man is a very handsome, and purely masculine. Not like Big Bad Wolfe—that one is out of the world, but still.

If the man had created even the slightest reaction in her body that shows attraction, she would have thrown away a lifelong ingrained value never to preposition a man and ask the man out.

But, he doesn't do a thing for her. Too bad. Too. Very. Bad.

"So, I'm Josiah Steele and you are?" He outstretched his hand.

She placed her smaller one in his and shook him firmly, "Ismena Cranes. I— wait. Josiah Steele?" Her eyes went wide, " THE JOSIAH STEELE !?"

" The Josiah Steele." He confirmed, a smile feathered his hard features.

There's only one popular Josiah Steele here and that's the CEO of the company.

Being a very big company, she—and half of the workers— has never really seen him before.

Wait, there is a long standing rumor in the company that the boss is cold and calculating, almost robotic. Workers tend to avoid him.

Ismena looked carefully at the man standing before her. It most certainly doesn’t seem that way to her .

"Woah! It's an honor to meet you, sir!" She bowed her head, a grin splitting her lips.

"The pleasure is all mine too, Miss Cranes. Do you work here?"

"Yes, I do. I'm in the marketing department." She'd dressed up today so she wouldn't look any different than the others, even though she's currently on leave. But, the CEO doesn't need to know that.

"Oh? Under Macdonald, Clinton or Rard?"

"Macdonald, Sir." The one and only jerk-boss.

"Alright, I hope we'll be meeting again very soon." He glanced at his gold Rolex wristwatch, "But, I have to go now."

"Of course." She inclined her head again.

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Wolfariane Daminor Throne admitted to himself that his mate managed to win one over him. The sassy, sneaky female.

He'd stalked her that night, and enjoyed it, but then he'd gotten an urgent call from Cronus which took his attention away from the female. It took hours, and had him ingrained in the conversation. It had been a very long call.

By the time he'd finished, he lost her scent. He couldn't scent her anywhere. She'd disappeared on him.

At first he'd hunted her all around the vicinity and beyond, but there was no trace of her. When he'd drawn her scent from within and went hunting for her, he realized that she'd left the city .

Deep down, he'd admired her smartness and toughness, even if it had irritated him.

Since then, he'd taken every opportunity he can to search the cities of America for the infuriating woman.

Sadly, he had little time on his hands for that because businesses were calling to him, both from Cronus's side and from Naturiah.

Today, he just got out of a meeting with Cronus, his pack and other members of the board. He entered the black limousine, relaxed back and closed his eyes, while Degar, the leopard Alpha, got into the driver's side and started the ignitor.

He was in a black mood for a lot of reasons.

"Where to, Alpha King?" Degar's deep voice filled the air. He spoke in a small voice, knowing that Wolfariane's sensitive hearing will pick it up anyway.

"The mansion," He has houses scattered all over the world—everywhere the branch of his company took root. But he has mansions in New York City, Oklahoma, Egypt, China and Uganda because that's where his headquarters are.

Through the silence of the journey, his cellphone shrieked loudly. Eyes still closed, he pulled it out from his pocket and received the call.

"Alpha King?"

"Josiah." He recognized the deep, robotic voice of the mountain lion alpha, the CEO of NAALC, the branch in Oklahoma.

"I do not know if there's a mistake somewhere, but I just passed by a non-changeling female that carries your scent. It's faint, very faint ," he emphasized, "but you have a very unique scent—we all do—so I was wondering... "

His eyes snapped open, he leaned forward, "Describe this woman to me."

"Petite, very beautiful, pointed nose, brown-eyes, curvy, smells like death—"

"Where did you see this female, Josiah?" Calm, calm words. Dark mood faded, replaced by hunger, anger and lust.

The latter, he shoved down but the anger and predatory hunger filled him. He ran his tongue across his teeth.

"We walked past each other in the passageway of the financing department of the company, but she told me she works for the marketing department under Macdonald." He paused, "I scented you on her, Wolfariane. Is she who I think she is? Is she your mat—"

"I will be there as fast as I can. Do everything possible to delay her exit." He ordered, cutting him off.

"If you take the private jet, you'll be here in less than two hours. We still have four hours until work hours ends, so I know you'll catch up with her anyway." Josiah paused, "But is she your mat—"

Wolfariane hung up, and said to Degar, "Call Cronus to get the private jet ready. We leave for Oklahoma right now."

"Yes, Alpha King." Degar pulled out his cellphone and began making the call.

Doesn't matter if Ismena left the company before he arrived. As long as she's still in Oklahoma, he can track her scent from his company.

Got you, female.

Let me see how you escape me this time around .

NORMAN CITY, OKLAHOMA

It was late evening when Ismena got home with a wild smile on her face, and threw herself on her sofa. She can still remember the look on Henry Macdonald's plump face when she'd called him an asshole.

"You're fired, do you hear me, Cranes!? You are fired!" He'd shouted behind the door after she walked out.

She'd opened the door, stuck her head back in and shouted, "Doesn't make you any less of an asshole, does it?" She'd accompanied her words with a sweet smile she knows he hated so much, before she closed the door to his angry face and walked away.

Now, she relaxed back on the sofa. Aah, what a sweet day. Her cellphone rang, and she picked it up. "Sandra!"

"Don't sound so excited, you wicked witch! So, you're back in Oklahoma but you didn't say anything to me!? Are we even friends at all!?" Sandra screamed in her ear.

Ismena winced, "I'm sorry, so sorry, Sandy. I've been meaning to call you, seriously..."

"When!? I heard it's been a week, you witch!"

"Uhm, how did you know that?" Nobody knows she's back in Oklahoma, not even her family.

"I saw Mr. Amil in the market yesterday."

Of course, it'll be her old neighbor with his big mouth. She took a deep breath, "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, Sandy. I've been very busy." She's been busy avoiding Big Bad Wolfe .

"How was your vacay?"

It was at the tip of her tongue to tell her friend that she couldn't stay past three days because she happened to 'borrow' someone's ring, and the man wants his ring back, and because she pawned it to buy her meds, she'd ran back home to Oklahoma, all the way back to her apartment. ..now she's still on the run.

It was at the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it and answered, "It was great. It was just great."

Sandra started giving her a rundown of how her own life has been in the past few days, she listened too.

A knock came from her door.

"Is someone at your door? I heard a knock." Sandy intoned.

"Yeah," she rose from the sofa and walked to the direction of the door, "Maybe it's Mr. Amil coming to give back the hammer he borrowed yesterday," she said, knowing she doesn't really get lots of visitors apart from her neighbors.

Sound of deadbolt unlocking filled the air, she threw the door opened and came face to face with the man she has been running from.

"Wolfariane!" She gasped, her eyes going wild like saucers. The phone fell from her hand in shock.

"We meet again, Fee-male." And as usual, he was wearing a black scowl on his face that smells trouble for her. "Where is my ring? Hand it over. Now."