Page 11

Chapter 11

NATE

The elevator doors open on my floor. All the people around me troop out, but I pause for a second to sniff the air.

“That's odd,” I muse. “Where is she?”

There are only traces of Madeline's scent in the air and that's just because she spends a lot of time at the office. The absence of a strong source tells me she's not here.

Madeline hasn't missed a day yet. Is she sick?

I feel so anxious that I almost let the elevator doors close with me inside. Luckily, I reach out at the last second and stop the door.

I step out and walk through the hallway, passing my office and not stopping until just before Cora's temporary office. She’s been away a lot more, leaving Madeline in her stead. However, my mate is nowhere to be found.

My anxiety begins to rise. What's going on? I whip out my phone, hovering over her number and wondering if I should call.

No, I'm just going to look like some stalker. She misses work one day and I'm on edge? But then we did have someone tailing us in the car. You’re overthinking. They disappeared; it was probably nothing.

I take a few deep breaths to ground myself before heading to my office, determined to carry on with my day as if nothing has happened. My computer awaits, ready to be put to work.

The first hour goes by without hassle. One thing about not having Madeline in the vicinity is that I finally have a free mind to actually accomplish my tasks instead of handling interruptions.

My brain still brings her to the forefront a lot, but it's much different than her standing right before me.

The email icon pops up, and I click on it to see if I've missed anything. Surprisingly, the first email I see is from Cora.

“That's odd.” I open it and read through it, seeing that Madeline has been officially transferred to me as my new intern. “Huh?”

Madeline's scent hits me like it was shot from a cannon. I suddenly feel comfortable, as if a missing piece of me has just been restored. It doesn't take a genius to figure out she's behind my door.

“Come in,” I say, before she even knocks.

The door handle twists and my mate walks in with an uncharacteristically sad look on her face. She tries to mask it, but it still seeps through the cracks.

“Good morning,” she says stoically.

“Um … good morning. What's this about you being my new intern?”

She doesn't move from her spot near the door. “Aunt Cora is in the hospital. I'm not sure how long she will be out of commission.”

“Oh … I'm sorry,” I murmur. “What happened to her?”

“She'll be fine,” Madeline says curtly. “She wants you to manage my internship, but only if you agree to it. If you don't want to do it, I'll be okay interning under someone else.”

The thought of her having to answer to some guy in the office briefly flashes through my mind and that alone is enough to force my answer. “Definitely not. You'll be my intern.”

“Are you sure?” she inquires. There's no hint of the playful, flirtatious girl I usually see. Instead, Madeline looks determined, like an employee on her first day of work.

“Yes. If Cora isn't here, then I'm the man for the job. I don't usually like working with interns as you know, but I'm willing to make an exception to help out a friend.” My reason is something Madeline looks unsure about, but she says nothing about it.

“I have a few rules though,” I add. “We have to remain professional during this time. If you think this will be difficult for you, just let—”

“I'll be fine,” she replies. “I can be professional, Mr. Barlow.”

I cringe at the mention of my last time. “Okay, maybe that's a little too professional. It seems unnatural for you to call me that.”

“Sorry, Nate.”

I nod. “That's better. I guess we can start immediately if you're down for it.”

“Of course. What do you need me to do?”

“Go to Olivia and ask her to move my meeting to tomorrow because we need to meet a potential client for lunch.”

“Road trip. That sounds nice.”

“Yeah, but I'm afraid it'll just be him and I having lunch. I'd like you to be present, but you'll probably have to sit at a different table. I know this client. He’ll clam up if someone else is at the table. Yet, if you’re close enough, you can listen in and take notes on any important details. Are you down for that?”

“Definitely,” she says.

We head out for lunch and drive to one of the best restaurants in town. The aroma of delicious food fills our senses before we even step into the main dining area.

I scan for my client, who isn't here yet. I look at Madeline. “We'll get our tables and wait. I'm sure he won't be long,” I say.

Madeline replies with a nod.

As I predicted, the client arrives shortly, beginning the meeting with apologies. “I'm so sorry. I got stuck in traffic.”

I'm a little annoyed by the blatant lie, but I keep my feelings in check, aware that I could land a major client for the IronFangs law firm.

Madeline sits at the next table, and I can see her from where I am, even though her back is turned. She's close enough to hear everything the client says, and I trust her to remember everything.

As the food arrives, I’m distracted when some guy walks up to Madeline's table with a huge grin. He introduces himself and sits down near her.

I grip the edge of the table, digging my fingers into the wood and trying to keep my smile.

The client munches away, completely oblivious to everything around him. I attempt to keep my anger in check, but seeing someone so close to my mate awakens a feral part of me.

Thankfully, everything draws to an end and I wait for the client to leave before going to Madeline. “Who was that guy?” I ask.

"Just someone who approached me while I was waiting for our food," she says simply. "Nothing to worry about."

"I wasn't worried," I respond quickly.

She meets my eyes with a thoughtful look. "That's good to hear," she says, her voice neutral but her eyes searching mine briefly before she turns to leave. This is going to be a nightmare, isn't it?

I haven't heard from Grant in a while, so the sudden text from him makes me sit up. Madeline notices it but continues sorting through the case files with remarkable efficiency.

Her speed is impressive, maybe even faster than mine, though I would never openly admit it.

I guess it's nice to have some help, I think to myself, watching her organize the documents into a system that somehow makes more sense than my own. I guess it's nice to have some help.

The text from the alpha is just to check in, so I give him a quick progress report, including the fact that Cora isn't feeling well. Surprisingly, Grant replies just as quickly, expressing sympathy before asking how Madeline is settling in.

This is my chance. I ask Grant about what happened with the old pack. Henry hadn’t been much help regarding information, except for mentioning that hunters were involved.

Still, it's surprising that we didn't hear about that altercation sooner. For all I know, the alpha could be unaware as well.

Grant takes a little longer to respond this time, but when an answer comes through, it's not one I'm pleased with. He wants me to ask her myself. I close my eyes and sigh.

These games wouldn't exist if he just told me what was up. My eyes drift to Madeline who's still hard at work. I clear my throat to draw attention.

“I want to ask you something.”

“If it's about the Denver drafts, I sorted them yesterday.”

“No, it's about—wait, what? How did you do it so quickly?”

She shrugs casually. “I have a system.”

“Maybe you should teach your system to the entire office. These other interns could definitely use it.”

She laughs at this. “What did you want to ask me?”

"What happened with your former pack that made you leave?" I question. "I know you left and it wasn't just because you wanted to find me. What was the issue with the hunters?"

Madeline looks down thoughtfully before meeting my eyes. "It's complicated, and not something I like to revisit." She pauses, clearly weighing how much to share. "But you deserve to know, especially with what's happening now. The hunters who attacked us weren't just random. They seemed organized, targeted. I've been watching for signs of them ever since I arrived."

Her calm analysis surprises me. This isn't the impulsive girl I once knew; this is someone who thinks strategically, who protects herself and those she cares about.

“Madeline, hunters are no joke.”

“Yeah, but I'm good. Nothing happened.”

It's clear she's become a brick wall, so I ease up on my interrogation and move on to something else. “Okay. How's Cora doing?”

“She's better,” Madeline responds. “I think she misses the office. It's so weird to see her not working and actually resting.”

“I've never seen that before in my life. Your aunt is a pillar here.”

“She definitely is. Too bad I won't spend much time with her once summer is over.”

The reminder sends an arrow straight through my heart. The fact that Madeline said this so casually too is very concerning. It's hard to accept that our time together has a deadline.

I try to study her face, but I am too distracted by her beauty to come up with something reasonable.

The way this delicious brunette bites her lips as she thinks mesmerizes me. Her eyes suddenly look up, capturing mine like in a game of chess.

“Is everything okay?” she asks innocently. “You're staring at me.”

“Was I?” I say, playing dumb. “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”

“Hmm,” she replies, not believing me.