“That reminds me.” Kai said and turned to Nicolas. “How did you recognize her on the first day?”
Nicolas thought about it, his index finger tapping his chin. How did he recognize Karen? When she walked into that room it was just like he knew. He recognized that smile, he recognized the way she carried herself. She had always carried herself like a princess. Even though she looked nothing like the Karen he knew, with her short black hair and brown eyes, he knew it had to be her.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, I just did.” He smiled coyly and looked at Kai. “What, you didn’t remember her?”
Kai glaring at him told him all he needed to know. Nicolas laughed softly.
“That’s interesting.” He said.
Kai sighed. It was interesting. He had no idea that was Karen, the Karen he knew till he had sent her out and felt the mating bond tug in his chest.
She hadn’t accepted his rejection yet. Why?
And to think that she was in the human world all this while. And while he made regular trips to and fro to the human world. And he never did find her. Not once. She had been right under his nose the entire time.
“How’s your head?” Nicolas asked.
“It’s fine.” Kai said in a clipped tone.
He heard Nicolas sigh. “You’re the boss.”
Kai’s insomnia was still there. Even with the advancement in medicine, there wasn’t a drug that could put him to sleep like Karen did.
Like Karen did…. his mind went back to the last time he was with her. The peaceful sleep he had gotten that night.
For four years he searched and searched for anything that could give him that kind of rest. He never found it. The most sleep he would get would be an hour or restless tossing and turning. And that would be it.
Sometimes the drugs would cause him headaches and disorient his mood. The healers potions that worked wonders on others did nothing for him.
Kai sighed and rubbed his temple. He called his secretary, Anna through their mind link. He had chosen to have some of his higher ups be werewolves, for easy and convenience, and his secretary was one of them. He allowed her back and forth communication through the mind link, something he allowed Nicolas too and a few others.
She was a young wolf called Anna who had lost her family in a war and had to grow up alone. Kai took her with him and had her trained in secretarial duties. She quickly became efficient and a real ace for him.
Nicolas had vehemently refused to play secretary.
The door opened and Anna walked in, a radiant smile on her face. “Good morning alpha…. I mean Mr Sylvester,”
Kai had to keep correcting her that they weren’t in the pack anymore. “And To you too Anna. What is today’s line up?”
Anna pulled up her tablet and tapped across the screen, her long fingernails making a tap tap noise. “You have a meeting by twelve with the owner of The Cold Pot, there’s another meeting by two with the general manager and finally the staff want to throw a party for you,” she raised her head and looked at him. “A welcome party.”
Kai sighed. He wasn’t a party person by any means. “Is it necessary?”
“Well sir, they haven’t met the CEO and they simply want to welcome you. Of course if you don’t like it I can cancel it.”
“Next week.” Kai said. The day was Wednesday. He has plans for Friday night. “Fix a meeting with the planning committee tomorrow by ten.”
Anna tool note of it in her tablet. “Right away sir.”
Kai turned to Nicolas. “I’m sure you can handle reservations for the meetings?”
Nicolas nodded with a demure smile. “If you ask me to.”
“Then do it.” Kai snapped. Nicolas had a way of playing coy whenever people were around. He would act like the most respectful person ever . But once whoever it was left, he was back to his snarky and sarcastic self.
It didn’t bother Kai. But it was annoying.
“Of course.” Nicolas said and whipped out his phone with a flourish. He walked to a corner of the office and made a call.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” He asked Anna.
She raised a brow, her dark eyes widening. “Um, yes. I did.”
Kai shook his head. When it came to professionalism she was a perfect ten. But whenever he asked her personal questions she would pause and stutter.
“A cup of latte isn’t breakfast, Anna.”
She bowed quickly. “I’m sorry sir. I’ll go right away.”
“No. Come with me.”
She looked stunned for a while then smiled.
“Come with you and what?” Nicolas asked, returning form the phone call.
“We’re going to have breakfast!” Anna said with excitement.
Kai turned to Nicolas. “Yes?”
“Oh right. Well, I’ve made a reservation for your ten o’clock at The Cold Pot, and your two o’clock at Riverside.”
“Very well.” Kai said. “You may come with us.”
Nicolas bowed. “Yes, my alpha.”
Kai rolled his eyes. “Let’s go already.”
The three of them walked out of the office. Kai could hear Nicolas and Anna talking in hushed tones about a drama they watched or something. He didn’t join in the conversation. They got into the elevator and went to the lower floors.
The lower floor was livelier, full of conversations and light banter. Kai felt a pull in his chest and turned to the direction. He sighted Karen, her head bowed as she worked on her computer. He paused and turned, observing what was going on.
A man walked up to her, interrupting her flow of work. She turned to him, a forced smile on her face. Kai couldn’t hear their conversation but from body language alone he could tell the man was asking her out.
He felt a spark of anger inside him. Karen was his. She belonged to him.
He wanted to step in but the man walked away, waving and looking disappointed. Karen rolled her eyes and went back to her work. A strand of hair fell into her eyes. She pushed it back and her head shot up, their eyes meeting.
She had also felt the tug.
He saw the expressions in her eyes shift. Then she lowered her head and continued working. Kai felt irritated at her behavior.
Nicolas and Anna had noticed he stopped and turned to him. “Sir?” Anna said softly.
“Give me a few minutes.” He said, already walking into the office.
The silence was noticeable, everyone hushing their conversation to look at him. Kai’s advent to Karen was halted by the manager of the unit appearing in front of him.
“Mr Sylvester!” The man said.
Kai looked at him. “Yes?”
“It’s an honour to see you here! In our humble corner.”
“Is that so.” Kai said and tilted his head. The man understood and moved to the side.
Kai walked up to Karen and tapped on her demarcation. She raised her head slowly, her eyes sparking with fury. Kai wanted to see her real eyes, those beautiful eyes that he could stare into forever.
“Mr Sylvester.” She said through clenched teeth. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Kai could hear the whispered conversations, he didn’t care about it.
“Meet me in my office by four.” Kai said.
Karen raised a brow. “For a session?” She mused. “I didn’t come prepared. Pardon me to run back home and get the things.”
Kai looked at her, his eyes trailing from her lips to her clothed breasts and up to her face. “That won’t be too bad.”
Shock was written on her face as she reeled back. “You’re unbelievable.” She hissed under her breath, and he could feel her hard exterior cracking.
“Four o’clock. And do not late.” He said sharply.
She smiled at him, a gesture that didn’t reach her eyes. “But of course. I don’t have a life do I? I just answer to you ”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “You’d be surprised how true those words will turn out to be.”
He straightened himself, staring at her darkly. A session? Did she miss his sessions? That didn’t sound like a bad idea at all. He wondered how her body would react to him now after all these years.
He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and turned. He could feel her gaze on his back as he walked.
Suddenly a woman came up and bumped into him. Kai glared at her as she pretended to fall to the floor, the papers she held with her scattering all over the floor.
“Oh my goodness.” She gasped, going on all fours and made a show of trying to pick the papers up. She gazed up at him, and he could see the lust in her eyes.
Kai felt a spark of disgust.
“I’m so sorry, Mr Sylvester.” She said and gathered most of the papers. She blinked up at him flirtatiously, moving closer to him.
“What’s your name?” Kai asked.
“My name is Alice, sir.”
“Alice,” Kai said, “you’re fired.”
She gasped her eyes blown wide. “W-what….” She gasped. The papers fell out of her hand to the floors.
Kai glanced at Karen, she was still focused on her computer. He turned and walked past the crying woman. Nicolas was trying so hard to control his laughter, and Anna had a look of shock upon her face.
“Who’s hungry?” Kai asked, looking at the two.
“Damn.” Nicolas whistled. “That was very cold.”