~~Chapter Three

Ken followed my gaze. My mate looked extremely sophisticated and had an amazing smell, like a blend of the most exquisite perfumes in the world, and the freshness of the forest. It intoxicated my senses, making my stomach riot.

My wolf became breathless with excitement and fuelled me with energy that I feared I'd shift.

“Shit I think we found our mate,” Bea cried in my mind.

He stepped out of the car and a spark had ignited a fire within me. My eyes locked onto his, and I couldn't look away. Every nerve ending in my body was alive with chaotic energy and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.

 It was as if my entire being was responding to his presence, and my eyes were drinking in the sight of him. 

To make matters worse, he was fucking handsome and young..

There was no other way to describe him with such a flawless and ethereal appearance.

The missing piece in my puzzle.

My soulmate. 

But this bond was absurd, almost unheard of. Our kinds didn't mix. 

 "Danger, Bea. This is forbidden,” I warned my wolf. 

But my body refused to listen,

Mustering courage, my gaze landed on my mate's face. The man was perfect. Jet black hair styled neatly and slicked back, bright blue eyes…

But those blue eyes were cold and lacking in interest like the eyes of a tortoise.

My fated mate. 

Rooted in my spot, I begged Bea to keep still.‘Behave. Don’t make a mess out of this.’

But an intense sexual craving took hold of my body, and Bea begged me to devour the magnificent man. 

 Silly me. He was human and couldn't feel the mating bond, of course.

“Ken, what's the meaning of this,” he snapped coldly. “Why would you stop the car and hop out to help some chick and her deranged boyfriend?”

Some chick?

How rude.

My heart sank like a stone in water. He didn't even spare me a glance. The first impression he gave me was so cold, unforgiving and uninviting.

It stung. 

"Is this really the one?" I lamented to Bea. "How can a human who couldn't be bothered to look at me be our mate?"

 It seemed absurd, almost laughable.

 “C'mon, Chad. Be nice,” Ken stepped in, glaring at my mate. 

Chad… I liked the sound of that. His name lay at the roof of my tongue but I remained mute. 

He was pissed. 

“Whatever. Babysit a stranger if you want. I'm out of here,” Chad’s snap rumbled through the air. Ken muttered a quick apology to me, gave me his card, headed to the car, and drove off.

_____

My tired butt collapsed on the two-seater couch in the living room while Harrison and Carmen flanked me on either side, worry written on Harrison's face and panic on Carmen's after I gave them a breakdown of my incident with Dave.

Harrison went into protective mode. "That slime should thank his stars that I stepped out. I'd have knocked a tooth loose." He shook his fist in the air. "No bastard has the right to walk in here and make you feel unsafe."

"We need to file a restraining order," Carmen said firmly.

Sighing, I tossed the pillow up. "It's scary how he found me. I haven't even spoken to him in over two months."

"That guy is deadly, Ashanti. He reminds me of those horror movies where a stalker barges in and kills their victims in cold blood. Imagine if you weren't smart enough to run outside and get help."

Carmen trembled visibly, hugging me. My wolf, Bea, was amused, but I kept my thoughts to myself. I'd crush that weakling under my foot without breaking into a sweat.

"Carmen, I'm fine," I assured her, "I'm glad that he didn't burn down the house."

Harrison leaned forward, his eyes curious. "About your good Samaritan, did you say he lives in the villa down the street?"

Now that was a great topic and it made me grin.

“Dave turned white as a sheet when my samaritan brought out a gun. It was camera-worthy.”

 Drifting into a daydream, I pictured the possibility of a romance with my grumpy mate. A plus if he possessed great bedroom skills that would satisfy my high sex drive. 

Carmen's frightened tone pulled me back to reality."He walks about with a gun?"

"For self-defense I guess," I shrugged, wondering why she sounded shocked. "I'm curious though, what do you guys know about them?"

"Nothing," they said at once.

I blinked, confused. "How can you know nothing about the people living in the only well-constructed building in the whole street?"

"Well, I've met one," Harrison shrugged. "The one with the dark hair."

Goosebumps filled my skin. He was referring to my mate.

"What do you know about him?" I asked Harrison, my heart banging against my chest.

"Everything I know about him is against my will. From what I heard he is loaded and owns a big establishment but he gives odd vibes and Jeremy, my friend at the car wash said he doesn't tip him."

Not bad, I said to myself, chuckling like a satisfied cat before turning to face Carmen to ask for more info.

"I must have met them once or twice. Won't be surprised if they're a couple. No one knows anything because they are too private. You need to be careful of who you get involved with. Stay away from guys for now until you find good ones. Ones who don't stalk you or have guns."

I brushed off her concern. "Oh, come on. Those guys are super hot and I hope to."

"Okay, enough of the odd neighbors. I bring good news," Harrison announced,  changed the topic. "A friend knows someone whose company has a few vacancies and I put in a word for you. It's an AI-focused company in need of junior staff. I told my friend you're good with customer relations and bookkeeping."

My heart warned with gratitude and I hugged him. "That sounds great. Thank you, Harry. You're the best."

 ***

Monday breezed in. Carmen helped me style my ginger hair into waves and applied simple makeup to brighten my features. I put on a navy blue peplum gown that hugged my curves perfectly, paired with black heels.

"Do I look decent enough?" I asked, checking myself in the mirror and admiring the dress.

"You look different in a good way," Harrison said, glancing at his phone. "The name of the company is Wolfgang Group. I'll see you off."

My heart thundered like a madly bouncing ball.

"Wolfgang?"

"Yeah, it's just a name," Harrison said, unaware of the reason for reaction.

We took an Uber to the office, and Harrison wished me luck, and left.

 My eyes feasted on the fifteen-story ultra-modern building built with sleek glass panels reflecting the city lights. Inside, the reception area droned with activity, employees in sharp suits moving purposefully and minding their business.

I headed into the building, stumbling upon a realistic werewolf simulation robot, and gasped in shock. It looked so real and sent a chill down my spine.

Did these people by any chance have connections with werewolves? If they did, then this wasn't a good place to work. Even the company logo was a wolf head. 

But then, humans were strange and could use anything as their logo: lions, cheetahs, wolves. So, it was probably symbolic and nothing serious.

The receptionist, a polite woman around my age, gave me directions to the office where the interview would take place and even wished me luck.

Nervous as a child waiting to be punished, I arrived at the office, knocked on the door, and heard a male voice say, "Come in."

"You can do this," I breathed, pushing the door open and stepping into the office.

My mouth gaped open and I went completely still when I saw Ken, my savior, sitting behind the desk.

Holy shit! There was a huge possibility that my mate worked here. 

Now I needed this job more than ever. 

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and a black tie, he looked sharp and even more handsome than I remembered.

Ken quickly got over his surprise and his teeth shone pearly through his grin.“Ashanti! we meet again.” 

He shut his laptop and stretched his hand out for a shake. My heart raced with excitement.“Hi, Ken. It's good to see you too. I’m here for the job interview.”

 "Whoa! What a coincidence. Not a bad idea to see a beautiful face every once in a while, eh? Please sit. Coffee?"

I flushed slightly and sat opposite him. “Thanks. I'm not trying to take advantage of the fact that we’ve met before. I just…”

I trailed off and his smile died, his grey eyes studying mine.“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just… I don’t know if I qualify for the job.”

He stared off into mid-distance before returning his gaze to me. “Do you have any qualifications or experience?”

“No qualifications,” I lied. “I couldn’t finish high school because my mom died and I lost interest in going to school. I started working as a waitress and a cashier. I plan to enroll for night classes for my GED someday.”

“I see,” he said slowly, scratching his head. “Sorry for your loss."

I nodded, feeling guilty for lying to him. His eyes crinkled with a smile. 

“I’m not the one who makes the final decision. That’s up to the CEO, my grumpy friend. He’s in the next room and will interview you and see if you’re a good fit for the company.”

My head bowed and my throat cramped with disappointment. This wasn't good. I'd hoped that Ken was the boss and that he would hire me on the spot.

I decided to pitch my tent to Ken. “You know, I've always been fascinated with AI and tech. The advanced algorithms create products and services that improve the lives of people and businesses.”

Ken smiled, impressed. He leaned forward, staring directly into my eyes. "Maybe you have some hidden talents that we can use. I'll put in a word for you and we'll see how it goes. Let me go talk to him and see how it goes.”