CHAPTER THREE

It’s Winnie again, but this time, a smug smile is on her face as though she just won the lottery.

That smile makes Roy’s hand sweaty. Creepy.

“What do you want?” he asks, trying to sound indifferent.

“You have an appointment with the CEO at the top floor.” she grins, enjoying his shock.

His heart skips a beat.

Why would the CEO want to see him? He’s just the social media guy. The CEO probably doesn’t even know his name, unless—

It’s her fault, he realizes grimly. She’s still mad at him for insulting her, so she makes up some crazy story to get him in trouble with the big boss. And he also epically bumped into the CEO this morning.

Stupid ape!

Roy clears his throat. Maybe Winnie is mistaken. He’s new here after all. Maybe it’s just his supervisor who needs him, not the CEO himself. “Are you sure about that?” he says slowly, hoping she’s wrong.

She rolls her eyes. “I heard it myself,” she snaps, “He even said your full name, Roy.”

What did she tell the CEO anyway?

Did she tell the CEO that he flirted with her on his first day? That would be a horrible lie, but he had no way to prove otherwise.

She clears her throat, making him look at her. Roy can tell she wants to rub it in his face, so he quickly gets up from his seat.

The journey to the elevator feels like an eternity, and he senses some of the 'gambling workers' smirking behind him. He doesn't even know them, but it feels like they already hate him.

It's a long ride to Floor24, with people getting in and out constantly. Recalling what Kristine said about everyone betting on how long he was going to remain in the company before Anderson gets rid of him…does nothing to ease the ugly feeling in his stomach.

Feeling sick with anxiety, Roy wonders what to say to Liam. He messed up as usual.

His phone rings and he jolts, surprised he even has it with him. It is Hailey calling.

“Hey.” He says on answering the call.

“What’s wrong bitch?” Her voice walks the line between worried and excited.

“Uh…nothing.”

“No. No. that’s not nothing.” She groans, “Are you having a bad day?”

“You can’t imagine…” He lets out a sigh, “Please, please, please don’t tell Liam but I’m being summoned to the principal’s office.”

“On your first day?” Hailey gasps, her tone dripping with fascination. You are meeting BRYAN ANDERSON!”

Roy rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t be excited if I were you. I bumped into him earlier and he didn’t seem too happy about it. And I also had a ‘friendly’ talk with one of the superiors who didn’t exactly like the word ‘Gay’.” He fills her in, rubbing his brows.

“I hope you told the stuck-up bitch that you would date her husband if she doesn’t shut it?” She asks in her snarky tone and Roy stifles a burst of laughter. Effing Hailey and her silly jokes.

“I told her something along that line.”

She whoops, “You’re better off without a job anyway. With your skills, you could build the greatest audience on social media and become an influencer.”

“Yeah…” he trails off. “But that is the last thing I want, and you know. Too pretentious.”

“Chin up babe.” She sounds sorry, “We’d celebrate your job loss later.”

“Eff you.” He cusses.

She laughs so loud he had to pull the phone away from his ears, “I’m totally down, weirdo.”

Shaking his head, Roy presses the red button, cutting her off and his feeling of unease returns.

The doors open one last time for him as the elevator arrives at Floor 24.

His secretary, a stern-looking woman in her forties, nametag Stella, looks at him with genuine pity in her eyes.

Eff.

He wipes the sweat off his brow as she leads him down the quiet hall.

Stella knocks twice before opening the door.

Roy almost face-plants on his way inside.

BRYAN ANDERSON was drawn to his scent as soon as he entered his den.

Bryan was different from other Lycans or so he’d always thought. They lived for their wild cravings, letting them explode like flames that swallowed trees, but Bryan kept a tight grip on himself. He was always calm and cold as if his soul was frozen. He felt no strong attraction to anyone, just a faint spark that he never let grow into a fire that could consume him and others. He faced the dangers of Lycan life with careful skill, like a climber on a steep mountain, never losing his balance or control.

But this time—this time he wanted to forget his black and white plan. Roy’s scent alone made Bryan crave to just ravish him until they both collapsed, fuck him hard until they both drowned in the ecstasy of it.

At his moment though, he was ashamed. Ashamed that he hadn’t spoken to the boy in front of the elevator, ashamed that he hadn’t told the boy how fucking sexy he looked in that tight suit. Ashamed that his true sexuality was a dirty secret his family protected fiercely. Ashamed that he let them do it.

He pushed out a ragged breath as he felt a sharp, hard ache in his chest.

The boy was so brave,’ he thought, Proud of who he was and not afraid to flaunt it. It made him sexier.

He reached for the remote control on his desk and tapped a few keys. A hidden panel on his right moved aside, showing a wall of monitors linked to the building’s surveillance systems.

He scanned the video from when Roy exited the elevators to greet his new boss, Flake. His expression turned cold as he saw what they did to him in the office. He was enraged and disgusted that they would treat his Roy like that.

The words that the secretary had thrown at Roy made Bryan want to rip her to shreds—literally, destroy her life and make sure she never breathes again. He was a very possessive man to the ones he cared about. It shocked him that he already about Roy.

But he wouldn’t do that to her. Life had taught him the value of patience, the craft of chasing his goals until he got what he wanted—and the knack of keeping it in his hands until he lost interest in it.

And at this moment, His need for Roy was so fierce that it took every bit of his control not to bolt from his office and rip everything apart.

“Claim him!’ A voice growled in his psyche and Bryan rubbed his hurting chest, “Not now…but soon.”

Roy was near. His scent called to him, a siren’s song that Bryan’s body and heart yearned to answer.

His cock was pressing painfully hard against his zipper like never before just because he was looking forward to seeing that slip of a boy.

Damn—Bryan had not been prepared for this—had never thought his breath would be taken away.

How would his life change if Roy Jordan wormed his way into his heart?