Page 5 of Mated To My Boss

I was the desperate clingy girl who thought her whole world should revolve around her mate bond. The girl who drove him away with her intensity.

"I've changed," I say with quiet certainty.

"You have," Aunt Cora agrees. "But not in the ways he might think. You've grown into yourself, Madeline. That's different from changing who you are."

A knock on the door interrupts us. My aunt looks just as annoyed as I am. "Who is it?"

"Maintenance," a gruff voice replies.

"Maintenance?" Cora repeats the word like she’s supposed to know why. "Come in."

Two guys enter wearing overalls. They're definitely not from this office, but they carry a toolbox.

"Drat," she sighs. "I totally forgot. I'll only be a second, and then I'll be out of your hair."

They back out, nodding politely. "What was that about?" I wonder.

"They're supposed to do some maintenance on this floor. It will take a few days, and I'm supposed to use a temporary office until then. I completely forgot about it."

"Where will you go until then?"

"I have a feeling you might like it." There's a hint of mischief in her eyes that makes me instantly suspicious.

I help her move a bunch of her office stuff, then we head back to the floor we just came from. I instantly pick up Nate's scent before we pass his office.

I keep my expression carefully neutral, refusing to give my aunt the satisfaction of seeing me react. I won't be the girl who loses her composure at the simple proximity of her mate.

When we reach the new workspace, the first thing I notice is that there's virtually no privacy. Two large glass panels give a broad view of the office from outside the office, and the door is fully frosted glass.

The lower part of the glass panels are solid, but anyone over three feet tall can see what's going on inside.

"Is this the only available space?" I ask, careful to keep my tone curious and tamp down concern.

"For now," Aunt Cora replies, watching me with that same knowing look. "Problem?"

I put her files on the much-smaller desk and face her with a calm smile. "Not at all. Transparency builds trust, doesn't it?"

Cora laughs—a rare sound. "You really have grown up."

"I had to," I reply simply.

Once we're settled, Aunt Cora looks at me more seriously. "I'm surprised more people don't know about Nate and you. He really changed after he came here, didn't he?"

"In what way?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"When you're a loner, it takes a while to let anyone into your space, no matter who they are. He may feel he's losing his identity." She waits to see if I understand, and I nod. "It's alright.He seems reliable though, and sometimes I sense that work is all he thinks about. Has he always been like that?"

I consider the question, remembering the Nate I knew before. "I guess so. I always had the biggest crush on him growing up. He was the only one in my pack I felt a connection to, but we never talked seriously. And then one day, I realized why I was always drawn to him."

Aunt Cora nods, understanding. "Yes, you told me when your mate bond snapped into place. I think that was the last time we talked about him."

I sit up straight, folding my hands in my lap. "I was over the moon. The most handsome guy in the pack was my mate. I thought we'd have the best time."

"Since he literally left his pack and came all this way, I guess things didn't work out between you two."

"We didn't even get a chance, and that's the problem," I sigh. "Nate absolutely panicked. I'm not sure he knew how to handle the new bond, but it's fine the way things turned out. They said it happens like that for some people, but I felt he was uncomfortable about how much I was into him."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Madeline, but you can be a bit intense."

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