Page 102 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

I picked up my coffee and took a long sip, draining what was left. “The late founder and owner, James Linden. You know, myfather.”

We stood in silence, staring each other down, until he finally lowered his eyes. “Fuck.”

My wolf seemed a little baffled at the alpha’s submission, but the female sick of misogynistic shit was practically howling. “Yeah, ‘fuck’ indeed. So, Julian, how about instead of askingmeto make you copies,yougo downstairs and getmeanother coffee. Lots of cream and sugar, please.” I set the empty travel mug on the desk and gestured to it while I went back to work. “That will be all,” I said in a dismissive tone, channeling my best Miranda Priestly.

He grabbed the mug and stomped out, slamming the door behind him. Okay, maybe not the best idea to start making enemies, but that dude was a dick and deserved to get knocked down a peg or two, even if my dad was the only reason I had any sort of power here.

At least I’d wield it responsibly.

48

CAMDEN

Iwas jogging back to my office from the conference room to grab my forgotten phone when I ran into Julian in the hall.

“Hey, Ramos, what’s up?” I asked, reaching out my hand but stopping when I saw he was carrying Marlowe’s travel mug.

Julian noticed where I was staring and rolled his eyes. “Nice head’s up there, telling me James’s freaking daughter was here today and that you guys are together. I just made a total ass out of myself.”

I took the mug from his hands and breathed in deeply. “Wait, made an ass out of yourself like, you were flustered, said something weird, and she thinks you’re a dweeb, or…”

“Or as in she dominated me and hates my guts.”

I bit back my disappointment, although a part of me wished I could have seen my little omega in action. Watching her break an alpha would be very hot.

But this potentially ruined my plans. Julian was smart, capable, and had been looking for a pack ever since he moved here a few years ago. He was like me in a lot of ways, and Marlowe and I were great together.

Then I remembered her terrible first impression of me.

I couldn’t hold in the growl that reverberated through my chest. “Did you touch her?” I asked. Was it a little hypocritical to have gotten mad at him if he had, even though I hadn’t been able to fight the urge myself two weeks ago? Sure, but she had been unbonded then. Now, Marlowe belonged to a pack, which was supposed to mark her as completely off-limits to any kind of courtship.

Well, the alpha shifter version of courtship, which, at least for me, was very hands on.

“Of course not. I just assumed she was your new personal assistant you were fucking or something,” he responded, shaking his head in disappointment. “How much authority does she have here? Can she fire me?”

I sighed. “Come on, dipshit, let’s see if we can’t do some damage control.”

We walked back into my office, and Marlowe’s happy expression dropped when she saw Julian. “Oh, it’s you,” she said flatly, getting back to her work.

“Hey, babe.” I greeted her slowly, and she gave me a suspicious look. “Here’s your coffee. I ran into Julian, and he told me he was kind of…”

“An ass?” She sipped her coffee and winced. “Not enough sugar,” she muttered.

“Right, that’s the exact word he used, ass.”

“Well, good. At least I don’t have to add ‘liar’ to the long list of words I’d like to call him.”

Julian rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know who you were. I’m sorry.”

She stood up, and I could practically see the smoke coming off her skin. “It doesn’t matter if I’m an entry level temp or the new owner or anything in between. It’s completely unacceptable to treat females that way.”

His head turned towards me, confusion spreading across his face. “Wolcott, what is she talking about?”

“Hey!” She snapped her fingers. “Don’t talk to him. You’re talking to me.”

I knew why Julian was agitated. Most females liked being bossed around by alphas, it was almost like a sign of affection.

Not for humans though, and definitely not Marlowe. While there had been a bit of an adjustment period for me in the beginning, I’d really come to love the way she didn’t take any shit. She was almost the most wolfish amongst us in that way – aloof and distrusting at first of strangers, but when she did submit for attention and affection, it felt earned. Deserved.

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