Page 56 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

A little,” I said, surprised to realize how hungry I actually was. My appetite had been growing steadily, a not-so-subtle reminder that my heat was approaching. Another complication I’d have to face. Eventually.

Vigo was already joining Liam in the kitchen.

“I'm hungry too. Should we do takeout or cook?” He asked, and even Dante looked over at me, his dark eyes curious.

“What’s your favorite food?” He asked. I was momentarily shocked that he wanted to know anything about me at all - even after our date, he still kept his distance. But he was slowly starting to come around.

“Uh, I really don’t have a favorite, to be honest. I like most foods.” I stammered. “I guess Pasta sounds good right about now.” I said.

“Italian it is.” Vigo said with a smile, and dialed up an order while I set my laptop down. Dante kept watching me with an unreadable look, but at least he wasn’t hostile anymore. I had spent the least time with him out of everyone, so I tried to keep the momentum going.

“Hey, I have a question for you.” I said, adjusting my legs as I sat on the couch. “How do you manage to get so many of your worker policies implemented without pushback from the local government?” My question made Dante’s eyes widen.

“What do you mean?” He asked cautiously. I saw Vigo and Liam look over at us.

“I mean, your recent wage increase in Tavirosa. We tried to do a higher wage for the factory workers, but the local mayor threatened to pull our license there if we paid them more. He didn’t want us to end up stealing all the workers from the other local businesses by offering them more pay.” The three of them looked at me with surprise, and didn’t answer for a moment. Finally, Dante cleared his throat.

“He did the same to us at first. But we came up with a solution.” He glanced at the others, who nodded at him, as if giving him permission to tell me. “We told him we wouldn't do any hiring of new staff for three years, to assure that we wouldn't take staff away from other companies. That would buy us some time. We also sweetened the deal for him, giving him a donation for the town of Tavirosa to be used as he saw fit.” I sat back, surprised.

“And he accepted it? That’s incredible. I’d been working with him for years, and he never budged.” I said, wondering why he never acquiesced to my deals. Deep down I wondered if it was an alpha thing - they had a much easier time making deals with men than an omega. I half suspected the pack was wondering the same thing with the looks on their faces.

Dante moved toward me slightly, leaning forward on his chair. “Look, if you really want to implement the wage increase, we can help you with a strategy. We could even pitch it with you, since we’re on good terms with him now.” He said.

“But that would mean more competition from our factory in the long term.” I said, wondering why they would help me with anything business related. Dante shrugged.

“If we make this more common, eventually all businesses will have to take on similar policies to stay competitive. It’s a win-win for the Eastern Province.” He said, and I nodded slowly.

“So, you really do want ethical practices.” I said, my opinion on them starting to shift.

Liam looked at me and snorted. “Did you ever really doubt that?” He asked, and I shrugged.

“It sounds good, but I had my suspicions it was mostly PR for you all.” My words made their faces fall. “But… I see it now. You wouldn’t be offering to help me if this was just about optics. You believe in this, and I believe you.”

I met Dante’s gaze, then Vigo’s and Liam’s, letting them see the truth in my eyes. “Whatever differences we’ve had before, I can tell you really do want better for the Province. Even if you have strange ways of going about it.” I said, thinking about their stupid plan to kidnap me.

They exchanged looks, and although I couldn’t quite tell what they were thinking, things seemed to shift even more. They seemed to let their walls down, ever so slightly. Dante even seemed almost… kind for once. And now that I knew they really were trying for what was best, something shifted for me, too.

“Hey… can I ask you a favor?” I said, a little hesitant. “I have a call with the board coming up, and I was hoping you could give me some advice. I’m going to try pushing for the Designation Rights doctrine again.”

“Well, of course!” Vigo said, a grin breaking out on his face. “When are you going to call them?”

“In five minutes. I was going to step away, but my push for the rights didn’t go anywhere last time. I have better data now, a stronger pitch. I just… I want to do this right.”

Vigo sat down immediately. “What do you need from us?”

“Advice,” I said. “Tactics. And maybe, just your presence.” They exchanged a look. It was subtle, some silent alpha communication I couldn’t decode. Then Liam nodded.

“We’re in,” he said simply.

Soon I sat at the dining table, my laptop lit up as the board members entered the virtual meeting room. Liam sat across from me, silently encouraging. Vigo leaned against the counter, and Dante stood nearby, arms crossed but attentive.

“Celeste,” one of the older members greeted me. “You’re bringing the Designation Rights doctrine back?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’ve revised the proposal with new data, including economic models, productivity projections, and phased rollout plans. If we-”

Another member cut in. “We’ve discussed this. It’s still unprofitable, and quite frankly, pointless.” I felt my anger boil up inside me. Of course a bunch of men with massive power and money, including power to vote me out, wouldn’t appreciate a rights doctrine.

“And we already rejected it once,” another member added. “There’s no reason to revisit this.”

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