CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38 GOSSIP

Caroline’s POV

I glanced at my phone and saw a message from Draven letting me know he was already waiting for me at the door. I grabbed my purse and practically floated downstairs, riding a cloud of pure happiness.

"Good morning, beautiful," Draven said, pulling me into his strong arms and claiming my lips with a deliciously slow kiss that made Rory purr with satisfaction. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept like a baby," I replied with a silly smile after our kiss, "dreaming about my sexy, dominant Alpha boyfriend."

His eyes flashed with that violet gleam that made my knees weak. "I think that would be me," he said with a gorgeous smile. "And where’s the little cub? Aren’t we dropping him off at daycare?"

My heart soared seeing him ask about my son with such enthusiasm.

"No, Elle already took him. She’s the most doting godmother in the world."

"I think she’ll have to learn to share that young man’s attention with me," he said. "We became friends, didn’t we? He liked me, right?"

The mighty Alpha of Storm Valley Pack, worried about a two-year-old’s approval. It melted my heart.

"Yes, Liam loved you!" I smiled and gave him a quick peck, Rory practically dancing with happiness within me.

When we arrived at the office parking lot of Thorne Enterprises, my heart was pounding in my chest. I was worried about people’s reactions since Draven wasn’t willing to keep our relationship discreet. His wolf Alaric was too possessive to hide their claim on me, even if they couldn’t mark me as theirs. He had tried to calm me through our entire drive, but it was in vain.

Draven got out of the car, walked around, and opened my door, offering his hand.

In the elevator, some employees greeted us and looked curiously at our intertwined fingers but didn’t dare question anything. I could already imagine the flood of gossip beginning to flow through the pack bonds.

When we reached the executive floor, we were greeted by Linda, who widened her eyes seeing us holding hands. When Draven kissed me possessively and went to his office, it didn’t take long for Linda to practically pounce into my office.

"Caroline, don’t hide anything from me," Linda demanded, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "What’s going on between you and Alpha Draven? You arrived holding hands, and I saw him kiss you."

"We’re dating, Linda. That’s all," I replied with a smile but without wanting to share intimate details.

"That’s all? Oh no, you’re going to tell me everything! I’ll get us some coffee so we can talk." She was relentless, her wolf’s curiosity fully engaged, but I wasn’t going to give her details about my personal life. We were just coworkers.

"I can’t, Linda, I have a lot of work to do. We’ll talk later," I said with a polite smile.

"Oh, but you’re the Luna of the office now, you don’t need to worry about working." Her comment made Rory bristle with annoyance. I already knew she loved gossip, but the comment struck a nerve.

"Linda, I’m still an employee here like everyone else," I said firmly. "No privileges! So I need to do my work. When I have some time, we’ll talk, okay?!"

I was feeling uncomfortable with her insistence and prying. Linda was about to press further when Ryan, Kyle, and Clara entered the room.

Beta Ryan immediately sensed the tension and intervened, "Good morning, Carrie! How’s our favorite she-wolf today?"

"I’m doing well, and you all?" I replied, grateful for his interruption.

At that moment, the phone on my desk rang.

It was my new boyfriend requesting my presence with the others.

I got up and opened the door for us to enter, leaving a still-curious Linda outside.

"So, brother, here we are. What’s this important news you need to share with the pack?" Ryan asked right away.

Draven stood up, came over to me with that confident stride, took my hand, and kissed my cheek before saying, "You’re my pack family, so I wanted to tell you that I’m dating the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life."

Everyone was thrilled, congratulating us and saying how they’d sensed the mating pull between us for weeks.

"This calls for a celebration," Ryan declared, his Beta authority second only to Draven’s. "Kyle, make a reservation for the five of us at Golden Petal for lunch today." He took charge of planning lunch, leaving no room for discussion.

We chatted for a few moments before everyone returned to their offices. At noon, we met at the elevator to go to lunch. With the audit happening, we were swamped with work and had to conduct our investigation discreetly, on top of our already demanding routine tasks. Throughout the morning, I didn’t have any more time with Draven, as I was glued to my desk working through the financial records.

Lunch was delightful; it was always good to be with our small pack-like group. Draven was very attentive with me, his possessive touches sending clear signals to everyone that I belonged to him, and of course, he ordered a slice of chocolate cake for us to share for dessert.

When we returned to the office, he pulled me into his office, pressed me against the door, and started kissing me with unbridled passion.

His kisses were hot and hungry. He slid his large hand down to my thigh, lifting my skirt slightly, pulling my leg up to his waist, pressing all his magnificent hardness against me. I could feel his cedar and musky scent enveloping me, making me dizzy with desire. He ran his hand along my thigh and reached my panties, which were hot and wet. This man set me ablaze like nothing I’d ever experienced before.

Just as he slipped his finger under the lace, teasing at my entrance and making me gasp with pleasure, his cell phone rang.

I heard him growl a curse that would make any wolf blush and pull away to reach for the device in his jacket’s inner pocket.

He gave me a quick apologetic peck, stepped back, and listened intently to whoever was speaking on the other end of the line as he walked to his desk, his eyes briefly flashing violet with frustration.

I composed myself and went to my office on shaky legs. When I sat down, he rushed out, giving me a quick kiss and promising, "I’ll finish what I started later, little wolf." I resumed my work and lost track of time.

It wasn’t long before two female employees from accounting walked by my office, their whispers clearly intended for me to hear.

"So she’s sleeping with the Alpha to climb the corporate ladder," one said with a sneer. "I wonder if she knows he’ll never take her as his Luna. An unmated she-wolf with a cub? She’s just a temporary distraction."

"Exactly," the other replied. "Alpha Thorne needs a proper Luna who can strengthen pack alliances, not some nobody who can’t even produce a proper heir with a scent."

Rory growled within me, wanting to show these gossiping wolves their place, but I maintained my composure. I’d faced worse in my life than petty office jealousy. Still, their words stung because they voiced my own deepest fears, that I wasn’t good enough to be Draven’s Luna, that Liam and I would always be outsiders because of our lack of scent.

I focused on my work, trying to push their comments from my mind. I wasn’t with Draven for his position or power. I was with him because when he looked at me with those violet eyes, I felt whole for the first time since that masked ball.