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Ruby’s right. I do sound exactly like him.
My phone rings, jarring the settled air of my father’s study. I leave and close the door behind me before checking who’s calling. My wolf wants to toss my phone aside and head out to hunt, but it’s Eagle, and he knows my Berkshire runs are sacred. He wouldn't call if it wasn’t important.
“I have bad news and good news.” Eagle eschews any greeting.
“Give it to me,” I growl.
“Bad news first: Nickel’s team uncovered more details of the opposing deal.”
I grip the phone tighter. “Is Adalwulf behind it?”
“Confirmed. Aiden met Benson Junior at a party in Cabo.”
“Met? More like ambushed.” It would be no coincidence Aiden Adalwulf would be at the same party as Benson Junior. Aiden can pretend to be a playboy billionaire, but his idea of fun is hunting other shifters for sport.
“Yes. Aiden must have sweet talked Junior there, promising him the moon.”
“Then we promise him the sun and stars. And a Moon Co. stake.”
“Nickel’s already on it.”
“What's the good news?”
“You’re never going to believe this.” There’s a smile in Eagle’s voice. “There’s a five hundred acre parcel in the Adirondacks. It abuts Adalwulf land, and in two day’s time, it’s coming up for sale.”
“What? How?”
“One of your assistants–the new one? She said you told her to look for land for the Foundation.”
“That’s right.”
“She found a mention on a local message board. The old landowner passed, and her will specified that the land should be preserved as a wildlife sanctuary. Your assistant tracked the heir down and laid the groundwork for him to accept a buyout offer before it gets listed.”
New Girl.
It was wolf instinct that told me to assign her that task. That must be it because this kind of miracle never happens.
“We’ve only had one phone call,” Eagle says, “but the seller is very inclined. Especially for a deal that cashes him out and also fulfills his aunt’s wishes. No one knows, just the seller, your assistant and me. And now you.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way. We’ll do this deal right under the Adalwulf’s noses. Next month, they’ll go hunting and find us camped on their back door.”
“Blackthroat Wildlife Preserve. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I quite like it.” Eagle sounds like he’s practically rubbing his hands together with glee, no doubt imagining Aiden and his father, Odin’s, faces when they find us marking our territory on the edge of their land.
“Good work,” I tell him.
“Oh it wasn’t me. It was all your assistant’s doing. Try not to fire her for a little while? She’s whip-smart.”
He ends the call.
“She is,” I say to myself, calling to mind my capable young assistant.
I stalk onto the balcony outside my bedroom, staring greedily into the deep woods. The walls of the mansion are closing in. I need to run.
An orange-nutmeg scent hits me so hard, my canines descend. It’sherscent–New Girl’s. Madison-call-me-Madi-Evans. The smell is so strong, I expect to see her sashaying out of the trees in a tight dress and stilettos, tucking a stray strand of her short hair behind her ear. She’d stop short and wrinkle her freckled nose at me.Yes, boss?
I scrub my eyes. I’m definitely on edge if I’m starting to hallucinate scents here, in my home, my sanctuary.
Fuck this.I whirl from the window and strip my clothes so fast, they flutter to the ground in shreds. My joints crack as I drop to all fours in my wolf form. Maybe if I run fast and hard, I can forget the little human’s scent.
