By the time I had gathered my stuff and left my office, Alpha Kane was standing by the elevator, ready to leave.
He turned, his brow furrowing slightly as I approached him.
"I thought you'd left already."
"I was just getting ready."
The elevator dinged, and the door opened. Like the gentleman that Alpha Kane probably wasn't, Alpha Kane motioned for me to enter first.
"After you, Zara."
Nodding, I stepped into the elevator, and Alpha Kane followed suit; the elevator door closed, trapping us inside.
I stood in the corner, Alpha Kane towering over me, his right hand in his pants pocket, his coat over his arm.
I gripped the handle of my bag tightly. I wasn't very fond of enclosed spaces like elevators. The glass door was falling, and I could easily fall to my death.
Alpha Kane's scent permeated the very air around us.
Why did he always smell so good? Without realizing it, I sucked in a breath, longer than usual, and then another.
"It's a limited edition, Elipse Embers," Alpha Kane said softly.
Confused, I asked. "What is it?"
And his head turned, and his obsidian eyes flashed in my direction. I found mocking amusement in them.
"My cologne."
"Oh, Alpha Kane read your mind," Nova informed me.
***
Kane's POV
I meant it, and watched with smug satisfaction as her round, stretchy cheeks flushed pink as all the blood rushed to them.
I was right, I always was.
"..... I...what do you mean?" She quickly recovered.
"You were probably wondering, so I thought I'd put your mind at ease."
Her blush deepened, and she looked cute. I wanted to take that flesh between my thumb and forefinger and tug.
"I wasn't," she replied stubbornly, and I could barely keep a straight face. Her face was flawless, save for the scars on her temple, and a slight frown froze.
I felt good, as she was stopping this human girl, Cassie, from coming to my office as per my order. I will never punish her for this.
I remember how I punished her yesterday in the pack. At that time, I wanted to fuck her, but I couldn't fuck her until she became a good girl.
But I will never punish a she-wolf among people.
But it would be fun to tease her.
***
Zara
Trying not to start any further conversations, I preferred silence. Luckily, the elevator dinged, announcing that we had arrived in the basement, where there was parking.
Now I had to catch a cab.
The half-black glass door of the elevator clinked open. Alpha Kane used to wait for me to get out first.
"Good night, sir. See you tomorrow." As I got out of the elevator, I was about to go look for a cab when Kane joined me, striding forward.
"I'll drop you off. You should have ditched that shady company you booked with and settled for a branded one." So it was Alpha Kane who asked Miranda to offer me a car. I knew it.
Arrogant Alpha cared.
But Alpha Kane knew how to show it.
"It's okay, sir. I don't want to be a burden, and I'll catch a cab."
He snorted, leaving no room for discussion. "I'll drop you off, Zara."
I pursed my lips and followed him, my white flats clanking softly on the granite.
His bodyguard appeared, took the coat from Alpha Kane, and led us to the neon blue, cutting-edge car Lamborghini had unveiled just a few days earlier. A dream car, with the aggressive, angular styling typical of Lamborghini; a sleek, aerodynamic profile.
The clean lines and bold curves gave it a sporty yet powerful look, befitting a CEO like Kane Sterling. This car was a zero-emissions powerhouse. This car was the future, combining speed and elegance.
I knew so much about it because Ryan couldn't stop talking about them, and this was his dream car.
I was enchanted and hoped it didn't show on my face, or Alpha Kane would give me away again.
Olfie opened the back door for us, and it swung open like a wing.
"Make yourself comfortable," Alpha Kane said.
Nodding to Olfi, I got into the car and settled into the comfortable bucket seats. High-quality black leather and carbon fiber were used to create the perfect interior.
Alpha Kane sat to my left, and Olfi took the wheel. I had never seen Olfi speak: the wolf was like a robot who understood all his master's commands without even moving his lips.
The car purred to life and drove off like the wind whispering through the forest, silent and refreshing.
We left the parking lot and drove onto the road.
"We'll drop Zara off first," Alpha Kane said, and Olfie's piercing gaze flicked expectantly toward me.
Alpha Kane began to tap his fingers on his left knee.
The tension between us hung thick and taut, like a guitar string.
"Nice car," I said, breaking the silence that had dragged on.
"I got here three days ago. The zero-carbon emissions were a huge incentive for me to buy it."
"That asshole cares about the environment," I rolled my eyes and said to Nova.
"Be nice to Alpha, I told you, Zara," Nova yelled at me.
"We need more fuel-efficient cars for us to survive as a species on this planet." I sighed; the pollution was getting worse, and the holes in the ozone layer were only getting bigger because of our greed.
"Not just cars, but industry as well - over 40 percent of air and water pollution they are."
Of course, Alpha Kane was Mr. Know-It-All. I could imagine that he was not used to hearing anything different. I just smiled politely and said.
"You're right, I hope your factories are not among them."