Pheromonal: One Night With the Alpha novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8: You Can't Go Around Flirting With Everyone

My heart drops to my feet as an enraged Scott glowers in Mike's direction.

Not one to provoke his boss, or a beta werewolf, Mike immediately yanks his hand off my shoulder like he's been burned.

No one's even pretending not to notice the situation. The amount of heads peeking over cubicle walls dwarfs the crowd Logan gathered by storming into Scott's office, with their mysterious noises penetrating the soundproof barrier.

"Boss, I didn't—"

A growl rips from Scott's throat, and Mike steps back hastily, his self-preservation instinct strong. He doesn't say a word as he turns and retreats to his desk.

Scott's my superior. I can't exactly yell at him for being an overprotective ex in front of his subordinates.

But fuck, the fire raging in my veins right now is screaming for me to do just that. To run up and punch him in that fucking jaw of his again. He doesn't even have a bruise from the last one, which really pisses me off, because I have discoloration all over my knuckles.

Stupid quick-healing abilities.

Logan emerges behind Scott. My eyes dart between them, searching for any sign of the altercation I'd imagined. Not a hair out of place. No rumpled clothes or marks on any knuckles or faces.

Then what the hell were those noises?

Before I can ponder further, Logan's gaze locks onto mine. His eyes look almost golden now, compared to the bright green of earlier.

A trick of the light, maybe?

The intensity in those eyes hits me like a physical force, and I stumble back a step. Gone is the friendly banter and charming demeanor. He looks like he wants to eat me, and not in the fun way.

Logan breaks eye contact abruptly, turning to Scott with a polite nod. They shake hands, the picture of professional courtesy.

How did Logan go from furious over a leaked secret to professional and calm?

And why is he angry with me? What the hell did I do?!

Did Scott try to pin those rumors on me? The thought coils in my gut, a mix of anger and betrayal. It would be just like him to deflect blame, to paint himself as the victim.

"Nicole." Scott's voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts. "My office. Now."

I swallow the scathing retort that threatens to spill from my lips. Instead, I plaster on a smile so fake it hurts my cheeks.

Professional. Calm. Collected. All the things I'm not feeling as I follow him into his lair.

Lying, cheating bastard. Two-faced weasel. Spineless jellyfish masquerading as a wolf.

The litany of insults continues in my head as I step into Scott's office, the door clicking shut behind me with an ominous finality.

"Sit down," Scott says, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.

I remain standing, arms crossed. "I'd rather not."

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Nicole, please. We need to talk."

"About what? How you've been lying to me? Or how you're trying to blame me for the office gossip?" frёeωebɳovel.com

Scott's eyes widen. "What? No, that's not—"

"Save it." I cut him off, my patience wearing thin. "What did you tell Logan?"

"Nothing about you," he says, his tone defensive. "We were discussing the security breach."

I arch an eyebrow. "And that required all that growling and snarling?"

A flicker of something—guilt? fear?—passes over Scott's face. Damn it, I want to know what happened in here! "It was a heated discussion. Logan's not exactly known for his calm demeanor."

So, there was some alpha posturing. I'd thrown that out there without knowing for sure, but he confirmed it. Now I really want to know more, but first I need to figure out why I've been dragged in here.

"Right." I don't bother hiding my skepticism. "So, what do you want from me?"

Scott sits on the edge of his desk, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on me. The air in the office is thick with his pheromones filling the air.

"Nothing." I shake my head, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Woosah, Nicole. Woosah. Achieve inner peace.

Scott thinks we're still together. After being caught in the act, after treating me like garbage this morning, after our little spat in his office just hours ago... He genuinely believes we're just having a lover's spat.

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