The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 108

Laila’s POV

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to tell Brittany exactly what I really thought of her Instead, I pushed out the words, “Of course I’m happy for you. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You never seemed to like me very much,” Brittany said.

“You didn’t make a good first impression,” I said.

“Neither did you. I think you wanted to dislike me from the start.”

“That’s absurd.”

“Is it “”

We looked at each other, and I felt like I was trapped in some kind of game of her design, where I was the mouse and she was the cat ready to attack me. After she tortured me for a while.

“Well, that’s all water under the bridge now, anyway, isn’t it?” I said, hoping to change the subject. “We’ve both moved on from that.”

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“I suppose,” Brittany said in a tone that told me clearly she would be holding a grudge about it.

That was fine. I was going to hold onto one too. I didn’t like her, at all. I could never tell her that but I could sure think it, like I was doing right at that moment.

I wasn’t sure I hated her, but I knew I didn’t want to be around her. I didn’t like the way she had treated the staff, and I was certain she was going to make Jason’s life miserable.

But that didn’t matter to me anymore. He was his own man and could make his own decision. Even the really, really bad ones.

Like Brittany.

I wished I could throw her from my office and this building, but the handwritten note from Jason made things more difficult. With this, I was going to have to work with her.

“Since we need to work together, perhaps we should just get down to it,” I said. “William has been handling logistics well enough, but there’s been some bottlenecking from your pack’s side in producing enough product to fill the demand. I’m hoping we could find a way to streamline the process even further, so that we can avoid any future delays.”

Brittany looked at me blankly. After a moment, likely when she realized she should say something, she said, “Yes. Right. Of

course.”

“Do you have any ideas on how we can do that?” I asked her. “I would hate to be too pushy regarding your pack matters.”

If I was talking to Jason, I would have given suggestions and tried to work up some compromises. Maybe I just wanted to see Brittany squirm, but I held my tongue with her.

I still hadn’t figured out what she was doing here, especially when it was very clear that she didn’t have a clue what she was doing.

Would Jason really have sent her here, knowing she would be so clueless?

Or had Brittany pushed her way into being allowed to come here? Maybe out of jealousy of me…

Not that she had anything to be jealous about. She’d won back then and now. Even if she didn’t know my identity, she had to know that I wasn’t against her anymore. Maybe she didn’t care. Maybe it was the threat of any other woman in the vicinity of

her man that made her hateful.

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Even with the date of their inating ceremony set, she was still jealous and possessive.

“I trust you to handle these matters,” Brittany said, gathering herself, her confidence returning. “After all, that kind of thing seems beneath someone of my importance.”

“It is the job,” I said.

“Your job,” Brittany said. “Please only bother me with the most pressing issues.”

I opened my mouth, somehow still flabbergasted by her audacity, even though I had seen her act like this in the past.

“In fact, with those matters out of the way, there is something more important that I wish to speak to you about.”

“More important than our job?”

“Your job,” she said again. “And yes.”

I sat back in my chair. Might as well get this over with then. “What is it?” I asked.

“I want you to stay away from Jason.”

I blinked. First Sarah, now Brittany.

“We are only work colleagues,” I said.

“Not anymore,” she said. “Not with me here now. You have no reason to reach out to him, no reason to talk to him at all. If you need something, you will come to me.”

“You just told me only to bother you with the most pressing issues.”

“Yes,” Brittany said, like it was that simple. “Jason and I are so in love that I’m not sure I’ll be able to tear myself away from him for even a minute, not even to answer your silly questions. I ask that you give us some space, and respect our wishes in this matter.”

How I would have liked to tell her to take her request and choke on it, but for the sake of my job and my wallet, I couldn’t do that. I had to remain professional, no matter how difficult. No matter how much my stomach flipped or my chest ached.

“You were invited to the wedding out of curtesy,” Brittany said. “But you don’t need to attend.”

“I would be happy to be there,” I told her, even though until just now, I had been against it, ready to blow it off. Now, nothing would keep me away, if only to annoy Brittany. “I’m looking forward to it, in fact.”

Brittany gave me a tight–lipped smile. “Fine. But I hope you bring William as your date. It would be good for you to remember who you belong to.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I said.

But Brittany wasn’t listening. She was already standing up, ignoring me entirely. “I must be going now. Remember what I said.”

She walked out without looking back, and I was happy to let her.

Toward the end of the day, I was surprised when another non–employee darkened the door to my office. This time, William stood there carrying a bouquet of flowers so large, I could barely see his face behind them.

“What is this?” I asked, standing. I came around the desk just as he more fully entered the room and pushed the flowers into my

hands.

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