New and Old Opportunities

**Elara POV**

The interviewer practically tripped over his own expensive leather shoes. He scrambled backward, his face a canvas of sheer, unadulterated panic as he retreated from the desk.

"My deepest apologies, Sir," the man stammered, bowing his head so low I thought he might snap his own neck. He hastily gathered his scattered papers, his hands visibly trembling. "I had no idea you personally requested this interview. I would never, ever question the Alpha's decision."

*Alpha?*

The strange title snagged in my brain. Was this some bizarre, cult-like corporate hierarchy for a pet company? I almost opened my mouth to ask what century we were currently operating in, but self-preservation firmly kicked in. I kept my lips pressed tight. The sweating man didn't wait for a dismissal. He bolted for the exit, slipping through the doorway and shutting the heavy oak door firmly behind him. The decisive click of the latch echoed in the suddenly quiet room.

Just like that, I was left completely alone with Draken. And the massive dog currently nudging my knee.

The lingering humiliation from the interviewer's brutal rejection vanished, instantly morphing into a rapid flare of hot, reckless temper. I pushed myself up from the chair. I crossed my arms defensively over my chest, tilting my chin up to meet Draken's infuriatingly calm gaze.

"So, you're the boss around here?" I asked, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.

"Indeed," Draken answered coolly.

He took a slow step further into the room. His towering presence instantly devoured the remaining space, making the previously spacious office feel like a suffocating closet.

"Then why go through all this trouble?" I demanded, gesturing wildly toward the empty chair the interviewer had just vacated. "You dragged me in here just to have some middle manager tear my resume apart? I thought you explicitly said in the park you didn't want someone 'frivolous' looking after your dog."

I threw up air quotes around the word, my annoyance bubbling over. He could have just offered me a dog-walking gig at Thornwood Park. Instead, he orchestrated this elaborate, humiliating corporate theater just to mess with me.

"Zev was very taken by you," Draken replied, his expression completely unreadable. He glanced down at the massive beast sitting at my feet. "He became restless the moment we returned home."

I blinked, my anger faltering for a split second. "Really? He liked me that much?"

"It appears so." Draken sounded genuinely annoyed by the admission. He shifted his dark gaze back to my face, his eyes locking onto mine. "Name a price. Any price. I will hire you to be his full-time caretaker."

I stared at him, stunned. A literal blank check offer from a billionaire CEO.

My mind raced. The temptation was undeniable. Lucrative, easy money just for hanging out with a giant, affectionate dog? It sounded like an absolute dream. But reality crashed down just as fast. A gig like that had zero safety net. If Draken got bored or Zev suddenly decided he didn't like me anymore, I would be dumped right back on the street with empty pockets and a gaping hole in my resume.

I squared my shoulders, holding my ground against his intense, calculating stare.

"I only applied here so I could work in the advertising department," I stated firmly. "Did you even glance at my portfolio? A job with real stability and corporate advancement is what I have been searching for. I need a career, Draken. Not a temporary gig as a billionaire's dog nanny."

"You wouldn't have to work in the advertising position," Draken countered, his deep voice carrying a heavy note of finality. "It would be far more trouble than it's worth. All I require is a full-time caretaker for Zev. You could make double a standard corporate salary. As I said, name your price, and I will accommodate."

I looked him over. The tailored black suit, the rigid posture, the absolute certainty in his eyes. This was a man used to snapping his fingers and watching the world bend to his will. He wanted me for this specific role, and he expected me to fold the moment he flashed his checkbook.

But I had my own life to build.

"It's an incredibly generous offer," I started, dropping my arms to my sides. "And I adore Zev. He's a sweetheart. But if babysitting him is the only reason you brought me up to this floor, then I can't accept the deal."

I forced a polite, detached smile. "If a real position isn't in the cards here, then you might as well not hire me at all."

I turned on my heel, fully prepared to walk out that door and leave the enigmatic CEO and his millions behind.

Before I could take a second step, a sharp, pathetic howl ripped through the air.

I jolted, stumbling back as a blur of dark fur shot past my legs. Zev lunged forward, throwing his massive body directly in front of the heavy oak door. He planted his giant paws firmly on the hardwood, physically blocking my exit. He let out a low, distressed whine, tilting his massive head. He stared up at me with shining, heartbroken puppy-dog eyes that looked far too expressive for a normal animal.

My resolve instantly crumbled into dust.

"Zev, hey, it's okay," I murmured, my heart twisting.

I paused in my tracks and glanced back over my shoulder at Draken, expecting him to call the dog off.

Instead, Draken stood completely frozen. His broad shoulders were rigid, and his striking eyes were slightly glazed over, staring right through me as if he were suddenly lost in some deep, inaccessible trance.

**Draken POV**

*‘Let Mommy stay!’*

Zev’s mental voice vibrated violently through our mind link. The sheer force of his distress echoed in my skull, carrying the distinct, grating pitch of a pup on the absolute brink of a full-blown temper tantrum.

*‘How many times do I have to tell you, she is human!’* I snapped back internally, my frustration bleeding through the psychic tether. *‘She is not your Mommy!’*

I held back a heavy, physical sigh, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of my nose. I let my vision refocus on the short, fiery woman standing a few feet away. Elara. Her face held a mixture of defiance and innocent hope, completely oblivious to the unseen argument raging in the room.

Hiring a human into the inner sanctum of our operations was beyond reckless. It bordered on insanity. My company functioned as a massive front for the pack, a sanctuary in the heart of the mortal world. Only a handful of humans were on the payroll, heavily vetted and restricted to the lowest, most isolated basement tiers.

Bringing her onto the executive floors? I would be signing her death warrant by our own pack laws. If she ever discovered our true nature—or worse, if she discovered that the giant beast she was currently petting was actually my son—the council would demand her immediate execution.

And the clock was already ticking. Zev was rapidly approaching his first volatile shift out of his wolf form. Maintaining the illusion that he was merely a highly trained canine would become physically impossible within a matter of months.

Yet, as I stared at the way Zev leaned his massive weight against her legs, I knew I desperately needed her.

No one else in the pack could handle my son’s current erratic temperament. Not my assistants, not my guards, not even my Beta, Gael. Zev rejected all of them. He refused to eat for anyone but me, refused to sleep unless I was in the room. It was draining my focus, and I could no longer keep dragging a growing werewolf pup onto international business flights under the guise of an emotional support animal. It was a logistical nightmare.

But for some inexplicable reason, Zev adored this human. Her presence alone had stabilized his erratic aura.

*‘I can hear you grinding your mental gears from halfway across the building,’* an amused voice echoed in my mind.

Gael. My Beta effortlessly intercepted the open link.

*‘The human is playing hardball?’* Gael asked.

I didn't bother replying with words. I simply shoved the recent memory of my conversation with Elara through the link, letting Gael absorb her stubborn refusal and her demands for a legitimate corporate career. I let him feel the weight of my dilemma.

*‘With all due respect, Alpha, the pros heavily outweigh the cons here,’* Gael pointed out swiftly, his tactical mind dissecting the problem. *‘Having her manage Zev frees up your schedule. It allows you to actually run the pack and the business without a pup strapped to your ankle. We just enforce strict boundaries.’*

*‘It will become increasingly difficult to maintain the charade as he grows,’* I argued back.

*‘We manage the timeline as it comes,’* Gael countered coolly, his mental tone devoid of emotion. *‘Besides, Alpha, you are overthinking the risk. If she ever does get too close to the truth, we simply silence her. Just like we have with every other mortal that stumbled into our affairs. A tragic accident. It wouldn’t take much effort.’*

A sudden, violent wave of displeasure slammed into my chest. The mere mental image of Gael laying a lethal hand on the stubborn, bright-eyed woman in front of me caused my canines to elongate slightly against my lower lip.

*‘That will not happen,’* I replied sharply, instantly throwing up a mental wall to suppress my unexpected, visceral reaction so Gael wouldn't feel it. I forced my internal tone back to a frigid, commanding baseline. *‘Beta, ensure the staff is made aware of our newest human applicant. Tell everyone on this floor to behave.’*

*‘Understood, Alpha,’* Gael replied, though a hint of curiosity lingered in his tone before the connection severed.

I muted the mental link entirely, locking away the noise of the pack.

I dropped my hand from my face and fixed my eyes back on Elara. She was currently scratching behind Zev's ears, though her posture remained tense, ready to bolt.

I masked my internal turmoil behind a perfectly blank, impenetrable expression.

"Fine," I conceded, my deep voice slicing through the quiet room.

Elara’s head snapped up.

"I accept your terms," I continued, pacing my words deliberately. "But you will start as an intern. A probationary period. If you perform well enough in the advertising department, we can discuss transitioning you to a full-time role. In exchange, you will take care of Zev whenever the need arises. No questions asked."

Elara blinked, processing the sudden reversal. Then, her face instantly lit up. A brilliant, infectious joy transformed her features, washing away the defensive anger from moments before.

"O-Of course!" she stammered, a wide smile breaking across her face. "That’s excellent. I promise, I won’t let you down, Sir!"

Her sheer ambition radiated in the room, bright and untamed. I felt a strange, warm sense of satisfaction settle in my chest at the sight of her victory. She had stood her ground against me and won. Few creatures, human or otherwise, could claim such a feat.

But beneath that satisfaction, a small, nagging spike of worry wedged itself deep into my guarded heart.

I watched as she dropped to her knees, laughing freely as she hugged my son's thick neck. Zev's tail thumped a joyous rhythm against the floor, his aura practically glowing with contentment. I slipped my hands into my pockets, my jaw tightening as I looked down at the fragile human who had just bullied her way into the most dangerous building in the city.

I made a solemn, silent promise to myself, my eyes tracing the curve of her smiling face.

*You better not uncover our secret, human.*