1. Oliver

The air in the conference room is thick enough to cut with a claw as I stare down Councilperson Gerard Kray across the ironwood expanse of Father”s prized conference table. He always bragged that the glossy black monstrosity was crafted from trees brought to Ravencourt as seedlings when the Veil fell so many centuries ago. Those seedlings just happened to be nurtured in the Northern Quarter—the exact subject of our discussion today.

Maybe Father imagined the table to be a kind of shield against the likes of Kray, a corporate bloodsucker if ever there was one. While antique tapestries on the wall depict the phases of the moon and oil portraits testify to the long, respectable lineage of Faulkner business people, there”s no hiding the fact that, even in this modern age, we wolf shifters remain wild at heart. Suits, fountain pens and cell phones can’t really disguise our bloodthirsty natures.

Nor can I forget that the Lycan and Vampiric factions still have an uneasy relationship. While my father has partnered with the Krays for decades to the benefit of us all, he taught me never to trust them.

One look at Kray and it”s easy to see why—he smells too cold and hungry for my comfort. He probably still pines for the good old days of sipping virgin blood, before the synthetics made vampires less ”bitey” and more bureaucratic.

I lean forward, my hands clasped tight to hide the clamminess of my palms. ”Mr. Kray, our proposal offers a mutually beneficial solution to the territory dispute in the Northern Quarter. The Faulkner family is prepared to make significant concessions in exchange for your support at the upcoming Business Council meeting. But there are certain areas that we will not give up.”

Kray lounges back in his chair, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. ”Concessions are all well and good, my Lord.” He coughs as he says my title. “But let”s not forget the history between our families. Your father made similar promises, and I must say I am less than thrilled with the outcome. We shouldn”t be negotiating at all. We are old friends, your father and I. We’ve always had a gentleman’s agreement.”

I grind my teeth at the mention of Father, the familiar mix of anger and shame rising in my gut. No one seems ready to accept that, like it or not, I”m in charge here.

I can feel sweat prickling along my hairline, and I silently curse Irene’s assistant, Rebecca, for being so…distracting last night when we were supposed to be fleshing out a report on the history of Faulkner-Kray joint ventures. Irene warned me not to get too involved with her but then Irene warns me about everything. Constantly. She takes her role as surrogate mother wolf a little too seriously.

Oh well, I will have to wing it and hope my natural charm can carry me through.

”I assure you, Mr. Kray, we are ready to put the past aside in your favor. The terms I”m offering are ironclad and backed by the full support of the Faulkner family.”

Kray”s eyes glint with suppressed anger. ”Bold words from a pup who”s barely cut his teeth in this business. Why am I not dealing with the real man in charge?”

I force a smile, trying to project a confidence I don”t quite feel. ”I assure you that I am the man in charge of this negotiation, and I have the full support of my father, who is down with a cold, and my sister Irene, my co-partner in the C-suite. We”re all united in our commitment to this deal.”

It’s a bluff. Irene has made it clear numerous times that she has doubts about my ability to handle this negotiation, and she’d be more than happy to take over if Father would only sign off. But Father won’t sign off, and she knows it.

Plus, he’s far more ill than we can let the public know. To see the great Alpha of the Faulkner pack in his current state, the disease claiming him bit by bit, would be enough to get all the aristocratic power vultures of Ravencourt circling. Kray most of all.

The vampire’s eyes bore into mine, searching for weakness. I fight the urge to fidget, keeping my expression carefully neutral. I lean forward, meeting Kray”s gaze head-on. ”Mr Kray, I concede that the Faulkner family has made mistakes in the past, but I assure you, I am fully committed to honoring the terms of this new agreement.”

I slide a folder across the table to him, the crisp pages outlining the redrawn boundary lines—redrawn to protect our interests, of course, but granting his mining concerns right of passage during certain times of the month. It is a gamble, laying all my cards on the table like this, but I need Kray to see that I am serious. The rich lands of the Northern Quarter have been contested for too long. We want to preserve our wilderness holdings and Kray intends to mine for precious metals—two completely incompatible goals.

Fur vs. fang. Just like always, yet Father”s tasked me with settling this age-old feud?

I was never supposed to be the one in this seat, with the title Lord Faulkner heavy on my head. As the youngest, I wasn”t raised to it. Jason was the heir but that was before…. Irene should be here, except that when she married into the Larken pack, Father refused to give her the top job, afraid to let our titles and lands pass to another family. The only reason she”s not here this morning, glaring at me from the other end of the table, is that Father”s doctors called her ten minutes before the meeting.

”You”re going to have to carry this on your own today,” she”d hissed at me when I arrived with only five minutes to spare. ”As far as anyone knows, you”re in charge. Now act like it.”

I know, in my heart of hearts, that I am no actor.

Kray flips through the pages, his expression giving nothing away. ”Your proposal is generous—on its face. Why would you make these concessions? And why now?”

I smile tightly. The truth is, I haven”t been as focused on the details of the proposal as I should have been. My mind keeps drifting back to last night, to the feel of Rebecca”s soft skin under my hands.…

I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on the present. ”What we gain, Mr. Kray, is the opportunity to forge a new era of cooperation between our factions. Working together can unlock new opportunities and strengthen our position within the Ravencourt Business Council.”

Blah-blah-blah. Kray isn”t buying it. His eyes narrow, and I can sense the wheels turning in his head. I take a deep breath, preparing my final pitch, when the conference room door bursts open with a bang.

Rebecca storms in, eyes flashing with anger, her face flushed. She stalks over to the table, her heels clicking sharply on the polished floor. ”Oliver Faulkner—excuse me—Lord Faulkner. You promised me a seat at the table—this table.” She waits for me to respond, her jaw set, daring me to silence her.

I feel the blood drain from my face as Kray raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

”Rebecca, this is hardly the time or place,” I say through gritted teeth, trying to keep my voice low. ”We can discuss this later, in private.”

”What—and give you another chance to make empty promises and string me along?” She turns to face Kray, her chin held high. ”I feel obligated to tell you that I wrote half that report and that Oliver here doesn”t have a clue what”s actually in it. He may be okay with ”tactical omissions,” but I”m not.” Kray smirks and turns to me with a host of questions in his eyes.

This can”t be happening.I can already imagine the look on Irene”s face when she finds out about this. She”d warned me about getting involved with Rebecca, but I”d been too arrogant to listen.

”Rebecca, please,” I say, my voice strained. ”Let”s not do this here.”

She shakes her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears. ”Oliver Faulkner, you need to grow the fuck up. I quit.” She turns on her heel and stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I sit there in stunned silence, my face burning with shame. But I never led her on. My loyalty to the family business means I don’t have time for love, and maybe I don’t know how. Kray leans back in his chair, his expression now unreadable.

”Well, well, young Oliver,” he says, his voice dripping with condescension. ”That was rather imperfect timing. It seems you have some personal matters to attend to. Perhaps we should continue this discussion at a later date when you”re less...distracted. I did want to discuss the Gala though. I am pleased you have continued to hold it in your dear mother’s memory.”

I swallow hard, trying to regain my composure and force a smile, my jaw aching with the effort. ”Don”t be ridiculous, Mr. Kray. I apologize for this personal intrusion on professional matters. May I continue?”

He nods, a predatory gleam in his eye.

My heart is pounding in my ears, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks. ”Yes, with the Moonlight Foundation Gala coming up in just a few days, we see this as the perfect moment to publicly renew the… the….”

Devils be damned, I can”t remember what I meant to say.

Kray leans back in his chair, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. ”Oliver, my boy. I”m happy to postpone this discussion until you”ve had a chance to get your house in order.”

I feel a flush of anger rising in my cheeks. I can”t just sit here and let him call me out for not being able to fill my father”s shoes. ”I assure you, whatever that particular disgruntled employee may think, the Faulkner family is fully committed to presenting a united front with the Krays at the annual Gala. We’ve been presenting it for twenty years, and we aren’t going to let this little misunderstanding complicate Ravencourt’s biggest charity event of the year.”

Kray smirks even wider. ”Well, in the spirit of partnership…. I couldn”t help but notice that you seem to be in need of a new assistant. As it happens, I have a highly qualified events coordinator who could step in to fill the role.”

He gestures to the back of the room, where a beautiful young woman with piercing gray eyes, honey-blond hair and a confident demeanor sits, her notepad open in front of her.

The fact that I failed to notice such a beauty in the room had more to do with my state of mind than her level of sheer sexiness. Damn. Down wolf.

That”s all I can think of as Kray continues his obvious attempt to plant one of his spies inside my organization.

”Sophia Carter has been working with my team for the past few months, and she”s already familiar with the details of the upcoming Gala. Accepting her onto your team would be a wise move, Oliver. It would show that you”re serious about our collaboration.”

As soon as Kray says her name out loud, she looks up and locks eyes with me. Regardless of what Kray wants, those bright, intelligent eyes speak volumes about her ambition. She gives Kray a tight smile and nods her agreement.

I stare at Sophia, my mind racing. The last thing I need is another complication, especially one hand-picked by Gerard Kray. But I can”t afford to refuse his offer, not when the stakes are this high.

I take a deep breath, weighing my options carefully before speaking. ”Given the importance of the upcoming Gala, I believe it would be in both of our interests to have someone with Ms. Carter”s expertise on the team.”

I pause, meeting Gerard”s gaze directly. ”However, I insist that Ms. Carter be vetted by my sister Irene, who handles all personnel matters. The Faulkner family is more than capable of handling our own affairs, and we will not be beholden to anyone, even our most valued partners.”

Gerard nods, his expression unreadable. ”Of course, Oliver. I wouldn”t expect anything less from a Faulkner. Sophia will be an asset to your team, I assure you.”

My gaze drifts to Sophia, and suddenly I’m certain I’ve just invited Kray to steer a Trojan horse right into the heart of our company. This woman is truly striking, with grace and a calm air of confidence. As I take in the curve of her ample hips, the plum sateen suit that complements her coloring and the way her hair seems to struggle to exit her loose French twist, I feel a stirring of attraction. It might be nice to pull that hairpin out…. From deep inside my chest, ricochets a low growl of agreement from my wolf.

Get a grip, Ollie! The last thing you need is another Rebecca. Quick. Is she an ally or a spy? It doesn’t matter. Treat her like a spy, and don’t let her get too close.

”Ms. Carter,” I say, turning to look her in the eyes--her gorgeous eyes. “I’m open to discussing your qualifications.”

Gerard smiles, a hint of triumph in his eyes. ”Excellent, Oliver. I look forward to seeing what you and Sophia can accomplish together. The Gala is always a highlight of my year. And it helps so many needy youth. Which I”m sure you know.”

He had to get that last stab in there. I smile past it as we stand and shake hands but I’m dreading the confrontation I will have to have with Irene. Yet I feel a flicker of determination rising within me. I swear on my mother’s name that I will prove my worth to Irene, to Father, and to myself, no matter what it takes.

But even as I try to redirect my thoughts, I can”t shake the feeling that Sophia”s presence might be more of a distraction than I am prepared to handle.