Chapter 27

I was going through my inbox one night before bed, making sure I hadn’t missed anything important before going to bed, when I noticed a strange message. The subject line read, “Interview Inquiry.”

I clicked on the message, wondering if I was about to be asked to connect someone to Ronan for an exclusive interview with the notoriously private Alpha. It wouldn’t be the first time; it seemed like no one could get enough of Ronan.

Dear Julia, the email read. I’m a reporter at SPLASH! Magazine and I’ve heard you’re really taking charge of PackHouse’s merger with Pack Theta. I also understand you’re pregnant. Would you be interested in sitting for an interview? We would love to feature you as an inspiring figure for others who are balancing family and work.

I stared at the words on my screen, trying to digest them. Someone wanted to interview me? Someone wanted to put me and my story in a magazine? Someone thought I would be “an inspiring figure?”

I didn’t immediately respond. I wasn’t even sure what I would say. And besides, wouldn’t shining a spotlight on me right now be the worst possible thing for my baby? What if the interviewer asked why Ronan and I were so close? It was all too dangerous.

I left the email in my inbox. I didn’t write back, but I also didn’t want to delete it just yet. I wanted to pretend there was still a possibility of doing the interview, even though I had no intention of replying. It wasn’t until a few days later, when I was working late at the office, that the topic came up again.

“Julia?” I looked up from my computer, where my eyes were practically crossed from looking at spreadsheets for hours. Ronan was, once again, standing in my doorway. His arms were crossed over his broad chest and he was smiling. He had been doing that more often lately. I liked it.

“Yes?” I said, leaning back in my seat. “What’s going on?” He replied, “When were you going to tell me you’d been approached about doing an interview?” My heart immediately started racing and I could feel sweat stand out on my forehead.

In all my thoughts about the interview, it has never occurred to me that I probably should let Ronan know I had been asked to do an interview, even when I had no intention of doing it. I stuttered, “Oh, no, I didn’t — I mean, I guess I f-forgot to mention it, but don’t worry, I won’t do it!”

To my surprise, Ronan frowned, a crinkle appearing between his eyebrows. “You’re not?” He came into my office and sat down in the chair opposite me. “Why not, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I blinked, trying to hide my shock. I never guessed he would react like this. “Um. Well, I guess I just…didn’t want to draw any attention to myself?” I laughed a little. “I mean, the person who emailed me said they wanted to profile me because I could be ‘an inspiration’ to people. How funny is that?”

“I don’t think it’s funny at all.” Ronan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. I noticed his shirtsleeves were rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms. “I think you could be very inspiring to people.”

I shrugged, but Ronan wasn’t letting it go that easily. “Come on!” he laughed lightly. “You work harder than anyone I know.” Ronan paused, then said teasingly, “Well, besides me, of course.” I snorted at that, but shrugged again.

“I don’t know,” I finally said. “I understand what you’re saying, but at the same time, it feels silly to put myself forward as some sort of ideal people should be working towards. I’m just a regular person.”

Ronan stood up slowly and pushed his hands into his pockets. “I get it. I feel the same way when I have to do interviews. It’s up to you to decide.” He tilted his head. “But promise me you’ll think about it? I really do think your story might make a difference to some people.”

I just nodded. He smiled and left, calling over his shoulder, “And we’re heading home in 30 minutes, no matter what. No arguments!” I laughed and turned back to my computer, but didn’t start working again.

Instead, I was lost in thoughts of Ronan’s words. He really thinks I could be an inspiration to people. Ronan thinks my story is worth telling. I bit my lip. Ronan, a powerful and influential Alpha, thought people should hear what I had to say, and that meant a lot.

I looked back at my computer screen, then clicked into my email inbox. I found the email quickly, and hit “respond.” Hi, I typed. Thank you so much for your email! I would love to sit down for an interview. When should we meet?

The interview took place the following week, and I was surprised at how easy it was. The journalist was kind and polite, taking a serious interest in my story. I talked about how the pregnancy had taken me by surprise, but that I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I always planned on having a family and a career,” I said. “And while this isn’t exactly how I planned for it all to happen, I love where I am. I’m excited to have this baby, and I’m excited to continue being a leading voice at PackHouse.”

The interview was published online the next week, and to my surprise, it exploded. The article racked up thousands of hits within days of being published. By the next week, it was in the millions.

The comment section quickly filled, too, with plenty of messages praising me for my openness and commitment to both family and work. It made me feel good to know that Ronan wasn’t the only person supporting me in this path. Now, I had what felt like the whole world on my side.

From there, everything took off. Suddenly, I was receiving requests for interviews from every magazine, newspaper, and website in the city. My social media accounts blew up, too; I got thousands of followers over the next few weeks, with people commenting on every single post.

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice I found all the attention. For once in my life, my accomplishments were being recognized. I was being praised for my dedication to my work and not criticized for prioritizing my job. I was getting compliments for balancing my career and my family, instead of being accused of not caring about my unborn child.

Ronan was right; people saw me as an inspiration. I had a platform and could use it to lift up others who were struggling with the same things I do. I could advocate for the rights of other pregnant werewolves who also wanted to keep working and have important careers. It felt incredible to know that I was having such a positive impact on the world around me.