Chapter 63

Dominic

I hadn’t meant to stop when I saw them. Not really. I only came down for coffee, and there they were, walking close enough to spark a territorial instinct I hadn’t felt in years. My friends' voices were already ringing in my head, pointing out the very obvious, physical similarities between Renee and Hazel. Despite the fact that I had already started to confide in them about the truth, They had already sensed my attraction to her and started to tease me about it.

You've always had a type, 'Nic. Didn't expect it to change.

She smiled at something he said. Small. Unassuming. But it twisted something in my gut.

I kept my expression neutral as I approached. Professional, I reminded myself. That was all I could offer her right now. That was all I had a right to offer.

“Didn’t expect to see you both down here.”

“Just grabbing a late caffeine fix,” Neil replied, straightening a little. Always so damned respectful.

Renee met my gaze, wary but composed. “I was… delayed. Some things came up.”

I could tell there was more to that statement. Something edged beneath her words, tight in her shoulders, alert behind her eyes. My wolf stirred, but I forced it down.

“Anything I should be made aware of?”

She shook her head. “Nothing security can’t handle.”

Still so careful. Hesitant, but more guarded than before. Where she and Neil dating now and now she felt? Awkward about the case from before, or the way that the air had heated in my office when were alone? The way it was heating now?

I hated that she had to worry about any of that.

I studied her for a moment longer than necessary, then nodded. “Very well.”

Then I turned to Neil. “Thank you for looking out for her.”

Neil didn’t flinch. “Of course.”

I tried not to clench my jaw, but I said nothing more. I nodded once, then started to walk around them, hoping I wouldn't have to see them together again for a good long while, at least until I could manage my jealousy a bit better.

The problem was that I had called down for my coffee, it was ready and I grabbed it before the elevator had even returned, so here we were waiting in front of the doors together…

Awkwardly.

Renee had her phone out, Neil leaned in close to see her screen. I tried not to listen, but I caught enough to know.

"Are you talking about the sync issue between the team reports?”

Renee turned to me, then nodded cautiously. “Yes. It’s… been difficult to align. Our project calendars don’t match. There’s cross-department miscommunication. It’s a bit of a mess. And the documents always get to my team a total mess.”

I held out a hand. “Let me take a look.”

She hesitated, glancing sideways at Neil. “I’m not sure—”

“I’d appreciate it, actually,” Neil cut in, nudged her into handing over the device without pause. “We’ve been trying to troubleshoot it for the last two days. Having an higher up perspective might help.”

I scanned the screen, thumb scrolling through the notes. “You’re trying to force compatibility between two different project methodologies. Happens when two managers don't like each other and like it done their way." I handed it back to them. "You’d be better off converting the senior team’s format into a shared live doc that both teams can access but will preserve each team's methods, at least until the restructure is complete."

Renee’s brow furrowed. “That’s... actually really smart.”

I handed the tablet back. “I can walk you through how to do it on the new system if you want. Shouldn’t take more than half an hour.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, uncertain.

"I… I'm sure we can figure it out. You're probably really busy…"

She winced. Neil looked at her, probably reading the same thing I was if he was even half of the alpha-in-training I'd heard about. The fear of favoritism, of trust and a whole lot of things. Vivian being employed here probably wasn't helping. She didn’t have to say it. I saw it flicker across her face before she covered it. Again.

“It’s not special treatment,” I said quietly. “It’s competent leadership.”

She worried her lip, her eyes on the floor, looking as young as she really was. As needlessly unsure. Neil's gaze softened.

"Hey…" She looked up at him, eyes wishing for reassurance in a way that burned me. Why should she be looking to him? I was right here. "He’s right. We don’t need to take this on alone. It would be better for us to do it right… and easier for our respective managers not to be pissed off, hm?"

Renee finally gave a small nod. “Alright. Thank you."”

I just nodded as the elevator doors opened. I couldn’t stop the flicker of satisfaction that bloomed in my chest. Not because I’d be helping, but because she’d let me, even if Neil was involved.

"Thank you," Neil said, smiling at me. "It's nice to be getting some mentoring."

I tried not to bristle at that, to take it for what it was, but the words echoed in my head longer than they should have. It wasn’t meant to land like a jab, but I felt it anyway.

Mentoring was exactly what it was, but it felt a step away from calling me old. Too old. And wasn't I too old to be getting jealous over Vivian's… would have been friend?

I sighed, and rode up to their floor with them before following them down the hall.

"Did you use the internship expense account?"

"The what?" Neil asked.

I shook my head. "Submit an expense report for all the coffee you've been buying from the café, and next time just swipe your badge. The café is one of my companies. Employees drink for free."

Neil grinned. "I'll pass that along."

It wasn’t a grand gesture, but it felt right. Yes, I was old. But I was also senior, Renee was my ward… I almost grimaced at the flimsy reasoning. I just didn't want Neil to have paid for Renee's coffee and the more I thought about it the more childish it felt.

Because it was indeed childish.

When I stepped into the meeting room where Neil's team was, I realized it wasn’t just the two of them working on this project. Half a dozen interns were clustered around the long table, laptops open, spreadsheets glowing, dry erase board half full already.

I looked into the other room to find it empty beiuut Renee's scent wasn't in this room.

"Why aren't you in here with the other interns?" I asked her.

She blinked. "My team is… in the other room."

I made a note to look into that and scrapped my plan, for an intimate mentoring session. I set my coffee down heading to the dry erase board and grabbing a report.

“Alright,” I said, slipping off my jacket and grabbing a marker. “Let’s talk about why your financial projections are always late and tend to be off by at least half a mile."

A few of them chuckled, grateful for the levity. Most sat up straighter.

I dove in walking them through structured modeling, reconciling between different methodologies and organizational styles, breaking down deferred liabilities and the interest rates that were most likely of concern for them. It was funny how antiquated both systems were. And I wondered how exactly this company had been running all this time before I took it over, but I figured that it had a lot to do with the interns that this particular company couldn't seem to keep. I moved around the board with purpose, asking for projections and poking holes in assumptions. I wasn’t soft, but I wasn’t unkind.

When I glanced at Renee, she was watching me closely, one hand curled around her coffee like it grounded her, the other hand taking notes dutifully. It was subtle, but I could feel that faint but steady calm that settled over her the longer I stayed. Her shoulders eased. The tightness in her jaw loosened. She nodded as I spoke, followed along, and even chimed in once or twice to ask smart, sharp questions.

Something eased in me, too. Something else say up in alarm as it had been since my tumble down the ravine and the mark over my heart. Being in this room with Renee made it apparent that whatever it was had something to do with her.

It was something I didn’t want to name yet. Not because I didn’t know what it was. But because I did and it fucking terrified me. I wasn’t ready for the weight of that truth. Not when her whole future still hung in the balance and my own heart was still in flux about Vivian, the pack, and so many other things. I still wasn't sure how or if I should tell her about Tyler's other woman. I wasn't even sure if it was just one.