Chapter 18: Cole

By the time I reach the office, it is already 7:15. It took me time to get to the loft, change and drive back to work. I see my father in my cabin, and I sigh before entering my cabin, awaiting a lecture.

My father looks up at me, displeasure crystal clear in his eyes. " You are late," he says. We do not have any need for greetings. My father is always disappointed in me, and according to him, I do not deserve greetings.

"Technically, I am not late. My office timings begin from 9:00 AM onwards. So, I am early."

I would normally just apologize to my father for arriving late than hear his lecture, but today Blake was feeling a little rebellious, and he just could not stop himself from talking back.

"Atta boy champ!!." I give Blake a mental pat on his back for standing up for us.

"You are not a normal employee of this company. You will be taking over the post of CEO soon, and I will not tolerate this riff-raff behavior of yours. You have to be in the office sharp at 6:00 AM. " My father's voice booms.

"Father, I get my work done in the amount of time I spend in the office. Hence, it should not matter when I get in or out of the office." Blake takes over completely and makes me go and sit on my desk.

We see our father's wolf ready to surface because of the disrespect, but then he just scoffs and says, " You call what you are doing as work? I would rate it as below average, which is not what I expect from the future CEO. You will be here at the office every day at 6:00 AM."

With that, he walks out of my cabin. I could feel Blake wanting to talk back, but then I feel him retreat at the back of my mind. I know why he did not say anything. My father always wants the last word, and he just gave it to him.

Blake says, "I know what you are thinking Cole, I am sorry for being stupid. I should not have said what I said to him."

"No, Blake. For once in my life, I am actually glad that you wanted to stand up for us. I always thought we would be stuck our entire life listening to our father."

"So, you are not angry?"

"No, champ. In fact, I am happy. Now, let's get to work. Looking at the pile of contracts, I am assuming father is still punishing us for the German deal."

After about an hour, I hear my phone ring, and I see that the caller is none other than Skylar. A smile plays on my lips because I loved the fact that our mate called us.

"Cole, I am so sorry to bother you during work, but I needed to call you. I was very scared. There was a man who claimed to be a funder of the shelter where I work at. He said he was at my apartment to take a survey since I volunteer there and since Mrs. Lindsy had suggested him to visit me. But, today, when Mrs. Lindsy called, I asked her about this man, she said that she never told anyone about me and she did not even know the man." We hear her panicked voice.

Blake growls in my head, and it takes immense power to control my growl. I ask her, "What was that man's name, Skylar?"

"He said his name was Kevin Peterson."

Blakes wants rampage when we hear his name. We thought he would help us with Skylar because we told him that she was now his responsibility. Then why did he go there without informing me? Was he just like the other pack members? Did I make a huge mistake in trusting him? Before we decide to wreck the cabin, we hear our mate's voice, "Should I call the police, Cole?"

"No, baby, just do one thing. Pack your bags. At least for the next one week, you are staying with me at my loft. I will take care of this man. Do not worry. I will tell the watchman to let you enter. You stay there and wait for me to come home."

"Cole, do you think this man was dangerous?"

"Skylar, honestly, I don't know. He might be a harmless man. But, I want to be careful with you. Hence, pack your bags and go to my loft. Text me when you reach there."

"Okay. Thank you, Cole."

"No problem, baby. Now quit worrying and pack your bags, sweetheart. I will see you at my loft."

Once we put down the phone, I try to mind link, Kevin. But he has his walls up. I call his secretary, and she informs me that he has gone for some pack work and will be returning by 3:00 PM.

I try to relax Blake saying that if Kevin was out of town, then he would not hurt Skylar, but Blake was pacing in my mind, and frankly, it was giving me a headache.

After half an hour, I receive a text from Skylar saying that she had reached the loft. Blake lets out a sigh of relief, and we try to concentrate on our work. At around 2:30 PM, I get a feeling as if someone is trying to mind link me, and I pull down my walls.

I hear Kevin saying, "Cole, I got a call from my secretary saying that you wanted to talk to me. Come home, boy, and we can chat." With that, he put on his own wall.

Blake was ready to tear him apart. We run like a maniac to his place, and when we reach there, he opens the door.

"What is the rush, boy?" He asks.

Blake takes over and says, "You went to meet her. Why? What are your intentions? I thought you wanted redemption for your ancestor's mistakes. But I guess I was wrong. You are just like all the others in the pack."

We see Kevin's wolf, Rex take over, and he says, "I WILL NOT STAND BEING DISRESPECTED. YES, WE WENT TO HER PLACE. BUT, JUST TO CHECK ON HER. FOR CHRIST SAKE COLE. YOU HAVE MARKED THAT POOR GIRL. SHE DOES NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DRAGGED HER INTO. I WAS MAKING SURE THAT SHE WAS SAFE FOR YOUR SAKE. SO, GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD WHEN I SAID THAT I WAS WITH YOU FOR THIS ONE."

We were shocked at his outburst. He wanted to make sure she was safe? He was on our side? Oh, my moon goddess, and we blamed him. I feel Blake go to him and hug him.

"You were just trying to make sure that my mate was safe? Thank you, Rex. You have no clue how that makes me feel."

Saying that Blake gives the control back to me. I feel Kevin also relax, and then we have lunch. He tells me about three to four ways out of this entire situation of a human mate. We discuss that in-depth, and then I take his leave.

I return to the office and see that my father had already left for the day as there was some charity event that mom wanted him to go to with her. That gave me an opportunity to get home early as well.

I drive to the loft, and when I enter, I smell the most amazing smell of steak. My mouth starts watering, and I see Skylar in the kitchen humming to herself while preparing dinner for us. I stand there admiring her, and Blake was feeling proud of his mate.

"Our mate is so beautiful," I hear Blake purr.

"I couldn't agree more, Blake."

Skylar notices us and blushes.

"Cole. how long have you been standing there?" She asks me in an accusing manner.

I rub the back of my neck and say sheepishly, "For about five minutes. I was enjoying the view."

She starts laughing and comes and hugs us. We calm down and relax in an instance. It's funny how I was never able to relax, and just one touch from Skylar and all my muscles go loose.

She drags me to the dining table and serves the dinner. We eat in silence, and I enjoy the taste of the home-cooked meal. Blake basks in the glory of finally feeling at home and keeps purring.

Once done with the dinner, Skylar brings blueberry pie, and we devour it in a manner of minutes. This woman had me hooked to her deserts. She takes our dishes and puts them in the dishwasher.

I go to get fresh and change. She switches on the TV and starts flipping through stuff to watch. I like this normal life. I would love to live like this. But, unfortunately, the darkness of my world can never be forgotten.

Once I reach down and sit beside her on the couch, she asks me, "Did you find out about the man who dropped by my place?"

"Actually and surprisingly, yes. He actually does fund the shelter. The woman, Lindsy's husband, had gone behind her back and asked for a funder because they were facing some financial trouble and needed someone to step in. So, Kevin actually became an anonymous funder to the shelter. It turns out he is an acquaintance of my father."

"So, I can go back to my place?"

"No, I am still getting my security team to run a background check on him. He might have found out that we are dating and might want to harm you just out of spite. I do not trust my father's business acquaintances."

"Are you sure, Cole? I do not want to be a burden."

"Sweetheart, you are not. In fact, I would love to have you here every day and every night."

"Okay," she mumbles and goes on to watch a documentary that she chose. It was almost 10:30, and I could feel that Skylar was a bit sleepy. So, I scoop her in my hands and carry her to the bedroom.

She laughs and says, "What are you doing, Cole?"

"You are forgetting Skylar. We still have our game of twenty questions left to complete. I want to get done with it fast." I say.

She laughs and says, "you want to get done fast so that we can have sex, right?"

"Absolutely. I want to devour you. So, get to know me fast." I act impatient, making her laugh again. I lay her down on the bed and lie down beside her.

She starts asking questions like last night, and I keep answering them. I know she feels we are moving fast, but for Blake and me, it is going at the right pace. We are ready to wait for as long as she wants.

Blake wants me to ask her about her ex-fiance, and he is pestering me to ask her about him. But I want to give her space. She will tell us when she is ready. I do not wish to pry. We talk for four straight hours, getting to know each other. It is weird that I can talk to her with so much ease. I do not see how other pack members can reject their mates or neglect the bond.

If mate bond is so relaxing, then why reject it? I seriously do not understand why Kevin's ancestor was such a psychopath. If he had not been such a power-hungry psychopath, I would not have to sneak around with Skylar so much. I would be displaying her to my family with pride and probably planning our wedding.

But, fate is cruel, and we need to take things slow. It must be around 2:00 when Skylar gasps, looking at the watch, and says, "We both have work tomorrow. We need rest. Let's sleep."

With that, I pull her to my chest, and we both fall asleep. Blake and I were finally content with this part of our life. A life with Skylar.

The next morning I get up at 5:00 and get ready. I try to be as quiet as possible so that I do not wake Skylar up. She needed to rest. I kiss her forehead and leave a note on the bedside table with a rose.

When I arrive at the office, I see an email from Kevin. He mentioned that he would be sending someone to teach me how to lie. I remember him telling me about these training sessions. He also mentioned how I was terrible at lying. The email also mentioned that this trainer would be teaching me how to control my emotions and reign control over my wolf's emotions.

Once done with the email, I notice a contract that required my father's signature. I walk up to his office and knock once and open the door. When I open the door, I have to shield my eyes because my father was fucking his secretary.

"Cole!!! What the hell? GET OUT!!!" I heard my father shout while also hearing a pleasurable moan out of the secretaries mouth.

I shut the door, and I feel my ears ringing. I try reaching out to Blake, but I guess the shock of the incident was too much for him. Good thing we did not have anything before coming to work or else, everything would be coming out as bile right now.

After five minutes, the secretary walks out, adjusting her hair and clothes, and I hear my father call me in. I walk into his cabin and sit as far away from the desk as possible.

"Remind me to never touch your desk again, and also, she is a little young for you, don't you think?"

"You will not tell me what I can and can not do. I AM YOUR FATHER AND BOSS RIGHT NOW. I DEMAND YOU LEAVE THIS ATTITUDE OF YOURS SOMEWHERE AND FOLLOW MY ORDERS. YOUR INSUBORDINATION WILL NOT BE TOLERATED."

I give him a dry chuckle and say, "Father, I find it extremely difficult after what I witnessed to respect you. Anyways, I needed your signature on this contract."

I see his eyes darken, but he is also a little taken aback by my change of topic. I am sure he will find ways to punish me for today's behavior, and I want him to try. I will not give in so easily now. Blake has gotten a taste of what being a rebel is like, and now there is no going back.

He takes the contract and studies it before signing it. He then hands over the contract to me, and I stand up to leave. Just as I am about to open the door, he says, "Your mother and I are going for a pack business on a long tour. We will be visiting a total of 200 packs over the next two months. Since there is some work here that needs to be done, you will be looking into it and then join us after two weeks."

"Father, with all due respect, I cannot come."

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT YOUR INSUBORDINATION?"

"I actually have a mission, and I am not allowed to travel for the next eight weeks."

"Oh. Well, then you will handle the company for the next two months. It better remain standing when I return, or I will tear you apart."

My father respects the higher-ups to no end, so he had no choice but to adhere to the rule when I mentioned the mission. I knew my father was facing an internal battle to control me, but here even he did not stand a chance.

I stepped out of his cabin and could feel Blake dancing in my head. Two whole months without my father to micro manage every move of mine and two whole months with Skylar without any fear. Blake was happy would have been an understatement of the century. He was jumping with joy like a kid in a candy store.