Chapter 111 You’re in My Seat

Serena slid up next to Alpha Sebastian.

Finn caught Eira’s glance flick over the two of them. "Who’s this?"

"A friend of Sebastian’s?" Serena turned on the warmth, hand out. "Serena Winthrop."

Finn left the hand hanging. Sure, he called Alpha Sebastian "bro," didn’t make them buddies.

And his gut said Eira couldn’t stand this woman. He was still angling for points with Eira.

Alpha Sebastian’s brow twitched. He kept it flat. "This is Finn Carter."

Couldn’t call him a friend. Couldn’t not. Keep it simple, Serena would connect the dots.

She did. Her smile slipped. Finn Carter. Alpha heir to Carter Pack.

"Mr. Carter, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize..."

Finn gave her a tight little smile, eyes already drifting back to Eira. The second she turned to leave, he was moving.

"You heading in? I’ll walk with you!"

"Eira, where are you going?" Alpha Sebastian stepped after her and walked straight into a bodyguard’s arm.

She glanced back. "I have business here."

"What business could you possibly have here?" His voice sharpened. "And who are these guys? Who put security on you?"

[So she’s not here with Sebastian.] Serena’s confusion cleared. [If not him, that left exactly one possibility.]

Alpha Sebastian got there too. His jaw went tight. "Sterling."

Serena’s lips curved. Of course. Running right back to Alpha Killian Sterling.

"That would be me."

The voice came from behind them, low and even.

Eira looked up.

The Sterling delegation had rolled up at some point, Alpha Killian front and center, his team fanned out around him.

His gaze swept the group, stopped a beat on Finn. "Mr. Carter. Been a while."

Finn grinned. "Mr. Sterling. Good to see you."

"Mm." That was all Finn got.

Alpha Killian’s eyes moved to Eira, boxed in on the sidewalk, and his chin tipped toward the doors. "Go inside."

An exit. She took it, guards falling in beside her, Alpha Killian a step behind.

Alpha Sebastian moved to follow and somehow there was always a Sterling employee in his way. Casual about it. Airtight.

His fists clenched. [She takes orders from Sterling now? Does she even remember who her husband is?]

"Sebastian." Serena reached for his fist. He pulled it away.

She froze. "Sebastian?"

He forced his face back to soft. "Head on up. People might see."

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Fine." Then, sweeter: "See you up there, Mr. Carter."

Finn, who’d been doing his best impression of furniture: "You coming, Sebastian?"

"Yeah."

By the elevators, Alpha Killian’s voice dropped. "You used me again."

Eira’s head turned slow. Blank stare. What?

Behind them Miles kept his face professionally empty. [Alpha. You walked over there yourself. On purpose.]

The elevator dinged, too small for the whole crowd, and she had zero interest in sharing air with him anyway. She peeled off to the second car.

Doors slid shut. Alpha Killian replayed that wide-eyed blink, like a startled cat.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

--

The conference room buzzed with conversation. Serena scanned the room. No sign of Dr. Crawford.

"Where’s Dr. Crawford?"

Claire shrugged. "Beats me."

Serena picked a seat and made herself comfortable. The long table had two power seats, one at the screen end, one right where she’d just planted her flag.

A researcher leaned over. "Miss Winthrop, that’s Dr. Crawford’s seat."

The team had never warmed up to her. Right back at them, as far as she was concerned. She flashed a breezy smile. "Well, she’s not here, is she? And rolling in late on the biggest day of the project? Not exactly lead-engineer material."

Claire sat up. "She was here before you. She stepped out for a minute."

Serena just smiled. [ Naturally. President of the Dr. Crawford fan club, first to the rescue.]

On the big monitor, the main room was filling up. Committee taking their seats, corporate reps filing in, nameplates lined up down the table.

Sterling Group’s sat right next to Hale Group’s.

Alpha Killian took his seat, and his gaze slid to the one empty chair at the Hale nameplate. Something like amusement crossed his face.

[The Carter kid’s in the building. So who gets the chair?]

By title, it was Alpha Sebastian’s. He was the project lead. But with Carter money riding on Hale’s bid, he wasn’t touching that seat until Finn said so.

Dr. Victor Winthrop glanced at the empty spot. "Is Hale Group’s representative not joining us?"

"I’m here." Alpha Sebastian gave a polite nod. He knew the face; Serena had shown him photos.

Finn waved a lazy hand. "Go ahead, Sebastian."

Only then did Alpha Sebastian sit.

Dr. Victor Winthrop sized him up. Heard plenty about this kid, never met him in the flesh.

[Composed. Hungry. Parked next to Killian Sterling and not even sweating. No wonder Serena was head over heels.

Kid like that, with the right people behind him, goes places. And the two Packs joining up? Win-win all around.]

He gave a satisfied little nod and leaned toward a colleague. "Keep tabs on Hale Group."

Nobody needed subtitles. The old man was betting on Hale.

--

Five to ten. Main room went church-quiet. Small room was buzzing.

Claire kept eyeballing the door. [Come on, where are you?]

Serena watched the same door, running very different math. [If Dr. Crawford flakes, today might just fall right into my lap.]

The door opened.

Eira walked in, security in tow.

Every head snapped around.

Serena’s sneer fired on pure reflex. "Eira, sweetie, wrong room. Plus-ones wait in the lounge. This one’s team only."

Eira kept coming, no rush, every step landing right where she wanted it.

She stopped square in front of Serena. Her eyes flicked down to her face. Then to the chair under her.

"Miss Winthrop," she said, quiet as anything. "You’re in my seat."