Chapter 34 The Open Door

Eira hesitated before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Come back to the office." Alpha Killian’s voice was calm and final. "We have a last-minute briefing."

Eira pulled the phone away and checked the screen.

Alpha Killian.

Before she could respond, Lila’s voice exploded in the background.

"You have got to be kidding me. I tell you where she is because I’m worried, and you turn it into mandatory overtime? I was supposed to take her out for tacos!"

"Thirty minutes," Alpha Killian said.

The call ended.

"What was that about?" Alpha Sebastian asked.

"Work." Eira slipped her phone into her bag. "I have to go back to Sterling Tower."

Alpha Sebastian checked his watch. "At this hour?"

"Apparently, Alpha Killian doesn’t believe in business hours."

That explanation needed no embellishment. Alpha Killian’s reputation did the rest.

Alpha Sebastian’s brow remained furrowed. "I thought you were resigning."

"The paperwork is still being processed." Eira adjusted the strap of her bag. "Until it’s official, I still work there."

It was the answer Alpha Sebastian wanted to hear. His shoulders relaxed.

"What’s so urgent?" he asked. "Does it have something to do with the tech expo? Or the Hale bid?"

There it was.

He never asked about her work unless he thought it might benefit him.

Eira gave him a mild look. "I’m an executive assistant, not corporate intelligence."

"I was just asking."

"Then I just answered."

Alpha Sebastian’s mouth tightened. For a second, she could almost see him reconsidering how useful she might be inside Sterling.

"Fine," he said. "Go."

Eira reached for the door.

"Wait."

She looked back.

Alpha Sebastian nodded toward the welcome packet inside her bag. "What do you think of the classes?"

He was watching her too closely.

This was not a question about the program. He wanted to know if she had taken the bait.

Eira lowered her eyes, playing the part he expected.

"They look good. And expensive." She paused. "You’ve never spent that much on me before."

Guilt flickered across Alpha Sebastian’s face, but it lasted only a second. Satisfaction soon took its place.

"We’ll talk about our future soon," he said.

"Sure."

Eira stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her. The moment she was alone, the smile vanished from her face.

--

She called a ride and headed back to Sterling Tower.

Lila was waiting in the lobby when Eira arrived, holding her car keys in one hand and an iced coffee in the other.

"Before you say anything, I’m sorry." Lila offered her the coffee. "Killian asked why I was hanging around, so I told him I was waiting for you to leave the Hale apartment. I didn’t expect him to use that information to hijack taco night."

Eira accepted the drink. "You gave me a reason to leave. I’m not complaining."

"Technically, Killian gave you the reason." Lila made a face. "I hate giving him credit. It goes straight to his head."

Eira took a sip of coffee. "Does he know you talk about him like this?"

"Constantly. He survives."

They crossed the quiet lobby and entered the elevator.

"Is there actually work to do?" Eira asked as the doors closed.

"Probably. Killian would never invent an emergency when he could find a real one."

That sounded exactly like him.

When the elevator opened on the executive floor, almost every desk was empty. Only the lights inside Alpha Killian’s office and the nearby conference lounge were still on.

Alpha Killian stood behind his desk with his sleeves rolled to his forearms. A fresh briefing packet lay in front of him.

He did not ask what had happened at the apartment.

Eira did not offer.

"The expo organizers updated the guest list an hour ago," he said. "Three investors were added, two panelists dropped out, and Hale Group changed its delegation."

So there really was work.

Of course there was. Alpha Killian Sterling would never invent an excuse when he could find a real deadline and weaponize it.

He handed her the packet.

"Review the priority profiles," Alpha Killian said. "Flag any Pack ties, conflicts, or business relationships that could affect the bid. I want the brief on my desk by eight tomorrow morning."

Eira flipped through the thick packet. "All of this tonight?"

"No. I printed it so you could admire the page numbers."

She looked up. His face remained perfectly serious.

"Good to know sarcasm is part of the executive training program."

A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes.

"Use the conference lounge. Lila can stay with you."

--

The conference lounge sat across from Alpha Killian’s office, with only a glass wall and an open door between them.

Lila had taken over one end of the table. Her laptop was open, her shoes were tucked beneath her chair, and two boxes of tacos sat beside a pile of snacks.

She pushed one box toward Eira.

"Dinner survived."

"I thought overtime killed taco night."

"Nothing kills taco night. It just changes the address."

Eira sat down and took a bite before opening the briefing packet. She had not realized how hungry she was.

The profiles covered the main investors, Pack leaders, and executives attending the expo. Alpha Sebastian’s appeared several pages in.

Marital status: Married.

Spouse: Not publicly disclosed.

Someone had crossed out the second line and written:

Eira Crawford.

The sharp black handwriting belonged to Alpha Killian.

Below it, another note read:

Personal relationship: Serena Winthrop.

The word Unconfirmed had been written before the entry, then crossed out with one firm stroke.

Eira held out her hand. "Pen?"

Lila passed her one.

On the working copy, Eira added a note beside her own name.

Separation pending.

Lila nearly dropped her taco. "Is that official?"

"It will be."

"You’re really leaving him?" Lila asked.

"Yes."

Her face brightened, then turned serious. "Do you have somewhere safe to stay?"

"I’m with Mrs. Thorne."

"Good. And if that ever gets complicated, I have a furnished apartment two blocks from here. The last tenant moved out, and I haven’t listed it yet."

"Lila—"

"I’m not trying to manage your life. I’m offering you a spare key and zero questions."

Eira studied her.

They had known each other only a few days. Yet Lila offered help without demanding details, gratitude, or loyalty in return.

"Thank you," Eira said. "I may not need it, but thank you."

"Great. I’ll cancel the rescue mission."

"You had one?"

Lila lifted her car keys. "Getaway car and emergency snacks. The basics."

They returned to the packet.

After a moment, Lila asked, "Did you know about Serena?"

"I found out a few days ago. Before that, I trusted him."

"Trusting your husband wasn’t stupid," Lila said. "He was the one who betrayed that trust."

The simple answer eased something tight in Eira’s chest.

Lila nodded toward Alpha Killian’s office. "My brother and I fight about everything, but when I need him, he shows up. Same goes for me."

"You hide it well."

"We’re emotionally constipated. It runs in the family."

"I can hear you," Alpha Killian said from his office.

"Good. Saves me a text."

Eira laughed and glanced through the open door.

Alpha Killian had already returned to his report. His sleeves were rolled to his forearms, and the warm desk light traced the hard line of his jaw. One hand rested on the page while the other turned his fountain pen between long fingers.

He looked completely focused.

Completely untouchable.

Then, as if he felt her watching, Alpha Killian lifted his eyes.

Their gazes met through the glass. Alpha Killian’s pen stopped between his fingers.

Something shifted in his silver-gray eyes. Not quite a smile. Not quite a question.

Just enough to send a strange warmth down Eira’s spine.

Eira looked back at the packet, but the words blurred for a moment.

Lila followed her gaze and smiled.

"Thinking about my brother?"

"The report."

"Of course."