Chapter 1

I sat up in bed with a soft sigh, slapping my alarm into silence. If I could just lay back down and go back to sleep, the world would be perfect. But it was my first day on the job with my uncle's company, the pack's company, and I couldn't let myself be late.

Apparently my mother had the same thought as she knocked heavily on my door.

"Raveena! Get up! You have to be in by eight o'clock!"

I glared at the door, feeling like growling at my mother, but didn't dare. My father could be scary when his mate was 'in danger', even if that danger was his daughter. Put in the factor that he was also not a morning person, and you got a very dangerous man out of the mix. My teenage years were filled with growling at my mom only to have my dad slam into my bedroom with a growl of his own. I laughed softly as I got out of bed, yawning as I stretched my arms out. It was going to feel like a long day, being up at seven in the morning, but I needed to get a move on. I grumbled to myself about mornings as I made my way to my closet.

Having just graduated with my business degree, I knew it was lucky for me to have a job at the company, Cemche Inc., but it didn't sit quite right that I had the job because I was the CEO's niece. I know that Rowan had told me it was because of my credentials and the hard work I had put in over the last four years, but it still seemed more because of family ties. It also didn't matter to me that pretty much everyone in the pack worked at the company at least once in their lifetimes. Cemche had made a name for itself and was known as a prominent business. I had quite a few classmates who had begged me to get them in, knowing I was related in some way since I had the same last name as the CEO.

Sighing, I pushed my thoughts away as I pulled out a black pencil skirt and light blue peasant blouse. Quickly changing, I slid my feet into a pair of flats before I went into the bathroom to fix my hair. It didn't need much, being straighter than a pin, but it felt good to brush it out.

Back in my room, I check the time, smiling as I see it's only been about fifteen minutes. I still had time to grab something to eat, then I could make my way to the company. Not eating breakfast would be a good way of making sure I didn't have a good day.

Grabbing my phone and purse, I made my way down the stairs, checking to see if I had any messages. Unsurprisingly, my best friend had messaged me about an hour ago. I never understood how Jenna was a morning person, but it was fun to wake up to her texts.

Jenna<3 : Good luck today! Ur going to do great!

I rolled my eyes, smiling at the cheer that even came through her text messages. I texted a quick thank you with a smiley emoji before bouncing into the kitchen. Mom smiled at me as she set a bowl of cereal and the milk in my usual spot.

"You're looking bright and chipper this morning. Must be excited to use that new degree," mom winked before turning back to grab her bagel from the toaster.

Dad walked in, muttering under his breath about coffee as he finished tying his tie. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, pouring the milk into the cereal. It was no wonder I wasn't a morning person. My father wasn't either, and he absolutely refused to talk to anyone before he had his first cup of coffee. I didn't like coffee, so I basically ignored people until my fuzzy mind was clear and ready for the day.

We sat in a comfortable silence as I munched on my cinnamon crunch. It was how the mornings usually went, letting everyone wake up without too much stress asking about what the plan for the day was. They often didn't know what they would be doing yet, so having the time to completely wake up was definitely a blessing. I slurped the milk out of the bowl then took it to the sink, rinsing it thoroughly before setting it in the left side.

Grabbing my purse, I smiled at my parents. "Wish me luck! Hopefully uncle Rowan doesn't make me run all over the place."

Mom laughed, reaching over to give my cheek a kiss. Dad grunted, amusement flickering in his eyes as he held his fist up. I fist bumped him, gave his cheek a kiss, and then was out the door, trotting down the front steps to my black two thousand Ford Taurus. It being the first car I bought myself straight out of high school, it was still a good feeling to have it. I took the utmost care for it, not wanting to have to let it go before I absolutely had to. My father didn't like it that much, mostly because he felt like I needed to be in something bigger and heavier. He didn't like the chances of my survival should I get in a crash with my 'little Taurus'.

Slipping inside, I hummed nervously. Even though I had grown up going to the company, running around the halls, I hadn't been there since I was fifteen. The nine years since I had been there felt like an infiniti, especially now that grandpa wouldn't be there. Uncle Rowan had said I should have come out more often, but it felt kind of weird to go there when I knew my cousin was still on his trip abroad. Jack would be the new Alpha and CEO of the company once he found his mate and Rowan felt he was ready. I felt like I would definitely be more comfortable in the presence of one of my best friends than working for my uncle.

It didn't take long to reach Cemche Inc., and I looked for a place to park. The next open spot was towards the back of the lot, making me mutter a little angrily. Maybe I should get up earlier to be here earlier? I knew it wouldn't happen, but it was a thought.

Walking up to the doors, a sadness filled me as I looked at the third floor windows, knowing that was where the CEO's office was. My grandpa had been an amazing role model and person in my life. His death when I was fifteen was a hard hit, and was why I hadn't come back to the company since. Taking a deep breath, I hoped I wouldn't start crying my eyes out. That would definitely be the most embarrassing first-day-on-the-job story.

The tech center was in the lobby, along with the entrance secretary that made sure to direct you in the right direction. It was no longer Miss Deb who sat behind the desk. It was a young woman, her blonde hair pulled tightly into a bun on her head. I looked to my right, where the manufacturing side of the business was. The heavy metal door led to the factory, reading "Employees Only", and I smiled a bit at the memory of my cousin and I getting into trouble for going in there without an adult.

"Oh, you must be Miss Cemche!" I turned at the voice, smiling at the receptionist as she stood. "Mr. Cemche, your uncle, said to meet him up in his office. He'll show you around and you can talk before the work day starts."

I nodded, muttering thank you as I went to the elevator. Thankfully it was a short ride up.

The desk for the CEO's personal assistant was empty, so I went ahead to Rowan's office, figuring he would be waiting for me. My uncle was the opposite of my father, being a morning person versus my father's grumpy hate for getting up before nine a.m. Last I knew, Rowan was getting up at six a.m., going to the gym for a half hour, before he got ready and was at work by seven thirty. The thought of being up before seven made me shudder.

I knocked on the door, waiting for the soft 'come in' before opening it with a wide grin. Rowan looked up from what he was writing on and smiled back, taking his glasses off as he stood. "Raveena! My girl! It's great to see you. Here, come have a seat. We'll talk about your position."

"Uncle Rowan, it hasn't been that long since you saw me," I chuckled, closing the door then taking the seat in front of the large mahogany desk. "We had mom's birthday party just this last weekend."

He shrugged, grabbing a file from the cabinet to his right before sitting back down. He opened it, putting his glasses back on to read it over. I took that moment to look around, noting the changes Rowan had made since the office had been my grandpa's. The bookcase had a few books, but was mostly filled with sport knick-knacks, like specialty tini helmets of football teams. The pictures that were hung on the wall were no longer family photos, but were Rowan with important business associates as they shook hands over a contract. The large stand-alone globe that had been grandpa's was still there, the metal of the stand shining. It made me smile, thinking of all the times I would spin it and put my finger on a spot then beg my grandpa to tell me about that country or body of water. Looking around, that was the only thing of my grandpa's that remained. That and the desk, but even the desk had been rearranged to fit my uncle's style and needs.

"Alright," Rowan, finished looking through the file, smiled at me. "It looks like HR decided to hire you on as my new personal assistant! I am a bit surprised you didn't specify a position you were looking at, Raveena."

Shock coursed through me, turning my stomach. Personal assistant? I remembered then that I had just turned my application in to the head of human resources, and hadn't filled out any position for what I had been looking for. I swallowed, forcing a smile. "I guess I forgot to fill that out. Is it possible to still grow to other positions from being a personal assistant?"

He leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment before nodding. "I don't see why not. We do take applications from employees for open positions in the company and review those before we review outside applications. It's become important to be able to climb the ladder from within the company, so we don't want to neigh-say any of our current employees from grabbing the next rung."

That relieved me a bit, but I was still in shock. My bachelor's degree in business and marketing didn't get HR to consider anything over being a personal assistant? Why didn't I put applications elsewhere? I cleared my throat and nodded, happy for the little bit of reassurance. "So, I'll be sitting right in the lobby of the floor then?"

He nodded leaning back forward to slide the file towards me. I tucked my purse between me and the arm of the chair, scooting forward to grab the file. I opened it, realizing it was my resume along with a description of the job I was taking. It also had direct points of what was expected of me as the CEO's assistant, and it made me realize that I had a pretty important position, even if it felt like a lowly one. I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. I'd be in on most of, if not all, big meetings to help take notes. Which meant I would be in the middle of big decisions and meeting big clients. It would be a good way to get more experience with talking with clients, as well as working with the paperwork needed to keep their contracts up.

"Okay, yeah, this will be perfect for starting out then," I smiled, looking up at my uncle.

"I figured you would look at it on the bright side," Rowan grinned, shaking his head. The silver in his hair glinted, making me realize he looked older. "I know HR already has what they need from you, since you met with the head rep last week, so you can go ahead and go to your desk. There should be a calendar for you to take appointments down on. Every morning at eight-thirty, I expect a rundown of who I'll be seeing for the day. You'll also be in charge of getting me the correct files and contracts for the day at that time. Down the road, I may have you go to a couple of business meetings without me. Perks of being in on everything."

I nodded, a grinning stretching my lips, getting a bit more excited about the job. "Every day at eight-thirty, okay."

He stood, motioning for me to follow him as he exited the office. "Yes. We unfortunately don't have anyone here to train you, as my last assistant took off unexpectedly. It seems she wasn't in the best of relationships and needed to leave the state quickly."

The thought of being thrown in with no training scared me, but I figured it would be easy to get the jist of it. It made me sad, though, to think of another woman in a bad relationship needing to leave so quickly. As a werewolf, we found our mates and stayed by each other's side. It was uncommon for someone to reject their mate, though I knew it happened. I hoped my mate wouldn't be abusive or domineering. It would tempt me to reject them and live as a spinster the rest of my life. But it could have also just been a non-mate relationship if neither party had found theirs. Everyone enjoyed companionship.

Rowan took the next half hour to walk me through answering the phone, writing down appointments, where to get files and contracts, and finishing with what time to go to lunch. I listened intently, even taking a pen out of my purse to write things down on the back of a piece of paper in the file so I could remember everything. Thankfully the phone systems weren't going to be hard to figure out, and everything else didn't seem too rough either. It would be getting used to doing it and being on time. That, and making sure I could type up contracts correctly. Good thing I had looked at some during business classes.

We walked around the floor, Rowan introducing me around the office to top executives and top salespeople. Some were familiar, others were obviously brand new to the position they now sat at. It was fun getting to catch up with those I already knew. My father wasn't in his office, though, so we didn't get to catch up with him.

Back at my desk, Rowan off to his, I sat with a sigh. The receptionist downstairs would forward calls for Rowan to me, and calls for the others up here. Thankfully the assistant before me had taped a list of extensions for everyone to her desk. It looked like a couple names needed updating, but that wouldn't be a big deal. I could pretty much make a new one going off of what she had down.

I took my phone out and sent a picture of my desk to Jenna.

~me~ : Jenna, I have my own DESK! howevr, I'm my uncle's pers. assist.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for her to answer me.

Jenna<3 : girl! that desk is HUGE! who cares if you're an assistant with that desk? Ur the first person ppl will see & basically the gatekeeper to your uncle

I couldn't help the chuckle that left my lips. She was right, and what she said were things that I had thought of. It just definitely felt good for Jenna to think the same thing.

Putting my phone to the side, I booted up the computer and started my first day of work.

As it was nearing five, I realized that the day had gone by super fast. I had ended up eating lunch with Veronica, the receptionist downstairs, who then took me around the building to meet everyone not in the factory. Veronica assured me that by the end of the month I would meet everyone, including those who worked in the factory. Something about a party in a week or so that all the employees were expected to attend. I frowned as I remembered I was going to ask Rowan about that, but hadn't had the chance before he left the office for a meeting with a client at four.

My phone buzzed, making me jump, as it hadn't gone off since Jenna's last answer to my text. I rolled my eyes, at myself, and picked it up.

Jenna<3 : let's go to our spot & celebrate ur new job!

~me~ : sure! can't stay out too late tho - gotta be in by eight

Jenna<3 : not gonna lie, will b hilarious to see u get up early

I made a face, putting my phone down. Of course Jenna would think it was hilarious that I would have to get up early. To be fair, she was the one who had dragged me out of bed during college when I couldn't escape the eight a.m. classes, so she had dealt with my snarly ass every morning for four years. I winced at that, thinking of how bad my dad was when he was forced to get up early on the weekends.

Glancing at the time, I excitedly logged out of everything and picked my purse up. Other executives and salespeople began to leave their offices, chatting with one another as they walked to the elevator. I smiled as some waved at me, waving back as I made sure the lights were off in Rowan's office. I made my way to the elevator, glad that the day had ended up being so good.

My father turned the corner, cell phone to his ear as his assistant followed him, taking notes on a notepad. He stopped and grinned at me, motioning for me to wait for him. I stood by the elevators, waiting for him to finish his call. He ended the call with a grunt, then hustled towards me. As he wrapped his arms around me, I smiled and hugged him back.

"Did you have a good day? I didn't know Rowan was going to put you as his assistant, or I would have said something," Draden, my father, frowned as he pulled away. He tucked strands of my hair behind my ear, kissing my forehead. "I know you're capable of more than being an assistant."

I pat his hand, stepping away into the elevator as the doors opened. He and his assistant followed. "It was actually a great day. I was a little shocked at first by the position, but I'll be in on a lot of meetings that will help me get a better grasp of the business. I know that Jack is going to be the CEO, same as he'll be the alpha, but I want to be as much of a help as I can. If that means starting at the bottom, then let's start at the bottom."

Draden smiled, shaking his head. "You always did look at the bright side. Definitely get that from your mother."

Laughing, I nodded in agreement. Dad was not known for being able to step back and look at things in a different light. He normally charged straight ahead into whatever it is with what he thought would be the best solution.

We made small talk as we walked out, me wrapping my arm around my father's. It was kind of nice to end the day walking out of the family company with my dad. He frowned when he realized my car was so far, shaking his head at me at my grin. It wasn't the same with me as it was for him. As COO, chief operations officer, he got his own parking spot. I didn't get that leisure with an assistant job, made clear by the fact that his own assistant was parked nearly as far as I was.

"Alright, so I'll see you at home then?" Draden asked, opening the door of my car for me.

I shook my head, throwing my purse to the passenger seat. "No, I'm going to go hang out with Jenna. She wants to celebrate my first day at a real job."

Rolling his eyes, dad bent and gave my forehead another kiss, warning me not to be out too late. I rolled my eyes back, giving my assent as I got into my car. He closed my door and I took off, waving at him.

Turning the radio up, I let myself sing loudly to the music. It was a good first day. I didn't have exactly the job that I had hoped for, but I was in a good position to start learning about the ins and outs of the company. Plus, working with her uncle was turning out to be fun. Everytime he went by me, going to the bathroom or to go talk with someone else in their office, he would gently tug on my hair, something he used to do often when I was younger.

Pulling into a spot in the lot for Gin Tavern, I laughed softly as I spotted Jenna leaning against the wall by the door. She must have stopped to change as she was lounging in a pair of light blue jeans with a pink t-shirt, holding her brown wallet against her body with her arm. I was surprised that Jenna had her curly mass of red hair down though, especially as it was June and the humidity didn't help the wild curls be any less wild.

She was furiously typing on her phone, probably talking with her on-and-off boyfriend, Travis. They weren't mates, but they liked to enjoy each other's company until one of them said something to make the other upset. It had been going on for years, since they were sixteen. Hopping out of the car, I walked towards her with a smile, expecting to see her look up at the sound of the car door shutting. But Jenna kept typing, a scowl on her face.

Sighing softly, I plucked her phone from her hands and turned it off. She looked up immediately, mouth open to say something, but shutting it with a snap when she realized it was me. "Another fight?"

Jenna groaned, flinging her hands in the air as she straightened to her full five foot eight height. "God, Raveena, why do I keep going back to him? He drives me so crazy sometimes I don't even know what to do."

"Probably because he was your first and he's been a constant go-to for you the last eight years," I grab her hand, pulling her into the Tavern. "He's nice, but I don't see what you see. So beyond that, I can't help. However, I can tell you that going through all the bs with him will help you deal with your mate once he shows his face."

She scoffed, stepping with me to our normal booth. Sliding into her side, she shook her head. "I doubt I'll ever meet mine. In a month or so, I'll start traveling again and won't be in a place long enough to really look for him either. That's why Travis is arguing with me. He doesn't think I should go. He wants me to marry him, get pregnant and stay in the kitchen."

My left eye twitched, the urge to growl rising. I couldn't stand Travis more because of how much of a chauvinistic pig he was. He was one of the few in the pack that believed all female werewolves should get settled down as soon as they were eighteen and start popping out babies like that was all we were good for. I knew he had inherited the belief from his father, but that didn't calm me down. It was an argument that I had had with him, one that had ended with me punching him.

Jenna shook her head, smiling sadly at me as she took my phone from my hands. "I know what you're thinking, and I completely agree. I don't even want to think of marriage until I find my mate, let alone thinking of having a kid. I also don't want to give up the career I have for him. I think it might be time to completely walk away from Travis."

I sat with a plop, shock obvious on my face as I stared at my friend. She was going to actually walk away from him? The words left me speechless. Jenna had been growling at me to leave her relationship with him alone for the past six years. Ever since I'd broken his nose. I had tried my best, but sometimes I couldn't help but say something. In a deep part of me, I knew that Jenna would have to get to this conclusion on her own. I just honestly hadn't expected her to until she found her mate.

Jenna knew exactly what I was thinking, pink filling her cheeks as she shrugged and looked away. I closed my mouth and cleared my throat, at a loss still for what to say. But I took her hand and squeezed it, knowing it was going to be hard for her. Despite everything, Jenna loved Travis and he loved her.

"Hello ladies," Shauna stepped to the table, a smile on her face. "Usuals?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yes, and bring us a couple of drinks too, would you? Thanks, Shauna."

"You got it."

Shauna left, yelling out our orders as she entered the kitchen. I sat back in the booth and regarded Jenna for a moment. She looked good, especially for deciding to leave her boyfriend once and for all. Her green eyes were focused on the stage as the live band for the week got set up. I decided then and there, that I was going to get her drunk tonight. I would have to be good, what with working in the morning, but that didn't mean I couldn't help my best friend ease some of her heart ache.