I Quit, My Grumpy Alpha Goes Regret-Crazy

Chapter 2

I endured it for the sake of the paycheck.

"Next time, don't let just any random Omega into my office. If your eyesight is that bad, go get laser eye surgery. The company will cover it."

I wore plain glasses with blue-light protection. He knew that better than anyone. He might as well have just called me blind.

"And as chief secretary, you represent the company when dealing with clients. You can dress a little less formally. You don't have to be so buttoned-up and conservative all the time. If you scare them away, are you going to compensate me for the losses?"

I forced out an awkward laugh.

"That smile is awful. You'd look better not smiling at all."

'Ethan Voss, f**k you and your entire bloodline.'

This man's mouth was seriously asking for trouble.

If he wasn't paying me so much, I would have quit ages ago.

This wasn't a salary. This was hazard pay for emotional damage.

When I walked out of the office, I saw Chloe packing up her things in a cardboard box.

She had been fired. I'd seen it coming. Flirting alone probably wouldn't have gotten her fired, but she'd been stupid enough to rifle through the confidential files on my sharp-tongued boss's desk. That money-obsessed Alpha would never keep anyone around who might threaten his profits.

The finance department manager who had pulled strings to get her in was also chewed out by Ethan until he was left speechless.

Chloe's heels clicked sharply against the floor as she walked toward me. Her eyes were filled with pure resentment. She deliberately raised her voice so everyone nearby could hear.

"Don't get cocky. He doesn't like me, and he definitely doesn't like you. Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You're only his secretary. A Beta like you actually thinks you can become Luna? You're not even worthy of putting on his shoes."

I curled my lips.

Just because I had acted like a pushover in front of the Alpha didn't mean everyone got to step all over me.

"I have an MBA from Wharton, and I earned this job on merit. My seven-figure salary comes from results. Unlike you, I didn't get in through connections. You couldn't even respect basic workplace boundaries. You were fired because you broke the rules. That's on you, not anyone else."

Usually, I would let her little schemes slide.

But today she got me dragged into Ethan's anger and still tried to smear my reputation?

Did she really think I was some soft target anyone could bully?

She wanted to insult me without spending a single cent?

Not happening.

"You..." Chloe completely lost it after I tore into her. She raised a hand to slap me.

I was half a head taller than her, so I stepped closer and caught her wrist. Then I released just a trace of my pheromones as a warning.

The scent of wild roses mixed with snow instantly made her legs go weak.

In the old days, werewolves settled disputes by shifting and fighting it out. Centuries later, modern wolves rarely shifted over ordinary conflicts because full-on wolf fights caused too much property damage. Most wolves squared off with pheromones instead.

That was why modern werewolf society had explicit rules against using pheromones to suppress someone in the workplace. Serious violations could be reported to the Werewolf Council.

I hadn't wanted to use pheromones against her, but she kept pushing, and I had no other choice.

When I saw she couldn't get a word out, I smiled.

"Sleeping with men to climb the ladder? I wouldn't know anything about that.

"Different fields, different expertise. But I wish you the best of luck.

"Have a pleasant resignation."

She couldn't win against me with words.

She couldn't beat me physically.

And even her pheromones couldn't overpower mine.

All she could do was glare at me, swallow her anger, and leave.

Finally, the frustration that had been stuck in my chest for so long disappeared.

"Hold back your anger once, and you'll only end up suffering more. Step back once, and you'll only grow more furious later."

Turns out, that saying wasn't wrong.

In the afternoon, I had nothing else to do, so I went to loosen the soil and water the Moon Goddess Tree in Ethan's office.

This Moon Goddess Tree had been propagated from Silvermoon Pack's sacred tree through so many generations of cuttings that no one knew how far removed it was from the original. Keeping one at headquarters was a werewolf tradition. Nearly every major Pack had one, and people superstitiously believed its condition reflected the Pack's fortunes. It was just superstition, though. The tree had no real mystical power. Ethan kept this one beside the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office.

I was happily digging away with a small shovel.

The office was empty, and my old habit kicked in again. I started humming.

"In a big, big company, I dig and dig and dig. Earning a big, big paycheck, but somehow it's never enough. Getting yelled at by my annoying Alpha, again and again..."

A sudden scoff came from behind me.

Ethan was leaning lazily against the doorframe. I had no idea how long he had been standing there.

His suit jacket was draped over his arm, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the smooth lines of his arms and a faint wolf-head tattoo.

The corner of his lips curled slightly, his expression amused yet unreadable.

"Singing that beautifully, Lyra?"

As someone who was famously tone-deaf, getting caught slacking off while singing made my face burn instantly.

"Interested in releasing an album? Because if you are, I'll call the police right now and report you for noise pollution."

'Ethan Voss, f**k you and your entire bloodline.'

*****

The day before National Founding Day.

Ethan had just returned from a business trip to Boston. His driver, Zack, was on leave, so he ordered me to pick him up from JFK Airport.

There were way too many people at the airport. I circled around three times but still couldn't find him, so I called him.

"Boss, where are you?"

His voice was cold as ice.

"Right in front of you."

I moved forward a little.

"I don't see you. How about waving?"

His voice sounded like it was being forced out through clenched teeth.

"Lyra, my arm is about to fall off. I've already tried stopping twelve taxis."

My heart sank.

"No, seriously, I really didn't see you."

He let out a cold laugh.

"You drove past me by three miles."