The Alpha’s Forbidden Mate

Chapter 3 — Executive Floor 34

Elera’s POV

I barely slept that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the way Kael Draven looked at me in that hallway. Calm. Sharp. Intense enough to make my chest tighten all over again. It made no sense. We exchanged less than ten sentences, yet somehow he stayed in my thoughts like something unfinished.

By morning, I was already exhausted.

The elevator ride to the thirty-fourth floor felt longer than usual. My stomach twisted tighter with every number that lit up above the doors. I still didn’t know why I had been called upstairs, and honestly, that was the worst part.

People like Kael Draven didn’t notice people like me unless something had gone wrong.

The elevator finally opened with a soft ding, revealing the executive floor again. Quiet. Polished. Expensive. Even the air smelled different up here, colder somehow.

I stepped out carefully, adjusting the sleeve of my blazer as I tried not to look nervous.

Too late.

“Miss Vale?”

I turned quickly toward the receptionist.

“Yes?”

“They’re waiting for you inside.”

They.

That word immediately made my pulse rise again.

I nodded politely before following the direction she pointed toward. The hallway stretched endlessly ahead of me, lined with glass walls and dark floors that reflected every step I took.

By the time I reached the office doors, my hands were already cold.

I knocked softly.

“Come in.”

Kael.

Even his voice sounded controlled.

I pushed the door open slowly and immediately froze.

The office was massive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire city, sunlight pouring across dark furniture and sleek shelves. But none of that held my attention for long.

Kael stood near the windows in a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled slightly past his wrists. He looked even more intimidating in daylight, sharp features calm and unreadable as his eyes settled on me immediately.

And somehow, that strange pressure in my chest returned the second he looked at me.

Riven sat nearby on one of the couches, much more relaxed than Kael. Unlike yesterday, he actually smiled slightly when he saw me.

“Good morning, Elera.”

“Morning,” I replied quietly.

Kael remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Sit.”

The command caught me off guard.

Not because of the word itself.

Because my body reacted before my brain did. I almost moved instantly before realizing it and forcing myself to slow down.

I hated that.

Trying not to show my frustration, I sat carefully across from them. “Can I ask why I’m here?”

Riven glanced briefly toward Kael, like he was waiting to see who would answer first.

Kael finally walked toward the desk, his movements calm and steady. “You’ll be transferring upstairs temporarily.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You’ll assist directly under executive management.”

I stared at him, convinced I heard wrong. “There has to be a mistake.”

“There isn’t,” Kael replied.

My confusion only grew stronger. “I’m an assistant in marketing.”

“You were,” he corrected calmly.

Something about that irritated me immediately.

“You can’t just move people around without asking them.”

One of Kael’s eyebrows lifted slightly, almost like he wasn’t used to being spoken to that way.

Riven, however, looked entertained.

“You’re free to refuse,” Kael said.

The problem was, the way he said it didn’t feel like a real option.

I folded my arms slowly. “Why me?”

Silence followed.

Not awkward silence.

Intentional silence.

And suddenly, I remembered the hallway yesterday. The way both of them looked at me like they recognized something they couldn’t explain.

My stomach tightened slightly.

“This is about yesterday, isn’t it?” I asked quietly.

Riven leaned back against the couch, studying me carefully now. “You noticed.”

“I’m not blind.”

Kael’s gaze stayed fixed on me. “What did you feel?”

The question caught me off guard.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do.”

My chest tightened again.

I looked away first, suddenly uncomfortable under the intensity of his attention. “It felt weird.”

“Weird?” Riven repeated softly.

I exhaled slowly, trying to explain something I barely understood myself. “Like pressure. Like I couldn’t breathe properly for a second.”

Neither of them looked surprised.

That bothered me more than it should have.

Kael moved slightly closer to the desk, his eyes never leaving me. “And now?”

I swallowed.

Because the truth was…

I could still feel it.

Even sitting here.

That strange awareness under my skin whenever he was near me.

I hated admitting that.

“It’s lighter,” I said carefully. “But still there.”

Riven and Kael exchanged a brief look that I couldn’t understand.

Then Riven spoke quietly. “Interesting.”

I frowned immediately. “Can someone please explain what’s happening?”

Kael remained calm. “Not yet.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You bring me upstairs, transfer my position without warning, ask strange questions, then say ‘not yet’?”

For the first time, I noticed the faintest shift near his mouth.

Almost amusement.

And somehow that annoyed me even more.

“This isn’t funny.”

“No,” Kael replied quietly. “It isn’t.”

The room fell silent again, but this silence felt different. Heavier. Like something important sat underneath the conversation without fully revealing itself.

Riven finally leaned forward slightly, his expression softer than Kael’s. “You’re safe here, Elera.”

The reassurance should have helped.

Instead, it made my chest tighten harder.

Because people only said things like that when danger already existed.

I looked between both of them carefully. “What exactly am I being protected from?”

Another silence.

Another look exchanged between them.

And suddenly, I realized something that made unease crawl slowly down my spine.

They weren’t deciding whether to tell me the truth.

They were deciding how much I could handle.