I finished tying the back of the dress and turned to look at my reflection in the mirror.
Damian had sent a maid to my room earlier with a wrapped package. I had expected something short and revealing based on his comments, but the dress was a long, deep crimson gown. It was elegant, hugging my waist smoothly while remaining perfectly respectable for the pack house.
I took a deep breath and headed straight for the courtyard.
Damian was waiting near the stone fountain. His dark eyes swept over me with a slow, approving burn as I walked up to him.
"You look perfect," Damian said smoothly. "Modest, but striking, Kael will not be able to ignore you."
"What is the actual plan?" I asked in a low voice. "How am I supposed to get close to his private files?"
"I spoke with Kael last night," Damian explained, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "I told him his workload is getting out of hand and that he needs a personal assistant because somedats i may not be available or will have a lot on my placed so a I suggested you, but he was skeptical. I told him you are sharp and capable, so he is going to test you right here."
"Test me?" I asked, my chest tightening slightly.
"Do not mess this up," Damian whispered, leaning in close .
Kael walked into the courtyard, wearing his dark Alpha coat. His sharp gaze landed on me immediately, taking in the dress before turning to Damian.
"Leave us, Damian," Kael ordered flatly.
Damian gave a short nod and walked away, leaving me alone with the Alpha.
Kael stepped closer, his intense dark eyes looking down at me. "Damian claims you have the discipline and intellect to manage my official affairs, Aria. I do not hire assistants based on recommendations alone. I need to see if you actually have a brain for pack politics."
"Its not a claim....it's me a fact. you can ask me whatever you need, Alpha," I replied, keeping my voice steady and holding his gaze.
"First question," Kael said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "If the northern border patrol requests a twenty percent increase in rations due to winter conditions, but our grain storage is down by fifteen percent, how do you handle the distribution without causing a shortage in the lower sectors?"
"You grant a ten percent increase to the patrol, but cut the luxury alcohol trade to the merchant guild," I answered immediately, drawing from the knowledge i had learned in my past life. "The soldiers stay fed, and the citizens do not starve over lost liquor."
A subtle flicker of surprise crossed Kael's face. "Second question. Commander Lawson wants to execute an omega caught stealing medical supplies from the apothecary. What is the proper legal ruling according to pack law?"
"Lawson is abusing military mandate," I said without hesitation. "Pack law states theft driven by medical necessity requires community labor restitution, not execution. Lawson has no authority to order a death sentence without your explicit signature."
Kael stared at me, his eyes narrowing in genuine intrigue. "Final question. Why should I trust a low-ranking omega with the most sensitive documents in this pack?"
"Because an omega sees everything people hide from you," I said softly. "And unlike your council, I have no political family to sell your secrets to."
Silence fell over the courtyard. Then, a rare, breathtaking smile broke across Kael's face.
"Impressive," Kael said, his deep voice rich with respect. "You have a better grasp on pack affairs than half the men sitting in my council rooms. You start immediately."
The rest of the day was spent in Kael's private office. He spent hours showing me his organization system, explaining complex trade agreements, and showing me how to handle high-level ledgers.
He was trying to teach me, but none of this was new to me. My mind worked fast, anticipating his next thoughts and organizing his files with effortless speed. By late afternoon, I had sorted through three weeks of backlogged documents that his previous advisors had left in a mess.
Kael watched me in disbelief as I filed the last ledger away. "You are proving to be worth three advisors combined, Aria."
By late evening, the pack house had grown dead quiet. Kael leaned back in his leather chair, looking completely exhausted. He unbuttoned his collar, pulled a bottle of aged whiskey from his cabinet, and poured himself a heavy glass.
"That is enough work for today," Kael sighed, taking a long sip. "I need to unwind. Drink with me."
"Alpha, I do not drink," I said cautiously, stepping back toward the door.
"Consider it a celebration," Kael insisted, laughing softly as he pushed a glass toward me. "You saved me six hours of paperwork today. I command you to have a drink."
I gave in, stepping forward and taking a sip. The harsh alcohol burned down my throat like liquid fire.
"See? Not so bad," Kael laughed, refilling his own glass.
As the minutes ticked by, Kael started throwing out ridiculous jokes about his council members, making fun of their stiff postures and terrible tactical ideas. I found myself laughing along, the thick tension in the room melting away completely.
He poured a second glass, then a third, keeping the conversation light and funny.
"Drink another one, Aria," Kael chuckled, pouring a fourth glass. "To the only person in this building who actually knows how to organize a budget!"
"To budgets," I giggled, drinking the fourth glass down. My head was spinning pleasantly, my cheeks burning hot as the room began to blur into warm colors.
"You are terrible influence, Alpha," I laughed softly, swaying slightly on my feet.
"Nonsense," Kael grinned, pouring one last glass and handing it to me. "One last glass to seal our partnership. Drink it."
I took the last glass and swallowed the heavy whiskey down in long, reckless gulps. The second the glass left my lips, the entire world tilted on its side. The room spun wildly, the ceiling blurring above me.
"Alpha..." I whispered, my legs turning to pure water. "The room is... really spinning."
Kael let out a soft laugh, catching my arm before I hit the floor. "Easy... let us get you resting."
His voice turned into a muffled hum. My eyelids crashed shut, and my mind completely blacked out. I couldn't move a muscle , it felt like I was dead and alive at the same time and everything just felt fuzzy.
*********************************
Bright morning sunlight burned through the heavy curtains, stinging my eyes as I slowly woke up.
My head throbbed with a terrifying hangover. I shifted slightly, realizing I was lying on the soft, luxurious mattress of Kael's massive private bed, covered in silk blankets.
Panicking, I sat up and looked across the room. Kael was fast asleep in the heavy leather armchair nearby, his head tilted back, still wearing his unbuttoned shirt. He had given me his bed and taken the chair for himself.
Before I could even swing my legs out of bed, the double doors burst open with a loud, violent slam.
Silver marched into the room holding a tray of morning tea. The moment her eyes landed on me sitting in Kael's bed—disheveled, with my hair messy, my dress wrinkled, and Kael sleeping just inches away—her jaw dropped in utter horror and rage.
The tea tray trembled violently, ceramic cups smashing onto the stone floor with a deafening crash.
"You..." Silver shrieked, her face twisting in pure, venomous rage. "You filthy, scheming slut! What did you do to him?!"