An early start this morning meant I was not in the best of moods, and was purely running off coffee. Lilah had joined me in the office today for this business meeting. It was a new potential client from overseas that Knox had lined up, one he had been interacting with for some time, building up business connections with, so all being well this meeting should be just finalising the details.
From what I could gather, the business associate was Rose Cartwright from Black Forest Pack, just on the outer edges of Scotland. So she would no doubt be as tired as us from travelling, unless she had been staying here and adjusted to the time difference before the meeting. I am certain that we are able to get these deals completed today, and know that Lilah will be determined to do the same too.
Knox had other business he had to attend to within the Pack today, so he was leaving this deal to me and Lilah to complete until the final stages and then he would come and speak with Miss Cartwright if she felt it necessary. But both Lilah and I were more than capable of completing business deals for our company, and were regularly doing this now, while Knox stayed to complete the Pack business.
The business was constantly building and expanding thanks to Knox’s business plans, and it was able to be run with very little input from himself, being run by the management teams e have in place in the offices now. Which is important as he is now more involved in the pack business and wanting to be home more for the children and for Lilah.
It had been less of an issue at the beginning when we had all first set the businesses up, as we had all been single, so we had plenty of time to spend on the business, and also, Knox was still an upcoming Alpha at the time, so he did not have full-time duties and roles as a Pack Alpha at the time. So the business was able to develop and grow with his support and knowledge being there. Meaning the business has done incredibly well.
Since it has gone from strength to strength with investors and expansions, and building the staff team to be able to work independently so that the business can run with or without Knox, myself, Dan, Gabe and Manny present. We still take an active role in bigger deals now, but as a whole we are just senior board members and are present for decision-making and meetings when needed.
I sit at the desk with yet another coffee, hoping to wake myself up enough to focus properly. Lack of sleep is driving me insane of late.
“You ok Jake?” Lilah’s sweet voice interrupted my drowsy thoughts.
“Yeah. Just tired, hunni. You?” I smile at her.
“You should try going to bed earlier.” she grins.
She may make a valid point. I had been up late last night chatting to Ruby in the packhouse after gaming again. It is becoming a regular occurrence. But it beats sitting on my own at home on my own. The other guys are all home with their mates, so they are busy, rarely on their consoles now, so I tend to arrange to meet Ruby in the Packhouse for a couple of games on the consoles we have set up in the lounge there. Knowing she is probably lonely too. It won’t do us any harm to spend time together when we are both lonely.
Then we end up sat on the sofa chatting about anything and everything for hours, sometimes once we have finished playing on the consoles. Sometimes until the early hours. Much like this morning. Hence, why I am running off coffee so much lately. I should probably tell her I need to cut down on staying up so late, but I feel bad for her, she must be lonely to feel the need to stay around and talk to me, so I stay and talk to her. Plus, I kind of like chatting to her.
“Yes Mama” I stick my tongue out at her.
She ruffles my dark hair with a smirk, as people start to file into the room. I truly could not be messed with a meeting today. I am likely to drop off to sleep with people droning on about numbers and sales.
‘Try to stay awake Jakey’ Lilah links ‘might not look too good if our Beta drops off for a nap mid meeting’ she winks.
I try not to laugh at her. She does not realise how close to the truth she is with that prediction! I need match sticks to hold my eyes open right about now!
‘Yes boss’ I link her back with a smile. As we head to the door to greet people. As I do, I am hit by the most amazing scent…
…blueberries and a hint of mountain violet? The scent was drawing me toward the door. Could this be… no? surely not…
And there in front of us was the source of the alluring scent, the most beautiful woman. Tall, shoulder length auburn hair and beautiful pale skin, and the most stunning, deep green eyes, now locked with mine. My wolf, Jaxx is howling inside of my head, ‘Mate’ ‘Mate’.
Could this really be her here now?! After all this time? She is so beautiful. I feel frozen in time just looking at her. The noises around me are blurred together. I can’t take my eyes off her.
“Jake. Jake” Lilah elbows me gently, snapping me out of my daze.
I suddenly look to her. “Jake this Rose Cartwright” Lilah smiles. “Rose, this is our Beta and business partner, Jake Joseph. I am Lilah Winters. My husband, Knox, is back at the pack at the moment, but is able to come along if you should need him to attend.”
I offer my hand to the young she-wolf that has travelled across half the world for this meeting, the one I believe is my fated mate. She is eyeing me with caution. I wonder if she can also sense what I can? Is her wolf, like mine, waiting for the confirmation of our touch from the handshake that we are in fact fated mates?
But instead of taking my hand, she raises her eyebrows slightly at me before nodding and walking past to sit down. Leaving me standing looking and feeling like quite a fool.
I don’t understand. Should she not be excited about meeting her fated mate? This cannot just be it, can it?
A delayed flight then a dump of a hotel is the last thing I need before a meeting. But clearly, things do not seem to be going my way.But I promised my father I would go and get this business deal completed and that is what I intend to do. It should not be too difficult, most of the deal has been discussed and dealt with online and over the telephone, so just the finalisations have to be done in person. And it meant I got to do a little bit of travelling, at the expense of my Dad, so I was most definitely not going to complain at that!Though he could have at least booked me a better seat on the plane. Sitting next to a screaming kid the whole way was not my idea of fun. Jeez I hate kids. Sick to death of that fucking baby by the time we got to the airport. Surely she could have just put a fucking bottle in it’s mouth or something to shut it up. Or just choose not to fly with it. Instead of torturing everyone else on the plane, having to listen to it wail incessantly for the entirety
“Ok, thank you for coming.” Lilah says, bringing the meeting to a close.Thank goddess that it has finally ended. The meeting had dragged on for a couple of hours, discussing all the minute details they needed to. And while that normally does not bother me, today I was most definitely distracted and wanted to go and speak to this girl.She had avoided any interaction with me throughout the meeting. Which had irritated me. Me being here in all honesty today was pointless. I would be explaining everything to Lilah later. But right now I am ready to blow a fucking gasket, I swear!But I have sat and been the professional that I am expected to be, providing all the papers needed, giving answers when needed, making drinks and just being present. Despite being otherwise occupied on other things. Now the meeting was over, I hoped to get a chance to speak to Rose. Hopefully, she will give me that chance. Surely she must want that too? I am potentially her mate after all?I look across to wher
I watched Jake stand in the doorway of the room as Rose walks down the corridor away from the conference room. She seemed quite happy to walk away from him, relieved almost, and like there was no issue in leaving her newly-fated mate. But Jake bless him, he looks confused and unsure right now. And to be honest, I can understand why. She did not give much away. She was a truly closed book. Hiding something, I am almost certain of that.Did she want him? But at a later time? There seemed to be no instant connection like there had been with Dan and Indie, or Manny and Lola. Or any fated mates I had seen meet. It seemed so bizarre. She seemed very standoffish. Or was she simply hiding it? Fighting it because she was scared? Simply because she did not expect it to happen like she had said? It just seems so odd. There seemed to be nothing from her whatsoever. Though she had infuriated me and I wanted to rip her apart. Being so disrespectful of me and of Jake too. That is not how you act to
I ruffled her hair, knowing it would have driven her crazy. Because that’s the good friend I am. I treat Lilah like a younger sister now, and have done since she came into my life all them years ago.She loves me for it, I am sure. The death stare she is giving me right now may say otherwise, and is something I can pretend I don’t see. She is a scary gal when she is moody and I don’t have Knox here to help me out today. So pissing her off may not be in my best interest. Though I am sure today I may have the sympathy card to play given what has just happened, so that could most definitely work in my favour at least!“You wanting a coffee or you heading home hunni?” I aimed for the nice angle, hoping she would be heading home as I really do not feel like chatting.As awful as that sounds, I just don't want to be sat chatting for ages with Lilah, and have her trying to dissect everything and look at every little detail, as the girls so often do. I know it would be meant in the most suppo
I got to the hotel, glad to finally rest. Today has been far from the straight forward day promised to me by my father when he asked me to come and represent the company for them. Meeting my fated mate had only added to the disaster. Luna Lilah seemed to think she had the right to get involved with it all, when I did not see how it is any of her business.If I was Jake’s mate, then surely that would be between myself and Jake. Not anything to do with his Luna and Alpha. Yet she seemed to take serious offense at me saying I was not able to be with him at the moment. Not to mention, I have a partner back home that he does not know about yet.I get undressed, stepping into the shower, ready to wash off the dirt of the flight and meeting too. I am assuming once Jake gets back to pack I will get a phone call and we can discuss all of this. It is practical to keep your fated mate as an option. I am aware of that, and I do intend to do that. It is not like my fated mate is all that ugly, or
I came off the phone to Rose with a smile on my face and Jaxx purring in my mind. He seems happy to know that his mate is close by, yet unsettled too that she is not by his side. Ok, she is not with us, and this is definitely unsual circumstances, but we are working on it. I am hoping to sort that with time.I guess listening to everything she said I can only agree that she deserves a little time to take in what has happened, and get her things under control and in order before making any commitments to being with me. Especially when being with me means moving to a different country. It is a big change to expect anyone to have to take on, especially a young woman that is a successful business woman.So I am willing to give her that time. Give her that space and that freedom to do what she needs to get everything in order, ready to come and be my mate. Or that is what I am hoping anyway. She has not exactly agreed to that as yet, but I am hoping that is what she will do. And I am reall
I saw Jake leaving his house. I thought he must have been held up at work when he hadn't shown in the packhouse for our gaming session we had arranged. And his mindlink was blocked. So I assumed he was still in work. Like had happened in the past. So I headed up to see my sister knowing she had a day off today, or I say a day off, I mean a day doing her never ending amount of coursework she was completing now her course was coming to a close.So am I to assume that he hadn't been at work? And just didn’t want to come gaming? Surely he could have just let me know? I am a little offended by that, I have to say. I enjoy our time chilling out together. He is one of the few friends I have made since moving here. And up until this had happened, he always seemed to have time for me.I was just leaving Gabe and Esme’s after having a coffee with Esme. I had hoped to spend a little longer with her, but she looked shattered, so I decided to finish my drink and head off home. As I was beginning t
I finally let Jaxx out through the forest at the top of the packland, up near the borders where I know I won’t be disturbed. Needing to feel the pain of pushing myself to my limit running up there, loving the sensation of the breeze through Jaxx’s fur as he paces through the trees at speed. I could still sense he was on edge, but allowing him out to run helped. He could let some of the unused energy up speeding around the forest, and in hunting small prey within the forest too. The fact he was not doing well with this showed how distracted his mind must be, as normally he was a refined hunter. Meeting Rose had clearly affected him. Clearly playing on his mind. Though it was still playing on my mind, so it is understandable.This was not how we had thought meeting our mate would be. This is not how it is supposed to be. Though I know you can't plan for everything to be perfect, this was beyond strange and it has really set me on edge. Something told me it didn't feel right, but I was t