Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

7 Chapter 7

Damien’s POV 1

The pack territory negotiations had concluded hours ago, but I couldn’t focus on anything except that voice from this afternoon’s phone call. Sitting in my suite at the Moonstone Hotel, I stared at the tumbler of whiskey in my hand, replaying that calm yet resilient feminine

voice in my mind.

As an Alpha, I was accustomed to immediate submission and awe. But there had been something different in her voice-something that made my inner wolf restless, as if we’d encountered her before somewhere, though I couldn’t place where.

“You terrified that poor woman,” my wolf Alex grumbled in my mind. “She’s probably already quit.”

The thought bothered me more than it should have. Most assistants fled after a single encounter with my temper, leaving Claire to clean up the mess. But something about this Seraphina Knight intrigued me-the way she’d maintained her composure despite my obvious

fury, the slight tremor in her voice that suggested fear but not submission.

Just then, Claire called.

“Good evening, Alpha. I hear you frightened my replacement?” Her tone carried that familiar note of mockery that only she could get

away with after decades of service to my family.

“Claire, where did you find this woman?” I asked directly, my curiosity about the mysterious assistant growing stronger by the minute.

“Her name is Seraphina Knight. Silver Moon Harbor Business School graduate, exceptional abilities. Single mother, works harder than anyone I’ve ever supervised.” Claire paused deliberately, and I could practically hear her smiling through the phone. “More importantly— she didn’t run away after you scared her. She’s still there working, which tells me she has real backbone.”

“Single mother?” Something about that detail caught my attention.

“Four-year-old son named Adrian. Sweet boy- she showed me his photo.” Claire’s voice softened. “She’s had a hard life, Damien. But

she’s not looking for pity or handouts. She just wants to work.”

After hanging up, I immediately pulled up Seraphina’s employment file on my laptop. Twenty-three years old, graduated summa cum laude from Silver Moon Harbor Business School, previous employment at smaller firms with glowing recommendations. No photograph

attached-HR’s standard privacy protocol for new hires.

professional but brief, mentioning her desire to work for a company that valued merit over

phone chimed with an email notification.

Daily Summary

*Mr. Nightshadow,*

a summary of today’s activities and several items requiring your attention upon your return. I’ve also

for the upcoming week based on priority

1/3

best support your objectives.*

*Best regards,*

*Seraphina Knight*

Assistant to the

drivel. Instead, I found a meticulously organized report

but strategic insights about upcoming meetings, potential conflicts in my calendar,

optimizing my daily workflow.

the job for exactly one

not just surviving-she’s thinking like a

why. The familiar ache of loneliness pressed against my chest-a constant reminder

for

Alex observed

downing the rest of my whiskey.

my mate, growing increasingly cynical about the

the weight of leadership. I’d had brief encounters, meaningless affairs with women drawn to

that stirred

once, five years

with unexpected force-a moonlit night during the pre-Lunar Assembly celebration, a mysterious woman in

now, five years later, I could

the soft gasp she’d made when

we’d been created for each

next morning, she was gone.

I’d been forced to choose

as it always