THE ALPHA WHO ONCE LOVED ME

I could barely get any sleep last night, but that didn't stop me fro waking up early to get ready for my first day. After what happened last night, I had to impress Mr Vale today.

 I stared at my reflection for the tenth time that morning, tugging at the hem of my skirt. It was tighter than I remembered, too tight. Now I was wondering if it was actually professional at all or it just says "hire me daddy." I should have gotten new corporate wears too.

I sighed and reached for the blazer draped on the bed, hoping it covers my butt a little bit. Not wasting anymore time, I headed to my car and drove straight to Wolfe Enterprises.

By the time I reached the compamy's glass door, my palms were already sweaty, my confidence was thining. I made my way to his office, but he was already there when I walked in. He didn't look at me immediately but the atmosphere had already changed the moment I stepped in.

"You're late" he said flatly.

"But it's 8:59-"

He finally looked up. One look. That's what it took to make my throat dry up God, his eyes did something to me and I couldn't just understand it..

"I said 8;45. Early means prepared." he replied.

Right. Great start, Tessa.

"I'm sorry sir." 

"There's a file from accounting I need on my desk in 30 minutes. Third floor. Ask for Mr Jasper, get the file sorted."

"Right away sir." I said and left immediately.

My heels clicked gently on the marbled floor as I made my way to accounting department. I colleted what I was sent to get and sorted the file. Just as I was about to head back I heard laughters by the corner. I didn't mean to eavesdrop.

"-honestly, I don't get it," one voice saud, feminine and amused. "His last PA was flawless, effecient. Never a single complaint."

"Exactly," another voice replied. "And then he fred her and brings a Bimbo with zero experience. Have you seen her? Looks like she wandered in from a modelling gig."

"Maybe that's the point."

"Or maybe she's is new entertainment."

I froze. My chest tightening. Their words hurt but they were true. Why would he just hire me, a nobody that came out of nowhere? Was it because of my looks and body? 

I tried to shake the thoughts off. None of that mattered now. I have the job now. I have to prove to all of them that I am just as efficient or more because I am Tessa freaking Morgan!

By the time I got back to his office, my palms were slick with sweat again - though I blamed that on the elevator, not the whispers I'd just overheard.

I pushed the door open quietly. Lucian was still behind his desk, head bent over some documents like the world outside didn't exist. I hated that he looked so calm, like nothing ever got to him.

"Sir, the file from accounting," I said, setting it down carefully on his desk.

He didn't even glance up. "Leave it there."

I should've just dropped it and left, but for some reason, I wanted it to look neat - wanted him to see that I could do something right. So I leaned forward, aligning the folder edges with the others. The faint click of my bracelet echoed in the silence.

That's when I felt it. The weight of his stare.

I froze, my pulse stumbling. His pen had stopped moving. His hand, the one holding it, flexed once against the desk.

"Sir?" I asked quietly, glancing up.

"Don't."

The word came out sharp, rough - not loud, but it hit like a slap.

I blinked. "Don't what?"

His jaw tightened. He still wasn't looking at me. "Just... give me a minute."

I frowned, straightening up. "I'm sorry if I did something wrong-"

"Wrong?" he muttered under his breath, finally looking at me. For a second, I almost forgot to breathe. His eyes were darker than I remembered - like there was something fierce burning just beneath the surface.

"I'll just..." I took a small step back, trying not to sound nervous. "I'll sort the files on the side table instead."

I reached forward again, and my sleeve brushed his arm - just barely, but it was enough.

A low sound rumbled from his chest.

A growl.

I froze, heart leaping to my throat. "Did you just-growl at me?"

He didn't answer. He was staring at me like I was something he couldn't quite name - or maybe something he shouldn't want.

"Oh my God," I blurted, backing up a little. "You're one of those creepy, dominant boss types, aren't you? Look, I really need this job, but if you think-"

"Tessa."

My name rolled out of him like thunder - deep, low, and not humanly calm.

I swallowed hard. "What?"

His chest rose and fell once, like he was fighting to hold himself together. Then:

"Go home."

I blinked. "Sir, I haven't even spent up to two hours-"

"Go. Home."

This time it wasn't a request. It was a warning.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the look in his eyes made my words die instantly. Something about him scared me - not in a danger way, but in that weird, spine-prickling, heart-racing way I couldn't explain.

So I nodded, grabbed my bag, and slipped out.

As the elevator doors closed behind me, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered under my breath, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart was still racing. My skin still tingled where my sleeve had brushed him.

And for the life of me, I couldn't tell if I was terrified...

or drawn to him.

Lucian's POV

The door slammed behind her, and the silence that followed was deafening.

Tessa Morgan.

Of all the damn people..... it had to be her.

I'd recognized her the second she stepped that morning - those eyes, that voice. Older now, more guarded, but still her. The girl I used to know. The one I ruined everything with.

But she didn't recognize me.

Not even a flicker of memory.

And maybe that should've been a relief.

It wasn't.

The wolf in me had gone wild the moment she entered the room. I'd told myself it was just attraction - human, simple, controllable. But when she leaned over my desk, when her scent hit me, when her heartbeat synced with mine...

It wasn't attraction. It was recognition.

My chest tightened painfully. The wolf stirred, whispering one word that chilled me to the bone.

Mate.

No. It couldn't be. Not her. Not after everything.

I slammed my hand against the desk, cracking the wood. "Get out," I'd told her - not because I was angry at her, but because I was angry at myself. Because the sound of her breathing, the way her lips parted when she was nervous, was enough to make me lose every ounce of control I'd built over the years.

She left in a hurry, confusion written across her face.

Now, standing there, I could still feel her in the room - her scent, her presence, the ghost of her laughter from years ago echoing somewhere deep inside me.

I'd promised myself I'd never go back to who I was back then. I'd keep to that promise.

"Tessa," I whispered to the empty office.

"Why did you have to come back?"

Tessa's POV

The diner looked brighter tonight - or maybe I was just desperate for something that didn't scream "total disaster."

I sank into a booth by the window, hair still slightly frizzy from the rain, and stirred the melting ice in my soda. The day had been a trainwreck. I'd been scolded, humiliated, and-God help me-growled at by my boss.

Growled.

What kind of man does that?

"Rough day?"

I looked up to see Eli sliding into the seat across from me, wearing his usual grin and a plaid shirt that made him look annoyingly comfortable.

"You have no idea," I sighed.

"Try me. You look like you're about to murder someone with that straw."

I gave a small laugh despite myself. "My boss. He's... ugh. He's impossible."

"Hmm?" His brow arched. "You know, people around here talk about him like he's the damn Pope and the devil rolled into one."

"Yeah, well, today he was definitely the devil." I leaned closer. "You won't believe what happened. He literally-growled. At me. That's so disgusting and perverted."

Eli froze, his easy smile faltering for a second.

I caught it. That flicker of something-fear? shock?-before he forced a laugh. "Growled? Like, actually grrr?"

"Yes!" I said, frustrated. "I was reaching for a file, and he just-snapped. I don't know what's wrong with him."

Eli cleared his throat and glanced around the diner before leaning in. "And what were you wearing when Mr. Ice King lost his mind?"

I frowned. "A pencil skirt and a blouse. Why?"

He smirked, eyes twinkling. "Because if you walked into his office looking like that," he gestured vaguely toward my hips, "I don't blame the man for forgetting how to act human."

I threw a napkin at him. "Eli!"

"What? I'm gay, not blind." He laughed, then his voice softened. "But seriously, be careful, Tess. He's not like other guys in this town."

I rolled my eyes. "You mean rich, arrogant, and allergic to fun?"

He hesitated, his expression briefly serious. "No. I mean different. Just-trust me, okay?"

 "You sound like you actually know him."

"Maybe I do." He forced a grin again, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Anyway! Forget him. Tomorrow's a new day. You'll kill it."

"Yeah," I muttered, taking a sip of my soda. "If he doesn't fire me first."

When Eli left to take another order, I glanced out the window. Across the street, a sleek black car was parked - engine running, lights off. For a second, I could've sworn I saw someone watching.

But when I blinked, it was gone.