Alessia looked at some of the paintings and flooring samples she found in her folder as she observed the offices, looking for what furniture or designs would fit in perfectly in them, and also measuring the size of tables and also the ventilation of each office as she planned everything out on her tablet.

People looked at her and although they knew she was a professional, they were also mesmerised by her beauty.

Alessia asked her secretary to arrange a meeting with the bosses for her as she had to show them the plan and let them go through it and state their opinions of her designs. She's really starting to like her new job but her mind often drifts to that man.

Her secretary arranged the meeting into which the bosses agreed to, so they were now seated in the boardroom as all eyes focused on Alessia who stood at the front of the whole room, her eyes drifted to the two empty seats, one at the ending of the table which seems to be the chair of the CEO and another one beside the CEOs chair and she wondered why they weren't here,

" Mr Marcus and Duncan wouldn't attend the meeting because they had to attend to some business related matters but they gave us a go ahead to the meeting you can start. "

Alessia nodded her head and faced the PowerPoint as she kept on changing the designs and explaining them while some asked her questions related to her designs and how she thinks it would fit in, after the meeting ended, they all liked her presentations, especially her designs and gave her a go ahead.

She smiled as she walked into her office and picked up her phone. She dialled Zelda's number and the call was answered on the second ring.

"Hey, girl. How was your first day at work?! I hope no one dared to bully you. "

"My first day is going well and no, no one bullied me, so can you stop thinking about that." Alessia replied and rolled her eyes as she spoke into the phone.

"Okay, so why did you call me if no one bullied you?"

"I wanted to invite you to go shopping with me. My project was accepted and I really need to go shopping for some furniture and have it delivered the next morning, but I can't do that without your assistance. Are you free to help?!" She asked and the other side of the call went silent for a minute, making Alessia think that she was asking too much from her best friend.

"Of course, I'll be glad to help you with getting some furniture. Why would you even ask for such silly things? We are best friends, so if we can't help each other when one of us is in need of help from the other, then who will?" Zelda replied and giggled into the phone. Alessia couldn't help but smile even more at her friend's response.

***

Alessia drove into the garage of one of the biggest industrial malls in Las Vegas. Getting down from her car with Zelda, they both walked to the entrance of the mall and were greeted by a salesgirl.

Alessia listed out the type of carpets and the quantity she wanted and the salesgirl showed her where each item she wanted was. Alessia also chose different kinds of landscape wallpapers with good colour for the eyesight. Zelda helped her in choosing the type of lamps and colours that would be perfect for the design. They made an arrangement with the salesgirl for their packages to be delivered the next morning and they were handed their receipts and the list of things they bought.

"It was fun coming to the mall with you." Zelda said, as the both walked to another section of various equipment in the mall.

"It has been a long time since we last went to a mall together and I can't help feeling happy about my new job." She replied, smiling, but then she sighed.

"So have you met any hottie in your office?" Zelda asked, teasing her and Alessia's cheeks reddened like a tomato, as she remembered the intense gaze of the man from earlier.

She still couldn't shake off the way his eyes held so much possession over her, she couldn't help but feel intoxicated with his gaze and it seemed to bring out desires she couldn't explain.

"I met a weird but handsome man today." She replied, not wanting to tell Zelda that it was also the same man in the club.

"What made him weird?! " She sneered,

"The way he stares at me with so much....intensity."

" How does he stare at you?! You make me feel kinky by your words. " Zelda blurted out with a light scoff.

" He stares at me like a predator, he gives me goosebumps all over. " She said, as her mind drifted to when she felt him say "Mate" maybe it was just an illusion and she decided to forget about it.

" A man you just met is already giving you goosebumps. Are you sure you haven't met him before? " She asked, as she stared at her friend who seemed to be deep in thought.

How could she tell her friend that this man makes her feel something she had never felt before, something intense?

" You seem to be keeping something away from me and I would make sure I get to figure out what it is. " Zelda stated.

" Don't you seem to notice that man over there? He has been looking at you. " She whispered into Alessia's ears as she moved her gaze to where the man was.

Alessia looked up to see who the man was and her eyes came in contact with the most red-blooded eyes she had ever seen…

He looked muscular, with silky red lips and he was tall, but not as tall as the weird man but he was such a sight to behold but what Alessia didn't understand was why he was looking at her, watching her intently, like trying to read her mind but she couldn't feel any spark, she just felt nothing but tensed under his gaze.

" I think it's time we get going. The shopping we did today is enough. " She said, as she gulped down her saliva.

" Who do you think that man could be?! He seems to be staring at you intently. Does he have something against you?! " Zelda threw question after question at Alessia as they walked out of the mall.

" I don't know, Zelda. That's what I'm still going to find out. "

" Didn't you see his skin! So pale, like that of the vampires we watch in movies. "

" This isn't one of the fantasy movies you watch. " She walked ahead of her to the car with a backward glance.

She felt so nervous to her bones. Coincidentally, she has had eye contact with two different scary men on a roll and also the same week.

What was really going on?!

To be continued...

In the night.

Alessia laid on the bed as her thoughts drifted back to the night before, when her gaze met with that weird man. Why does she feel so affected by him?! It seems an unknown force keeps drawing her to him even though they had just met a day ago. She was sure not going to get enough of this because another scary man was also staring at her intently, which scared the hell out of her but didn't allow her expression to be visible enough to create any suspicions from Zelda.

Her head began to form worry lines as she thought about it, then the ringtone of her phone interrupted her thoughts, she sat up from her bed and picked her phone from the mini-table beside her bed.

The caller ID was her mum and she smiled, she really needed to hear the voice of her mother. It has been a long time since she last visited the house of her mother.

"Hey hun, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks, you?"

"Yes, thanks. Are you eating enough? Do you need anything?"

"I don't need anything, mum. How's Martin?"

"He's doing well and he also says hi. What about Zelda, how's she doing?"

"She's also doing great."

"When are you going to come visit us?!"

"I don't know mum but very soon. I just got a new job."

"Oh my goodness! I'm so happy for you. I knew you were gonna make me proud."

"Yes, thanks mum."

"Alessia. I really miss you. I would love to see you again, but I know you're busy so make sure you take good care of yourself."

"I miss you too, mum but I don't think I can come back to that house." She said in a sincere voice.

"Martin has really changed and he would..."

"I'm feeling sleepy, mum." Alessia cut her mother short and noticing the displeasure in her daughter's tone she decided to bid her a goodnight and ended the call.

Alessia stared at the phone blankly deep in thought about the conversation she'd just had with her mother and all the weird things that had happened that day.

She became tired and shook her head, snapping her out of her thoughts as she lay back on her bed and went to sleep. All the drama of the day had worn her out, but it had also made it certain she would sleep that night.

The next morning.

When Alessia got into the company, she greeted the receptionist and the others she met with a smile as she walked towards the elevator that was coming down. She didn't get to see the person in the elevator as she kept searching for her ID card, but couldn't find it. She could feel a very cold gaze behind her but she was too distracted to notice as her bag slipped from her hands and the things in her bag fell to the floor, she bent to pick up what had fallen from her bag.

While picking up, she could feel her butt brush against something hard before a hand touches her exposed skin under her shirt, she stiffened as her bones quivered due to the unexpected touch and it was then she realized someone was in the elevator with her and he/she was standing behind her but the feel of the person's rough skin made her realize it was a man and her face flushed in embarrassment.

" Sorry.... " She swallowed back her words as she came face to face with the man of the club and yesterday, he dropped his hands holding her butt and clenched them tightly at his sides. Her heart jolted when she saw him.

" Mate! " She thought she heard him mutter again, but decided against thinking of it. She fiddled with her fingers nervously as the tension in the elevator became even hotter.

" I'm sorry, I didn't know you were behind me. " She stuttered as she made a wide gap between them. His gaze still remained on her, sensing her every move, hearing her heart beating faster, being intoxicated by him and feeling deeply nervous and ashamed, but he liked the feeling of his hand on her butt and it seems he couldn't get enough of it because although it was just a brief touch, it had awakened his beast. He never thought he would be so drawn to a mere human.

Alessia's heart gave a flutter when he swiftly walked towards her and grabbed her, pinning her two hands over her head against the elevator wall.

He brought his nose closer to her neck as he exhaled in her perfume, loving the way she smelt.

" What are you doing?! " She asked hazily.

" What do you think I'm doing?! " He brought his mouth even closer to her ear as his body pressed against hers. He had a wicked glint in his eyes which made Alessia's legs tremble.

" You're far way too close, " She breathed out, his hand went to her hip, holding her steady while his other hand caged her two hands above her head, as his body loomed over hers.

" Are you affected by my touch?! You smell so good. " he brought his nose closer to her hair, sniffing in her scent. She smells extremely good, so much so that Marcus couldn't seem to get enough of it. She was his! His mate! He was unable to stay away from her, he was confused and also affected by her at the same time.

" Let me go! What the heck do you think you're doing?! Who the hell are you?! " She snorted contemptuously, trying to break free from his hold. The man appeared to be so strange. Only an animal comes to someone and starts sniffing the person's body but this man was... unpredictable? He appeared strange but powerful, she felt the presence of authority and dominance around him.

The elevator dinged open, and two other ladies walked in, but their eyes widened in shock at what they saw. They were flabbergasted to see their Boss and the new interior designer, everyone has been talking about, in an intimate position.

Alessia felt deeply embarrassed as she hid her face away, but it didn't stop there because the man still held her waist tightly. He moved his lips to her collarbone and gently placed a kiss just between her shoulder and neck, where he would mark her and it caused a pleasurable shiver to go through her whole body.

Alessia moaned slightly, this man was also a pervert. She was deeply affected by his touch, she had never felt so vulnerable not until now and with this strange man.

All this was witnessed by the two ladies in the elevator, but as Marcus left her, he turned and gave them a scary glare which made them screech in fear.

Alessia exhaled deeply, rubbing her wrists that had been held for long and was now hurting her.

....

Marcus walked into his office, he hadn't expected himself to behave the way he did earlier but her scent drove him crazy and there's only one explanation to it and it's because she was his mate.

He had to find a way to reject her as soon as possible because the more she remains his mate, the more his wolf gets crazy.

He doesn't want a weak human to be his mate because they only bring nothing but disaster and he doesn't want that for himself or his pack.

He had to reject her as his mate as soon as possible and by doing that, he has to say the words to her face that he rejects her as his mate and also the future Luna of his pack but the only problem is, would she be able to accept the bond to be broken because she's a human and wouldn't know anything about this or even what he is?

Thinking about this just made everything more confusing for him and hard.

Could the bond ever be broken?!

To be continued...

The morning goes by quickly with Alessia ordering and placing the designs where it was supposed to be. Her mind was occupied with work but that didn't stop her from thinking about that strange man, she was fond of calling him strange since she didn't know his name.

Alessia was talking to one of the workers appointed to her when Collins, one of her colleagues, walked up to her with a charming smile.

" You're such a hard-working and beautiful lady, Alessia " he complimented and Alessia smiled in return. She knew that Collins had an eye for her since she started working here but she doesn't feel anything for him because he wasn't her type, or maybe she has no specific type in a man.

" Thank you, Collins. You're not too bad yourself. You appear so charming. " She replied and that made his smile widen. He appeared to be handsome but she felt nothing for him.

" I just wanted to ask, if we could go out tonight for dinner. " He said.

" I... "

" Please don't reject my offer. It's just a friendly offer and nothing else, I promise. " He persuaded and Alessia couldn't help but accept his offer since he said it was nothing but a friendly dinner.

" Thank you so much, Alessia. You won't regret it. "

In the night.

" Wait! What did you just say? You're going out on a dinner date with a guy. I'm so happy for you. Finally, you may have met your life partner. " Zelda ranted, pacing to and fro as she talked about Alessia's date, but Alessia couldn't help tiredly shaking her head. She had tried explaining to her best friend that it wasn't a date but just a mere friendly dinner and nothing else but it seems she misquoted her.

" It isn't a date. " Alessia snapped.

Alessia walked into the restaurant dressed in a black silk dress which stopped just above her knee and had one side strap on her shoulder while the other side looked like a wrapping design which made her look extremely elegant. Even though this wasn't a date she still wanted to look right, especially in a place like this that had a certain dress code.

She looked around the restaurant and knew it was solely for upper-class patrons, not for people like her. She let out a sigh, she thought Collins had said this was a friendly dinner then why did he tell her to come to such a high-class restaurant.

A waiter walked towards her and showed her to the table where Collins was already seated. He was dressed in a white suit that had a red bow on it. She couldn't understand why he was dressed like that or why he had everything arranged as if this was a date, but she decided against thinking so because she wouldn't like it if she got to know he tricked her into coming to have dinner with him thinking it was just a friendly dinner.

" You look absolutely beautiful, Alessia. " He said and gestured for her to sit down, by pulling out her chair for her like a gentleman.

She sat down and smiled at him, " You don't look too bad yourself, but why would you bring me to such an expensive restaurant?! " She threw the question at him.

" You deserve all the best, Alessia or do you expect me to bring you to a high-end restaurant in the streets. " He replied and they both chuckled.

" I never knew you were such a funny guy. " She flushed, as the same waiter earlier walked towards them to take their order.

" I would like some sushi and a white wine. Thank you! "

" So, tell me about yourself? " Collins asked, after the waiter left.

" Well, there's nothing to say about me except that my name is Alessia. " She stated and he chuckled and placed his right hand on hers, her inner muscles jolted up, but not at his touch but at the feeling of being watched.

She could feel a penetrating gaze behind her, watching her closely, she could feel it and was extremely uncomfortable.

The waiter walked up to them with their order and served it on the decorated table.

" I would like to know a lot more about you. " Collins said, which made Alessia frown but it wasn't obvious.

" Why would you want to know more about me? "

" Why do I feel like you're being secretive about yourself?! I would like us to be more than just friends. " He muttered, taking her hand in his, bringing them closer to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of her hand, all this was witnessed by Marcus, who sat on a chair five feet away from theirs.

" Friends?! And who told you we were friends. " The deliberate cruelty of her words cut deep through him like a knife but he decided to giggle it away.

Seeing his mate having fun with another man, Marcus's wolf couldn't help but become restless and angry, there was an internal struggle between him and his wolf, as it tried to fight for control over his body.

" You have to stop, Draven."

" Mate! Mate is with another man. I want my mate. She's mine, only! " His wolf, Draven roared in rage.

" Sir, we have been talking about the contract. When can we get your signature on it?! " His inner thoughts were distracted by the man who he had come to the restaurant with, for a business deal.

Throughout the dinner, Alessia felt uncomfortable and she finally glanced behind her to take a peek at who was looking at her, then her eyes met with his. She felt a little creeped out with him being there, but she was also glad in case Collins makes a move on her.

He had been acting strangely and she didn't like that, she was even regretting ever accepting his offer.

" Where would you like to go after this dinner?! " He smiled.

" Where else could I go, except from my house. "

" You could follow me to mine. I have a lot of comfortable rooms. " He winked at her,

" What are you insinuating?! I came here to have a friendly dinner with you but I didn't expect you to be nothing but a douchebag. " She scoffed, her patience almost reaching its limits.

" You don't have to shout. My offer isn't a big deal, I like you and I would love to screw you." He said, while licking the side of his lips.

" You... " Her words were cut short as she felt a familiar presence looming over her from the back. Collins's face went as white as a sheet upon seeing the tall, muscular and imposing man standing behind Alessia, glaring daggers at him.

He didn't recognize Marcus as his boss. Marcus is the owner and CEO of Walter's Enterprise but only a handful of staff had seen him.

" And, who the hell do you think you are to touch mine! "

To be continued...