Page 20 of Auditing the Alpha

Everything okay? Pack senses your anxiety from here.

I smiled despite my nerves. Klaus had returned to Pine Peak two weeks ago to prepare for my arrival, but we’d spoken daily. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe the bond between us was real enough that he could sense my emotional state from hundreds of miles away.

Just last-minute jitters,I texted back.Still planning to hit the road in an hour.

His reply came immediately:

Drive safe. I’ll be waiting. The whole pack is preparing a welcome dinner that will probably terrify you.

I laughed out loud, some of my tension easing. Then my phone rang—Timothy Grey, my soon-to-be ex-boss.

“Jordan,” he said when I answered, not bothering with pleasantries. “I’m calling to make one final attempt to change your mind about this… sabbatical.”

I sighed, sitting on my lone remaining piece of furniture—a kitchen stool. “It’s not a sabbatical, Timothy. I’m relocating permanently.”

“To Pine Peak.” His voice dripped with disdain. “A town with more trees than people, to open a one-man accounting practice. After everything this firm has invested in your career.”

“I appreciate the opportunities Bergman, Grey has provided,” I said diplomatically. “But this is the right move for me personally and professionally.”

Timothy made a noise of disbelief. “This is about that tree farmer, isn’t it? The one you were supposed to audit, not… fraternize with.”

I winced at his accuracy. “Klaus is part of the decision, yes. But so is the quality of life, the community—”

“Spare me,” Timothy interrupted. “You’re throwing away a promising career for a fling with a lumberjack.”

I thought of Klaus—Alpha werewolf, business owner, and the man who looked at me like I was essential to his existence. “He’s more than a lumberjack,” I said mildly. “And it’s more than a fling.”

Timothy sighed heavily. “When this inevitably implodes, don’t expect your position here to be waiting.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I assured him. “Goodbye, Timothy.”

I hung up, feeling another weight lift from my shoulders. The last tie to my old life, severed cleanly.

My phone buzzed again with another text from Klaus:

Whatever he said, he’s wrong. You’re making the right choice. I’ll prove it to you every day.

I smiled, warmth spreading through me. The pack bond was definitely going to take some getting used to.

On my way soon,I texted back.Tell the pack to save some food for me.

Chapter 10

Five hours later, I crossed the Pine Peak town limits, my sedan loaded with the last of my possessions. The “Welcome to Pine Peak” sign seemed to wink at me in the late afternoon sunlight, as if sharing a private joke.

I drove straight to Klaus’s cabin—our cabin now, I supposed. We’d decided I would move in with him rather than finding my own place, a decision that had felt surprisingly natural despite its significance.

He was waiting on the porch as I pulled up, looking like every fantasy I’d ever had—flannel shirt rolled up to expose muscular forearms, beard neatly trimmed, those amber eyes locked on me with an intensity that still made my stomach flip.

Before I could even turn off the engine, he was at my door, opening it and pulling me into his arms.

“You’re here,” he murmured into my hair. “Finally.”

I melted into his embrace, the last of my doubts evaporating at his touch. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic outside Indianapolis was a nightmare.”

“You’re here now,” he repeated, pulling back to look at me. “That’s all that matters.”

He kissed me then, and it felt like coming home in a way my Chicago apartment never had.