Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 51: Chapter 51

Lena’s POV

Reed Calloway clearly didn’t get the memo, because the guy just kept going.

The next morning, a bouquet showed up at the office. The receptionist signed for it, fixed the arrangement like she was staging a photoshoot, and slipped a tiny card into the stems. I didn’t bother looking at it. At two in the afternoon, the bakery down the street delivered a box of pastries.

I handed the flowers to Priya since she mentioned last week the kitchen table looked "tragically empty." The pastries got dropped off in the break room and vanished in eleven minutes flat.

The whole week played out exactly like that.

By day three, my coworkers were practically scheduling their afternoons around the flower delivery. Jamie even started timing her coffee runs so she wouldn’t miss it. Priya showed up at the front desk every morning at ten on the dot, wearing the most unsubtle "I wonder what today is" face.

"More flowers," she announced one morning, leaning against my door with her coffee mug. "Tulips today. Super cute."

"Take them if you want," I said without looking up, eyes glued to my screen.

She trotted off, and a chorus of soft admiration floated from the reception area. I kept typing.

On Friday, I walked out with a group of coworkers, all of us complaining about a client meeting that had gone completely sideways. We were mid-story when I nearly missed him.

Reed stood not far away, dressed casually, hands shoved in his pockets. The moment I stepped outside, his eyes locked on me.

My coworkers slowed down. They figured it out instantly — this was the guy chasing me. One by one they said goodbye, giving me the kind of polite space people give when they really don’t want to be here for the awkward part.

Reed started toward me.

"Lena," he said, "you’re off work. Have dinner with me."

I stopped and looked him dead in the eye. "Did you not hear what I told you before?"

"I heard you." His face didn’t move a millimeter. "I’m just asking again."

I stared at him, and this sharp, unpleasant feeling settled in my chest. I hated being followed around. I hated the daily gifts.

No matter how clearly I turned him down, Reed wouldn’t back off. The whole thing sat wrong with me.

And suddenly it hit me — this must’ve been exactly how Dominic felt.

Back then, when I stuck close to him, I thought I was being persistent in a charming way. In his eyes, I probably looked just like this.

Dominic must really hate me—like, deep-down hate me. He’s just never said it out loud.

The thought hit me hard, and my mood tanked. I kept walking and answered without pausing, "I don’t want to have dinner with you."

Reed didn’t back off. He came up beside me, his tone suddenly all soft. "We’ve known each other for a long time. You don’t have to treat me like I’m a stranger."

I didn’t respond, just kept walking.

"The Moonborn Pack’s company overlaps with this one," he went on. "We’re gonna run into each other at work sooner or later. It’d be a lot easier if things weren’t so awkward between us."

I slowed down. "Are you seriously trying to pressure me using business?"

"No!" He sounded genuinely offended. "I mean... we could at least be friends. Just one meal. That’s all I’m asking."

"Clients and suppliers don’t need to grab dinner to work together," I said. "If you really knew me, you’d know I don’t revisit things I’ve already closed the book on."

I started walking again. He trailed behind me. "Then let’s start over! Wipe the slate clean, okay?"

"If I’m not interested, I’m not wasting my time. That’s just who I am."

"It’s been two weeks." His voice jumped, finally showing his frustration. "I’ve been trying to reach you for two weeks and you haven’t replied once!"

I stopped, turned, and looked him straight in the eye. "Because I don’t like you. Two months won’t change that, let alone two weeks."

Then I turned away and kept going.

Right then, a car rolled up beside me, matching my pace.

The window slid down, and Samuel leaned out from the driver’s seat, one arm resting casually on the wheel like we were old friends.

"Hey, Lena. What a coincidence." He gave me a crooked little smile. "Where you headed? I’ll give you a ride."

I glanced back. Reed had stopped a few steps behind, just staring at us.

At that moment, Samuel felt like my only exit. So I didn’t turn him down. I simply said, "Thanks."

I got in. The engine hummed to life, and before Reed could even move, Samuel pulled away. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Reed standing on the sidewalk, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

Samuel shot me a sideways look. "He your ex or something?"

"That was ages ago." I shifted my gaze away, not wanting to dig into it. "You can drop me at the next corner."

"Lena, have you eaten yet?" He merged into traffic before I could even get a word out. "If you haven’t, dinner’s on me."

"Samuel—"

But he was already acting like he’d made up his mind. "I know a spot nearby, just a few minutes away. And hey, I did save you back there. Let me treat you, yeah?"

I glanced his way. He kept his eyes on the road, shoulders loose, like none of this could be more natural.

"Fine," I said at last.

He looked pretty pleased with himself, that amused little smirk deepening.

Everyone at the restaurant knew him. The server called him "Alpha Samuel" with a kind of respectful tone and immediately led us to an excellent table. Samuel ordered without holding back at all.

The food was great, the conversation flowed effortlessly. Samuel didn’t bring up Reed again.

Then halfway through the meal, he said, "He’ll probably be back next week."

I didn’t need to ask who. We both knew.

"That’s good," I said. "Sooner than I expected."

"He’s not doing too well," Samuel said, spinning his fork between his fingers. "Guy pushes himself like crazy when he should be resting."

"He’ll get better."

Samuel looked straight at me, but I kept my gaze on my plate.

He went quiet for a moment. Then, almost like he was sharing gossip, he said, "Something I’ve been wondering... you really don’t love Dominic?"

I finally lifted my head. I met his eyes and answered with a small smile, "Dominic would never let me love him."

Samuel laughed too. "Honestly, you shouldn’t have agreed to dissolve the bond. Any other she-wolf would’ve held onto him tight—at least wrung a fortune out of him. But you? You walked away empty-handed. I mean it, I almost want to chase after you myself."

There was real admiration in his eyes when he said that.

It caught me off guard. "Are you serious?"

"Relax," he said, still sounding easygoing as ever, picking up his glass. "It was just a thought, that’s all."

"Dominic would never be cool with me chasing after you."

I froze for a second. Dominic? Why on earth would Dominic care about that?

Samuel set his glass down and looked at me like he was setting up a punchline. "Guess why."

"...Because he doesn’t want to see me again?" I tossed out the most realistic guess I had.

Samuel shook his head. He didn’t explain, just gave this knowing little smile that instantly got under my skin.

I stared at him for a long moment. He clearly had no intention of actually saying it, and he was absolutely enjoying keeping me in the dark.

And honestly, the way he acted just made me even more curious.

What was he hinting at? And what exactly did Dominic mean by all this?

-

By the next week, the weather warmed up, the sun finally showed its face, and the whole company descended into full-on chaos.

I was working late almost every night, dragging myself out of bed at dawn just to make it into the office on time. By the time opening day arrived, I was basically running on caffeine and stubbornness, too busy to think about anything beyond the next task.

The exhibition ran for three days. That kind of nonstop hustle actually helped. Noise everywhere, people everywhere—your brain doesn’t have much room left to wander.

After it wrapped up smoothly, the company finally gave us a three-day break. I shut off every alarm I had and slept until eleven before my phone started ringing.

I squinted at the screen.

Celeste was calling. I sat up immediately and answered.

"Lena." Her voice sounded strained, almost pained. "I need you to go see Dominic. I know what’s going through his mind, and he... he needs you right now."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!