Chapter 7

Bruce's POV

I watched the pale-faced young woman standing in the courtyard, my knuckles cracking as I clenched my fists.

Since returning from the border battlefield, the old injury on my leg had been flaring up repeatedly, and everyone around me knew better than to approach the East Wing carelessly. This was the first female who dared to barge in.

When the medicine bowl shattered earlier, I had heard footsteps at the door. I thought it was some careless servant, but I never expected it to be Logan's little girlfriend he'd brought back.

Her fingers trembled as they clutched at her dress.

Yet she still forced herself to look up and say, "I heard something break and thought someone might be hurt. I wanted to come in and see if anyone needed help."

I stared into her amber eyes.

That day at the training grounds when she stumbled into my arms, I had noticed those eyes. They were as clear as mountain spring water from the deep wilderness, utterly devoid of the calculation and flattery I saw in the eyes of other females in Silver Crown City. I suppressed the emotions churning inside me and coldly demanded to know who had given her permission to enter.

I had frightened her badly. I seemed to have scared her quite a bit.

But before I could exchange more than two sentences with her, Logan rushed over and took her away.

How disappointing.

I followed behind them back to the living room. Logan went to handle his affairs while the young woman remained in the living room.

The girl noticed me. She had just turned to leave when I suddenly spoke: "Stop."

Her entire body froze in place.

Actually, I had seen her in the garden earlier, looking at those roses with such concentration. Logan had told me she enjoyed photography and had good aesthetic sense. The injury on my leg still required a period of recovery, and all the servants in the house were clumsy—I had many battlefield photographs and materials in the East Wing study that still needed organizing, and I needed someone meticulous to help.

I watched her turn around, her face full of confusion as she looked at me.

"You trespassed in my private territory and thought you could just walk away?"

She quickly lowered her head in apology: "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. You can punish me however you want."

I looked at her nervous expression, something stirring inside me.

"I have a temporary job here. I need an assistant to organize photographs and materials." I leaned against the armrest of my wheelchair, my ice-gray eyes locking onto hers. "You'll come help every Saturday and Sunday for two months total. Do this job well, and I won't pursue the matter of your trespassing in my private territory."

She was stunned.

"If you don't agree," I said slowly, "I'll tell Logan that you trespassed in my territory and offended the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack. Do you think he'll turn against me for your sake?"

Her face went white instantly, and she bit her lip for a long time without speaking.

"Or perhaps, besides being an assistant, you'd like to provide me with some other services?" I asked with malicious amusement, simply wanting to tease this red-eyed little girl.

She said nothing, only lowered her head.

For no reason at all, I felt irritated. Could only Logan make her take things seriously?

I pulled her toward me, but I misjudged the force—she tumbled into my embrace.

A wave of milky sweetness mixed with orange scent washed over me. I hadn't expected such a timid girl to have such a sweet scent. However, now this girl was trembling even more violently than before.

"You..." I had meant to apologize, but suddenly I wanted to see if this red-eyed little rabbit could actually cry.

I lifted her chin, forcing her to look at me.

"Alpha Bruce..." Her lips, bitten red, glistened with moisture as she softly called my name.

My lower abdomen tightened involuntarily. What had I been about to say? I had already forgotten.

Now, I only wanted to pluck this beautiful rose.

"No, you can't..." The girl was extremely resistant to my face suddenly drawing closer.

I stared into her eyes with amusement. "Can't what? What do you think I'm going to do to you?"

"I... I'm sorry, I don't know. No, you can't..." The girl pushed against me, so flustered she didn't even know what she was saying anymore.

And those eyes that had been holding back tears finally released two streams down her face.

As the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, the Lead Warrior of the border, I was usually known for being cold and hard, yet today I found my defenses breached by a girl's tears.

Her tears flowed silently down her face, her lips bitten tightly shut, not daring to make a sound.

I couldn't help but gently pry the girl's mouth open with my hand to prevent her from biting herself in her agitation.

"Don't bite yourself," my finger brushed across her moisture-glistening lips, "or Logan will be heartbroken."

The sensation of touching her lips with my finger was exquisite, and my mind even began fantasizing about how wonderful it would be to put my cock into that softness.

But obviously I couldn't do that today—it would frighten the girl away.

I couldn't resist extending my tongue to lick the tears from her face. "You still haven't answered my question. Do you agree to be my assistant?"

The girl sat rigidly in my embrace, not daring to move, but she must have understood clearly that an Omega from Gray Valley County who offended the Alpha of Black Moon—never mind staying in Silver Crown City, even graduating successfully would be questionable.

She remained silent for a long time before finally raising her head, her eyes as red as a rabbit's: "I agree, but I'm only free on weekends. I have classes during the week."

"Fine." I nodded. "I'll pay you three times the salary of a regular assistant each month. That should be enough for your grandfather's medical expenses."

She froze for a moment, then looked up at me, her eyes full of surprise.

Clearly she hadn't expected me to have investigated her.

I didn't explain. Anyone I set my sights on, I needed to know everything about her background.

I had her get up from my embrace and called the butler to explain the work requirements to her and give her a temporary access card for the East Wing. When she took the access card, her fingers touched the back of my hand, and I clearly felt a current surge through me as the wolf inside me gave a low growl.

My wolf wanted to mark her.

I suppressed the urge to mark her and said in a cold voice, "Don't tell Logan about this. If he asks, just say you found a part-time job as a photography assistant outside. If I find out you told him..."

I paused, watching her pupils contract with fear.

"You know the consequences."

She quickly nodded. "I understand. I definitely won't say anything."

I watched her run out of the living room as if escaping, the warmth of her skin still lingering on my fingertips.

Logan happened to walk out from the main building just then. Seeing her run out, he frowned and asked me, "Uncle, what happened to Estelle?"

I leaned against the armrest of my wheelchair and raised my eyes slightly. "Nothing. She trespassed in my private territory earlier, so I'm making her help me organize materials for two months as punishment."

Logan opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

In the end, he didn't dare and simply nodded. "I apologize for the trouble."

I watched the young woman's retreating figure in the distance, my ice-gray eyes darkening.

Two months.

That would be enough.

I just never anticipated that this temporary arrangement would completely entangle the fates of the three of us into an inextricable knot.