#Chapter 11 - Warning
Abby
Karl hands me the report, his expression unreadable. I can feel his gaze on me as I pick up the stack of
papers and scan the first page.
“That’s everything my people could find,” he says.
I look up at him and nod.
It took an hour to get the report, and we spent most of it in tense silence. His staff brought in tea, which
we both drank quietly, his with Kahlua, mine ck. Then he had to take a few calls while I sat and
pretended not to listen. The worst, though, was when he ran out of things to do, and we just stared at
each other across the desk for ten minutes.
I could tell, with every passing minute, that he wanted to bring up what he said about reconciling.
Thankfully, he didn’t. He could probably pick up on the fact that I wasn’t in the most receptive mood. I’m
more than happy to put that conversation off for as long as possible. Even with all that quiet time to
think, I still don’t know how I feel about it. About him.
He falls silent as I read, and I can feel him looking at me. I do my best to ignore the weight of his gaze,
but it makes me shift a bit in my seat. Even now, the full intensity of his attention makes me want to
squirm. He’s always had that effect on people, but it’s been a while since I’ve been on the receiving
end.
When I’m done reading, I look up at him. “So, it wasn’t you.”
“It wasn’t me.”
Even though he probably deserves an apology, I can’t seem to bring myself to give him one. Sure, I
might havee storming in here with zero evidence and a bit of a vendetta, but we haven’t been on
the best of terms for a while now. He can’t really me me for thinking it was him. Wouldn’t he suspect
me too if something like this happened to him?
“I can’t believe this,” I say, dropping the report back down on the desk when I’m done reading. The
information takes a moment to sink in. “Another restaurantined about me?”
He nods.
I stand up and walk away from the desk, running my hands through my hair. I can’t believe this. Why
would theyin about me? I’ve never had any issues with them before.
“They were clever about it,” he says. He watches me pace back and forth across the room, his
eyebrows slightly raised. “They paid off a bunch of regtors. It wasn’t easy to find out the truth about
what happened.”
“I guess your people are good at what they do.”
“The best,” he says, pride slipping into his voice. I can’t help but think the Moon River pack is lucky.
They have an Alpha that truly cares about them. He takes genuine pride in what his people aplish.
He was good at his job before, but I can see that he’s really grown into his role.
“What am I going to do?” I stop in front of his desk and wring my hands. “I didn’t think we were even
targeting the same customers.”
He shrugs. “When there’s a conflict of interest, there’s a conflict of interest.”
“I’ll go after them.”
“No need,” he says as he finally stands from his chair. He rounds the desk and stops in front of me. I
have to tilt my head back to look into his eyes. He’s so much taller than me. The top of my head just
barely reaches his chin.
“What?” I say, a little dazed.
“I’m going to take care of this for you.” He ces his hand on my shoulder and gives it a reassuring
squeeze. A distant part of me demands that I shake off his arm. After all, it’s not really his ce to
this for me, to have someone take care of me for once.
I nod. “Alright.”
“But you have to promise we’ll have a serious conversation. The minute this is all figured out.”
I bite my lip. It’s not a conversation I’m keen on having, but if he’s helping me with this, I don’t really
have the right to refuse. Talking to him is the least I can do if he helps me get my restaurant back.
“What if I say no?” I ask, just to test the waters. “What if I don’t need your help? My restaurant has its
own PR person.” Not as effective as an Alpha, but still true. Theoretically, I could figure this out without
him.
“I’ll get it done in 30 minutes,” he says. “You’ll be able to open today without losing a single
reservation.”
I’m a little dumbfounded. I thought for sure I’d be out of business for at least a few days. He’s certainly
made it impossible to refuse his help.
“Okay, you have a deal.”
The minute Abby leaves, Karl teleports to a house across town. It’s nowhere near asrge as his, but
it’s clear the owner does well for himself. The neighborhood is nice, lined with towering oaks and well-
keptwns, and there’s a sleek ck Jag parked out front of the townhouse when he arrives.
He pounds on the door, and a few minutester it opens. The man has a bewildered look on his face as
he watches Karl shove his way into the front hall.
“Excuse me?” the man splutters. “You can’t juste in here.”
C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.
Karl walks to the back of the house where it opens into a well-lit seating area. He spins around and
pins the man with a re.
“You own The Crystal Pce, don’t you?”
“Yes.” “You lodged aint against The Chase earlier today.”
“How…”
Karl snarls at him, and the man backs up a few steps, a horrified look on his face. It seems to dawn on
him slowly who the man looming above him is, and that’s Karl’s not the kind of person he wants to
mess with.
“If you ever attack Abby’s restaurant again, I will destroy you. Your entire business, and the officers of
your dirty dealings, will have quite the string of bad luck.” The man opens his mouth to speak, but Karl
growls at him and he wisely mps his mouth shut.
“That isn’t a threat,” Karl growls. “It’s a promise.”
“You’re the Alpha of the Moon River back,” the man says, somehow finding the courage to speak. Karl
bristles with anger. “Isn’t Abby your ex-wife? How is this your concern?”
Karl raises an eyebrow and stalks forward. The man shrinks back a little, his hands shaking. One
heartbeat could have Karl’s wolf upon him. The man seems to know it, and he holds very still as Karl
quietly considers him.
“Don’t test me.” Karl leans away and straightens thepels of his suit jacket. “It’s entirely my concern.
She’s my future wife.”
“Alpha–”
Karl grabs the man by the cor, cutting him off. “And I think you owe her an apology.”
He and Abby might not be together at the moment, but no one messes with her and gets away with it.
His wolf snarls in agreement. Wherever they stand, it’s his job to make sure no one ever disrespects
her.
The man tries to pull away, but Karl tightens his hold. “I wonder if she’ll be impressed by you.” He
<pughs a little. “Though I wouldn’t count on it.”