Kiley

I can't sit and marvel at my vision, as much as I want to. I have work to do.

I'm running on bitter, nasty black coffee and five hours of sleep. But I've inspected the Facebook and Instagram profiles of two new hires for the hotel we own and approved them. I'm researching our pack's numerous bank accounts, wondering what in the world 529 and 401(k) plans are and why my pack has hundreds of both. My research is slow and sluggish. I am not an accountant.

Underneath it all, I'm thinking of him. I must be crazy, to be dreaming of my soulmate. I wonder what he's like. I'm not due to get my mate bond for another eleven months. I have no idea why I'm dreaming of him at all, but I crave him like nothing else.

Still... a tiny part of me is as bitter as the coffee. On top of the shitshow I am wading through, I have been handed a defective mate. Why can't I have someone I don't need to worry about?

I bury my face in my hands and pray.

Love, Instinct, I am sorry for scorning my mate. Make me worthy of him, please. Make me able to love and respect him the way he deserves.

There is a knock at my door. I try to use my nose, but my senses are dead from lack of sleep. I smell nothing.

It isn't Corinne. She is at the Lunar Campus explaining what happened with the rogues and pleading my case to remain the alpha of my pack. I miss her. I need my beta desperately. But even if she were here, would she know how to do what I need to do? All of these responsibilities were my mother's.

"Come in," I say.

The door opens. Maria Delgado and Josiah Maldin step inside my office. They both smile warmly.

"Alpha Hawkins," Maria begins, walking up to the front of my desk. "Would you like some help?"

I just stare up at this gift from the Idols. I can't speak. I can't cry. I can't even smile to show her how grateful I am.

Maria is a legend in our world. Everything she touches turns to gold. If every pack was run as well as hers, werewolves would own the world. Having her here, offering to help me with my pack's businesses, is like learning about formatting a Microsoft Word document from Bill Gates.

Josiah steps forward and ducks his head once in deference. "Just tell us what you need, Alpha Hawkins."

I blink and look up at Maria. "What in the hell are 529 plans?"

Maria and Josiah both laugh. They each grab a swivel chair and sit on either side of me. They brought their own laptops.

"Permission to put the utility bills into automatic withdrawal?" Josiah asks.

"Why wouldn't they have been in the first place?" I ask.

"I would guess Iris didn't know that was an option. Or maybe she wanted to inspect the charges on paper. But we use these companies, too, and have never had any weird charges," Josiah says.

I nod. "Good idea. Thank you."

"529 plans are college savings plans," Maria explains on my other side. I reflect on the fact that I would not be able to hear her if I had my soulmate's ears. "Oregon offers a college-savings plan to all residents, wolves or not. But ours is better than the human one. The APY-" She stops herself and translates. "Which means annual percentage yield, or the interest we earn, is higher and there are no fees." She points to a menu on the screen I hadn't noticed before. "Here, you can see who they're all registered to. You don't need to worry about the 529s until the owners of the account want to use the funds. And then, you just have to click a box verifying that the owner is a wolf."

Josiah moves onto the next thing in the stack. The sexual harassment allegation. He frowns at it, then looks at my computer. "Can I steal that for a moment?"

I nod and watch as he types and clicks rapidly, opening up a database of all employees hired through NWC Corporation. He goes to the accused's profile and opens up a tab called "Record". A different menu comes up and Josiah clicks through a few different complaints against the man, all with similar allegations. "Yucky. Dude's got a track record," Josiah explains. "Fire him. The assistant manager..." He heads to another tab and nods. "Look, the assistant manager has been there for seven years, no complaints. Damned near spotless attendance. Promote her and tell her to hire her replacement, then her replacement's replacement, all the way down the chain." He jots these steps down and locates the contact details of the employee who made the complaint against the manager. "Then call the complainant, explain your steps, and ask if she is satisfied with the solution. She will be. She'll probably ask for a raise while she's at it, just because she has your attention..." He tabs over to the employee's profile. "Been there nine months, perfect attendance. If she asks for a raise, give it."

"How much?" I ask.

"Hm..." Josiah navigates to a list of the payscales of all of the employees at that restaurant. "Looks like Iris followed NALA's recommendations regarding employee retention through higher pay. Everyone is paid better than they would be at any similar restaurant in Portland. I'd give her a twenty-five-cent boost." He looks at me for a moment. "Want me to handle those calls?"

I nod. He grins and grabs his phone to make the calls.

"Strange that Iris didn't outsource that sort of work to a management company," Maria observes. I stare over at her. "That's an option?!"

She laughs. "Of course. Otherwise I'd have no free time. I cultivated a group of trusted packmembers to oversee this sort of payroll and HR business. Arrange yearly raises, address employee complaints, hire new people. This sort of thing." She pats the stack of papers on my desk. "Is that something you'd be interested in?"

I nod, wide-eyed at the possibility.

"You could use ours, if you like. Fees are charged in a proportion to net profit. I'd give you a discount," she says, waving her hand. "I'll have an agreement drawn up. I'll send it to Corinne, too, so you know I'm not playing games."

"That's unnecessary," I tell her. "I trust you."

"Pretend it's not me, Kiley. Pretend you don't know me. Rule number one of running a business: Always get a second opinion," Maria says. I watch, stunned, as she quickly types out an email on her own laptop and sends it. "Can you guess rule number two?"

I shake my head as Josiah starts to speak. "Hello, Mr. Darwin? Yes, good day. This is Jerry Gold. I am the assistant of the CEO of the NWC Corporation, Kiley Hawkins. I'm calling to inform you that we have concluded our investigation of the complaint filed against you on..." He looks at the

paper. "June twenty-ninth." He nods, rolling his eyes as the man on the other end of the line speaks. "Yes." A pause. "No. Quite the contrary, actually. Your employment is being terminated effective immediately. I can give you all of the particulars on why, get down to the nitty-gritty of our decision, but I'm pretty sure I don't need to waste either of our time." He stops to listen. "No, Mr. Darwin. We don't give severance packages to people with four complaints of sexual harassment against them. Your replacement will occupy your office tomorrow. Make sure it is tidy, and remember that you will be sued for any damages." He waits again. "If you continue to cuss at me-" He stops again and hangs up the call. Then he smiles at me. "See? Easy." He sets the phone on the table. "And I use a system that blocks my personal number when I activate it. He can't call me back."

"We'll get that installed on your phone, too," Maria assures me, reaching for the pack complaints. She looks through the first one, her brow furrowing, then sets it down. She repeats the process for the second, then the third. "These are all nonsense," she tells me. "One was complaining another packmember stepped on his geraniums. Tell them you appreciate their concerns, but they are adults and need to know not to waste your time."

"In person?" I ask.

"Preferably. Let them look at their alpha and argue against her," Maria says with a smile. "Especially now you have such a badass, no-nonsense reputation." She pats my hand. "But you didn't answer my question. What's rule number two?"

I look at her blankly. "I don't know, Maria."

She points to Josiah as he stands up, his phone to his ear as he informs the assistant manager of her promotion. "Delegate," she says in a quiet, warm voice. "The highest sign of intelligence is admitting when you don't know something. The highest sign of wisdom is surrounding yourself with people who can help you learn."

Bit by bit, Maria and Josiah shred through my entire workload. They optimize systems to make my life easier. They make phone calls and set shortcuts on my computer. They explain the details of my duties and how to navigate them.

They finish in half an hour.

"Maria?" I ask, panicked that she will leave now that the work is finished, and I will be alone. I realize that I'm clutching her wrist. Her warm brown eyes meet mine, filled to the brim with concern.

I swallow and release her. "Thank you, Maria." I look at Josiah. "Thank you, Josiah. I was drowning. Thank you both so, so much."

"We will be back next week to help with any backlog," Josiah tells me.

I feel tears prickle into my eyes. I am so blessed.

I want to ask them about the vision. The words fill my mouth like a swelling sponge, aching to burst free. But I know how it will sound to them. I can't let them think I'm just a silly little girl gone mad with grief.

"Oh, one last thing," Maria says. The door to my office opens again. A man walks in with a plate. I know the man. I recognize him. I don't care to remember his name because all I can think of is the food on the plate. The smell hits me in a wave, making me physically dizzy. I make a grotesque sucking noise as I try to keep saliva from flowing over my lips.

Meat. Vegetables. Spices. The warm, bready umami of homemade tortillas. How long has it been since I consumed anything besides coffee?

Maria laughs as I reach to grab the plate from the man without pausing to thank him. Homemade soft tacos. I'm three huge mouthfuls in before I can spare enough brainpower to recognize him. It is Jose Delgado, Maria's mate and Luis's father. The best chef in all of the packs in the Pacific Northwest.

I don't know how to cook. I don't eat anything that requires more than three ingredients. Bacon and eggs with a bit of cheese on top is as sophisticated as I get in the kitchen.

"Kiley, you are bone-thin and pale as snow," Jose reprimands me, crossing his arms over his chest. "I will make you a deal. I will return tomorrow morning to make you breakfast, but you must go get some sunlight, a full night's sleep, and a long, hot shower."

I nod, my mouth still full, willing to do anything Jose asks to taste his cooking again. He could demand the alpha title of my pack and I would give it happily in exchange for more food.

Maria puts a hand on my shoulder. "You are doing wonderfully, Kiley. The world has been dumped on your shoulders and you soldier through. But remember, your shortcomings are not your fault. I have been at this for decades. Josiah has been learning about business management since he turned sixteen." She looks to her mate. "How good was the first meal you cooked, my love?"

"Pure shit," Jose replies. I laugh so suddenly I almost choke on the food. "I burnt the onions. It is very hard to burn onions, but I managed it. Years of doing, watching, and learning made me capable of proper cooking."

Josiah nods. "I love living in the twenty-first century. Every time someone complains about our generation always being on their phones or whatever, I just laugh. Technology is amazing. It makes the world a better place. But we don't seem to appreciate the value of experience as much as our parents and grandparents. The more I learn about becoming a beta, the more I realize how important it is to have experience. All of the technology in the world is no match for years of learning and practice."

Maria nods. "And that's true for everything. Literally everything. Business, pack affairs, relationships, cooking. Knitting, singing, reading, writing. You name it. You are so young, Kiley. You have so much to learn. And we are here to help you."

I swallow my mouthful. There's enough in my stomach to allow me to think properly now.

I reflect on their words deeply, trying to fully appreciate their weight. These people do not say things for the sake of hearing themselves talk. They need me to understand.

I straighten my shoulders and look up at Jose. "Thank you for the meal, Jose." He nods warmly.

"Maria," I start, turning to her. "Can I have the contact details for your specialist in Lycanthrope witchcraft?"