It started with a lie.

Chapter 5

Ridge POV

All night, I pushed girls away as they came to sit on my knee, my wolf too angry with me for letting them get near, more than he had ever been angry before. I didn't understand what had got into him; it was like a whole new level of annoyance. Stupid wolf, stopping my fun.

"We have a mate out there, and she is close, I can feel it. Don't mess with other women; if she sees it, it will hurt her." My Wolf Dirk kept arguing, but I had not smelt or felt a single sign of my mate. Does he think I would be with another woman if I had?

Even when I had gone back to the apartment and entered the shower, to wash the day away, he was in my head, moaning bout him wanting his mate. The thought of the girl I had seen briefly shocked me, and I was surprised by how quickly my body reacted. Taking the growing problem in hand, I leaned my head on the shower wall and let the water flow over me. As I pumped my shaft, I came hard and fast, quicker than I had expected, my load hitting the wall of the shower, and the cascade of water washed it away. Removing any trace of what I had just done. But while my body still thrummed from the release, my mind stayed on that girl, and for once, both my wolf and I were on the same page.

Who was she?

That night, I slept with her in my dreams, and the things I wanted to do to her body it was the best night's sleep I had had in a while, all because of a girl I would most likely never see again. A quick session at the gym with my brothers, and it was off to get something to eat and then work. We ate at a cafe we visit every morning. The food was prepared by a werewolf who knew just how to bring out the flavors we enjoy. Plus, since we own it, 'we' meaning the pack, so we don't need to pay for anything here.

Together we left the lift.

"Morning, Peta." We greeted her together. She puffed up her ample chest.

"Good morning." She virtually purred at us. We had absolutely no interest in her, but that never stopped her from trying to flirt with us.

As I turned, I could see Father, and he was talking to a woman. She had her back to us, so I could only see her shapely figure, even in a pantsuit, and she was tall, very tall, which made her taller than the average woman.

My wolf screamed in my head, unexpectantly.

"Protect."

When dad and the woman turned as we neared, I almost stopped in my tracks.

It was her.

The girl I had in my head when I jacked off in the shower last night.

Holy Goddess, she was gorgeous.

"Good, they are here. Robynne, these are my sons: Ridge, the CEO, Hudson, CFO, and lastly Caleb, HR." Dad said as he introduced her to us, all my wolf pranced about in my head, like a giddy puppy. He shouted and protected as he pranced about, but couldn't say why we had to 'protect' her, only that she was special.

"Robynne?" For some reason, I held my hand out for her to shake, not something I have a habit of doing with employees.

She took my hand and gave me a firm handshake. Interesting.

Oh, she was my new PA.

Alpha's little girl.

Great, just what I needed, a spoilt brat that was going to be invading my dreams, and yeah, then too.

"Good, glad to hear you are all going to make it easier while she was under our care." Dad was babbling on, and I was only catching part of it. I was still reeling at the fact that I would see the girl of my dreams every day, and couldn't touch her. Not that I want to, now I know she was a brat.

Before I knew what was happening, Dad had buzzed open our door.

My PA's enormous desk, which was situated at the end of the hall, had a glass partition. To access our offices, you had to press a button or use your palm print. She was the last line of defence; get past her, and you can reach us three, and one day my baby brother. This girl was too young to stop anyone from entering our domain. Mind you, her desk has an entry to our area, saving her from walking around to open the door in the hall each time she needs to attend to me.

Then my wolf reminded me. Ours to protect. Before I could go any further with my negative thoughts, I had to stop. They were at least better than the other thoughts that ran randomly through my head, and glancing at my brothers, they had similar thoughts. I growled softly at the thought of one of them taking her to bed, or even kissing her.

My brothers gave me a weird look as I growled. Hudson raises an eyebrow, smirking at me.

This wasn't very pleasant, and the day had only just begun.

Goddess help me.

Dad went from room to room, giving her the tour.

Finally, I gave up watching Dad and Robynne and entered my office. I opened the blinds to see her moving about, and then started up my computer. While it booted up, I grabbed a coffee from the mini kitchen, which was in the lounge area, for guests to help themselves while waiting for us to be available.

I sat and started on my emails first.

We had a social event coming up, a Ball in two weeks, and other social events that required my response. I know Dad wanted me to take Robynne to all of them, get her introduced to the elites in the city. Having her on my arm would not be a burden; she looked good, and having her there would ward off the gaggle of women that tend to gravitate to my brothers and me. She can be my protector. I chuckled to myself, wondering how she would handle the elite ladies and their snobbish ways. If they like you, you're somewhat okay, but if they take a dislike to you, they can make things very hard for you, especially if they gang up on you. I have seen it happen on more than one occasion, ruining a poor lass, because one of the top elites took a dislike to you.

It was dog-eat-dog out there, and those females are not called bitches for nothing.

At least with her by my side, my wolf will stop nagging me about the woman I've bedded, or about protecting Robynne.

I am unsure what was worse. If they dislike her, how am I supposed to protect her?

Impossible.

I ticked attending, plus one, to all the social gatherings over the next few months, as per my father's request. He had moved into one of the apartments and would stay close by until he was satisfied that Robynne could handle this on her own, which means he would be poking his nose into my affairs... again.

Looking up, I see Father sitting beside her at her desk. She was looking through the folder of instructions as he explained things to her. He lifted the handset on the phone and explained that, too. There was a Bluetooth headpiece that she could wear and answer the phone while away from her desk. He handed it to her, and she put it on.

Dialed a number and watched as Dad looked at his phone, nodding to her.

I was so engrossed in watching her and dad that I failed to notice my own phone ringing.

"Bro, you alright?" Hudon's voice came from the open door.

"Yeah. Did my life get better or worse?" I asked, not looking over at him.

"Better, my wolf said she was special, we all have to look after her," That made me look at him.

"Your wolf, too?" I was shocked.

He nodded, "Caleb's too."

"My wolf doesn't like the idea of you or any male near her."

"Is she your mate?" He looked shocked.

"I don't have the pull, but then she is not eighteen yet. I was thinking that she might be our future queen; the prince hadn't found his mate yet." I felt the lie rolling off my tongue, and it was too late to take it back.

"Yeah, that might explain why all three of our wolves are shouting for us to protect her."

We agreed on one thing: we will be keeping her close for the next six months.