FALLING FOR THE ALPHA’S BETA

8

Nia’s Pov

Three days.

That’s how long it had been since the wedding. Three days since I’d shaken Rowan’s hand and agreed to a bet I still couldn’t believe I’d made.

Maybe it was the champagne. Or the heat of the moment. Or the way his voice always managed to slip past my logic. Either way, here I was standing in the middle of the pack’s central administrative building, pretending I didn’t still hear his voice in my head.

“Three months,” I muttered under my breath, gripping the strap of my bag tighter. “Three stupid months.”

Ashera had been right about one thing though this job was exactly what I needed. Something steady. Something that had nothing to do with him. She’d practically begged Darius to help, and somehow, that help had turned into a full-time position at Thorn Administrative Headquarters, the nerve centre of the entire pack’s operations.

Except… it wasn’t just any position.

I wasn’t some low-level assistant filing papers in the backroom. No.

I was stepping into a strategic coordinator role, one that reported directly to the Alpha and the council heads. A role most wolves had been waiting years to even be considered for.

And I was human.

The air inside the marble-floored lobby was thick with tension the moment I walked in. Polished brass plaques gleamed on the walls, engraved with the names of different departments, Finance, Logistics, External Affairs. Wolves in tailored suits moved briskly through the halls, their scents sharp and commanding, like power itself had a smell.

And me? I stood there clutching my employee badge, trying not to let my nerves show.

The moment I crossed the threshold, the chatter started.

Soft at first, then growing as I walked past.

“Is that her?”

“She’s human.”

“Did she seriously get the coordinator position?”

“No way. She must have connections.”

“Or slept with one.”

My stomach twisted, but I didn’t let it show. I’d heard worse. I’d been underestimated before.

Still, the sting of those words burned. I caught the sharp glance of a she-wolf by the elevators, her smirk faint but cutting. A few others openly stared, eyes flicking from my ID badge to my face.

So this was how it was going to be.

Fine. Let them think what they wanted. I wasn’t here to prove I belonged to them, I was here to prove I didn’t need to.

I adjusted my blazer, squared my shoulders, and stepped toward the reception desk. “Excuse me,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I’m Nia Rivers. It’s my first day. I was told to report to Celene from the Alpha’s office.”

The receptionist, a young omega, blinked up at me, clearly thrown off. “Oh…right. Yes, Miss Carson. Um… one moment, please.” She fumbled with the phone, murmuring into it, then hung up a minute later. “Ms. Celene will be right with you.”

I thanked her with a polite smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

A few moments later, a tall woman with auburn hair and gold eyes appeared from one of the corridors. Her heels clicked sharply against the tiles, her posture straight and confident.

“Miss Rivers?” she asked.

“That’s me,” I said.

“I’m Celene, the Head of Administration. You’ll be reporting directly to me for most things, and to the Alpha when required.” Her tone was clipped, the kind of professional smoothness that left no room for uncertainty. “Come with me.”

Her heels clicked in perfect rhythm as she turned down the hall.

The marble floor gleamed beneath the fluorescent lights, reflecting our movements like ghosts gliding down a corridor. The scent of wolves, earthy, dominant, overwhelming hung in the air and pressed against my senses until it almost felt physical. I’d thought I’d gotten used to it after spending time with Ashera and Darius, but this was different. This was their world. Their space. And I was an uninvited guest.

“You seem tense,” Celene said suddenly, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. Her voice wasn’t unkind, just observant, too sharp to miss anything.

I blinked, caught off guard. “Oh…I’m fine, just a little…”

“It’s normal,” she interrupted gently, though there was a wry twist to her lips. “Especially with your role. Even wolves get nervous when they’re this high up the ladder.”

Her words hit me like a slow realisation. This high up. I hadn’t even processed what exactly my title meant yet.

I looked at her properly then, curiosity stirring. Her posture was impeccable, back straight, shoulders squared but there was a calmness about her that didn’t fit the usual presence I’d come to associate with wolves. No aura of dominance. No faint growl of power beneath her words.

“Wait…” I hesitated, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Are you…human?”

Celene’s steps faltered for a heartbeat, a flicker of something, amusement? Sadness? crossing her face before she smiled faintly. “I am.”

I stopped mid-step. “You’re joking.”

“I wish I were.” Her tone softened, barely above a whisper. “But I’ve learned to mask my scent. It’s the only reason I’m still here.”

Her confession stunned me into silence.

Ashera had told me how to tell the difference, the subtle heat in a wolf’s gaze, the way their presence filled a room, that faint hum in their energy that vibrated at the edge of your awareness. Celene had none of that. She was quiet. Composed. Almost invisible.

No wonder I hadn’t noticed.

“You mask your smell?” I asked finally, my voice tinged with disbelief.

She nodded once. “You should too, if you want to stay longer than a week.” Her tone carried a weight that made my stomach drop. “Our scent irritates them, it reminds them we’re different. Vulnerable.” Her gaze flicked briefly toward a passing group of employees whose laughter died the moment they noticed us. “And they don’t like weakness.”

Her words settled in me like cold water, soaking through all my bravado.

I swallowed hard. “Right,” I murmured. “Different.”

Celene didn’t respond. She simply led me through the maze of glass offices until we reached the far end of the hall. That was when I saw it, the silver plaque gleaming on the door, my name engraved beneath bold black letters:

NIA RIVERS - STRATEGIC OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

I froze. For a second, I could only stare. My name looked too official, too confident, like it belonged to someone else entirely. Someone who actually deserved to be here.