The next day, I was drowning in work when Cale strolled in, looking like he had just won the fucking lottery. That smug little smile on his face? Yeah, it was pissing me off already.
I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms behind my head. "Well, well, someone's glowing today. Who is it? An alpha? A beta? Should I start planning a wedding?"
Cale shot me a deadpan look. "Shut up, Kael."
"Oh, so it is someone," I teased, raising a brow. "Spill it, lovebird. Is he rich? Tall? At least tell me he's good in bed."
Cale rolled his eyes. "You're impossible."
"And you love it," I smirked.
"Debatable," he muttered, but the amusement in his eyes betrayed him.
Then, his expression shifted. He took a deep breath before saying, "We sent Titan Industries a deal for investment... and they're ready to move forward."
I froze. "What?"
He nodded. "They accepted."
I stared at him, letting the words sink in. "But they don't invest in small companies."
Cale's gaze sharpened. "Evren is not small, Kael. Just because it's not comparable to Vaelora doesn't mean Evren is fucking small."
That hit.
Cale was right. But for me, Evren would always be small until it competed with the Vaeloras—until it fucking beat them.
"Fine," I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Set the meeting."
I didn't let myself think too much about what this meant. Not now. Instead, I drowned myself in work until the day of the meeting finally arrived.
Titan's headquarters was something else.
A towering skyscraper, its sleek glass exterior reflected the city like it owned the fucking place. Which, honestly? It probably did.
"Logan King is the CEO," Cale had told me earlier. I barely listened.
Alphas with power? Not my fucking problem. I had no reason to care.
But of course, Cale was impressed by his achievements. And fine—maybe, maybe I was too. But it didn't change the fact that he was an alpha.
Unpredictable. Proud. Dangerous.
I followed Cale like the good little assistant I was supposed to be, keeping my head down and my annoyance in check.
Then, I caught the scent.
My whole body stiffened.
No fucking way.
I looked up—and there he was.
Sitting in the CEO's chair like he fucking owned the world.
My brain refused to process it.
That smug bastard from last night? The one who'd stepped in twice? He's Titan's fucking CEO?
God. Do we have a fucking problem? You got some personal vendetta against me or something?
For a second, something flickered in his expression—recognition, amusement—but it disappeared as fast as it came. He slipped into business mode, greeting Cale smoothly. Professional. Polished.
Then his gaze landed on me. "Nice to meet you again."
Cale's head snapped toward me so fast I thought he might get whiplash. His eyes were huge.
"You know him?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Unfortunately, Logan fucking heard that.
At the same time, we answered—
Me: "No."
Logan: "Yes."
Cale stared at me, then at him, then back at me.
I clenched my jaw and forced out the most awkward fucking nod of my life. My lips twitched into something that might have resembled a smile—or a grimace.
Cale narrowed his eyes, clearly storing this conversation for interrogation later. But thankfully, he let it go and started the meeting.
Cale was in full business mode—commanding the room like he was born for it.
That's Cale for you. Always the center of fucking attention.
He was the one speaking, but the words? They were mine. He was great at business—no doubt about that—but let's be honest, he still loved his goddamn club more than all of this. Still, I was fucking grateful. No matter what, he always had my back.
But there was one thing I absolutely hated.
Logan King's fucking eyes on me.
Occasionally, subtly—but I fucking noticed.
I might've looked calm and detached, like I didn't give a shit about the meeting, but only I knew what this investment meant for us.
We needed it. And fast.
Reed's betrayal had fucked us over in ways I wasn't willing to admit out loud. Titan's money would give us the breathing room we desperately needed.
So I stayed silent, watching, observing.
Surprisingly, the people in the room weren't all alphas. In fact, the room was more diverse than I expected. Omegas, betas, and alphas all working together. Even Evren didn't have that.
Alphas didn't like being controlled by an omega. Most refused to work under cale—so our company had far more betas than anything else. Omegas were there, sure, but still not in great numbers.
Titan, though? It was different.
The meeting finally ended.
I did what a good little assistant should—taking notes, collecting papers, handling all the assistant-type shit.
And I could feel Logan King's eyes still lingering.
I wanted to rip his fucking eyes out. But professionalism mattered. Evren needed this deal. So, for once, I swallowed the urge to fight.
As soon as the meeting ended, Cale snapped back to his usual self. Playful, smug, and fucking impossible.
He glanced at Logan King, then—blunt as ever—said, "Anything interesting about my assistant?"
This fucker.
Logan had that same goddamn smirk, the one that made me want to knock it right off his face.
"Your assistant is quite interesting," Logan had said, too amused for my liking. But there had been something else in his eyes—like he was waiting for me to slip up, to react. Like he knew something I didn't.
I shot him a look, arms crossed, giving him the full 'I don't give a fuck' attitude like I owned the whole damn world. Reality? I was just Cale's personal assistant. Nothing to be proud of.
I wasn't trying to act like a brat—I just didn't know how to deal with the fucking dissonance of being saved instead of saving myself.
In high school, I was the one protecting Cale. At home? No one protected me since Mom left. It was fucking foreign to be saved—especially by an alpha.
Cale and Logan kept talking, both equally annoying in their own ways.
Logan? Because I didn't fucking like him.
Cale? Because I knew exactly what was going on in his pretty little head.
He loved playing cupid.
And right now? I could tell he was way too entertained by this situation. A "good alpha"—according to his stupid standards—was looking at me like that, and suddenly, he was seeing sparks.
Logan didn't even look like he was hitting on me. But Cale? He didn't know shit.
That mischievous smile of his was proof.
He thought he saw something.
He was so fucking wrong.
We left Titan's building, the weight of the meeting still settling in my chest. The deal was a big fucking win for Evren, but I wasn't in the mood to celebrate.
I was driving, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary, while Cale sat beside me, too fucking quiet for his own good.
That was the first red flag.
Cale being quiet meant one thing—his damn brain was working.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He had that look—the one that meant he had something to say but was waiting for the right moment to drop it like a fucking bomb.
I sighed, already exhausted before he even opened his mouth.
"Don't get any stupid ideas inside that head of yours," I warned, keeping my eyes on the road.
Cale turned to me, smirking.
"I'm not," he said. "Just wondering... how do you know Logan?"
My grip on the wheel tightened.
"I don't."
"Kael." His voice had that don't bullshit me tone.
I ignored him.
But Cale? Persistent little shit.
"Kael."
I exhaled through my nose, staring straight ahead.
"It's nothing."
He didn't stop staring.
I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my face.
"So, let me get this straight." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "You don't know Logan, but he very specifically greeted you in that meeting room. And somehow, you both answered at the same time when I asked if you knew each other. And he looked way too damn entertained when you got all awkward."
I clenched my jaw.
"Drop it."
"Nope. Not dropping shit. Spill."
I kept driving, acting like I couldn't hear him, but Cale was a stubborn asshole when he wanted to be.
He poked my arm.
"Come on. You know I'll get it out of you eventually."
I clenched my teeth.
He fucking would.
After thirty more seconds of silence, I gave in.
"Fine," I muttered. "He saved me. Twice."
Cale's eyebrows shot up. "Saved you?"
I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road. "First time at the club. Second time last night. That's it."
Cale stared at me like I just told him I was moving to Mars. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.
Oh, fuck no.
"Fate."
I slammed my head against the steering wheel. "Shut the fuck up."
"It's fate, Kael."
"I will kick you out of this car."
"Twice, huh? And both times you hated it, but he still came to your rescue like some hero in a romance novel—"
"I swear to god, Cale, I will crash this car."
Cale just laughed, completely unbothered.
I groaned, knowing this wasn't going to end anytime soon.
Cale was grinning like an idiot, his whole face lighting up like he just discovered the biggest fucking secret in the universe.
And then—he started singing.
"Destinyyyyy~" he dragged out the word like he was performing in some dramatic stage play. "It's fate, Kael! You, Logan King, and Evren—destined to be together—"
I fucking slammed the brakes.
The car jolted forward, and Cale let out a yelp, grabbing the dashboard like his life depended on it.
"WHAT THE FUCK, KAEL?!" he shouted.
I turned to him, my expression dead as fuck. "Sing one more time, Cale. One more fucking time."
Cale blinked at me, still holding onto the dashboard. Then he cleared his throat.
"Desti—"
I lunged.
The car was still in the middle of the road, but I didn't give a shit—I had Cale in a headlock, aggressively ruffling his perfect-ass hair while he screamed like I was actually trying to murder him.
"FUCK YOU, KAEL! MY HAIR—YOU FUCKING GREMLIN—"
"FUCK YOUR DESTINY, FUCK LOGAN KING, AND FUCK YOU TOO!" I shouted back.
Cale was kicking and laughing at the same time, struggling to push me off, but I kept his head trapped under my arm.
When I finally let go, he gasped for air, his hair a complete mess.
"You're such a violent little shit," he panted, fixing his hair with a glare.
I rolled my eyes and put the car back in motion.
"And you're a fucking cupid reject," I muttered.
Cale smirked. "You love me."
I rolled my eyes, but we both knew the truth. Cale had been there when no one else was. If I loved anyone, it was him.
He grinned, leaning back in his seat. "You can try to deny it all you want, but Logan is saving Evren now. He saved you, now he's saving your company. That's what we call fate, my dear Kael."
I gritted my teeth. "That's what we call coincidence, you dumbass."
"You keep telling yourself that."
I hated that he looked so fucking smug.
I inhaled deeply, forcing my voice to stay level, serious. "Listen, Cale. Me and an alpha? Never gonna fucking happen. It's not just a preference—it's hate. Pure and simple. I don't give a damn if they're good or bad, I hate them. Their scent makes me sick. Just being near them feels fucking wrong."
Cale stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes on the road ahead. I thought, maybe for once, he'd let it drop.
But of course, he didn't.
"Kael... this isn't about Logan," he said, voice softer now. "I just need you to understand—not all alphas are like that. I know what Vaelora did to you, but you can't judge every single one the same way."
And that's when I fucking lost it.
"Oh, so now we're back to this conversation?" My grip on the wheel tightened, my jaw clenched. "Don't fucking act like you don't know what alphas have been saying about you since high school. What they still say. They call you a slut, a bitch, a disgrace—every fucking name in the book. And you wanna sit here and tell me not all alphas? Are you serious, Cale?"
I didn't want to bring this up. I really didn't. But I hated it—hated when he tried to defend them. After everything they did to me. After everything they did to him.
Cale went silent.
Good. Maybe now he'd shut the fuck up about it.
The car was filled with nothing but the sound of the tires against the road. But I could feel it—Cale's energy shifting, his posture going stiff beside me. I didn't have to look at him to know he was staring out the window, lips pressed together.
I hated this conversation.
Not just because it was about fucking alphas. But because it always ended with this damn silence.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"Kael." His voice was quiet this time.
I didn't respond.
"I know what they said about me. What they still say."
I exhaled sharply through my nose. "Then stop defending them."
"I'm not defending them."
I side-eyed him. "That's sure as fuck what it sounds like."
Cale sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just think... you let your past define too much of your present."
My knuckles turned white on the wheel.
"That's funny," I said, voice cold. "Because my 'past' is still pretty fucking present, Cale. It wasn't some childhood nightmare I woke up from. It's reality. Every fucking day."
Cale turned his head toward me now, frowning. "I know that, Kael. And I hate it, I hate what they did to you."
I clenched my jaw.
"But you can't keep throwing every alpha into the same pit. There are good ones."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Oh yeah? You got a list? Wanna introduce me?"
Cale didn't answer immediately. But I knew what he was thinking.
Logan.
That fucker.
I scoffed. "Don't even fucking say it."
Cale sighed again, rubbing his temples. "I'm not trying to force anything on you, Kael. I just... I want you to be fair."
I hit the brakes at a red light and turned to him fully.
"Fair?" I let out a humorless laugh. "You want me to be fair?"
He didn't flinch, but his gaze softened a little. "Yeah."
I shook my head. "Cale, I stopped believing in 'fair' when I was fucking ten."
Cale opened his mouth, then closed it again.
The light turned green. I started driving.
He didn't say anything for a while.
Cale sighed, shaking his head. "You can keep pushing people away, Kael. Just don't be surprised when there's no one left."
I kept my eyes on the road. Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
"Better alone than with a fucking alpha," I muttered.