Third Person POV
Hudson stood watching Christina flee into the house, all wobbly legs and burning cheeks.
A short laugh escaped his throat, low and satisfied.
He turned to his driver, who remained professionally stationed by the open car door. "Next ti, don’t drive that fast."
"Yes, Alpha," the driver nodded obediently.
He wisely didn’t ntion that Hudson typically demanded speed rather than caution. Self-preservation instincts kept him silent.
Hudson entered the house, loosening his tie with one hand as he walked. The living room lay quiet and still, no sign of Christina. She’d already disappeared upstairs.
Probably hiding in her bedroom.
Probably replaying their kiss.
Just like he was.
His strides lengthened as he took the stairs two at a ti. Would her door be locked? Would she answer if he knocked? His mind raced with possibilities—with the mory of how they’d left things unfinished. He hadn’t even removed her shoes earlier, and the thought drove him wild.
Lycaon stirred within him. "She wants us as badly as we want her. I can sll her desire from here."
Hudson quickened his pace, rounded the corner—
His phone vibrated against his thigh.
He stopped mid-stride, jaw clenching tight. With controlled frustration, he pulled the phone from his pocket, glanced at the caller ID, then back toward Christina’s door.
His body remained painfully aware of his arousal, straining against expensive fabric.
"Shit," he muttered, turning abruptly on his heel before striding to his study.
The door slamd behind him hard enough to rattle the hinges.
Inside,Hudson positioned himself by the window,harsh overhead lighting accentuating the severe angles of his face.
"What," he answered, holding the phone as if he might crush it.
"Where have you been? You’ve ignored my calls all day," Reginald snapped. "The Harbourview District incident. What’s your plan? When will you inform the board?"
"Harbourview isn’t your concern," Hudson replied coldly. "Focus on your branch office. You manage Laurent City Estates, not LGH."
"I still own shares in LGH,"Reginald reminded him."Harbourview is significant.I warned you and that Langford boy—both inexperienced and overconfident—this would explode in your faces. Now look what happened. I heard scaffolding collapsed and struck a guard. If I know about it, the entire city probably does too. Are you trying to get us sued?"
Hudson’s jaw flexed involuntarily.
He recalled the hospital room vividly.
Fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.
Antiseptic slls perating everything.
Machines beeping steadily, compensating for what a broken body couldn’t do.
Ramon Vega—thirty-four, married, father of two—had taken the full weight of a twisted scaffold bar against his skull.
Skull fracture. Internal bleeding. Coma.
No prognosis yet.
"It wasn’t weather-related," Hudson stated evenly. "I arrived on-site within an hour. That fra didn’t buckle from wind. The welds failed. Substandard materials."
Soone had accepted bribes. He’d known instantly upon seeing the bent beams.
Steel folded like tissue paper. Cracks spreading through welds like spiderwebs.
Completely below code requirents.
He and Cassian had worked through the night examining supplier records, invoices, shipping docunts.
"Half the structure would have collapsed if soone sneezed," Hudson continued. "I shut down operations. Complete audit underway. We’re ordering new materials. There will be delays."
"Delays? You think city officials will accept that?"
"They’ll have to. I prefer tiline problems over more casualties. If the board objects, they can address it at the next eting."
Reginald’s voice turned silky. "You seem overwheld. Perhaps I should return and oversee things."
Hudson pinched the bridge of his nose.
His arousal had completely vanished, replaced by a throbbing headache.
"Fine. Co back. You can personally verify every scaffolding pole’s stability. Daily."
"What? I ant a managent position."
"No."
Reginald spluttered loudly. "I’m your father! You think I have energy for manual labor?"
"You wanted involvent. I’m arranging it. Your appointnt letter will be ready tomorrow morning."
"No—wait, forget it, I’m happy where I am..." Reginald backtracked quickly.
He might be arrogant, but he wasn’t foolish.
One full day on-site would send him ho in dical transport.
"This is a governnt contract," he changed tactics, suddenly cautious. "dia has caught wind already. So blogs are reporting it. If this trends, stock prices will drop. You should have suppressed the story imdiately."
Hudson’s patience snapped completely.
"My priority was keeping the man alive. If he dies, no headline could obscure that. And for your information, I’ve already contained the story. I’m monitoring every post, every feed. I don’t need your PR advice over the phone."
He nearly ended the call when Reginald complained, "You don’t respect at all. Listen to how you speak to ."
Hudson tilted his head, rolling his neck until it cracked. "My tone reflects your behavior. Simple as that."
Another mont of silence, then Reginald sighed.
"Never mind.Anyway,we’ve been requesting you visit for dinner.Not my request,your grandfather’s. He specifically asked for you. Are you ignoring him too?"
"His birthday approaches. I’ll attend."
"At least you retain so manners."
Hudson paused before adding flatly, "One more thing. Consider this advance notice. I’m married. I’ll bring her with . If anyone shows her even the slightest disrespect, I swear I’ll burn the entire place down with everyone inside."
He disconnected before Reginald could respond.
His gaze shifted toward the study door.
Three doors away was Christina’s bedroom.
She was in there right now.
Perhaps showering.
Maybe lying in bed watching videos.
Or sitting there wondering why he hadn’t co knocking yet.
He wanted to.
His body demanded it.
Every muscle felt tense, like after an intense workout without cooling down.
The craving had beco purely physical—raw, irritating, intense.
But—
He exhaled deeply, attempting to release the tension from his lungs.
Then he called Cassian.
Work remained unfinished.
Ramon Vega’s condition needed updates.
Dominic better have information ready
The legal departnt needed instructions—prepare charges against the procurent officer who accepted kickbacks for inferior steel.
If criminal negligence charges wouldn’t stick, they’d find alternatives.
Truth was, he should have handled everything hours ago.
But Octavia Grey had offered one opportunity—tonight or never.
So he’d prioritized dinner.
And after what Christina had done in the car—sliding onto his lap like she belonged there, her mouth hungry against his, fingers running through his hair—
Yeah. He’d make the sa choice again without hesitation.
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