Filed to story: Pregnant By The Heartless Lycan King
Pauline nods and bares her teeth at me in a smile that’s more feline than friendly. I muster a polite nod.
“In fact, now that you two know each other, why don’t you spend the rest of the day training her? We wouldn’t want Tanya getting lost or confused on her first day on the job, right Pauline?”
Lily, Pauline, and Ayana exchange an amused smirk between the three of them, and I struggle to ignore the feeling of foreboding that fills me.
As Pauline leads me to a warehouse, she prattles on about the company’s success and status, boasting that all employees graduated from prestigious universities.
“Of course,” she says. “As our newest employee, I’m sure you know all about our rigorous and selective hiring process. Tell me, where did you study? Ivy league? International?”
I bite my l*p and lower my gaze slightly. The truth is, I’d gotten a scholarship to a local college. It was nothing fancy, but it was the best I could do with the resources available.
“Not exactly,” I mumble. “I was in a small pack outside the capital, so I went to school there.”
The disdain is so plain on her face that it makes me want to turn away and hide.
“Well then, you must be very special if they hired you, right?” Pauline says sarcastically.
She takes a vial off the shelf with a smug little pout.
“Here. We’re developing a new scent using raw materials. This is a sample of the distillate we’re using, and we need more. There’s another bottle of it here, but it’s an old formula, and there was some confusion with the labels, so it’s not clearly marked. You’ll have to look for it very carefully and bring it to my office once you’re done.”
Pauline drops the vial into my hands and turns on her heel, walking away swiftly before I can protest.
The warehouse is massive. There are rows and rows of shelves full of flasks and droppers, wooden crates, copper pots, and glass canisters. My heartbeat quickens as panic starts to rise. It would take me over three days working without sleep or rest to go through all the boxes and find the right bottle.
Focus. I can do this.
I open the little vial and take a deep, slow breath. The scent is light and floral, with accords of hibiscus and honeysuckle.
If I try to read through every mismatched label and faded formula to find the right sample, I’ll never find it. The sight of the cluttered warehouse is too overwhelming; I need to focus my senses. I close my eyes and run my hands along the nearest shelf, letting instinct take over. I’m hit with over a dozen different smells, an array of citrus, herbs, spices, resins, woods, and sweets.
Every scent tells a story. This is what I do. Working here is my dream. Marco got me through the door, and now it’s up to me to prove I belong here. I won’t let him down.
I make my way through the different containers, inhaling deeply until I’m lightheaded and dizzy. The raw sample in my hand has hints of apple blossom and wild berries mixed with something warm and earthy. Sandalwood and amber are hidden beneath the more pungent floral notes.
There.
The black bottle in my hands matches the scent perfectly. This is the one. I’m sure of it.
I know that it shouldn’t, but a small part of me enjoys the look of disbelief on Pauline’s face when I appear in her office with the distillate.
Maybe I do belong here, after all.
The rest of the day goes by in a blur. I work at the? parfumerie? for several hours, sniffing, boiling, and bottling until my head hurts slightly. But I’m proud of what I accomplished today, and I actually enjoyed every exhausting minute of it.
The sound of a woman screaming wipes the content smile off my lips.
Several female employees gather at one of the large windows. Many are gasping and whispering among themselves.
“What’s going on?” I mumble, approaching them with uncertainty.
“It’s the second prince! Prince Marco is here!”
My breath catches in my throat as I manage to peek out the window at what everyone is staring at.
Marco is parked outside the main entrance, standing with his hands in his pockets, leaning lazily against the car door. He looks unimpressed, but even with his sunglasses on, I can feel his gaze scanning the crowd gawking at him through the window.
His eyes land on me.
Tanya’s POV
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?