<h4>Chapter 147: Chapter 147 Quid Pro Quo</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    I turned numbly and ced my coffee back in my office before heading to the Alpha’s suite.


    Alpha Sebastian stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, head slightly bowed as he scrolled through something on his phone.


    My eyes immediately zeroed in on the small bandage covering the spot on his neck where I’d... oh God... where I’d bitten himst night.


    I mentally shushed her and forced my voice to remain steady. "You wanted to see me, Alpha?"


    "I need you to apany me somewhere this afternoon," he replied without looking up.


    The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "To get your rabies shot?"


    His fingers froze mid-scroll.


    He turned slowly, those midnight eyes finding mine. "I beg your pardon?"


    I swallowed hard but stood my ground.


    But I held my ground - barely. "I mean, I heard about your... incidentst night. With the cat. And while it’s obviously not my ce to critique your personal choices - maybe, in the future, don’t provoke small, emotionally unstable felines?"


    Silence.


    The kind of silence that makes you rethink all your life decisions and possibly your birth.


    Alpha Sebastian stared at me for a long, agonizing beat.


    His expression was unreadable, except for the distinct gleam of danger in his eyes.


    Then he said, voice low and precise, like a scalpel wrapped in velvet, "Interesting. Because I don’t recall mentioning anything about a cat."


    He slowly touched the bandage on his neck, eyes never leaving mine. "Though I suppose with this... Liam and Beta Sawyer jumped to conclusions--wild ones at that."


    His lips curled into a slow, amused smile. The kind that made my stomach drop and my brain short-circuit.


    "And for the record," he added, "I would never antagonize a cat. Especially not one with such... sharp little teeth."


    I was going to die here. In this office. From crushing embarrassment. And possibly spontaneousbustion.


    "Then why the hospital visit?" I managed to ask.


    "A courtesy call," he replied simply.


    "I see."


    Embarrassment crawled up my spine. I nodded stiffly. "I’ll be ready whenever you need me. If there’s nothing else..."


    I backed away two steps before turning to leave.


    The moment I was through the door, I wanted to howl in mortification.


    In the hallway, I was doing my best impression of a perfectly functioning adult when Beta Sawyer emerged from the break room, holding a mug that looked like it was brewing a forest floor.


    He leaned in, voice low and dramatic.


    "Hospital confirmed? I saw the Alpha checking out his neck in the mirror. Twice. He looked... mildly haunted. Honestly, what made him pet a stray cat? Has he never read a single inte horror story?"


    I froze. Mostly because I was still recovering from the secondhand embarrassment.


    Desperate to change the subject before my face permanently turned into a tomato, I pointed at his mug.


    "What’s in that? It looks like you mugged a pine tree and steeped the evidence."


    He grinned. "Alpha Max Herbal Power Blend."


    "...That sounds illegal."


    "It’s all-natural," he said proudly. "Twelve herbs. Two roots. One mission."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"


    He pulled out his phone and sent me a link without saying a word.


    I clicked it - and was immediately assaulted by an ad that screamed testosterone.


    ALPHA MAX: UNLEASH THE BEAST


    BOOST STRENGTH. STAMINA. SUPREMACY.


    ENDORSED BY RETIRED MMA FIGHTERS AND YOUR UNCLE WHO SWEARS BY GINSENG


    NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR THOSE WHO FEAR THEIR OWN POWER


    Everything was in bold red font, as if subtlety had been dered illegal.


    I looked up slowly, blinking. "Sawyer... you don’t have to try this hard to prove you have testosterone. We believe you."


    He looked genuinely puzzled. "It’s good for cirction."


    "Yeah. And ego intion."


    I gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, the kind you give someone who just joined a questionable pyramid scheme, and fled to my office before I burst outughing.


    Sebastian


    The morning meeting dragged on longer than necessary - territorial disputes between pack members that could have been solved with a single Alphamand, but I preferred to let them work through their issues democratically when possible.


    My wolf, Soren, disagreed, huffing impatiently throughout.


    We could be spending this time with our little cat instead he grumbled internally.


    I ignored him, though the bandage on my neck tingled at the memory of her teeth.


    After the meeting, Cecilia drove me to the hospital .


    We passed a flower shop, and I asked her to pull over.


    "Wait here," I instructed, leaving her in the car.


    Inside, I bypassed the cheerful arrangements of roses and lilies, heading straight for what I needed.


    When I returned to the car with my purchase - an elegant bouquet of white and yellow chrysanthemums wrapped in stark ck paper - Cecilia’s expression was a masterpiece of confusion.


    Her eyes widened, then narrowed, then widened again as she processed what I was carrying.


    "Alpha," she ventured cautiously as we drove, "may I ask who we’re visiting?"


    "A highly respected elder," I replied, enjoying her mounting bewilderment.


    At the hospital, I strolled through the pristine corridors with my inappropriate bouquet, drawing shocked nces from staff alike.


    Several nurses looked ready to intercept us, but something in my demeanor - or perhaps Cecilia’s apologetic wincing beside me - kept them at bay.


    We took the elevator to the VIP floor and proceeded to room 712.


    I pushed open the door to reveal the "highly respected elder."


    Remyy in the hospital bed, his head wrapped in bandages, leg elevated in a cast.


    His face was a Picasso painting of purple and yellow bruises, with two spectacr ck eyes that gave him a distinct resemnce to an exotic panda.


    Beside me, I heard Cecilia’s small intake of breath as she suppressed augh.


    The moment Remy saw me, hisplexion shifted from merely pallid to distinctly green.


    When his gazended on my chrysanthemum bouquet, he turned positively chartreuse.


    I approached with deliberate slowness, arranging the flowers in an empty vase beside his bed with the care of a museum curator handling a priceless artifact.


    "Uncle Remy," I smiled warmly, "how are you feeling? Comfortable, I hope?"


    "Hmph." His dismissive grunt was exactly what I’d expected.


    I looked down at him, studying his face with exaggerated interest. "That man was rather... thorough, wasn’t he? I had no idea he’d turn you into Denver’s newest endangered species."


    Remy’s heart monitor beeped faster as his blood pressure visibly rose.


    He managed to grind out, "I suppose this makes us even."


    I blinked innocently. "Even? For what?"


    I adjusted a chrysanthemum. "You sent me a little something not long ago. I’m just returning the favor. It’s called courtesy."


    He red. I smiled.


    "Quid pro quo," I added sweetly.


    The monitor beside his bed began beeping more insistently.


    "Get out," Remy snapped. "I need to rest."


    I smiled pleasantly. "Of course. When you’ve recovered, I’ll personally arrange some entertainment for you. Something truly... stimting."


    I turned to leave, then paused at the door. "By the way, those nude photographs turned out remarkably well."


    Remy’s face went from green to ghost-white.


    "I was concerned they might fall into the wrong hands, so I’ve acquired all copies. Don’t worry - your wife won’t see them."


    "Alpha Sebastian," he pleaded, dropping all pretense, "those photos serve no purpose for you. Return them to me, won’t you?"


    My smile never wavered. "Rest well, Uncle. We won’t disturb you further."


    I closed the door gently behind us, but not before Remy’s creative string of curses escaped into the hallway.


    Cecilia’s pov


    In the elevator, I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer.


    "What happened to Remy?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager.


    Alpha Sebastian’s eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. "He developed an infatuation with an actress who’s under the protection of a particrly territorial business rival. Poor Remy was absolutely lovesick, and as his junior colleague, I felt obligated to... assist."


    I caught on immediately. "So you helped him fulfill his desire."


    He tapped the tip of my nose with one finger, sending an electric current down my spine. "My clever little secretary."


    "A director was gathering investors for a new film. I rmended Remy, mentioning casually that this actress would be attending. He was... enthusiastic." Alpha Sebastian’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "After dinner and drinks, our overeager friend visited the actress’s hotel room, disrobedpletely, and attempted to force himself on her."


    "Let me guess - her protector arrived?"


    "Precisely. And now Remy has a souvenir collection of bruises, broken bones, and - " he smirked, " - a rather unttering nude photoshoot."


    I shuddered involuntarily. "Remy’s nudes are definitely not something I needed in my mental image gallery."


    As we exited the hospital into the bright sunshine, I checked my watch - nearly 11 AM.


    "Back to the office, Alpha?"


    Alpha Sebastian shook his head. "No. Cassian Locke is in Denver. He’s asked us for lunch."


    I froze mid-step. Cassian?