Chapter 145: Chapter 145 Unmasking Mia
Freya
I found my solace in work,as I always had. After the tense encounter with Jasper and Mia,I immersed myself in the Blackwood merger documents for several hours. The familiar rhythm of analyzing contracts,identifying inconsistencies,and crafting solutions provided a welcome distraction from the emotional landmine that Stone Lake Pack had become for me.
A soft knock at the conference room door broke my concentration.
"Enter," I called without looking up.
Timothy slipped into the room,carrying two steaming cups of coffee. "Thought you might need this," he said,placing one in front of me. "You’ve been at it for hours."
I offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you. Any word on the department head meeting?"
Timothy grimaced. "Let’s just say Mia made quite an impression."
"That bad?"
"She spent the entire time discussing her plans to ’modernize’ pack traditions and restructure company hierarchy." He took a sip of his coffee. "She wants to create a special ’Luna Council’ that would essentially override most of your existing systems."
I couldn’t help but laugh. "And how did the department heads take that?"
"About as well as you’d expect. Marketing nearly walked out when she suggested scrapping the quarterly strategy your team developed."
I shook my head,returning my attention to the documents. Some battles weren’t mine to fight anymore.
The door burst open without warning,and Mia swept in with an air of affected authority,followed by two junior assistants who looked thoroughly uncomfortable.
"There you are," she announced,as though she’d been searching the building for me. "I’ve been looking everywhere."
Artemis immediately tensed within me,hackles raised. "As you can see,I’m working," I replied coolly,not bothering to stand. "Is there something you need?"
Mia’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she approached the table. "As Luna,I have several tasks that require immediate attention. Since you’re only here temporarily,I thought you could handle them while I focus on more... significant matters."
She snapped her fingers,and one of the assistants nervously stepped forward,placing a thick folder on the table.
"What’s this?" I asked,not touching it.
"Just some administrative details that need organizing," Mia said with a dismissive wave. "The quarterly employee reviews need updating,the charity gala guest list needs revision,and all the holiday gift baskets for our business partners need to be inventoried and arranged for delivery."
I stared at her,letting the silence stretch uncomfortably long. These were tasks typically assigned to junior staff members,not the Gamma of a major pack.
"Perhaps you misunderstood my arrangement with Jasper," I finally said. "I’m here to facilitate the transition of critical business operations,not to serve as your personal assistant."
Mia’s expression hardened. "As Luna of Stone Lake Pack,I have the authority to delegate tasks as I see fit. Unless you’ve forgotten the hierarchy already?"
Timothy shifted beside me,clearly uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was taking.
"The Luna position is ceremonial,Mia," I reminded her gently,as though explaining to a child. "It carries social authority within pack gatherings and rituals,not executive power within the business structure."
Her face flushed with anger. "How dare you! I am Jasper’s mate! His chosen partner!"
"And I’m the Gamma of this pack until my resignation becomes official," I countered evenly. "A position earned through eight years of service,not bestowed through a biological quirk of fate."
One of the assistants made a small choking sound,clearly shocked by my direct challenge.
Mia’s eyes narrowed to slits. "You will respect my position or face the consequences."
"That sounded remarkably like a threat against a senior pack officer,"Timothy said,his usually friendly demeanor gone. "As Beta,I feel obligated to remind everyone that such threats violate Section 7 of our pack charter."
Mia’s attention snapped to Timothy. "You’d side with her? Against your Alpha’s mate?"
"I side with the pack’s best interests," Timothy replied calmly. "And threatening our most experienced Gamma doesn’t serve those interests."
I placed a restraining hand on Timothy’s arm,appreciating his support but not wanting him to face Jasper’s wrath on my behalf.
"It’s fine," I said. "Mia and I just have different understandings of our respective roles." I pushed the folder back toward her. "I’ll be happy to train whomever you assign to these tasks,but my focus must remain on the Blackwood merger and quarterly projections."
The conference room door opened again,and one of the kitchen staff entered carrying a tray with a teapot and cups.
"The tea you requested,Luna," she said nervously,setting it down on the side table.
"Perfect timing," Mia said,her voice suddenly syrupy sweet again. "Freya,perhaps we should discuss this over tea? I’m sure we can come to an understanding."
The abrupt shift in her demeanor set off warning bells in my head. Artemis growled low in my mind,sensing danger.
"I’m afraid I need to finish this work," I declined politely. "The merger documents—"
"Nonsense," Mia interrupted,moving to pour the tea herself rather than allowing the kitchen staff to do it. "These documents have waited this long; they can wait another fifteen minutes while we sort this out woman-to-woman."
As she approached with the cup of steaming tea,I watched her movements carefully. There was something calculating in her eyes,a tension in her posture that spoke of premeditation.
"I insist," she said,stepping closer to the conference table where the Blackwood documents were spread out.
In one fluid motion that appeared accidental to untrained eyes but was clearly deliberate,Mia tilted the cup,sending scalding hot tea directly toward both me and the critical merger documents.
My reflexes,honed by years of training and Artemis’s heightened senses,allowed me to jerk backward and simultaneously sweep the documents off the table. The hot tea missed me by inches,though several drops splashed onto my sleeve.
What Mia hadn’t anticipated was her own momentum. As I moved the documents,she overbalanced,and some of the tea splashed back onto her own hand and wrist.
Her shriek of pain and outrage echoed through the conference room.
"You did that on purpose!" she screamed,clutching her reddening wrist. "You made me burn myself!"
The two assistants rushed forward,expressions panicked. Timothy stood frozen,having witnessed the entire attempted sabotage.
"What is going on here?" Jasper’s voice thundered from the doorway. He must have been nearby to have arrived so quickly after Mia’s scream.