The Crippled Billionaire Is My MATE

CHAPTER 3 – My Wolf, Brie

Lexi’s POV

*The next day*

“Lexi, I hope you have gone through the file,” Dad said while we were having breakfast at the packhouse dining hall.

It was 7.10 a.m. sharp and I had to be at the Starks’ mansion before 8.30 a.m. Dad informed me that they were very punctual people and expected others to be punctual as well. But, it wasn’t an issue because I wasn’t a sleepy head that liked to sleep until the sunshine kissed my a*s.

Putting down my spoon, I raised my head. “Yeah, Dad, but—”

“Good morning, Dad and Mom. Oh, Lexi, you look like are going somewhere,” Brian’s voice filled the dining hall. By the look of his shiny, sweaty body and his dusty clothes, it was obvious he just finished his morning run.

“Yeah,” I replied shortly and sweetly.

Brian chuckled softly. “Let me guess, you are going to meet another client.”

Did he just seriously mock me or is it just how I always hear his irritating voice? Pressing my lips together, I shot him a tough glare, but Dad quickly diffused the situation.

“Brian, let me remind you of something. Just because you are handling pack duties and are the next Alpha, it doesn’t mean that your role is the most important and that you are the only powerful person at this table. Lexi is not second to you. You can handle the pack duties smoothly because she is doing her security firm duties excellently. You should be thanking her instead of pulling her hair,” Dad advised with a calm yet strict tone.

Now that’s my daddy cool! Yay, Dad! What a beautiful punch for Brian! Look at his face, he has turned into a rotten tomato.

“Sorry, Dad, I didn’t mean to be harsh on Lexi,” Brian replied guiltily, making me pity him.

“Hey, it’s okay, Brian.” I nodded my head and smiled at him to comfort him.

Glancing at my watch, I quickly stood up from the dining table. “Dad, I must leave now, otherwise, I’ll be late.”

“Good luck, Lex!” Brian flashed me an assuring smile while Dad and Mom gave me a thumbs-up.

“Sweetheart, take my vehicle,” Dad said, just as I was heading out the door.

“No, Dad. I am cool with my bike.” I pulled out my motorcycle keys from my pocket and walked out of the packhouse.

Yes, I was a fan of motorcycles and not four-wheelers like other girls. I loved to ride my bikes and they were my babies. As for my speed, that was top secret. I don’t remember exactly at what age I started falling in love with motorcycles, but ever since Dad gifted me my first bike for my fourteen birthday, I never drove a four-wheeler ever again.

That was not all. No matter what or where I was going, my attire always comprised boots, leather pants, and a leather jacket. It was not because I wanted to show the world that I was a badass, but it was because that was what I was comfortable with.

As for my motorcycle collection, I had almost every brand and kind of motorcycles like Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Honda. If I couldn’t buy them locally, I would import them through one of Dad’s friends.

Obviously, I could afford it since I earned a salary at the security firm and that allowed me to purchase whatever I wanted. Dad paid me a fair salary and he promised me that if I deal with the Stark family nicely, he would increase my salary by a considerable amount, which meant that I could buy more bikes for my collection.

I even had a separate garage built at the packhouse just for my bikes and I did not allow anyone to touch my babies. One day Brian took out my Harley Davidson bike for a ride and he met with an accident, ever since that day I never allowed him to even watch them. I talked to my babies every day, I made sure to service them on time and I adjusted them according to the way I wanted. Plus, I fixed them myself and for them, I became a great mechanic.

My feet hurried to my garage and once I arrived, I scanned my bike collection. Checking the time, I noticed that it was already 7.38 a.m. and I needed to be there before 8.30 a.m. Considering the traffic and the number of vehicles on the road at that time, I knew that I had to select a bike that was fast, light, and could also impress the client. So, I walked towards my Kawasaki Ninja 400CC.

“Baby, your mom is already late and you need to take me to the richest client we have ever gotten. Shall we?” I kissed the motorcycle before getting on it.

“Looks like you are late, Ma’am,” the guard who was carrying out his duties in my garage said when he saw the way I started the bike. He knew everything about my bikes and he never allowed anyone to enter my garage without my permission, even my dad. He knew well what would happen to him if I got angry. So, he took care of my motorcycle collection well and I paid him for his services.

“Yup, got to go, Roman.” My hands lowered the helmet over my head and after buckling it, I moved the visor down. At lightning speed, I speeded out of the pack territory and soon I was on the main road. There were no vehicles around and the forest filled the sides of the road.

Thankfully, I managed to reach the Starks’ mansion by 8.20 a.m. Stopping outside the main gate, I honked my horn for the guard to open the gates leading to their mansion grounds. It was almost similar to our pack territory, but they didn’t have a pack. They probably only have a few family members, so why do they need this much space?

The tall and huge white mansion in the distance had brown rooftops and there was an endless garden surrounding it. Surprisingly, the garden had two paths, one for people to walk through and another one for vehicles to drive through.

“Yes?” I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of the security guard’s voice.

Lifting up my helmet visor, I said, “I am here to meet Mr. Stark. I have an 8.30 appointment with him.”

The guard looked at me from top to bottom before narrowing his eyes. “They are expecting a male, but you are a female. I can’t let you go inside.”

This is irritating!

“I am here because of Mr. Stark’s request. Alp—Mr. Kyle Cronus sent me. You can get confirmation from inside. Just please open this gate immediately as I am getting late for my appointment,” I replied with a polite yet stern voice.

“We can’t. I am sorry but Mr. Stark instructed us that a group of men will be here for the appointment, not a lady,” the guard retorted.

His words started to infuriate me and I felt my grip around my bike accelerator handle getting tighter. Why do they need only men for bodyguard duties? Why do they think that a woman can’t do the same duty too?

“Fu*k!” I cursed under my breath and pulled out my phone from my jacket pocket to call my dad. He was the one responsible for the misunderstanding and for all the wasted time. If I get delayed, then it’s all because of you, Dad.

As soon as the call connected, I blurted out, “Hey, Dad. Listen, the guards are not allowing me to enter the mansion. They are talking about expecting a group of men and—”

“s**t! It’s my mistake, Lex. Hold on, I will contact Mr. Stark right now. Just give me a second,” he answered.

“Hurry up, Dad. I am getting late!” I barked at him gently. The line transferred to the hold music as he contacted the Starks.

After a few seconds, the call reconnected and Dad’s voice echoed in my ears, “Lex? I have explained everything to Mr. Stark. He was a bit furious with me for sending a female. It’s all on you now, Lex, I know you can handle him.”

“Are you for real, Dad?” I exclaimed with irritation.

Within seconds, I saw that the guard receiving a call. Are they allowing him to open the gate for me or will the guard ask me to turn back and leave?

“Miss, you can come in now.” The gate opened automatically as soon as the guard pressed a button from inside the guard room.

“Got to go, Dad!” I ended the call and returned my phone to the pocket of my leather jacket.

Lowering my visor, I accelerated my bike and drove into the mansion grounds. Along the sides of the sand paths were beautiful flower bushes and trees designed according to different shapes of animals but the two large water fountains with mermaid sculptures caught my eye. Two guards directed me to turn left and soon there was a vehicle parking lot with the signboard ‘Guests only’. Around five hundred meters away, I noticed the Starks’ vehicle collection. I had visited the houses of rich people before and even we owned different branded types of vehicles in our packhouse, but what I was looking at was beyond our wealth.

Are they using vehicles even to go to the bathroom? If not, why does a family need such a huge vehicle collection? Wait, why am I bothered about their wealth?

Removing my helmet, I got off my bike just as a guard was approaching me.

“Miss, can I have your bike keys and helmet? We will keep them inside the guards’ cabin and we will return them to you when you leave,” the guard in a black suit with a Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear said. I nodded and handed them over to him.

Crouching down, I looked at my reflection in the bike mirror and adjusted my hair bun. I rarely released my hair and most of the time my hair was tied into a bun or a ponytail even though I had long brown hair with curly ends that reached my waist.

“Take care of my baby,” I instructed the guard before inserting my hands into my jacket pockets and walking to the entrance of the mansion.

Scanning my surroundings, I realized that there were guards everywhere which made me confused. Why do they need a personal bodyguard when they have so many guards all over the mansion and especially for a disabled person?

I climbed up the few steps that led to the main entrance and a doorman opened the grand doors. My jaw dropped at the look of the insides of the mansion, still, I managed to remain calm. I had to, otherwise, they would assume that I had never visited a rich mansion before.

As soon as I stepped inside, a lady dressed in a white blouse and black skirt approached me, probably Mr. Stark’s secretary or assistant. “Good morning, Miss. Please take a seat, Mr. Stark will be here soon.”

The lady directed me to the comfortable leather couch and I took a seat. As I was basking in awe at the luxurious life of Starks, I heard someone’s footsteps heading toward me. I turned my head to see a grey-headed middle-aged man wearing glasses and dressed in a long-sleeved shirt with matching long trousers descending the wooden stairs located in the middle of the living room. His aura and the way he carried himself clearly reflected the unique luxury lifestyle of the Starks. With a deep breath, I stood up from the couch and stepped forward.

“Good morning. I was expecting a group of men, but Kyle contacted me and assured me that you are the perfect choice for my son.” Mr. Gerard Stark’s voice was deep with a hint of slight anger and disappointment.

“Sorry for the disappointment, Sir, but your request came as a top priority and urgent. We couldn’t arrange for the men you requested at such short notice, so here I am,” I replied, justifying the sudden change.

Mr. Stark lowered his glasses before scanning me from top to bottom. “Have you gone through the client file, Miss…”

“Lexi, Lexi Cronus. Yes, Sir. I have read the file and I am aware that you requested bodyguards for your dis—I mean, for your son, right?” The word ‘disabled’ almost slipped out of my mouth, but I managed to control my tongue knowing that it was not a nice thing to say.

He nodded. “Yes, it is for my only son, Chris Stark.”

As soon as he said that, I suddenly felt my stomach twisting and turning upside down.

Shit! What is happening to me? Did I eat something bad for breakfast? No, no, Lex, calm down! Don’t embarrass yourself in front of the client. This is your very first meeting. Assuring myself mentally, I tried my best to stay as calm as I could.

“He will be here soon. So, are you going to stay with him as his bodyguard? If we need to replace you with a group of men, how many days would you need?” he asked.

“We need at least two weeks, Sir,” I blurted out. Every time Mr. Stark requested men as bodyguards, I grew more irritated.

“Hmmm…we don’t have that kind of time, but Chris’s security here at the mansion is the priority now. I will talk to Kyle about that later. So, you can be his bodyguard for today only. I hope you are familiar with some martial arts or whatever a bodyguard is trained to know,” he said as he leaned back against the couch and crossed his legs.

Should I tell him that I am an Alpha’s daughter and I have kicked every warrior in my pack’s a*s?

But, soon my anger turned into discomfort as my stomach started to dance. Today is a bad day for you, Lexi.

“Miss Lexi, is everything all right?” Mr. Stark asked.

Clearing my throat, I smiled and nodded my head. Only I knew how uncomfortable I was feeling.

“Hey bi*ch!” A voice suddenly echoed in my head, talking to me. No, it was not my head, it was my wolf, Brie!

“Perfect timing, you moron. What are you doing here? Why did you come back? You told me six days ago that you will never talk to me again. Look who is back now,” I mind-linked Brie.

Luckily, Mr. Stark received a call, stood up from the couch, and walked away to answer it. As for Brie, her words did not surprise me because that was how we talked to each other. Such polite language, isn’t it?

“Yes, I said that, but I am not here for you. Where are you anyway? Don’t you feel a strange feeling?” she replied.

“Listen, I am here for a business deal with some humans, so I don’t have time to listen to your f**king shits, Brie. Now, go to hell and leave me alone. I am happier without you!” I lied, knowing well that no one could live without their wolf. But, Brie was so stubborn and always fought with me for a mate. A few days ago, we had a terrible fight and I thought that I would never hear from her ever again, but no, the bi*ch came back.

“Do you know why are you here, Lexi?” she asked, her voice serious yet laced with a mocking tone.

“I am here for business. Now, for f*ck’s sake, just go, Brie! I will talk to you later!” I cursed her. She knew that I was there for important business matters and yet, she was purposely irritating me to ruin everything. She wanted to make me vanish from the face of the earth.

Brie started to laugh and she didn’t stop until we heard the sound of a wheelchair rolling toward us. Once again, my stomach started to dance until I was sure that I was about to vomit on the expensive couch.

“Chris, come here, my son,” Mr. Stark said.

Instantly, Brie started to howl in my head before jumping and running all over my body. Turns out, it was her feelings and reaction that I was feeling all the while. It was a whole new feeling that I had never felt before, not even when I first shifted on my fourteen birthday. I had never felt such an unexplainable feeling.

“What the f*ck are you doing, Brie? Calm down! Why are you behaving like a pup?” I tried my best to control my facial expression as I fought to control the crazy wolf within me.

Within seconds, I heard the sound of the wheelchair moving closer to me. At the same time, my discomfort started increasing with every second, warming up my whole body and making me sweat.

Eventually, the wheelchair reached the living room and my emotions heightened. I didn’t know why and how, but I stood up from my place and turned to see him. Our eyes met for the first time and I lost it. It was like I had no control over my body and something overcame me as I felt myself drawing toward him. It was both enchanting and confusing, yet not strange.

“Lexi!” I heard Brie’s voice again, this time soft and shaking like never before.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I felt my heartbeat's rhythm change. “What is happening, Brie?”

“He is our mate!”