The Alpha CEO's Human Mate

“What were you thinking?” Nikita exclaimed, her voice shaking with anger. “You could have killed me and my children!” She motioned wildly to her six-year-old in a booster seat and her two-year-old securely tucked away in a car seat. Both were looking at Nikita through the car window as if she’d grown two heads. Nikita's emotions had veered from scared for the well-being of her two daughters to livid when someone had crashed into the back of her car as she'd been crossing the intersection. After making sure her girls were fine, she’d parked her car on the side of the busy road to give this man a peice of her mind! The man looked at her with a sheepish expression on his face, realizing the gravity of the situation. "I'm sorry doctor, I didn't see the red light," he muttered. Nikita’s eyes had been sweeping over her car to asses the damage, her heart sinking as she realised that it was quite alot. Her gaze cut to him sharply. “I am not a doctor,” Nikita seethed, tugging at her lab coat. “I am a lead chemist at a highly succesful corporation and I was trying to pick my kids up from daycare and drop them to the babysitter before an important meeting!” She stomped her foot in frustration and reached for the cellphone inside her lab coat pocket. “Please pick up….for once in your life,” Nikita muttered as if the person she was calling could hear her prayer. Nikita's eyes went again to the girls who seemed to be playing a game in the car. Then her mind shifted towards how much all this was going to cost her. Alot. Not to mention that she couldn't afford to be late for her meeting! The line Nikita was on disconnected due to not being answered. Nikita stared at her phone in anger, muttering an expletive in spanish at her phone. "I am sorry really," the man said again, hoping to calm this furious latina down. Fuming with anger, she marched towards the man and began yelling at him. There was no one else to take her anger out on. "Sorry's not good enough!" Nikita retorted. "You need to be more responsible on the road. You put the lives of innocent people at risk! Me and my children's lives! What’s more, I could get fired!!" Her dark brown hair was coming out of it’s severe bun and the subject of her anger was looking at her incredulously. “Lady, get your priorities straight. You’re more worried about being fired than someone getting hurt.” “Listen you….irresponsible rash driver!” Nikita hollered pointing her finger at him accusingly, her eyes blazing with fury. “When your survival depends on your job, you might as well be dead without one!” She tugged at her hair, wondering how she was going to solve this problem and for a minute her heart panged painfully thinking that if her mother had been alive, she might not be facing this issue at all. Mama would have come and gotten the kids from daycare. Mama would have made sure the two girls got a hot homecooked meal. Mama would have said screw the job and live with her until Nikita could make ends meet. Nikita cursed again. Mama was dead. It was just Nikita and her two girls now. Nikita gave herself a mental shake. She needed to get herself together! The man hung his head in shame, knowing that Nikita was probably in trouble and he was the cause of it. He apologized again and offered to pay for the damages. “I know it’s hard being a single mom,” he said mournfully. “If there’s any other way I can help you….I know you won’t let me drop your kids off-“ “Not with the way you drive buddy,” Nikita spat out and stomped her foot again in anger as she called a tow truck and then an uber in quick succession. “And I’m not a single mom,” Nikita added, pulling her hair back into a tight bun. “I just have a shitty husband,” Nikita stated brusquely, as if it was a universal truth she had learned to accept. "Aw lady...now I feel even worse. What man doesn't come to help his family when they're in trouble?" A drunken deadbeat one, Nikita thought to herself vindictively as she tracked how far the uber was. However, Nikita could tell the man infront of her was truly sorry. After taking a few deep breaths, she was able to calm down and accept his apology. The uber was almost here and Nikita began getting her kids out of the car. The tow truck would be here soon to take her car away. The back bumper had come off and one of the back wheels was bent at an awkward angle. The man watched in awe as Nikita loaded her kids into the car, purposefully angling her left hand so that the man could see the princess cut 1.5 karat diamond on her ring finger. He didn't need to know that it was only thing her husband had ever gotten her, all because she'd been a silly teenager who thought she was in love with her high school sweetheart. After exchanging information with the man who'd hit her, Nikita got into the uber and that’s when Mia, her two-year-old, began to cry for milk. Silently thanking all the deities above that she was no longer a nursing mother, Nikita reached for the milk in Mia’s diaper bag. Mia shouldn't still be using a bottle. Nikita knew this. But she'd been going at this parenting thing alone for such a long time that weaning the girl from her bottle was the last problem on Nikita's mind. There were more important things to worry about like electricity bills, daycare bills...diapers...student loans... The attractive,albeit tired, brunette sighed in defeat, thinking back to how she’d ended up here. A single mom in every aspect of her life except one. A piece of paper that told her she was married which tied her to a man that only came home to sleep, if at all. Nikita screwed her eyes shut in frustration, willing the tears to stay away. She was so tired of doing everything alone. It would be nice to have someone in her corner for once. Right now, it seemed as if even the universe was conspiring to keep her from getting the promotion she so dearly needed to pull herself out of this cycle of poverty she'd found herself in. * * * “Unbelievable,” snarled Kyle, his hands face down on his huge mahogany desk. "Where is the lead chemist for our Rossi project? She was supposed to be here for this important conference call! We couldn't give our client the answers he needed!" Kyle Sinclair did not like to be kept waiting. He rarely did the waiting anymore. He’d built his company from the ground up and he’d worked hard to become, at the age of 27, one of the youngest self-made billionaires. No one kept Kyle waiting. Least of all, one of his own employees. He was a lone wolf, the son of a strong alpha and even his wolf did not like such blatant disrespect. Itching to get out of the three-peice suit and go for a long run, Kyle wondered if it was time to call it a day. For some reason, his wolf had been on edge since sun up. Some sixth sense in him was telling him that something bad was going to happen today. “How much are we paying her anyway?” Kyle grumbled, crossing his arms churlishly. His eyes flickered to the clock in displeasure. “I…I’m sorry,” said Chris, another lone wolf that had joined Kyle on his journey to be the CEO of a huge international conglomerate. “She’s not answering her phone…but this is the same chemist that’s developed the prototype for the new packaging. She’s also the one that created the formula we patented for some of our top products,” Chris informed Kyle. “I’ve been supervising her personally for a long time. It’s not like her to not show up for such an important meeting. She knows we were going to discuss her promotion today.” “And you recommended her for the promotion? What were you thinking?" Kyle shook his head as he took Nikita’s personal file from Chris. “She’s usually very responsible,” said Pam, Executive Director of Marketing. Pam’s ebony skin glowed under the bright lights of Kyle’s office as her naturally curly hair clinked with beads she’d had weaved into it. “26... a mother of two children,” Kyle commented, going through Nikita’s file. “One of the girls goes to our on-site daycare year round.” “That closes at 3,” Pam chimed in disapprovingly. “Honestly, what’s the point when all the employees get off at 5? We need to rectify that.” Kyle nodded in agreement. If half his employees were having to drop their kids off to another babysitter in the middle of the workday, they were not going to be very efficient workers. His company was new. He was learning, and he was open to fostering a better work environment. Kyle made a mental note to get the daycare timings changed to 5 p.m. Chris’s phone began to ring. “Chris?” a panicked voice spoke over the phone. Kyle could feel his hackles rise as the sound reached his ears and the woman explained how she’d been in a car crash. “Calm down Nikita, breathe,” Chris intoned soothingly, listening to Nikita’s story. “You aren’t hurt, are you? And the girls?” “We’re all fine,” Nikita sniffled. “I dropped the girls off at the babysitter. I know I missed a meeting with an important client. I am so sorry. But is ...is it too late to make it in time for the meeting about my promotion?” Chris got a pained expression on his face. “Nikita, you were just in a life-threatening accident…it’s O.K. to go home and-“ “I missed it didn’t I?” Nikita sobbed. “I missed my chance.” Kyle winced as he heard the hysterical note in this woman's voice. “No heyyy…you didn’t miss anything,” Chris replied patiently. His eyes met Kyle’s who simply gave an imperceptible nod. “Come on in. We’re all here and Mr. Sinclair is wai-“ Kyle’s low warning growl made Chris falter. “Mr. Sinclair is still in an important conference call which should be over by the time you get here,” Chris rectified smoothly. Kyle leaned back and gave Chris a nod of approval. Nobody needed to know he’d been waiting like an i***t. Once Chris shut the phone on Nikita, he looked at Kyle expecting Kyle to go off on him again. “She shouldn't be rushing here for an interview,” Pam muttered. “If I’d been in a car accident…” Pam shook her head. “It’s because you can afford to take it easy,” Chris said sharply. “Nikita’s still paying off her student loans from her chemical engineering degrees. She has a bachelor's and a master's degree and both did not come cheap. The girl is also supporting two beautiful daughters. She’s doing everything on her own. Her mother used to help her out until she passed away last summer. It’s not easy…especially with kids,” Chris said sadly. “Oh.” Pam put a hand over her heart. “The poor thing. She’s a single mother.” Chris opened his mouth to further elaborate on Nikita's deadbeat husband but Kyle cut him off. “You know I’m going to have to rethink her promotion,” Kyle said matter-of-factly. “I realise that she might be a huge asset as Executive Chemist but she’s already got a lot on her plate. I don’t think a person like her would be able to handle the additional workload. The kids might suffer…or her work responsibilities will.” “That won’t happen,” Chris stated firmly. “Kyle, she’s poured her heart and soul into this company the last year and a half. If there is anyone that deserves this position, it’s her.” Kyle wanted to disagree, but decided that there was no harm in meeting with Nikita and considering her. He did not have to decide today who got the position. His secretary intercommed him. “Mr. Sinclair, Nikita Flores is here for a meeting scheduled with you.” Before Kyle could even reply, Chris pushed the button down. “Show her in Stacey,” Chris interjected smoothly, meeting Kyle’s disapproving eye as he lifted his finger from the intercom button. “Don’t make her wait out of spite. The poor thing has had a rough day as it is," Chris admonished. “You seem awfully considerate.” Kyle couldn’t help but slyly comment, wondering if maybe Chris had some sort of crush on Nikita. He’d never seen Chris so invested in someone. Chris was cutthroat in his dealings, usually working an angle that could reap the most profits. “You would be too if you knew her,” Chris argued and looked at Kyle crossly. The door opened and Kyle caught a whiff of something that nearly brought him to his knees. Something so wonderful and mouthwateringly delicious that he had to slam his hands down onto his desk to keep himself from striding across the room and claiming the woman who walked in. She smelled divine, a mixture of amber and jasmine. He watched as a beautiful petite brunette with deep chocolate eyes and tan skin walked in, her lab coat haphazardly pulled over her shoulders and wisps of hair framing her beautiful face. She had a heart-shaped face and a beautiful dent in her chin that instantly appealed to Kyle. His eyes widened in horror over the realization that Nikita Flores, the woman he was supposed to interview for a promotion, was his mate. His very human mate. A/N: Hello, if you are just joining us and like what you have read so far, please consider joining Ruby's Reading Room for chapter discussions and news on my upcoming works. I also have visuals of the characters :).