The Alpha's Bodyguard

First Job Day

Secretary of Energy's Office

Present

Alessandro's POV

"The Secretary will see you right away, Mr. Falinni," said the assistant to the Secretary of Energy, Alfa Astor, as soon as she saw me. I nodded and entered the office of the man who had been my father-in-law for a few months now.

"Alessandro, please, come in," Alfa Astor opened the door to his office to welcome me, and before entering, I noticed an additional scent. We weren't alone, as I thought we would be. "Mr. Darkwood will accompany us in this meeting."

I offered my hand to the man who would join us in that meeting while wondering who this person could be. I hoped to get an answer in the next few seconds.

"Mr. Darkwood is our liaison with the Chinese investors, whom you'll see this afternoon during lunch, right?" asked Alfa Astor.

"That's correct. We'll finalize the details on this new project that will provide energy to the northern sector of..." I was about to say 'kingdom' when I realized I didn't know if the new member of the meeting, Mr. Darkwood, was one of us or not.

"Of the kingdom, Mr. Falinni?" Darkwood completed my words, responding to my sudden doubt.

"Exactly, sir," I replied.

"Mr. Darkwood will have a role in this project as a contractor," announced Alfa Astor. "In addition to being our liaison with the Chinese, he will be aware of the project's developments, while you handle the legal aspect, Alessandro."

As my father-in-law, and me being much younger than him, Alfa Astor spoke to me familiarly, almost as if I were his son.

"I thought the only contractor would be the Chinese firm," I said as my eyes turned to Mr. Darkwood, who had not been included in the preliminary negotiations.

"Well, his inclusion has been a recommendation from higher up," my father-in-law said with a friendly smile. I knew he couldn't be referring to anyone other than the king. "And it's Mr. Darkwood who has linked us with the Chinese."

"I understand," I said with a slight nod of my head towards the new member of the business, welcoming him and clarifying his position.

"And speaking of your lunch this afternoon, Alessandro," said Alfa Astor. "You might have to take a trip to Samoa to meet personally with the president of the Chinese company. They'll make the official announcement this afternoon during lunch, but I'm giving you some advance notice, so get your passport and bags ready."

"A trip to Samoa?" I asked, surprised.

"That's right," replied Mr. Darkwood. "It's the most central location, given the distance between the two countries. We hope to start the construction after that visit and the signing of the relevant documents."

The meeting extended just a little longer, enough for me to give instructions to Valery, the new escort, Cindy, to lead us to the restaurant where I would meet with the Chinese.

Restaurant D'Aggio

Present

Ivania's POV

It was the damned restaurant of my nightmares.

Of all the hundreds of luxury restaurants in the city, Alessandro had to choose that one for his lunch with the Chinese.

Does it bring back pleasant memories, you miserable wretch?

I was thankful not to have to go in and to be able to stay in the armored van, in the company of Valery, even though if I had been inside, I would have been able to hear what Alessandro was talking about with his partners, although they shouldn't have been anything more than business dealings to make him even filthier rich.

"So, are you from the Goddesses Valley pack, Cindy?" Valery asked, sitting in the driver's seat, me beside her.

"That's right. I lived there my whole life until I was eighteen when I joined the Marine Corps."

"The Marine Corps, huh? And why would a pack girl enlist in the army?"

I looked Valery in the eyes. I knew her questions were anything but innocent, but I pretended to take them as what they were supposed to be: casual conversation.

"I was bored in Goddesses Valley. Life can be very monotonous on the outskirts of the kingdom, and I'm more of an action person, you know?"

"And what happened with the marines? Why didn't you continue?"

I shrugged and pursed my lips.

"I got tired of the marines too. If I was going to be assigned to security duties, I'd rather get paid what my services are really worth, don't you think? As a private, I make ten times more than I would in the service."

Valery seemed satisfied with my answer, but she insisted on asking about my supposed parents, why they hadn't had more children, if I wanted to have them, in short, an interrogation about my life disguised as friendly conversation between two girls.

"The Alpha is about to come out. I'll start the car," said Valery after almost an hour of that interrogation.

I got out of the van and waited for Alessandro, who didn't take long to come out.

Facing the facade of the restaurant and seeing him come out, I had to control myself.

I really wanted to hit him at that moment!

I longed to avenge, as soon as possible, the girl from five years ago, who left that place shedding all the tears she hadn't shed in her entire life, even though I grew up an orphan and believed I was nothing more than an omega without a wolf.

"Is everything okay, Cindy?" Alessandro asked when he saw me.

I smiled.

"Perfect, sir. How was your lunch?"

"Boring, shall we?"

I opened the door for the Alpha and took my seat. The van started, heading to another boring meeting of the rich. Just a few minutes later, I sensed something strange.

I saw that we were being followed by a black motorcycle since we left the restaurant parking lot.

Valery had also noticed it and glanced at me for a second. I indicated, with a gesture, that we should keep going. Alessandro was focused on his phone and hadn't noticed what was bothering us.

Through the side mirror, I saw the motorcycle coming towards me, the same side Alessandro was seated on. In milliseconds, I checked that Alessandro's window was down at the same time my hand went to my waist, over the gun holster.

There were two men on the motorcycle, both wearing helmets. I knew, from my experience with the Marines, how the movements of someone about to draw a weapon or coming with the intention to harm were like; that wasn't the case with these guys, but I did notice that they were paying special attention to the van we were traveling in. That's what alerted me, and I knew we weren't indifferent to them.

"Step on it," I told Valery as the motorcycle overtook us.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Alessandro's face, which became uneasy upon hearing my words.

Before Valery could accelerate the van, the motorcycle passed us on our side, and the man sitting in the back turned his head.

It was impossible for me to see his eyes because of the helmet he was wearing, but it was as if I had guessed the expression on his face, and then my suspicions were confirmed.

The man dropped, or rather threw, a package in front of the van, forcing Valery to swerve to avoid hitting it. In doing so, she exposed our side, and at that moment, the motorcycle stopped.

It had been a lure to expose us, and I knew what the intentions of the motorcyclists were just by seeing them reaching into their jackets.

Before they could pull out their mini uzi, I had already opened my door and, trusting in its armor, used it as a shield, blocking the angle where Alessandro was exposed.

The force of the impacts pushed me backward. Luckily for Alessandro, they weren't the best hitmen and made several mistakes: they had advanced quite a bit from the van, and the shooters were not experts.

Panicked, they emptied their magazines without even aiming properly. The bullets didn't even hit the van.

However, it was their poor aim that changed my luck; one of the bullets hit the ground and ricocheted. At the end of its trajectory, the bullet embedded itself in my groin, where the bulletproof vest didn't protect me.

The pain blinded me, and, with my wolf blocked, I received the impact as if I were human.

The motorcycle sped off and disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

'We're under attack, Ivania,' exclaimed Belona, who, feeling the pain, came to my aid despite being blocked. 'We've been hurt!'

'I know, stubborn wolf, but you have to hide!' I yelled in my mind, infuriated. Alessandro was only a few steps away, and if his wolf sensed my wolf, it would be the end of my charade.

I heard Alessandro get out of the van, and I trusted that Belona had already hidden herself, or she would recognize me as her mate, and all my revenge plan would go to hell.