After a brief return to the office to collect my belongings, I reached out to Elliot through the intercom, my voice steady despite the lingering uncertainty in my chest. "What time are you leaving? I'd like to see Jared."
"Meet me at the basement car park in ten minutes," he replied without delay, his tone calm yet carrying the natural authority of an Alpha issuing direction within his territory.
Ten minutes later, I arrived at the basement level and transferred my two suitcases into the trunk of Elliot's vehicle. Rey, who usually served as his assistant, had already shifted roles into that of a driver, opening the door and taking the front seat while Elliot and I settled into the back together. The enclosed space felt different from before—quieter, heavier with unspoken awareness of the bond now forming through circumstance rather than choice.
