CHAPTER 54

Sam bowed his head in the midst of the students visiting Anderson Group. They were about thirty of them invited to a lecture given by Asher Anderson himself. To every normal person that cared enough to spare him a glance, he was just a shy, nerdy student in oversized geek glasses and boring clothes in urgent need of a haircut. He blended in well enough to the ordinary eyes but a few wolves that walked past the students in the lobby; awaiting their visiting pass, spared him a second, piercing look.
This was not his place. He did not belong here and even if he had enough right to be there, they were still weary of him. But they just let him be. He looked the part of the harmless, submissive wolf with his cute, boyish look.
He was scared of being caught. A company as big as Anderson Group would not take students without prior registration and adequate background check. But it was not just because the company was big, it was because the owner was a wolf, and an Alpha. He would never leave anything to chance.
But luck was on his side on that fateful morning. He had overheard the most interesting conversation and used it to his advantage.
"I registered with Kevin Sharpe but I can't see him around. I was hoping I would. We became good pals since, you know," a short, stocky nerd said to his friend.
"Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?," his friend asked.
"I don't know. But I got to say, I saw it coming. He studies at University of Connecticut and he told me the semester has been crazy. Maybe he had things to do he couldn't pass up," he said seriously. It was evident he really wanted the Kevin guy there.
"Maybe," his friend replied and gave an uninterested shrug.
Sam smiled to himself and made sure to be the last on the queue as the security man passed out the visiting passes.
As the queue grew shorter, his heart pounded wildly in fear and he thought several times of turning away. He could still make a run for it before he was caught for impersonation. But he only had to remember how hopeful and meaningful his life had become since Ethan put together their little, rebel group for him to continue to trudge on as the queue shortened. If he was caught, he would die knowing he had tried to help his pack. He had not just watched helplessly as Collins wreaked more havoc.
Besides, he was not there to do anyone harm. He just wanted to warn the Alpha-if the Alpha was not the danger himself. But it was a risk he had volunteered to take. There was no turning back now.
When it got to his turn, he said "Kevin Sharpe, University of Connecticut" before the security man could ask him any questions. His head was bowed, and he played the 'shy geek' card.
"I know mate. Your pass is the only one left. Welcome to Anderson Group," he passed him the card with a cursory glance.
He tried not to run away from his own 'crime scene' in fear of being called back. Instead, he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, one at a time. When he caught up with the others, he sighed in great relief and hung the pass around his neck. He made sure it dropped inside his jacket and he avoided Kevin's friend as much as he could. He didn't want the guy catching on after he managed to get past security. And if he did, he could just give him the excuse he had been nice enough to say to his hearing minutes ago. "Oh. There was a last minute change. He's been having a busy semester and the company agreed I could fill in for him."
That should be good enough to satisfy any other question.
One part of his plan was done. Now it was unto the next and he hoped he continued to be lucky. The next step was getting close enough to the Alpha to slip him a note or say something to him.
They were led into a large, brightly lit conference room. It was filled with men in dark suits with ear pods. He paid no attention to the state-of-the-art luxury chairs and personal tablets prepared for everyone of them. The decor was amazing but all Sam could think about was how to avoid getting caught by the men all around him. A few wolf amongst them looked pointedly at him but they must have caught onto his timidity and shy helplessness so they just looked away from him. He settled into his seat and continued to keep his head lowered, discouraging anyone from trying to talk to him and ignoring the chitchats around him
Sam knew the moment the Alpha entered. He did not have to raise his head to feel the atmosphere shift in the large room. Everywhere became dead quiet and still. He looked up to see the hard, menacing man before him. His blue eyes were cold and emotionless. A shiver ran down his spine as Asher Anderson looked in his direction for a moment, his cold stare cutting and sizing him up before he looked away.
Sam had heard about his recent mating and for some reason, he pitied the unlucky woman and said a prayer for her safety in his heart. His pack Alpha scared him alright but Asher made the fear he had for Collins seem like nothing.
He had entered with two other wolves flanking him. One was huge and freakishly tall. He had on a dark sunglasses and ear pods like the other men in the room. Sam guessed he was his personal bodyguard but he could not guess who the other handsome, and less intimidating wolf was as the man sat down with a smile in the general direction of everyone in the room.
"Welcome to Anderson Group. I'm Asher Anderson and I must say, it's good having you all here." his voice boomed into the microphone on the raised platform, a smile playing across his lips.
And for the next couple of hours, his ears were subject to business terms he knew nothing about and did not care for. It was boring but he could not even afford to doze because of his fear and anxiety. During the long lecture, he got to know that the other wolf was the Beta, although he had not said the exact word. Asher Anderson had merely referred to him several times as his right hand man and he seemed to really respect the wolf.
When it was all over, they all filed up to have a handshake with him and Sam quickly scribbled a short note. He made his way to the middle of the queue with trepidation. His hands were sweaty and the crumpled note was soaking up fast but he did not dare to write another one when the sharp gazes of his security men were trained on them, especially the hulking one close to him. For a moment, he questioned the reason he needed one. He looked strong and Sam could bet the Alpha could take care of himself and even take out his so called security. But what did he know?
Then he was before the Alpha and he clasped his hand strongly, his head raised to look into the other man's eyes for the first time. His expression barely changed even when he felt the note in his palms.
Both men stared at each other, the handshake lasting for not more than a few seconds but for Sam, it was like a few years of his life. Then it was over as the Alpha gave him a faint smile and a few mumbled words of encouragement like the others.
Sam left the room quickly, not looking back once as he took the elevator to the ground floor and made his escape.
Outside in the open air, he let out a breath he was not conscious he had been holding.
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Meanwhile, Asher had quickly transferred the note to his breast pocket without anyone noticing the subtle move. He had forced himself to shake hands with the remaining students, the note burning hot in his pocket.
One look into the eyes of the wolf, he had been able to make a wild guess what was going to be in the note pressed in his palm. His eyes had been urgent and desperate, pleading for what Asher could not lay his hand on. It had taken a lot of restrain to watch the wolf walk away without having his men go after him to bring him for questioning. He could not risk the exposure because he wanted everyone, especially his Beta, to remain in the dark about the silent exchange. Although he highly doubted it now, he still could not trust his friend not being a part of his father's grand plan.
Besides, he did not think he could ever trust anyone after the scene he just walked away from. And it was a good thing he had walked away from Shana into a tight schedule. It gave his mind something else to think about.
When the last handshake was over, he excused himself and strode to his office fast. Asher slammed the door close behind him and sat behind his desk.
Then he brought out the wet, crumpled note and smoothened it out carefully. The poorly scribbled words made his blood run cold.
"Alpha Collins of Bleeding Moon and a
member of your pack are allies."