The elevator chimed softly, but my heartbeat was deafening in my ears. Could there be a hidden reason behind this prize? Did Elliot manipulate the outcome? Did I truly earn this victory with my own claws and instincts? The cash prize had skyrocketed from 10,000 to 1 million. Outsiders might think it was the company's generosity, but my wolf senses told me it wasn't that simple. Every nerve in me tingled with the knowledge that Elliot had orchestrated this, that he had intentionally set the stage for me to claim it. His ways were subtle, but the pack's instincts within me understood—the Alpha was repaying me, in his own quiet, dominant way.
