Evening settled slowly over the penthouse, the fading sunlight stretching across the ocean before disappearing behind the distant horizon. From this height the city always looked calmer than it truly was. The streets below still carried the restless movement of thousands of people finishing their day, but up here the noise softened into something distant and manageable.
The elevator doors opened and she stepped into the quiet hallway, already loosening the tension in her shoulders before she even reached her door.
Another long day. Another endless stack of paperwork. Another series of meetings where people spoke for far too long about things that could have been solved in half the time.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The first thing she did was kick off her shoes without looking where they landed. One slid across the marble floor while the other struck the leg of a chair and tipped sideways. Her jacket followed a moment later, tossed carelessly across the arm of the sofa as she walked further into the penthouse.
Leonel was already in the kitchen. The quiet sound of something cooking drifted through the open space, warm and steady, carrying the smell of garlic and herbs. She opened the top buttons of her shirt as she crossed the room, rolling her shoulders to loosen muscles that had spent far too many hours trapped behind a desk.
"You're late," Leonel said, glancing over his shoulder from the stove.
"Meetings," she replied as she dropped into one of the chairs by the island. "And paperwork."
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is, as always."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter while she watched him cook. Leonel moved around the kitchen with the same calm rhythm he always had, reaching for ingredients without looking and adjusting the heat beneath the pan with small precise movements.
For a moment neither of them spoke. That silence had become familiar. She had never been particularly comfortable with people filling her space unnecessarily, yet Leonel somehow managed to exist inside her home without disturbing the quiet she preferred. Eventually he placed a plate in front of her.
"Eat."
She didn't argue. The first bite made it clear he had once again made something far better than the quick meals she used to settle for before Cedric forced her to accept help in her personal life.
"You're getting better at this," she said.
Leonel glanced over.
"That's concerning."
"Why?"
"You might start expecting it."
She smirked faintly and continued eating. A few minutes passed before Leonel spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
She looked up.
"You just did."
He gave a small amused breath through his nose.
"Something else then."
She shrugged.
"Go ahead."
Leonel leaned one shoulder against the counter while he waited for the next part of the meal to finish cooking.
"You're Alpha of one of the strongest packs in the region," he said. "You run an entire territory, deal with challenges every other week, and spend most of your time buried in paperwork you clearly hate."
"That part is true."
"But I've never seen anyone around here who looks like a mate."
She finished the bite she was chewing before answering.
"That's because there isn't one."
"I figured," he said calmly. "I was just wondering why."
She studied him for a moment.
"Being Alpha complicates things."
"In what way?"
She leaned back slightly in the chair, resting her forearms against the counter.
"A lot of people think they can handle it," she said. "Until they realize what it actually means."
Leonel waited quietly.
"I've had relationships before," she continued. "A few of them even started with both of us believing it might be something more serious."
"And?"
She shook her head slightly.
"They eventually decided they wanted to be Alpha."
Leonel raised an eyebrow.
"Through you."
"Exactly."
Her voice stayed calm and matter-of-fact.
"Apparently some people still think a woman leading a pack is temporary. They assume if they stay close long enough, the position will eventually become theirs."
"And they tried to take it?"
"They tried to control it by controlling me," she corrected. "Which is worse."
Leonel nodded slowly.
"And that ended things."
"That ended everything."
She pushed her empty plate slightly away.
"One of them actually thought the pack would automatically accept him if we were mates," she added after a moment. "He spent three months acting supportive before finally admitting he expected to take over once we bonded."
Leonel tilted his head slightly.
"How did that conversation end?"
"I beat him up."
"And then?"
"He left the territory quickly after that."
That earned a quiet laugh from him.
"Sounds like it worked to your favor."
"It usually does."
The kitchen fell quiet again for a moment while Leonel finished cooking the rest of the meal.
"So you decided relationships weren't worth it," he said eventually.
She shook her head.
"No."
He glanced at her.
"No?"
"I decided I wasn't going to spend my life negotiating my own place as alpha."
She leaned back in the chair again.
"I'm not against having a mate," she said. "I'm just against being owned and giving up my position."
Leonel watched her thoughtfully.
"That sounds reasonable."
"It's apparently controversial."
He gave a small nod.
"I can imagine."
She folded her arms loosely.
"If the right person ever showed up and understood that I'm Alpha, that my territory comes first, and that I'm not stepping down for anyone, then sure. I wouldn't mind having someone around."
"And if they expected something different?"
"They'd be disappointed."
Leonel held her gaze for a moment.
"I don't think you'd ever step down."
A faint smile crossed her face.
"No," she said calmly. "I wouldn't."
The conversation faded naturally after that. Leonel cleaned the kitchen while she moved toward the window overlooking the ocean. The city lights reflected across the water in long shifting patterns as night settled fully over the skyline. Behind her, the quiet sounds of dishes being washed and dried filled the room. Eventually Leonel placed the final pan back in the cabinet.
"My work here is done," he said.
She nodded without turning.
"See you tomorrow."
"Good night, Alpha."
The door closed softly behind him. She remained by the window for several minutes, watching the distant movement of the city below. Something about the conversation lingered in her thoughts longer than she expected. Most people who learned she was Alpha reacted the same way. Some tried to challenge her, others tried to use her, but Leonel had done neither.
And that alone made him more interesting than he probably should have been. She stayed by the window a little longer, watching the distant movement of headlights along the streets below. From this height everything looked ordered, almost predictable, which she knew was an illusion. Cities only appeared calm when you were far enough away from the problems moving inside them.
Up close things were rarely that simple. Her thoughts drifted briefly back to the conversation in the kitchen. It had started casually enough, the kind of idle curiosity that often appeared when people spent enough time around each other. Yet something about the exchange lingered longer than she expected. Perhaps it was the fact that Leonel had asked the question without any hidden intention behind it.
Most people who asked about her personal life were trying to understand something else entirely. Some wanted to measure their chances of gaining influence. Others were simply curious about how someone like her managed to lead a territory without the support of a mate beside her. Very few people asked out of simple curiosity.
She rested her forearm against the glass and looked out over the ocean again. The water moved slowly beneath the dark sky, reflecting scattered fragments of the city lights along the shoreline. Leadership had never left much room for a traditional life.
That had been clear from the moment she first stepped into the position. Running a territory required time, attention, and constant awareness of the problems that could emerge without warning. Even now most of her days were spent buried in reports, meetings, and negotiations that had nothing to do with the physical strength people often associated with an Alpha. The challenges in the courtyard were the easy part. Paperwork was the real enemy.
A faint breath of amusement escaped her as that thought crossed her mind.
Behind her the penthouse had grown completely silent now that Leonel had left. The kitchen was spotless again, every surface cleaned and every dish returned to its place. He had a habit of leaving the room in better condition than he found it, something she had come to appreciate more than she expected. Cedric had been right about one thing. Having someone handle the practical details of her home life made the rest of her responsibilities easier to manage.
She pushed herself away from the window and walked slowly through the living room toward the hallway. The penthouse felt larger when it was quiet like this, the open space stretching around her in comfortable silence. Before turning the corner toward her bedroom she glanced once more toward the kitchen. Leonel had asked a simple question that evening. Yet the absence of any agenda behind it had made the conversation feel strangely honest. That alone was unusual enough to stand out.
She turned off the last light and continued down the hallway, letting the quiet of the penthouse settle fully around her as the night closed in over the city outside.