Her Anonymous Online Friend Was the Alpha King—Then He Showed Up to “Rescue” Her

Put me down. Emma Carter's shout cracked across the 42nd floor of Hion Reach like a fire alarm. Nobody moved. Nobody even pretended not to stare. 27 employees stood frozen between glowing monitors, half-finished coffee cups, and the remains of a Friday night takeout dinner while a 6'5 stranger in a black overcoat carried Emma toward the

elevator over one shoulder. Not guided, not escorted, carried. One of his arms was locked securely around the back of her thighs. The other hand held a phone against his ear, as if abducting furious office employees was a perfectly ordinary item on his evening schedule. Behind him walked six enormous men in dark suits. They moved with the

disciplined silence of a tactical security unit, or a very expensive funeral procession. Emma pounded both palms against the stranger's back. Are you insane? No, he said. His voice was calm, deep, annoyingly calm. You may be disoriented. I am upside down. That can contribute. Put me down. I will once. We are outside the influence radius. Emma

stopped fighting for exactly one second. The what? The influence radius. She lifted her head enough to see the terrified faces of her co-workers receding behind them. Her best friend, Chloe Mercer, had both hands over her mouth. Emma pointed wildly toward her. Chloe, call security. Chloe looked at the six men surrounding Emma, then at the man carrying her, then

at the three broad shouldered strangers standing in front of the elevators. I think they are security, then called different security. The elevator doors opened. The stranger walked inside. Emma twisted hard enough to make one of his bodyguards step forward. Sir, I have her. I noticed, Emma shouted. The elevator doors began to close. A voice