Chapter 31 ALEX IS HER NEW BOSS
Mia walked into the diner at 7:30 AM expecting the usual chaos.
What she didn’t expect was the sign above the door.
Rosa’s Diner was gone.
Now it read 42nd Corner Diner in plain black letters.
Mia stopped in the doorway.
Something was wrong.
Inside, the booths were the same. The smell of burnt coffee and grease was the same. But Rosa wasn’t behind the register.
A guy in a suit was. Early twenties, clipboard in hand, talking to one of the waitresses like he owned the place.
Mia’s stomach dropped.
She walked straight to the back office.
Rosa was there, sitting behind the desk with a cardboard box on her lap. She looked up when Mia came in, and her face crumpled.
“Mia,” Rosa said. “I’m sorry. I tried to call you.”
Mia closed the door behind her. “What happened?”
Rosa sighed. “Buyer came in three days ago. Cash offer. Too good to pass up. I’ve been meaning to rent the place out anyway. The threats started two weeks ago. Unknown numbers. People showing up asking about you. I couldn’t sleep.”
Mia’s hands clenched. “You should have told me.”
“I know,” Rosa said. “But you were gone. And they said if I didn’t sell, they’d make sure the health department shut me down. I’ve got two kids, Mia. I couldn’t risk it.”
Mia sat down hard in the chair across from her.
“Who bought it?” Mia asked.
Rosa hesitated.
“A holding company,” Rosa said. “Mercer Holdings. New management started today.”
Mia stood up.
She didn’t need to ask who Mercer Holdings was.
She walked out of the office and into the dining room.
Alex was there.
Leaning against the counter, talking to the guy with the clipboard. Jeans. Black shirt. No suit. No Alpha presence. Just Alex.
He looked up when she walked in.
Mia stopped.
Alex walked over.
“Mia,” Alex said.
Mia took a step back. “What are you doing here?”
Alex glanced around. The diner was quiet. Early morning lull.
“I bought the place,” Alex said.
Mia laughed. It was short and sharp. “You bought my job?”
“I bought the building,” Alex said. “I didn’t buy you.”
Mia shook her head. “You followed me to Manhattan. You bought the diner. You’re stalking me now?”
Alex stepped closer. Kept his voice low. “I’m not stalking you. I’m keeping you safe.”
Mia looked around. “By making yourself my boss?”
“By making sure Ivan can’t get to you through Rosa,” Alex said. “She was getting threats. Real ones. I bought it before he could force her hand.”
Mia’s hands clenched. “You could have told me.”
“I tried,” Alex said. “You hung up.”
Mia turned to walk out.
“Mia,” Alex called.
She stopped but didn’t turn around.
“You’re going to walk out?” Alex asked. “Just like that?”
Mia didn’t answer.
Alex sighed. “We don’t know each other, right? That’s what you said in the library. So why are you running from your boss?”
Mia turned around.
“Because you’re not just my boss,” Mia said. “You’re the reason I had to quit being human in the first place.”
Alex nodded. “Fair.”
He stepped back. Gave her space.
“The reason I did this,” Alex said, “is Ivan. He’s escalating. He knows you’re here. He knows you’re alone. If I’m not close, the bond backlash gets worse. For both of us.”
Mia frowned. “Backlash?”
“When we’re apart too long, it starts to hurt,” Alex said. “Headaches. Nausea. Insomnia. It’s worse for you because you’re not fully turned. I felt it three days after you left. I thought it was guilt. It wasn’t.”
Mia looked at him. Really looked.
He looked like hell. Dark circles. Tired eyes. The same look she’d seen in the mirror for the last two weeks.
“You’re lying,” Mia said.
Alex pulled up his sleeve.
There were scratches on his forearm. Fresh. He’d done it to himself.
“To stay awake,” Alex said. “To stop the headaches. It’s not fun.”
Mia swallowed.
“That’s not my problem,” Mia said.
“It is,” Alex said. “Because the bond doesn’t care what you want. It’s part of you now. And if Ivan figures out how bad it is, he’ll use it.”
Mia looked away.
Rosa came out of the office then, holding a manila envelope.
“Mia, I’m really sorry,” Rosa said. “I didn’t want to sell. But they said if I didn’t, they’d hurt the girls who work nights. I couldn’t take that risk.”
Mia’s anger drained out of her all at once.
“It’s okay, Rosa,” Mia said. “You did what you had to do.”
Rosa handed her the envelope. “Your last check. And your things from the back. I packed them up.”
Mia took it.
Rosa looked at Alex, then back at Mia.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” Rosa said. “But if you’re staying, the new owner said you’ve still got your job. Same hours. Same pay. If you want it.”
Mia looked at Alex.
Alex said nothing.
It was her choice.
Mia sighed.
“Fine,” Mia said. “I’ll stay. For now.”
Alex nodded once.
“Good,” Alex said. “Shift starts in fifteen. Marcus will show you the new system.”
Mia walked past him to the back room.
She didn’t say thank you.
She didn’t forgive him.
But she didn’t leave.
Lunch rush
The diner was busy.
Mia moved on autopilot. Coffee, orders, refills. The motions were familiar. Grounding.
Alex stayed out of her way. He was in the back with Marcus, going over inventory. He didn’t hover. Didn’t touch her. Didn’t try to talk.
But he was there.
Every time she looked up, he was in her line of sight.
It was infuriating.
And it was the first time in weeks her head didn’t hurt.
Mia hated that.
Back room
Mia sat on the crate and pressed her hands to her face.
They found her again.
Faster this time.
Ivan wasn’t playing around.
The door opened.
Alex came in. Closed it behind him.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” Alex said.
Mia looked up. “I’m not doing it with you.”
Alex sat down on the crate across from her.
“Then do it for yourself,” Alex said. “Because if you don’t, Ivan will make the choice for you.”
Mia shook her head.
“You keep saying that like it’s my fault,” Mia said.
“It’s not,” Alex said. “It’s mine. I started this. I’m trying to finish it.”
Mia was quiet for a long time.
“Why here?” Mia asked. “Why buy a diner in Manhattan?”
“Because it’s neutral ground,” Alex said. “No pack law. No Council. Just you and me and a bunch of people who don’t care who we are. If Ivan wants you, he has to come through the front door.”
Mia looked at him.
“And if he does?” Mia asked.
Alex smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile.
“Then he meets me,” Alex said.
Mia believed him.
That scared her more than anything.
End of shift
Mia clocked out at 4 PM.
Alex was waiting by the door.
“I’m walking you home,” Alex said.
Mia stopped.
“I don’t need an escort,” Mia said.
“I know,” Alex said. “I’m doing it anyway.”
Mia rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.
They walked down 42nd in silence. The city was loud around them. Horns. Voices. Life.
Normal life.
For now.
At her building, Mia stopped.
“Go home, Alex,” Mia said.
Alex nodded.
“Tomorrow,” Alex said.
Mia went inside without answering.
Upstairs, she locked the door and leaned against it.
The bond was quiet.
No headache.
No nausea.
No panic.
Just quiet.
Mia slid down to the floor and closed her eyes.
She hated that he was right.
She hated that being near him made it stop.