Alpha Tre Marshall sighed as he set his pen down. "Come." He really wasn't in the mood for interruptions right now. Having been assigned as the new alpha of the Blackthorn Pride by the Feline Council, he knew he had a lot of work ahead of him.

This was one fucked up pride.

Between the pride members that had betrayed their former alpha, who was now Tre's brother-in-law after he mated with Tre's brother Reece, and the members left, there were still factions inside the pride that were working against everything a pride was meant for.

Tre had been here all of four days and already he had found a mismanagement of pride funds, figured out that there were a number of missing pride members, and had fought off two challenges by pride members for his position as alpha.

The rest of the week was not looking good.

When the door opened and a short man with the most unruly red carrot colored hair he had ever seen stepped inside, Tre was mesmerized. Aroused. When the little man bounced across the room to stand in front of his desk, Tre was pretty sure the rest of his day had just gone to shit.

He didn't need bouncy.

He needed a drink.

"Can I help you?"

"No."

Tre blinked at the bouncy man. "No?"

"I'm here to help you."

"Really?" Tre lounged back in his chair and waited. This was going to be good. He could just tell. The wheels in this guy's head were turning so fast, Tre could practically smell the burning rubber. "And how are you going to help me?"

Tre had more than one idea.

He always did like redheads.

"My name is Dennis and I am your personal assistant." The man beamed as if Tre had just announced he was going to be crowned the next prince of the universe. "My experience is mostly in business, although I do have a degree in hotel management, which means I can take care of all those pesky social functions for you. I worked as former Alpha Bolond's personal assistant the entire time he was here."

Tre stared. Was the strange little man even breathing?

"Now, I know you are just settling in, and I can help with that. As your personal assistant, my job is to take care of your every need.

God, Tre could only hope so.

"If you will give me a list of things you need to complete, I will see that they are done. I can also order your lunch for you, have your coffee ready, and fluff your pillows. You basically need to think of me as an extension of yourself."

Tre's head was beginning to hurt.

"I can—"

"Silence."

Dennis snapped his lips closed.

"Sit."

Tre blinked in stunned amazement when Dennis simply dropped. He stood up and looked over the edge of his desk to where Dennis sat on the floor. "Sit in a chair, Dennis."

"Right. I knew that."

Dennis started to climb up into one of the chairs sitting in front of Tre's desk, but froze when someone knocked on the office door.

"Yes?" Tre asked instead of telling them to come in. He didn't like the flash of fear he saw pass over Dennis's face before the man scrambled around his desk. Tre's jaw unhinged when Dennis squeezed into the small space under his desk.

Before he could ask Dennis what in the hell he thought he was doing, the door opened and a dark haired man stepped inside. Tre had seen him around the pride a few times in the last couple of days, but Tre couldn't remember ever being formally introduced to him. They had never gotten close enough to talk.

Tre gave the man his most uninterested, haughty look. "Can I help you?" He wasn't please about the guy just barging into his office.

Tre didn't miss the way the guy's eyes darted around his office, almost as if searching for someone. He couldn't help but wonder if he was searching was the man sitting between his legs. Shaking.

What in the hell was going on here?