CHAPTER 4: The Alpha's Shadow

Tristan’s POV

Twelve board members sat around the table of Apex Dynamics with their voices rising into a meaningless and annoying buzz.

They were arguing over the recent supply chain disruptions at the western borders of our territory. It was a crucial issue and it involved millions of dollars.. complex pack territory disputes and the safety of our cargo. But I couldn't bring myself to care.

I sat at the head of the table in silence while my wolf paced restlessly in the back of my mind, scratching at the walls of my skull. The cursed magic in my blood made my skin itch in a constant painful reminder of the burden I carried but I kept my face an emotionless mask with my eyes staring blankly ahead.

Next to me, my Beta, Jesse Woodrow was fighting a losing battle.

"If we reroute the shipments through the northern pass, we lose twenty percent of our profit margin in tariffs," Jesse argued with his cold gray eyes scanning the room, his expression constantly calculating.

He was ambitious and smart but his aura lacked the dominance needed to command these old wolves.

An older board member, Jenkins with a red face and a loud mouth, slammed his fist down on the table. The coffee cups rattled. "And if we don't reroute, the rogue packs will intercept the cargo! We lost three trucks last month! You're talking about bleeding us dry, Woodrow! You don't know how to handle the borders!"

"We have security teams," Jesse shot back with his jaw clenching tight. "We don't bow to rogues and we don't pay extortion fees to the northern packs."

"Your security teams are useless!" another member yelled, standing up from his chair.

Dozens of voices overlapped, creating an aggressive noise.

Jesse's hands gripped the edge of the table. He was trying to manipulate them.. trying to spin the numbers but he was failing miserably. L

I had enough of this circus..

I leaned forward and placed my hands flat on the wood then slowly stood up.

It was a simple quiet movement but the effect was absolutely immediate. The shouting died in an instant.. cut off as if someone had pulled a plug.

Twelve pairs of eyes locked onto me, wide and suddenly filled with primal fear.

I didn't growl.. I didn't bare my teeth.. I simply let my Alpha aura bleed out just a fraction.

"The shipments will go through the northern pass," I said, calmly. "We will pay the tariffs. Apex Dynamics is not a charity for rogue scavengers and I will not risk Winthrop lives to save a twenty percent margin."

Jenkins swallowed hard with the red color draining completely from his face as he slowly sank back into his chair.

"Any man who questions my strategy again," I continued with my silver eyes locking onto Jenkins, "will find his seat at this table permanently empty. Are we clear?"

Several men nodded quickly with their eyes cast down to the table.

"Meeting dismissed."

I turned and walked out of the double doors without waiting for a single reply and Jesse hurried out into the corridor after me.

"Alpha," Jesse started, falling into step beside me. "I had them. I was going to convince them about the western route."

"You were losing the room, Jesse," I replied flatly, not even looking at him. "Handle the paperwork for the northern tariffs. Have it on my desk by morning."

I waved him off without another word and headed straight for my private office at the end of the hall, desperate for a few minutes of peace. But the moment I stepped inside the massive room, I felt like I was choking.

The corporate world was driving the fuck out of me. The cursed energy in my veins pulsed hot and angry because of this inheritance, my wolf was destabilized.

I couldn't form proper mate bonds.. I was completely isolated at the top of the food chain, secretly lonely, ruling an empire but empty inside.

My wolf wanted to hunt. He wanted to feel the dirt under his claws and the moonlight on his fur. He wanted to break free from the cage of this civilized life.

I couldn't stay here..

My driver, Miller was already waiting by the car. He quickly opened the door for me, keeping his head respectfully bowed.

"Take me home," I ordered, loosening my tie and unbuttoning the top of my shirt as I sank into the plush leather seat.

"Right away, Sir."

The car glided out of the garage and onto the neon-lit streets of Cresthaven and I watched the city lights blur by through the windows while the beast inside me was scratched furiously at my ribs, demanding a release I couldn't give him.

"Stop the car," I said abruptly.

Miller tapped the brakes, clearly startled as he looked at me through the rearview mirror.

We were in a rougher rundown part of town, miles away from my estate. "Sir? We aren't home yet. This isn't a good neighborhood."

"Pull over right here. Now."

Miller quickly pulled to the curb, next to a dark and narrow alleyway and turned around in his seat, looking deeply concerned for my safety. "Are you okay, Mr. Winthrop? Should I wait for you? I can call security."

I met his gaze in the mirror, letting the silver flash brightly in my eyes in a dangerous warning without saying a word.

Miller swallowed hard with his face going pale. "I apologize, Sir. Have a good night."

I stepped out of the SUV and pushed the door shut. The tires screeched slightly against the asphalt as Miller drove off, leaving me completely alone on the dirty sidewalk.

I took a deep long breath of the cold night air and began to walk calmly down the street. I had nowhere to go.. no destination in mind. I was just walking to clear my head, letting the steady repetitive rhythm of my footsteps soothe my agitated wolf.

I made it about three blocks before my ears picked up a sound.. it was faint. buried under the distant hum of city traffic but my wolf caught it instantly.. the scuff of boots on gravel.. a threatening male voice and then a gasp of fear.. a woman's voice.

My iwolf surged forward, practically vibrating with excitement. He had been begging for a fight, begging to unleash some aggression and it felt like fate had just dropped a perfect opportunity right into our lap.

I turned my head toward the sound and slipped silently into a dark narrow alleyway between two abandoned boarded-up storefronts.

"Come on, sweetheart. Empty the pockets. Hand over the purse and maybe we won't have to hurt you."

Three men had a woman backed up against a rusty chain-link fence. They were filthy, reeking of beer, sweat and smoke.. human street thugs.

The woman was clutching her purse tightly to her chest with her head bowed down as she tried to shrink away from their grabbing hands.

I stepped deeper into the alley with my shoes crunching softly on a broken beer bottle.

"Is there a problem here?" I asked.

My voice was dangerously soft, echoing off the brick walls.

The three men spun around and the largest one.. bald guy with a nasty scar across his cheek, looked me up and down. He took in my tailored Italian suit, my shoes and my relaxed posture and let out a harsh laugh, completely misreading the situation.

"Look at this," the bald man sneered, pulling a silver switchblade from his jacket pocket. "A little rich boy got lost on his way back to his mansion. Turn around and walk away, suit, before I ruin your pretty face and take your watch, too."

"I don't think I will," I said calmly.

The bald man lunged. He was slow, clumsy and entirely human. I didn't even have to shift my body. I simply stepped to the side, grabbed his outstretched wrist and twisted hard.

The bone snapped with a loud satisfying crunch and the man screamed in agony, dropping the knife. Before he could even fall, I drove my knee upward into his chest, sending his heavy body flying backward into the solid brick wall. He crumpled to the dirty ground, completely out cold.

The other two men stared at me in absolute shock then blind anger overtook their common sense. They rushed me together but I met them head-on.

I grabbed the second man by the throat, lifting him an inch off the ground with one hand and slammed him violently onto the hood of a rusted-out car.

I spun around gracefully, dodging a wild sloppy punch from the third man. I caught his arm, stepped close into his space and delivered a brutal, punishing blow to his ribs and felt three of them crack instantly under my knuckles.

The third man gasped for air, falling to his knees and clutching his side while the second man scrambled desperately off the dented car hood, took one terrified look at his broken friends and ran. He bolted down the dark alley, disappearing into the shadows like a coward and the guy with the broken ribs stumbled weakly after him, wheezing in pain.

In less than thirty seconds, the alley was completely quiet again.

I rolled my broad shoulders, flexing my muscles to release the lingering tension. My wolf was purring with smug satisfaction as I calmly smoothed down the front of my suit jacket with my breathing perfectly even.

"Are you alright?" I asked gently, turning to face the terrified woman.

She was still pressed flat against the chain-link fence with her whole body trembling violently. She had her arms wrapped defensively around her waist.

"Y-yes," she stammered with her voice soft and terribly familiar. "Thank you. Thank you so much, I thought..."

She slowly lifted her head and the dim yellow light from the streetlamp caught her face.

My breath physically caught in my throat and my chest tightened so hard it hurt.

I stared into her hazel eyes and looked at her soft caramel-toned skin, her lean, athletic frame and those stubborn beautiful lips.

It was her...!

The girl from the Elysian Moor gala…!