CHAPTER EIGHT

Adrian's POV

The grand ballroom of the Blackwood headquarters was a masterpiece of power, wealth, and dominance. I stood on the edge of the elevated balcony, looking down at the hundreds of guests moving across the floor. The air was thick with the scent of expensive champagne, roasted meats, and the heavy, musky pheromones of the most powerful Alphas in the state.

Gold and black silk banners hung from the high ceiling, displaying the roaring wolf crest of my pack. Waiters in white uniforms moved through the crowd, carrying trays of drinks. Everywhere I looked, I saw money. I saw influence. I saw an empire, and I was the king sitting right at the very top of it.

"It is a perfect turnout, Boss," Thomas said, stepping up beside me. He held a glass of whiskey in his hand, a smug smile stretching across his face. "Every major pack leader from the northern and western territories is here. Even the Gold Claw Alpha showed up. They are all bowing to Blackwood tonight."

I took a slow sip of my own drink, letting the smooth liquid burn down my throat. "Of course they are here, Thomas," I replied, my voice calm and coated with confidence. "Power attracts power. And right now, no one in the supernatural world has more power than I do."

"You played this perfectly," Thomas chuckled, leaning against the railing. He looked out over the crowd, his eyes scanning the wealthy investors. "I have to admit, I was worried for a while. When your father died and left the company in massive debt, I thought we were going to lose the territory but you turned it around. You found the perfect little weapon, squeezed every drop of brilliance out of her, and used it to buy our way to the top."

I smiled, a deep sense of pride swelling inside my chest. He was talking about Natalia, of course. Thinking of her made me shake my head with amusement, it was almost too easy.

"Where is she anyway?" Thomas asked, taking another sip of his whiskey. "Is she upstairs crying in her office?"

"Probably," I said with a casual shrug. "I told her to rewrite Scarlett's speech and then put on that blue dress I bought her. She will come down eventually. She has nowhere else to go. Without me, she is nothing."

Thomas laughed out loud, shaking his head. "You are ruthless, Adrian. Truly."

"I am a visionary," I corrected him. "An Alpha does not marry a tool, Thomas. He uses the tool to build a throne, and then he marries a queen to sit beside him on it."

Just as the words left my mouth, the door at the far end of the balcony opened. Scarlett Crescent walked into the light, and my wolf purred with satisfaction. She looked breathtaking wearing a stunning, floor-length crimson gown that hugged her curves perfectly. Diamonds glittered at her throat and wrists, catching the light from the crystal chandeliers. Her long hair cascaded down her back in elegant waves, and her eyes shone with confidence.

This was what a Luna was supposed to look like, she was royalty. She radiated power and status. When she walked into a room, everyone noticed. Scarlett smiled brightly when she saw me and hurried over, her high heels clicking softly against the floor.

"Adrian," she purred, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing a soft kiss to my jaw.

"You look magnificent, my love," I murmured, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her close. I looked over her shoulder and saw her father watching us from the ballroom floor with a proud nod.

"I brought the papers," Scarlett said, pulling back slightly.

She reached into the clutch purse she was carrying and pulled out a few folded sheets of white paper. She handed them to me, rolling her beautiful eyes in annoyance. "Your little assistant finally sent it down to my dressing room a few minutes ago," she complained, pouting her red lips. "I read over it while I was having my hair done. Honestly, Adrian, I do not understand half the words on this page. What in the world is a tertiary territory tax bracket? And why are there so many aggressive acquisition clauses?"

I took the papers from her hand and quickly scanned the first page. A slow, wide smile spread across my face. It was perfect. Natalia had done exactly what I commanded. "You do not need to understand what the words mean, Scarlett," I said softly, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "You just need to read them with confidence. The elders and the investors downstairs are old, traditional men. They want to see that my future Luna has a mind for business. When you read this, you will sound like a financial genius."

Scarlett giggled, leaning her head against my chest. "Well, I am very good at pretending but you have to promise to buy me that diamond necklace I saw last week as a reward for doing all this boring corporate talking."

"I will buy you whatever you want," I promised, kissing her forehead.

Thomas cleared his throat, tapping his watch. "It is time, Alpha. The board is waiting for the presentation, lord Silas just walked to the front of the stage."

I nodded, feeling a massive surge of adrenaline. Lord Silas was the oldest, most ruthless investor in the supernatural business council. If Scarlett impressed him tonight Blackwood Group would receive unlimited funding for the next ten years.

"Let us go," I said, offering Scarlett my arm. "It is time to show the world who rules this city."

We walked down the grand staircase together. As we descended, the entire ballroom fell silent. I led Scarlett to the main stage at the front of the room. A single spotlight hit the microphone stand. I stepped up first, looking out over the sea of powerful wolves.

"Welcome, friends, allies, and honored elders," I spoke into the microphone."Three years ago, Blackwood Group was struggling but through strong leadership, ruthless ambition, and unyielding power, we have conquered our obstacles. Today, we celebrate our greatest year in history."

The crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause. I smiled, letting them clap for a few seconds before raising my hand to quiet them. "But an Alpha is only as strong as the Luna who stands beside him," I continued, turning my body toward Scarlett. I held out my hand to her. "Tonight, I am not just celebrating the past. I am looking toward the future. It is my greatest honor to introduce the woman who will help me lead Blackwood into a new era of dominance. Please welcome my chosen mate, Lady Scarlett Crescent."

The applause was deafening. Scarlett stepped forward, her dress flowing behind her like a queen's cape. She took my hand, gave the crowd a dazzling smile, and stepped up to the microphone.

I stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest. Scarlett placed the papers on the podium. She cleared her throat, smoothed her hair, and began to read the words Natalia had written for her.

"Tonight, I am proud to give my new pack a gift," Scarlett's sweet, melodic voice rang out through the speakers. "Over the last six months, I have worked tirelessly to develop a five-year expansion model that will elevate Blackwood Group beyond our current borders. By restructuring our offshore assets and leveraging the secondary supply chains, we can systematically drain the capital of our competitors without triggering a direct pack war," Scarlett read.

"I have designed a new territory tax loophole that will allow us to absorb the smaller packs' businesses while legally bypassing the council's anti-monopoly regulations."

A ripple of shock went through the crowd.

I watched Lord Silas eyes widen slightly, and a look of respect crossed his wrinkled face. He leaned over and whispered something to the investor standing next to him, nodding his head in approval.

Scarlett kept reading."…The future belongs to Blackwood," she declared. "Thank you."

The ballroom exploded, people were cheering, massively impressed with what she had said but before I could reach the podium, a loud voice cut through the cheering. "A moment, Lady Scarlett!"

The crowd slowly quieted down, Lord Silas had raised his hand holding his cane in the air, stopping the celebration. "That was a truly remarkable presentation, my lady, I have not seen such an aggressive financial model in twenty years. You clearly have a brilliant mind."

Scarlett blushed, "Thank you, Lord Silas. I worked very hard on it."

"Because it is so brilliant, I do have one technical question regarding your strategy," Lord Silas continued, leaning forward on his cane. "On page two of your model, you mentioned pushing our supply chains into the Red Moon territory, but as we all know, the council placed a strict silver-tax embargo on that border three years ago. So, tell me, Lady Scarlett... how exactly does your model bypass that embargo without triggering a financial penalty from the supernatural banking guild?"

The ballroom was dead silent and I froze.

I looked at the back of Scarlett's head, she was motionless. The silence stretched on for five seconds then ten. "Lady Scarlett?" Lord Silas asked, raising an eyebrow. "How does the loophole work?"