BONUS CHAPTER: BORIN'S POV

BONUS CHAPTER

***BORIN'S POV***

The heavy oak doors click shut, cutting off the lingering scent of vintage grape wine and the sharp, electrifying pull of lightning and ozone that always accompanies Mei Chatteris.

​

The silence lasts for all of two seconds before the boardroom completely explodes.

​"She is entirely out of line!" Gavin barks, slamming his fist onto the polished wood.

​

"She insulted the Shadowcrest lineage!" the red-haired elder—Rowe—snarls, his face flushing to match his hair. His brows crease, forming deep lines on his forehead.

"Walking out of a negotiation? Threatening the Alpha? She thinks her human millions give her the right to treat us like corporate underlings." He continues and I lean back into my seat as I tap my pen rhythmically on the wood surface.

​

"She’s too arrogant," Mo chimes in, shaking his head. His curls wriggling slightly as they follow his movements. "A lone wolf who has spent too much time playing god in the human world. We should force her hand. Let her—"

​

I let out a low, dry chuckle, leaning even more into my leather seat. My hands crossed as my gaze sweeps the room.

​

The entire room goes dead silent.

The elders freeze, their eyes darting toward me, trying to read the heavy, impenetrable mask I always keep wrapped around my expressions.

​

A slow smile curls up my lips.

​

"You all understand nothing," I say, my voice velvety and smooth, cutting through the leftover tension in the air like a blade through silk. "She refused because she has already accepted."

​

The elders exchange confused, blank glances.

Làpéi frowns, shifting the stack of analytics in his hands. "Alpha? With all due respect, she practically threatened to strip us of our terms before she walked out."

​

"Exactly," I say, tilting my head as I reach for my pen. "Mei Chatteris is an Alpha who values control above everything else in this world. If she had agreed to the union immediately, out of fear for the Iron Claws, I would have lost all respect for her. It would have meant she was weak. Easily broken under duress."

​

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"But she didn't bow. Instead, she demanded the right to dictate her own terms. She didn't reject the marriage, she rejected the idea of being a prize traded to satisfy you lot. She is already considering the union. She just needs to ensure she walks into it holding the leash."

​

The red-haired elder opens his mouth to protest, but I drop my masking aura for a fraction of a second, letting a crushing weight of raw pressure flood the room.

He immediately whimpers, his head bowing.

​

"And if you ever bring up the Stormfang pack in her presence again," I murmur, my gray eyes narrowing on him, "I will feed you to the Iron Claws myself. Am I understood?" I lean forward, glaring into his soul.

​He nods quickly, swallowing hard.

​

I look down at the black leather-bound notebook resting in front of me. I slide it closer and flip it open, staring at the pages I’ve been filling for the last two hours.

The elders must think I’ve been taking rigorous business notes on trade routes and revenue deficits.

​

Instead, my pen has tracked a completely different set of data.

​

Mei Chatteris:

• ​Picks at her fingers when anxious.

• ​Protects her omega best friend before herself.

• ​Doesn't drink heavily (stubbornly prefers vintage grape).

• ​Never lies (her posture is too rigid for deceit).

• ​Values leverage over money.

• ​Absolutely hates being cornered.

• ​Beautiful when angry.

​ I stare at the last line for a beat, a quiet, predatory fascination warming my chest. I quickly brush it off as I relax into my leather seat.

The chair creaks louder than anticipated as it echoes through the boardroom.

She thinks she cornered me with her parting speech.

She thinks she has time to simulate her options. But feral wolves don't wait for board meetings, and I already know exactly how the Iron Claws operate.

​

She'll be back. Closer than she thinks.

​

I snap the notebook shut with a decisive click and slide it into my breast pocket.

​"Prepare the formal alliance proposal," I command, standing up and smoothing down my suit, as I reach for the buttons. "We are going to give the lady exactly what she wants." My fingers fumble with the suit and I fix in the last button.

"We'll make her belive she's doing this on her terms."

Hi everyone!

Phoenix here...

I'm so excited to see how things are unfolding and I hope you are too.

Thank you for dropping by and giving my book a chance.

stay tuned and let's find out why Borin is so confident.!

Love,

Phoenix.