Chapter 3 Worthy Successor 

Johnson's POV 

Three days ago.

I resisted the urge to slam my hands onto the mahogany table and resolved to adjust my already perfect cufflinks as I paced the length of the boardroom. 

My inner beast was clawing at my ribs, irritated by the stagnant air and the infuriating delay, but I kept my dominant aura under tight restraint.

Sitting across the table was Barry, my grandfather’s ancient pack lawyer, who surprisingly didn’t seem affected by my boiling temper. 

As an elder who had served three generations of Alphas, he had seen plenty of volatile wolves. 

I had spent years studying business management and pack territorial law, all the courses I hated, so that I could prove I was a worthy successor, protect our pack's lands, and help this empire spread its power. 

And now, after Grandfather’s passing, I had to sit here and listen to some bureaucratic nonsense while having to fight for the Alpha title against my cousin.

Denison, my cousin, was an arrogant wolf who knew nothing about how a real pack, let alone a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, actually operated.

"Just read the damn document, Barry," I snapped, my voice laced with an Alpha command. "I have an emergency border meeting in twenty minutes. 

“I am pretty sure my grandfather didn't spend eighty years building this empire and forging our pack territory just so I could waste my morning listening to legal poetry and sentiment."

Barry didn’t even flinch. 

He simply adjusted his wire-rimmed spectacles with an unreadable expression. 

"It isn't poetry, Johnson. It is a binding clause written into the pack charter, specifically drafted by your late grandfather to address the balance of power."

"The power is already mine!" I countered, leaning over the table, placing both palms flat on the wood, and staring down at him. "I’ve tripled our profit margins, secured three rival pack territories in the last five years, and I am the only true heir capable of holding this empire together!"

Barry sighed, tapping his pen on the leather binder before opening it. 

"Section two, paragraph C: To officially vest the title of CEO and declare the true Alpha leader of the Hayes legacy, the heir must demonstrate stability, restraint, and commitment to the pack’s bloodline through the sanctity of marriage."

I froze. The silence in the room stretched so tight my hearing amplified the sound of the clock ticking in the corner. 

"Excuse me?" I growled low in my throat.

"You must be married, Johnson," Barry explained calmly, as if delivering a weather report. "And you must remain married for a minimum of twelve consecutive months. 

“If you are not wed within thirty days of the reading of this will, the controlling interest and the Alpha title revert directly to your cousin, Denison Hayes, who will be invited to step up to leadership."

"Denison?!" The name alone set my blood on fire. 

He’s been going around town celebrating already, bragging to every low-level wolf that he’ll be moving into my office by the end of the month! 

He's just waiting for me to fail!

"You cannot afford to fail, Johnson," Barry said quietly, closing the folder and gathering his things. "Denison has already filed his intent with the Pack Council."

I watched him stand and walk out of the boardroom. 

The moment the door clicked shut, I threw a heavy, crystal glass against the far wall. 

It shattered into a thousand glittering shards, but even the destruction did nothing to ease the blinding rage inside me. 

I had sacrificed everything for this pack, suppressed my own desires, worked myself to the bone, and this was how my grandfather paid me back?

I stormed out of the room, brushing past my assistants, and locked myself inside my private office.

I dropped into my leather chair, slammed my fists on the desk, and dialed Austin, my closest beta and head of pack security.

He answered on the second ring. 

"Johnson? The council reading, are you done?"

"I need a fake mate, Austin. Immediately."

There was a long, stunned silence on the other end of the line. "A fake mate? Are you out of your mind? What about your fate mate hunt?"

"Forget fated mates!" I growled into the receiver. "I need a female wolf, rogue or whatever. Anyone who needs money enough to behave herself for a single year. 

“Someone who comes from a clean background, has no pack ties, and isn't looking for a real relationship. 

“She signs an NDA and plays the dutiful wife in public. She keeps quiet, and she does whatever I say."

"Johnson, you're talking about a business contract for a sacred bond…"

"I don't want romance, Austin! I want a cold, transactional business partner who can play a role," I snapped, rubbing my temples as a headache began to form. "I just need someone who needs money enough to follow instructions, handle the public eye for twelve months, and keep her mouth shut."

Austin mused quietly on the line. 

"Desperate, huh? That shouldn't be too hard to find in this economy, especially with desperate rogues or debt-ridden omegas around. But Johnson... playing around with marriage clauses and pack traditions is a dangerous game."

"Everything I do is a dangerous game," I barked, my fingers digging into the arms of my desk chair. "Just find me someone ready to do anything for money, willing to keep

it an absolute secret, and ready to sign by the end of the week. All I need is a deal."