1 The Begining
The sun shone through the full-length windows that provided an insider view of the large but stylishly furnished office, which consisted of a dark mahogany desk, a black leather swivel chair, an ornate maple bookcase against both walls, that led the way to a brown, suede leather set of fluffy couches that surrounded an obsidian coffee table.
The occupant of the room, a tall, elegant woman with an aura that screamed her superiority in the highest octave, stood, facing the windows and observing the life teeming outside them with a disposition reminiscent of a king surveying their subjects.
This was not far off the mark, though, as she belonged to the Alpha category, and was the proud owner of the no 1 pack in the known werewolf packs, the powerful Midnight Pack, aptly named for the fur of their wolves typically being varying shades of black, with the few exceptions being dark grey in coloration.
Being an Alpha, and a dominant one at that, meant that numerous insects kept flocking around her, all seeking to be her partner and raise themselves to the highest level by riding on her coattails, seeing as she had yet to find her fated mate.
She stood, her sharp, almond-shaped violet-colored eyes gazing out to the city, with a look of stoic indifference set on her well-structured face, making her delicate features stand out more strikingly in comparison.
She was a deceptive beauty, with delicate features that resembled a lotus flower in their gentle nature, set with a subtle, but ever-present aura that reminded one of the icy depths of a frozen sea, especially counting the fact that she rarely smiled, if at all.
As she stood, a knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts.
"Come in" She spoke, her voice smooth and distractingly melodic, with a tone that drew you in, yet warned you not to come closer.
A tall, sharply dressed man with ruggedly handsome features walked in, bowing respectfully at the Alpha before him. That man was none other than her secretary.
"Alpha, Someone is requesting to see you." He spoke, and his tone was both fearful and respectful. She glanced at him, her stunningly violet eyes narrowing slightly. It meant that he should provide all the relevant information before something drastic occurred.
"It's Alpha Jackson." He said, watching her face to gauge her reaction to his message. She simply gave a small nod, clearly motioning for him to continue. The man sighed in relief before speaking.
"He said he had an urgent matter to discuss with you about the company."
She nodded, before opening her mouth to speak.
"Very well, arrange meeting room B for us and guide him there." She spoke, and the man rushed off at once to do her bidding, as only the moon goddess knew what'd happen to both of them if this Alpha were to arrive before them.
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By the time she walked into the meeting room, the man in question stood to greet her, a welcoming smile on his face.
" Nox," he spoke; " thanks for agreeing to see me." He said, shaking her hand, an action that was natural to the both of them, despite her aversion to contact otherwise.
"Of course. Now, to what do I owe this meeting?" She said, getting straight to the point. She had never been one to dally whatsoever. His expression turned solemn as his smile quickly vanished.
"Nox, how much control do you have over your branches?" He asked. It seemed to be a leading question so she went along with it.
"As close to perfection as possible. Why?" She asked, her stoic expression never once shifting.
"Yeah? well, it doesn't seem like that's the case." He said, staring at her seriously. She narrowed her beautiful eyes into a sharp look.
"Cut to the chase, Jackson." She said, already done with this back and forth.
"I'm getting there, be patient," he said before continuing; " I noticed your profits plummeting recently in the branch set up in Washington." He stopped, gauging her reaction before speaking once more.
"They're down by 10% and still falling. What the hell is going on Nox?" He said, as the temperature in the room plummeted. Her deep violet eyes seemed to bore a hole in him as she digested the news.
In all the years that the two Alphas had known each other, there had never been a time when Jackson was anything except honest with her.
He was exceedingly cunning and knew the corporate politics like the back of his hand, but he was honest to the point of brutality whenever she was concerned.
Thus, it was without a doubt that whatever this man was saying was indeed true and she couldn't overlook it.
She held herself back from emitting a growl in response to the new information as she pressed the button on the sleek comms system on the table infront of her.
It buzzed lightly before a female voice imbued with reverence spoke out.
"How many I be of service to you, boss?" The voice said, the tone still imbued with reverence, but carrying an unmistakable aura of professionalism.
"Francene, get George on the line this instant." She said, her clipped tone the only indicator of her foul mood.
As she waited for the call to be patched through, she glanced at her secretary, who had not moved from the corner he stood in when they walked in.
"Dale, I want you to get me the finance report for the branch, and I want it on my desk in 20." She said, watching as the man finally vacated his corner and rushed off to do her bidding.
Seconds later, the comms system buzzed to life once more and a male voice offered shaky greetings to the woman, his tone betraying the terror he felt.
"George. You have 10 seconds to convince me not to put a bullet between your eyes." She said, her expression unchanging and her voice dangerously low.
The man in question audibly swallowed, knowing the fact that she was in Aspen and he was in Washington was not going to save him if she came after him.
"I can explain...Ms Nox." He managed to squeeze out, his throat and lungs seemingly working against him as the former felt constricted and the latter could not seem to store much air.
" Get to the point or I will drown you in the ocean myself." She said, her foul mood on full display. The man swallowed audibly, as Alpha Jackson watched in ill-concealed amusement at the interaction between the two.
"Y-y-yes Ms Nox. Uh... I tried a new marketing strategy for our latest product-but it seems like it was ill-matched- I'm sorry." He said, trying to finish his sentences as fast as possible, his fear palpable. She processed his words, her glare hardening.
"On whose authorization was this plan approved?" She asked calmly, the temperature in the room dropping further as Alpha Jackson's eyes twinkled in mirth.
"M-mine, Ms Nox." George responded, his response met with chilling silence.
"I see." She said, cutting the call, just as Dale walked back into the room, placing a file in front of her. She opened the file, silently surveying the financial report, her eyes narrowing, the only indicator of her irritation on the matter.
She glanced at Dale, who moved to her side, ready for the instructions. A moment passed as she thought, coming up with the best method to ensure that this did not occur once more.
"Dale, contact all or branches and have them submit a financial report every month starting from now and determine its authenticity yourself. Book me a flight to Washington immediately. It must depart no later than today." She said and Dale bowed, walking out to carry out her bidding.
Alpha Jackson smiled, his amusement palpable as she turned to him.
"Jackson, when did you notice this?" She asked, annoyed that he found out an issue with her company before she did, and she was both Founder and CEO of Midnight Inc. The man in question smiled, as if reminiscing on a fond memory.
"I just happened to notice it when I was with a friend last week. I'm just surprised you hadn't noticed, Nox. You're more on top of things than this." He smirked, amused at her blatant vexation. He was curious as to why she was unable to notice, knowing her modus operandi, so to speak.
"Last week, huh. That makes a lot of sense." She spoke, offering no further explanation, much to his chagrin. He gazed at the woman in front of him, recalling her track record. There was a reason she was so feared and her pack was so renowned.
Scarlett Nox, the Alpha and Founder of both the Midnight Pack, the strongest known werewolf pack, and Midnight Inc, one of the most influencial companies on the continent, with branches all over the globe, as well as fingers in every pie imaginable. However, Midnight Inc was not what made her so renowned in the first place, it was her reputation as an Alpha Warior.
The Dark Valkyrie, that was her nickname in the werwolf world, a testerment to her prowess, as well as her habit of leading the army by fighting at the vanguard, like a sort of goddess of war. The two of them had been friends for a long time, almost a century, and as her best friend, he had the front- row seat to her battles, and he could say, without a doubt, that the name was a perfect fit.
She stood and he followed, the both of them walking out of the meeting room, side by side , as they headed to her office. After the doors closed behind them, she sat at her seat, leaning back and watching him as he took a seat in front of her. With formalities, dispensed, the two relaxed in each other's presence.
"You sure have a complicated way of saying hello, Jack." Scarlett spoke, smirking at the man in question, who laughed in response shrugging his shoulders.
"I had some news to share, so I figured I'd drop by with an excuse as well." He said, capturing her attention with that statement.
"Do tell." She said, leaning forward in her seat to hear the so called glorious news that Jackson had to share. His eyes twinkled with glee, heightening her curiosity.
"I'm sorry, dear friend," he began, not apologetic at all, before continuing; "I, Marcus Jackson, finally found my mate. Sorry for leaving the single life first." He said, shrugging, his sky-blue eyes sparkling with so much glee, they nearly resembled the sky at twilight.
"It seems like some form of congratulations are in order. You'll set a date to introduce us, I presume?" She smiled, genuinely happy for her friend's fortune, knowing first hand how much he had longed for his fated.
He returned her smile with a wide grin of his own, the grin radiating the joy he felt as he answered her.
"Of course. That's a given." He said, his tone dripping with finality, as if the question need not have been asked in the first place. Her small smile remained for a moment, seemingly basking in the glow of her friend's affection for her, before fading entirely.
'Alpha, I have booked the flight for 6:00 pm tonight, you should be at Washington by midnight, if not earlier. Also, the chauffeur and maids have been informed and your belongings are already in the car's trunk. The chauffeur is awaiting your arrival' Dale said, Mind-linking his Alpha.
She bade a farewell to Jackson, who followed her out of the office, before parting ways with her at the lobby, where she entered into the car that was awaiting her arrival. She was going to deal with that sleazy rat in person.
In Washington, George heaved a sigh of relief that the call ended with him still in one piece, firmly believing he had gotten away with this, and resolving to treat himself once office hours were over for escaping Nox's wrath. All while being completely unaware of how he would come to regret not fixing the issue immediately.
