Since I showed her the door, I thought she would stand up and leave immediately but she didn't. She also won't look at me. Her eyes are unwavering as they focus on a spot away from my face. I'm about to throw her out since she's neither saying anything nor attempting to leave, but before I give the command, Eric speaks through the mind link.
'Chill man!... I know you're angry but she showed up for the meeting at least. Remember the condition we gave in the email we sent to them?... Anyone that didn't show up should kiss their jobs and homes goodbye. She's the only one that showed up out of twenty-nine executives. Even if you want to punish her for being so disrespectful I think we should find out her intentions for showing up first, right?'
'Yeah...' I reply to him with my eyes still focused on the woman who's still staring into space.
"Hey! I already ask you to leave so why are you not leaving?
" I say sharply, making her flinch.
She directs her gaze back to me and then quickly lowers it to her hands clutching each other on the table.
"I– because I received two emails for all executives to show up for a meeting. I'm here to do my job."
"Oh–" I say and chuckle. I guess you badly want to stay in the pack then...
If that's the case then this is the right time to let you know that I don't give a shit about your age. If you ever talk to me in the manner that you just did again, I will make that day the last day you talk to anyone for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear!?" I firmly ask and she nods
"I asked you a question, wolf and I expect a reply in return..." I snapped. "Now, do I make myself clear!?"
"Yes!..." She unwillingly replies with a tiny, barely audible voice. Even though I can hear her, I pretend as if I didn't
"Excuse me?" I say irritatingly
She briefly looked at me again before clearing her throat
"Yes, you did, Alpha!" Her voice was louder this time
She came in with a chip on her shoulder. Provoking me to anger despite believing me to be a violent barbarian who killed her Alpha and Beta. Now she suddenly lost her spunk and acting docile. Why? Why does she want to work with me so badly?
Surely it couldn't just be the fear of being sent out of the pack. There are twenty-nine executives and they all hate my guts. Since they all decided to call my bluff and not show up for the meeting, they must have been confident of their power to drive me out of the pack. So why is she the odd one out? Why did she want to work with me that bad?
'Her profile.' Eric interrupts my thoughts through the mind link as he passes me his phone. I collect the phone and see her photo on the screen.
"Great!..." I put aside my thoughts and responded to her, "Now that we understand each other, shall we start again from the beginning?"
"Yes, Alpha...
My name is Carol. I'm forty-one years old. I've been among the pack's warriors since I was seventeen years old, now I'm a Zeta..."
As she talks, I also read through the information on Eric's phone.
'A Zeta?...' I thought to myself with surprise since she doesn't look like she holds such an important rank in the pack.
A Zeta is the highest-ranking warrior in a pack. The same rank as a General in the human military forces. That was the position I held in my uncle's pack and the reason why my team still addresses me as General instead of Alpha.
There's only one Zeta in a pack and he or she takes direct orders from the Alpha. Even though the Beta, Gamma chief and Delta outranked a Zeta in a pack's hierarchy, Zetas are more dangerous than all of them put together because they command their own army which might be used as an insurgent force against the Alpha himself. That is why Alpha's are usually careful about the kind if person they put in that position.
I look up from her profile that I was reading to her face when I see a piece of shocking information.
She's Drew's wife!?
She's talked about herself, her nineteen-year-old daughter, whom she calls Victoria, and her achievement in the pack but conveniently left out the fact that she's not just mated but also married to Drew, my dad's Beta.
I remembered what my dad told Eric and me about her when he was still admitted at the Night Howlers pack critical unit. Before she got mated to Drew, he referred to her as a good girl but now she's one of Evelyn's many friends. They even have a special club created for female executives.
'This is getting more interesting.' I thought as I watched her talk...
"Like I said earlier, I already swore an oath to your father. I owe a duty to the pack, to protect the people and properties living in it with my life. To prove myself to you, I'm ready to pledge my allegiance right now..."
"Hold up! Pause please..." I say, holding up my hand to stop her mid-sentence.
"Yes?..." She asks wonderingly
I laugh in disbelief at what she just said as I get up from the chair,
"You're ready to pledge your allegiance to me?... A barbarian bastard that you just accused of killing your mate? Really?... C'mon! Instead of wasting both our time. Why don't you tell me your real reason for coming here today?" I ask humorously
"My real reason?" She asked looking confused
"Yes, your real reason." Even though I already have my suspicions. I still want to hear the excuse she wants to give me.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Alpha. I have no hidden reason whatsoever! I only want to do my duty. I can never allow the grudge I have against you to interfere with my duty to the pack and..."
"Yeah, right!" I say sarcastically and she automatically stops talking.
After a few seconds, she sighed and said...
"I'm naturally not a biased person. I know that... I mean I–I shouldn't... Dammit!" She suddenly stops talking.
"Okay maybe I shouldn't have called you a murderer, I'm sorry about that. Innocent until proven guilty is what the law says. I shouldn't have accused you like that, I'm sorry... The trial is in two weeks. I guess we'll find out what is the truth then, right?"
I walk closer to where she's sitting, moving my face closer to hers.
"I can't wait," I say simply and she nods.
"Great then. In the meantime can I do my job, please?" She pleads and I can't help but wonder...
'In the shifter and human world, who would be desperate to work with a man they believe murdered their spouse in cold blood?'
The answer is nobody. I won't lie, she kinda looks sincere like she indeed regrets calling me a murderer but I'd be a fool to believe her little act. She's Evelyn's friend after all and probably sent by the others to spy on me and report to them. Or could it be she planned to be closer to me so she could avenge the supposed death of her mate? I'm really eager to find out how she hopes to go about doing that.
"Sure you can," I say what she desperately wanted to hear. "But before then, you'll have to prove to me that you're indeed worthy of that position. Are you ready to do that?"
"Yes, I am. How do you want me to prove myself?"
"You're a warrior. A General. You should know I was also a General at my uncle's pack..."
"Oh really?..."
"Yes, really. I want to assume you're one of the pack's best fighters for you to have such rank, right?"
"I guess you can say that," She replies sheepishly, trying to look nonchalant.
"Okay, how about a duel then? You will..." I stopped talking when she gasped out in shock.
"A duel?" She asks nervously. "You want the two of us to duel? But that wouldn't be fair. I mean, look at you. You're a man. You're bigger..."
"Wait. What?–" I chuckle. "No! Of course not. Not both of us." I quickly say to assure her.
I beckoned for Ella to move closer then...
"Meet Ella, she was an Omega at my Uncle's pack before she became one of my warriors. If you come close to beating her without breaking a sweat then you're in."