BEFORE THE GALA.

BEFORE HER.

KAEL’S POV.

Pathetic wasn’t it?The way they scurried around their tiny cubicles trying to look composed and all, but the sharp tang of their anxiety, and the frantic rabbit-quick rhythm of their heartbeats gave them away.The elevator doors dinged open, allowing me passage into the work area, an area filled with cowering working humans. I must say the impact I had on them wasn’t all that bad to the eyes or was it?Passing the cubicles, to head to my office, the words they could not say to my face, of course they muttered to themselves. Fools I thought.“ He really is here” muttered one dressed in a loosely fitted maroon office suit with her head a bit too close to her system.“ Of course he is, he owns the place, you moron” Another sitting beside, replied her.Moron, I chuckled to myself. She really was one, and at least the humans weren’t all that dumb, maybe there was still hope, shaking my head. I doubted there was.The workers really did mutter behind my back.“ I heard he fired the whole team in the London branch. Fired. Everyone.” One said illustrating with her hands to tell how true it was, but I did in actual fact fire the whole London team because they were incompetent and lazy. They were everything that I and my father’s legacy didn’t stand for.“ It's not like he runs the place anyways, so why would he fire the whole branch? I might work for him but that temper and attitude is nothing but a facade to hide the empty brain in his skull, if you ask me, I’d say he is brainless. ”Now that got my already waned attention to life. Courage and insults. A delicacy for my wolf and I.“Repeat”Very sure they weren’t aware of the fact that I hadn’t actually entered into the work area, they froze.“ Now don’t spare me the action, go on with the talk” I said, fully turning to the section of the cubicle that had caught my attention. Hands now in the pocket of my custom made suit. Not missing the way the lady in the maroon let her gaze trail me, catching her gaze head on, I walk towards her, expectant of her next move.Kneeling before her, I grab her cheeks, eliciting gasps from the other workers.“ Now repeat those words, I’ll ask not again” her eyes already watering as if to empty out her tear glands.“ I ddddiddnnnn.....we didn’t mean to-“ I said it Sir”The lady that had cautioned her before spoke up. “ I was the one who called you brainless Sir”Hmm. Brainless?“ Now you might please want to let go of her cheeks, you’re hurting her” she continued. What bravado. My wolf barked at me to make an exception out of her, whether wolf or not. An insult to an Alpha was an insult to the entire pack. With one more look at the woman whose face was a burst of frightful red, I let her go for here in front of me a competition stood.Rising to make a lesson out of the woman, father chose not a better time to inform me of ‘a better way’ to do things through the mind links.‘You’d do better than make a shame out of yourself in front of your human worker and get your temper and wolf in check’‘ But no one insults the Alphaaaa’ I shot back through the mind link.‘ you’re a better Alpha if you have control on your anger, now get into your office for your board presentation.’ He said furiously as he closed the mind link between us both.Father had been the Alpha before me and as to that he was an elder, although by our customs he should be considered a rogue but a parent was still a parent, especially with his involvement in everything that the pack was already involved with.Leaving the work area and the lady that had stood up to me, I moved into my office not oblivious to the release of air that she had exhaled to steady herself. That’s right, I thought to myself, Fear my every move.“ The obvious shift in demand and supply of the Volkov market isn’t only as a result of –The words of the presenter seemed to jumble in my head. Boredom caught up, and now really settling into this, it begged the question of if this was what Julian loved so much as to try and covert it?Sighing like as if there was no end to the torture I had to endure. Seated at the head of the table , I looked around. Obviously, it couldn’t be the same presentation that I was imprisoned in that the rest of the board members were nodding their heads to with rapt attention.The shift in the atmosphere was undeniable.To my left, the human board members straightened their postures, a pathetic show of attention. To my right, my Pack members subtly unleashed their auras, a silent, oppressive wave that made the humans flinch. What a display of power.“ as you can see, there is a very evident way of balancing the narrative of the market scheme by making both manufacturers and-“ That will be all for today”Standing abruptly as to put an end to the heart wrenching torture if not I, but the rest of the board have had to endure,“ Discussions on any further trade will be called and any other opinions disregarded,” waving my hands, I reiterated, “ and with that, this meeting is adjourned”“ But, Sir” the presenter stammered, “ the prospects aren’t looking good especially with the London branch........ incident”He dared, hadn’t he?My focus narrowed to him,“ What incident?” I rose, moving to the podium, where the presenter stood, frightened to his core.“ The fact that youuuuu....umm...didn’t even.....have....“ Have. What.” It wasn’t a question.I smelt him before I laid eyes on him. Julian“ Oh, dear brother” He sneered, striding into the meeting room. He tsked at me.“ Why punish the mere subordinate of yours, couldn’t you be lenient or better still exercise....self control? Hmm brother?“ And besides,” pointing a dismissive hand at the presenter, a mere human who seemed to want to shit his pants just from standing close to me, “ Hadn’t he been right? As part of the board, they too deserve to question your decisions, however they may seem or aren’t they a part of the company, Kael?”It was in the way his eyes gleamed with a plan. One that would undermine me. One in which I never still understood why he would want such a part in a boring affair with paperwork and rabbit like species. But the way he had addressed me? The chill in the atmosphere was by all means expected.Gregor’s seat scraped back, “ Juliannn!!!”He was a beta of mine who had been seated casually and was rarely provoked to anger but this time he spoke up.“ You will do well to pay respect to your Alp.......your CEO” He hissed at Julian. I could feel the expectant eyes of discipline from the members of the pack who were here. To draw blood as punishment.“ or else Gregor, should I cower before your almighty Kael?” Julian teased as he smiled smugly. If I had known my brother all the better, a plan was in action in his head.“ Would you kill me? Like maybe the rest in London as per Kael’s orders?” He sneered as he brought his hands to cup his face, feigning apologetic, “ Ooops, didn’t mean for that to slip out but well, all’s well that ends well.”So that was his plan. To paint me a murderer?The fear in the eyes of all that were present here was evident. And yes of course, I was a murderer, was one and would still be one.Glaring at Julian, my Wolf snarled to make a lesson of him, there was just so much an Alpha could take from his delinquent of a brother.“ Julian. Leave. This instance”“ And why would I? I also own some shares in the Volkovs Company. It’s only....“ LEAVE JULIAN!!!!” My voice cracked like a whip, an Alpha command lacing the words.“ I WILL NOT KAEL!!!”A defied order.A unified predatory stir. The humans felt it. The scent of fear.My pack was on their feet now, a wall of silent, deadly promise. The air vibrated with their threat.Closing the gap between us both. Julian didn’t flinch. Why would he, when he too was the Son of an Alpha, although he wasn’t the Alpha, he was no less of a predator than I was.A fight with my brother in front of my pack, would undermine my authority and strength.‘ I am your Alpha, Julian but before that I am your brother.’ I say through the mind link as I breathed down on him. Eyes trained sharp on him, any move from him, one which may he regarded as a threat, I, was to eliminate.‘And as my brother, you know not to underestimate me, but as you’re Alpha, subordinate I am to you’He retreated?‘ What games do you intend to play now brother?’Smiling, ‘None. But a woman, brother’His smile hadn’t reached his eyes, nor were there any signs of the attitude he had displayed earlier. My wolf knew game when it saw one. It snarled in me to make a show of him, but I?I was a brother before an Alpha and with that?“ OUT NOW EVERYONE!!!!!”He was blood. And the woman?Maybe, she, a way??For his sake and mine, she better be.