Chapter 6

Xander

The meeting had stretched on for what felt like an eternity. My patience was wearing thin, and from the sounds of it, my wolf Xyler felt the same. ‘This meeting either needs to end or get way more interesting,‘ Xyler’s voice echoed in my mind, mirroring my sentiments.

I couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly. ‘I know Chris has to shut up or I will punch him in the face,’ I replied to Xyler, my frustration evident.

Xyler’s chuckle in response resonated with my own thoughts, and he asked for a good run after we got back home. He retreated back into my mind, leaving me alone in this torture. Lucky wolf.

I re-centered my focus on Chris, whose voice seemed to drone on endlessly. Just shut up, man. How much more can a person talk? The discussion continued to drag on for what felt like another hour, testing my patience to its limits.

Finally, I decided it was time to bring this to a end. “Let’s take a break and end this for today, Chris, and reconvene in a few weeks. It’s been quite a lengthy discussion, and I need to confer with my team and make a decision.” The board members of NFT Limited, including the former CEO Mr. Harris, all nodded in agreement, signaling their consent to my proposal. With that, they began to file out of the cramped conference room, which had been our holding ground for the past four hours.

However, the monotony was disrupted when a woman rushed into the meeting room, accidentally colliding with Chris and causing the coffee she held to spill all over his suit.

“You idiot! Don’t you have any eyes? You ruined my fucking suit! Do you know how much this is likely to cost? You’re fired! Out! Now!” Chris’s voice reverberated through the room, his anger palpable and his words dripping with venomous contempt.

The woman trembled like a leaf, her voice shaking as she begged, “I apologize, Sir. Please, sir, I need this job.”

Chris’s actions were deplorable, and I could feel the anger coursing through Xyler, my wolf. He was clearly not happy with Chris’s behavior, and I couldn’t blame him. No one was standing up for the poor girll.

It was disheartening to witness this change in Mr. Harris, someone I had worked with before and considered a kind and fair man. Seeing him now, seemingly subdued and powerless as Chris berated his staff for simple mistakes, struck a nerve within me.

“It was a mistake, Chris. She was startled when you opened the door. Let it go,” I interjected, my voice steady but my patience waning. My upbringing instilled in me the importance of treating all individuals with respect, regardless of their position. Additionally, my respect for women had been ingrained in me by my father’s teachings.

My father used to say ‘A FULL POCKET SHOWS US THE WORLD, AN EMPTY POCKET, HOWEVER, SHOWS US THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD.’

Chris shot me a look of disgust before storming out of the room, his anger having the final say. Mr. Harris and the other board members, seemingly submissive, avoided making eye contact with me, leaving me to wonder what had led to this apparent power shift. They filed out of the room like sheep moving in a line.

The behavior of the board and the toxic atmosphere in the company were unsettling. I had heard rumors about NFT Limited’s high employee iteration rate, but seeing it firsthand was deeply troubling. It was impossible to sustain a successful business if employees were treated with such disregard.

As the tension in the room slowly began to dissipate, a timid voice broke through the silence, interrupting my contemplation. I turned to find the same woman who had been at the center of the coffee mishap.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said softly, her voice laden with trepidation.

I regarded her with a calm demeanor, trying to ease her obvious distress. “Hello, what is your name?” I asked gently, my tone imbued with genuine concern.

She replied, her voice still trembling, “Maria Tyler.”

I offered her a reassuring smile. “Hello, Maria. I’m Xander. Are you okay after…?” I trailed off, not wanting to remind her of the incident.

She managed a smile and nodded. “Yes, sir. Sorry for bothering you, but thank you for…”

I dismissed her apology with a casual wave of my hand, emphasizing the insignificance of the situation. “It’s not a big deal, Maria. Just a simple mistake. Are you sure you’re all right? You looked a bit pale.”

As I continued to engage in conversation with Maria, making sure she was truly okay, I felt a sense of relief at being able to offer her a moment of comfort. After a few minutes, I left the office building, my thoughts still lingering on the incident at NFT headquarters.

Scott, my PA, flaked my side holding all the files and his laptop. I instructed him to go back to the office while I met my sister.

Once in my car, I instructed my driver where to go. My head sank back against the seat, and I found myself lost in thought. The unsettling encounter at NFT left a mark on me, prompting me to consider further investigation.

In the meeting, I also witnessed more of these deplorable events involving employees. The board members are extremely cunning with their responses, and Chris is in charge of the entire show. Many of them struggle with sufficient paperwork and extremely high projections on their projects without basis like a castle in the sky with no foundation. While Mr. Harris remains largely silent throughout every discussion.

I shifted my thoughts toward seeing my sister, who I hadn’t seen in months. She purposely kept her distance from the pack. While I couldn’t force her to come back to our pack, I hoped she understood that whatever happened years ago will not happen again. But the fact that she hadn’t fully recovered from that experience weighed heavily on me. Our bond as siblings had always been strong, but there were aspects she preferred not to discuss with me.

Xyler’s restlessness pulled me from my reverie as we neared the dorms. ‘What’s the matter, Xyler?’ I inquired, feeling him stand on his hackles.

‘Yeah. I’m not sure. I just... ah... We need to get to the dorms as soon as possible,’ he replied.

‘We’ll be there in a few minutes. Why are you so agitated?’ I asked, my curiosity piqued.

‘I’m not sure... Perhaps I miss Anne,‘ Xyler responded his tone a mix of longing and excitement.

‘Anne? I’m sure you’ll see her soon,’ I reassured him. I know Xyler and Nyx’s wolf, Anne, are really close.

I feel awful for not being able to visit our sister since we were too busy with our pack and businesses. I was already stretched thin, but I’ll make an effort to call her at least once in a while.

As we pulled up to the dorms, I mind-linked my sister to meet me in the corridor. While waiting, I took a moment to appreciate the serene surroundings and the picturesque sunset. As an Alpha, moments of solitude were rare, and I cherished them when I could find them.

“Xander!” The sound of Nyx’s voice snapped me out of my contemplation and she ran barelled toward me.

“Hello to you too, Nyx,” I chuckled, pulling her into a warm embrace. Xyler salivated involuntarily when I caught a whiff of vanilla as soon as I hugged her.

I ignored it and asked, “How are you?” Steven stepped in just as she was about to respond. “Hello, Alpha.”

“Hello, Steven. How are you doing?” I inquired.

“I’m OK, Alpha. Thank you very much. Let me mind-link Lea; she’s quite thrilled to meet you.” He answered.

“Am I about to meet our Beta Female for the first time?” I teased Steven. He met his mate a few weeks back when he entered college as a fresher. I was happy for him but a twinge of envy stelled into my chest.

Our conversation continued, but my senses were suddenly hijacked by an intoxicating scent, an exquisite blend of vanilla and bourbon that enveloped the air. My heart raced within my chest, and I felt a surge of excitement and anticipation coursing through my veins. My eyes and nose followed the scent, and then it happened.

Without warning, I collided with someone who was about to fall, my reflexes kicking in to catch her before she hit the ground. In that fraction of a second, time seemed to slow down, and my world came to a standstill.

My arms wrapped around her, and in that fleeting moment, everything changed. The cacophony of the world around us faded into a distant hum as my attention was drawn to the person in my arms. Her face, a stunning blend of beauty and innocence, held my gaze, and my heart seemed to skip a beat. My eyes skimped over her face taking in every little detail. Her closed eyes, her kissable lips, her cute nose ,and her rapid breathing.

A rush of emotions flooded my senses — excitement, curiosity, and an overwhelming sense of connection that left me breathless. I felt a surge of protectiveness wash over me as if an instinctual need to safeguard her from any harm had been awakened within me.

Time seemed to regain its rhythm as her presence filled the void within me. It was as if a missing piece of my soul had finally found its way home.

My heart raced, the stress of the day dissipated, and as I looked into her eyes, I found myself captivated by the most stunning face I had ever encountered. Xyler yapped in my head happily and my chest rumbled like he found an oasis after walking through the desert for years.

In a hushed whisper that held the weight of a thousand emotions, I spoke the only word that could encapsulate the enormity of the moment, the depth of the connection that had just formed.

“Mate.“