The Billionaire Alpha’s Forbidden Romance

A Ghost From The Past!

* William's POV *

For the last few weeks, every day when I have to go to the office has been a hassle. Sometimes, I wish I can just sit at home and let all of this boil over. I'm tired of fighting, and I'm tired of having to face multiple arguments on the same topic.

Right now, I sit and stare outside the car window as we stop at a red light on 5th avenue. Central Park lies to my right, where I know that a demonstration has been planned for later today, in protest against the existence of werewolves among humans. The organiser, Ruby Saxton, is someone I have met twice at the Met Gala, a social activist and a wealthy heiress who has decided to turn troubling times into a publicity stunt. Already, her people have reached out for an interview, but I declined because I know it will be nothing more than a chance for them to put me in front of an audience and say whatever the hell they wish to say. And I may take a lot of things on the chin, but being disrespected is certainly not one of them.

To my left, I notice a jewellery store with a sign outside which says 'Werewolves Not Allowed!'

"For f***s sake!" I groan, laying my head back and trying to block out everything. This is getting ridiculous now. So far, we have lived peacefully with humans, never once attacking them or causing any trouble. Even the demon attack which I was being accused of instigating was all Zion's doing. And as far as I knew, the crimes of one man were not meant to stain an entire race of innocent people.

"It will all pass, sir," Rio says from the driver's seat. "People are always afraid of something they do not understand. I'm sure that once they realise there's nothing to be afraid of, then all of this will go away."

"I doubt that, Rio," I say. "History is littered with tales of how humans can never accept something which they deem to be different from them. They will never accept us, and we will continue to be shunned by most of them until the end of time."

"Well, that's unfortunate," he says. "If only they could see that you are not a threat to their existence at all, then maybe they would realise how absurd their efforts to oppress werewolves all around the country are."

An idea sudden leaps to the front of my mind, and I realise that everything he's saying is correct. But before I can think about it any more, we arrive at Skyline where the usual mob have gathered just outside the building with their posters and placards. Their shouting and chanting is incessant, but I have learned to tune them out quite easily.

"Would you like me to go through the back?" Rio asks. "We don't have to deal with any of this bullshit."

"It's alright, Rio," I say. "I can handle this."

As soon as he stops the car and hops outside, the roar of the crowd intensifies. They must have recognised my car, and they surge forward as one to continue screaming and waving their placards about. It almost as if they are carrying pitchforks of death, and all they want is to kill me. But I do not care. Running away from the problem isn't going to fix it. The only way I can deal with this problem and prove that we are not a violent people is to not engage in all their nonsense.

And so, I step out with my head held high, to the jeer and screams of the crowd as they lean towards me with vicious looks on their faces. They call for my blood, screaming all sorts of horrible names in my face. If I could, I would make all of them swallow their own words, and make them realise how pathetic and stupid they really are. But I don't, and I simply look straight ahead as I keep walking, ignoring all the vile comments and screams in my face.

"JUMP OFF A BRIDGE, YOU WILD DOG!"

"YOU ARE A SICK f*****g ANIMAL!"

"YOU SON OF A b***h!"

"BASTARD!"

"COWARD!"

"f*****g PIECE OF s**t!"

The screaming intensifies, but I'm already at the door. I don't turn around to look at them, until someone rushes forward with a dagger in his hands. I hear him scream, and as he lunges at me, I immediately curl away from his blade and knock it out of his hands. My wolf surges forward without warning, and I grab him by the neck and slam him against the wall. My blood boils, and I can feel my claws starting to grow as I growl at him.

"Try that again," I whisper.

He shakes his head quickly, a thin young man with dirty blonde hair and two missing front teeth. He looks absolutely incapable of attacking even a fly, and yet he has the audacity to try and stab me. I should punish him for what he has done, and make all of them see what it means to continue down this path. But that will only enhance the narrative, and that's the last thing I need.

The entire crowd goes deathly quiet, and I stare at him for a while, seeing the fear and panic in his eyes before I drop him on the floor and walk away, leaving a bone-chilling silence behind. There are no more screams, no more aggressive waving of damning placards. A hush has settled over them all, and they must have realised the consequences of their actions just by that.

As I step into the lobby, all eyes turn in my direction. Everyone looks at me discreetly, and for what feels like the thousandth time, I take a deep breath and keep walking. Andrea is standing by the elevators, and she walks over with a half-smile on her face.

"Good morning, sir," she says.

"Morning, Andrea," I reply. "How's my morning looking?"

"There are five emails that you will need to respond to," she says. "And your meeting with the board members is scheduled for two hours from now. I've taken the liberty to inform them that you will not tolerate any questions which do not absolutely relate to the company."

"That won't be necessary," I say. "If the board wants to discuss the recent news concerning me, then I will gladly discuss it. Whatever is going on out there should not concern what we're doing in here."

"Of course, sir," she says. "I apologise for stepping out of line."

"It's alright, Andrea," I say as we step into the elevator. "We all make mistakes sometimes."

She's silent all through the elevator ride, and she stares down at her iPad as she stands in front of me. It's obvious that she's thinking about something she would like to talk to me about, but she knows I'll probably get pissed by. Wisely, she keeps her mouth shut. And that is one of the reasons why she's such a good secretary, because she knows exactly when to talk and when to shut up. Finding someone with that quality is a rarity these days, and that is the reason why I appreciate her a lot.

As soon as we reach the office, I notice the sideways glances once again. The silence isn't like it usually is. Recently, the silence is a lot more tense than usual, and I know that as soon as I walk away, they're all going to start talking about me. I'm sick and tired of this, and it's about time I deal with this matter head on.

"Gather everyone here right now," I say to Andrea, and I wait as she rounds up every single person on the floor. They all look terrified, and that is exactly what I want. I want them to think about what they've been doing, all the back-alley gossip and the silent glances of dissatisfaction. They don't even try to hide it anymore, and that's the part that pisses me off. I expect a lot more from my employees, and if they can't do that, then I have no use for them anymore.

Once everyone gathers, and they all look at me expectantly, I step forward and stare at each of them in turn.

"You're wondering why I've brought you all here," I begin. "After all, we've never had an impromptu gathering like this before. But I realise that the longer I leave this matter unattended, the more it's going to spiral out of control and the more it's going to hurt this company. None of you are here to while away your hours and chat away about the latest gossip. Whatever is being said about me on the news is of no concern to any of you. As I'm sure you will all remember, you're here to work. And the last thing I need is a bunch of incompetent, inadequate and unqualified people working for this company. If you wish to indulge in gossip and lies, then this is not the place for you. Anyone who wishes to partake in that, or believes their lives are in danger because they are working under me, please turn in your keycards and your badges. You can leave today, and don't ever come back."

I stood and waited, watching each and every one of them in turn. I waited for someone to move, but they all stared at their feet and didn't move a single muscle. Obviously they realised that it would be a ridiculous thing to throw away an opportunity to work here.

"Sir," someone suddenly says from behind, and I looked up to find Katherine Peterson raising her hand.

“Yes?”

“We just want to know if it’s true,” she said. “None of us want to quit working here. But the questions are piling up, and everyday we keep getting attacked by journalists and the media who are constantly trying to get some sort of information out of us. We just want to know how we’re supposed to handle ourselves when we’re being prodded constantly for some sort of information.”

The others nod in agreement, and they all look back at me. It’s the first time I’m seeing any form of interaction from them. Usually they act like robots around me, but this is completely unlike them.

“Whether it’s true or not is not your concern, Miss Peterson,” I say. “I apologise for the awkward situation this puts you in, but I will see what I can do with regards to my employees being harassed by the media. Will that be all?”

A few of them nod, while others look doubtful. But they say nothing, and they walk away with their heads bowed when I dismiss them. I turn towards my office, but then I hear a slow clapping from behind me. I turn around to find Alpha Clark making his way towards me with a smirk on his lips.

“What an inspiring display of leadership,” he says. “Almost makes me want to admit that you are a good boss.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask.

“Visiting a friend,” he replies. “And I’m here for something more serious.”

He looks around to make sure we are alone before he leans forward an whispers, “It’s about a ghost from the past.”

*