REJECTED AND LOVED BY A RED WOLF

INTRODUCTION How could a mate's rejection harm the ego of an Alpha? How far would he go to have his revenge? How long would it last to melt the ice he built around himself? And hurt the she-wolf he had once adored? One decision led to another, causing more pain for both of them. The only thing in the Alpha’s mind was the reckoning of his wounded pride. The time for his retribution has arrived… ******************** CHAPTER 1 Ava never thought the new CatStark Center, a seventy-floor skyscraper, would be as eye-catching as what was in front of her right at that moment. The building was covered in hard grey glass, shining brightly right in the middle of the London skyline. It was a statement of pride and signified the unparalleled power of the Stark family, then and now— a business trophy. Ava took a few minutes to admire the building’s facade before allowing the driver to proceed and drop her off on the covered driveway. She gracefully stepped out of the car, walked a few distances, and took several steps to reach the elevated lobby. Uniformed security personnel bowed to her as soon as she stepped inside the building. Her eyes brightened up a little when she saw the interiors. If the outside architecture was a hovering trophy, the interior was a screaming statement of superlative taste. Beginning with state-of-the-art walk-through navigators hanging on the wall. The two big screens would help guests and visitors to locate their intended destination without difficulty. The dark grey granite flooring blend with the light grey granite reception counter, cozy couches, and center tops. The ceiling was well lit with elegant modern chandeliers. She noticed that there were no food stalls and restaurants in the lobby itself, Ada was sure those were located someplace else inside the building. Ada smiled wryly. Her elder brother who stood as the President and CEO of the company, surely outdid himself, in his visual representation of CatStark’s power and might. It had been years since she visited any of the business establishments of CatStark and she was very impressed with this new building. Ava never attended any of the stockholders' meetings and had stayed inside the community since the tragedy happened three years ago. She stayed in the community mourning, grieving for her loss and allowing her heart, mind, and soul to heal. After three years of pure loneliness, she started to look at life again with a new perspective. She knew that no matter how long she grieved it would never bring back the dead to life. She had to stop punishing herself and face the world anew. She was ready to face the responsibilities and her duty to her family. And that day was the start. Ava entered the grand lobby with grace and a proud stance unconsciously displayed by all the Stark family members. A lot of heads turned in her direction, their eyes scanning and admiring the elegantly dressed youngest daughter of the famous and well-respected couple Ada and Anon Stark. She indeed represented her parents well. Time and years had been good to Ava. She was no longer the lousy simple dresser and lacking in self-confidence, Avalline Stark. She learned how to dress properly for any occasion highlighting class and glamour, and she knew how to present herself at socials. But–even with the mask of sophisticated allure, her gorgeous diamond-shaped face was bare of natural glow. Her almond-shaped amber eyes had lost their brilliance. She was gorgeous but lacked inner happiness and peace. It was disheartening to see complete emptiness in the eyes of a very beautiful woman. Six men and two women greeted her in the middle of the lobby, all dressed in black and white, all werewolves. “Pleasant day, Ms. Ava,” she recognized her brother's assistant. Beatrice came from the community–a daughter of a beta. The rest of the male and female wolves greeted her as well. They, too, were from the community, sons and daughters of betas or omegas. Everyone in their community was educated well. They were sent to top universities in London or the United States for proper education and then hired by CatStark until they were ready to put up their own businesses if they opted to detach themselves from the pack. Although the option was there, very few opted to leave the pact over the years. No one could detect that they were not humans by their scent alone. The unique perfume product, which Catstark had a monopoly in the market–used by men and women all over the world… humans and werewolves alike, hid the unusual smell of wolves. The same product allowed supernaturals like them to mingle with the human world without being discovered. Some even were able to marry humans without revealing their real identities. “Good morning,” Ava greeted back politely. Looking at everyone who came to greet her, she added, “I hope Avie has arrived?” “He’s waiting for you in his room, miss Ava,” Beatrice responded subtly, with a small smile on her face. “Bring me to him,” she responded good-naturedly. “Yes, miss.” Ava was escorted to an elevator shaft at the back of a long elevator line. She guessed the particular lift was used exclusively by their family members, and she was right, as explained by Beatrice. "The lift is exclusive for the Starks, miss Ava." Beatrice was the only one who accompanied her in the lift. And in minutes, she arrived at the top floor. The elegance in the lobby transcended up to the top floor, if not even grander. When the President’s door opened, Ava was surprised when Avie stood right in the center of his large room waiting for her. “Little sis,” he walked slowly and reached Ava halfway with open arms. He laced his arms around her and kissed her temple. “You call me little sis still? Did I really look little to you? I’m an inch taller than mom and two inches taller than the twins,” She raised an eyebrow, her lips curved on one corner. Avie chucked. He couldn't dispute what she said. “No matter how tall you become. All of us will still see you still–as our little princess.” Ava punched him slightly on his arm. “Okay! Let us get to business before I decide not to help you,” Ava said jokingly. All of Anon and Ada’s children were very close. However, with business responsibilities now resting on the men’s shoulders, the siblings hardly saw each other, especially now that their parents were traveling the world. Their usual weekend together was temporarily put aside. Avie placed his arms on Ava’s shoulders and happily guided her to sit on a chair in front of his mahogany desk. “Tsk! Spill it out, Avie.” Ava could sense that Avie was trying to place his ideas together. It would have been easier for Ava to read his mind, but Avie also inherited the shield gift from their mother, as she did. “Ava—“ his serious tone made Ava’s heart skip. She sensed his hesitation. Surely, the favor he would ask for... was not simple. “You are making me nervous, Avie,” she voiced her apprehension. “Well, yes, it was hard for me to ask this from you knowing your past,” Avie articulated, shaking his head slightly. “Too late to worry about that now. I am here. Tell me.” Ava insisted. “I need your help with the Nickwell Unlimited. One of the giants in the Pharmaceutical world,” he sighed, looking intently at Ava, who still did not know what he was aiming at. “Owned by Brandon Nicholas.” He added. His soft voice reverberated like thunder to Ava’s ears. Her face darkened, she raised her pointed chin and looked up and locked eyes with her brother's concerned ones. Brandon Nicholas, the owner of the business empire, was the same alpha Ava had rejected five years ago. Ava paled. “I-i don’t think I can talk to him after what happened between us. S-surely, there’s another way? You still have options, right?” Ava stuttered as she spoke. How Brandon looked when she rejected him was still fresh in her mind. Avie’s eyes looked at the far-end corner of the room. He had failed to assess the effect of what happened between Ava and Brandon, but above all, embarrassment started to settle in. It was awkward and embarrassing that they needed Ava to do something that would be painful for her. He hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, sis. You are right. I can still do something about this. There is no need for you to approach him.” He voiced dejectedly. “I guess not.” They both turned their attention to the voice owner as he stepped inside the room. It was Avis, another one of the triplets who, at the same time, was the President and CEO of the laboratory where the perfumes were manufactured. “Tell her everything, Avie,” Avis urged. Ava’s eyes narrowed and Avie closed his eyes and ran a hand on his hair. “She needs to understand our need for the rare plant woodii, which is almost extinct. However, Brandon has ample supply on his farm in South Africa.” Avis disclosed when he saw the resignation in Avie’s eyes. He looked at Ava and said, "We need that plant badly, Ava." Avie was speechless. He couldn’t fathom how their need for the rare plant would have to result in them asking for their youngest sister’s support. He was against Ava speaking with Brandon from the beginning, but the future of their business empire depended so much on the rare plant. The plant would be used for their top product, best selling at all time, and the only thing that could help a wolf conceal their scent. Brandon continued to reject all their business propositions and refused all requests for a business meeting for the past year. “How come we couldn’t grow the plant? I thought that we already have a local supply of all raw materials of our scents.” Ava asked anxiously. “True—except for that plant. We couldn’t grow it locally, even if we tried a thousand times, we repeatedly failed.” Avie disclosed. “Brandon refused to see any of us. He would only talk to you,” Avis added. Ava paled even more. She fully understood the implication of that statement…Brandon would like to see her. It could only mean one thing...Brandon wanted retribution. He wanted her blood.