Alpha CEO's 90 Day Contract

Chapter 6: Board Meeting Attack

Pack Hall ki badi board meeting thi aaj.

Lambi marble table ke chaaron taraf council ke 12 sabse bade elders baithe the. Beech me Alpha Armaan ka throne khali tha.

Darwaze khule aur Armaan andar aaya. Uske peeche Anaya.

Anaya ne aaj pehli baar pack ki official dress pehni thi - kaali saree, gale me silver moon locket. Lekin uske chehre pe dar saaf dikh raha tha.

Armaan ne Anaya ka haath pakad kar use apne bagal wali seat par bithaya.

Poora hall me sannata chha gaya.

Council elder Vikram khada hua. "Alpha, ye ladki kaun hai? Pack rules ke hisaab se koi outsider board meeting me nahi baith sakta."

Armaan ki aankhen laal hone lagi. "Ye outsider nahi hai Vikram. Ye meri chosen hai."

Tabhi peeche se ek taali ki awaaz aayi.

"Waah Alpha. Chosen? Ya majboori?"

Ruhi.

Kaali dress, laal lipstick, haath me ek file. Wo dheere dheere chalte hue table ke beech me aa kar khadi ho gayi.

Ruhi Armaan ki ex thi. 3 saal se usi ko Luna banne ka sapna tha.

"Board members," Ruhi ne file table par patki. "Aap sabko sach janne ka haq hai. Is ladki Anaya ke baare me."

Anaya ka dil zor se dhadka. Armaan ne uska haath aur kas ke pakad liya.

Ruhi ne file kholi. "Chapter 1: Anaya Sharma. Age 22. College me 3 baar jhagda. Police record me 1 case. Aur sabse badi baat..."

Ruhi ruki aur seedha Anaya ki aankhon me dekha.

"...ye ladki ek insaan hai. Ek normal insaan. Iske andar ek bhi bhediye ka khoon nahi hai."

Poore hall me bhunkamp aa gaya.

"Whaat? Insaan?"

"Alpha ne ek insaan ko chuna?"

"Ye pack ke khilaaf hai!"

Vikram gusse se table pe mukka maara. "Alpha! Pack ka kanoon saaf hai. Alpha ki Luna ya to wolf hogi ya kam se kam hybrid. Ek insaan Luna nahi ban sakti. Ye hamari nasl ko kamzor karegi."

Armaan dheere se khada hua. Uske gusse se kamre ki lights flicker karne lagi.

"Main Alpha hu. Faisla main karunga."

Ruhi hansi. "Haan, lekin Alpha bhi council ke bina kuch nahi. Agar aapne is insaan ko Luna banaya, to 6 mahine me pack ke aadhe wolves aapke khilaaf rebellion kar denge. Kya aap ye chahte hain?"

Anaya ki aankhon me aansu aa gaye. Use samajh aa raha tha. Armaan uske liye poori duniya se lad raha tha.

Usne dheere se haath chhudaya aur khadi ho gayi.

"Mujhe maaf kar dijiye," Anaya ki awaaz kaanp rahi thi. "Main nahi jaanti thi ki meri wajah se itni problem hogi. Main... main chali jaati hu."

"Baith jao Anaya," Armaan garja.

Lekin Anaya nahi baithi. Usne Ruhi ki taraf dekha. "Tumhe lagta hai mujhe expose karke tum jeet jaogi? Armaan mujhse pyaar karta hai. Khoon se nahi, dil se."

Ruhi ke chehre ka rang badal gaya. Usne file se ek aur kagaz nikala.

"Theek hai. Dil ki baat hai to ye bhi sun lo."

Usne kagaz sabke saamne feka. "Ye Anaya ke college ke professor ka statement hai. Kehta hai Anaya ne 2 ladkiyon ko dhamki di thi. Kehti thi 'main kisi ki nahi banoongi'. Ye ladki khatarnaak hai Alpha."

Jhooth. Sab jhooth.

Anaya ka sar ghoom gaya. Ruhi ne plan banake use fasaya tha.

Armaan ne wo kagaz dekha bhi nahi. Wo seedha Ruhi ke paas gaya.

"Bas bahut ho gaya Ruhi. Tumne council ke saamne jhooth bol kar pack ke kanoon tode hain. Saza ke taur par tum 1 mahine ke liye pack se banish ho."

"Armaan!" Ruhi chillayi. "Tum ek insaan ke liye apni bachpan ki dost ko--"

"Banish. Abhi." Armaan ki awaaz me bijli thi.

2 guards aaye aur Ruhi ko kheench kar le gaye. Jaate jaate Ruhi ne Anaya ko ghoora.

"Ye khatam nahi hua Anaya. Ya to tum use chhodogi, ya main tumhe khatam kar dungi."

Hall me phir sannata.

Armaan laut kar Anaya ke paas aaya. Usne sabke saamne Anaya ke maathe par haath rakha.

"Council sun le. 80 din baad full moon hai. Us din Anaya meri Luna banegi. Jo khilaaf hai, wo abhi keh de."

Koi nahi bola. Sabne sar jhuka liya.

Meeting khatam hote hi Anaya washroom me bhaagi aur rote-rote wall pe sar maar liya.

"Main is layak nahi hu Armaan... main sirf ek insaan hu."

Peechhe se awaaz aayi. Armaan.

Usne Anaya ko peeche se gale laga liya. "Tum insaan ho isiliye to khaas ho. Tumhare andar wo himmat hai jo kisi wolf me nahi. Tumne aaj akeli Ruhi ka saamna kiya."

Anaya palti. "Lekin agar main kamzor padi to? Agar pack mujhe accept nahi kiya to?"

Armaan ne uske aansu ponche. "To main poore pack ko badal dunga. Kyunki ab tum meri zimmedari ho. Meri Luna."

Baher council room me Vikram apne phone me kuch type kar raha tha.

Message: `Plan A fail. Plan B ready karo.

R'`

Phone screen off hui.

Armaan ko andaza ho gaya tha. Usne Anaya ko aur paas kheencha.

"Aaj raat ke baad sab badal jayega, Luna."

---

2 ghante baad. Pack Hall.

Lambi marble table. 12 elders baithe the.

Beech me Alpha Armaan ka throne khali tha.

Darwaze khule. Armaan andar aaya. Uske peeche Anaya.

Kaali saree. Gale me silver moon locket. Chehre par dar.

Armaan ne Anaya ka haath pakad kar use apni bagal wali seat par bithaya.

Poora hall me sannata chha gaya.

Council elder Vikram khada hua. "Alpha, ye ladki kaun hai? Pack rules ke hisaab

se koi insaan yaha nahi baith sakti!"

Armaan utha. Aankhen gold. "Ye Anaya hai. Meri patni. Malhotra Pack ki Luna."

Tabhi darwaza phir khula.

Riya. Safed gown. Haath me laal gulab. Aankhen laal.

"Sorry late ho gayi. Waise Armaan, aapne mujhe invite nahi kiya?

Main bhi to aapki mangetar thi na... 2 saal pehle tak."

Anaya ka dil baith gaya.

Riya seedha Anaya ke paas aayi. Ek jhatke me uska locket cheen liya.

"Ye to maine tumhe diya tha na?"

Light gayi. Andhera.

Ek cheekh.

Light aayi. Riya farsh par. Gale se khoon.

Anaya ke haath me chaandi ka khanjhar.

Vikram chillaaya: "Luna ne attack kiya! Ise saja do!"

Armaan Anaya ke saamne khada ho gaya. "Koi haath mat lagana."

Riya khoon me lipti hui hansi. "Day 2/86... shuru ho gaya, Luna."

Usne Vikram ki taraf dekha aur aankh maar di.

Armaan ne mutthi bheench li. "Agar meri Luna ko kuch hua...

To ye poora hall jalega."

Baher bijli kadki.

Bahar bijli kadki. Baarish tez ho gayi.

Vikram ne ishara kiya. 2 guards aage badhe.

"Alpha ke hukum ke khilaf. Luna ko arrest karo."

Armaan bijli ki speed se beech me aa gaya.

Uske sharir se awaz aayi. Haddiyan.

2 second me aadha bhediya ban gaya. Aankhen gold, nakhun lambe.

"Ek kadam bhi aage badhaya to maut." Wo garja.

Hall me darr phail gaya.

Anaya kaanp rahi thi. Uske haath abhi bhi khoon se sane the.

"Armaan... maine nahi kiya." Usne dheere se kaha.

Armaan ne palat kar Anaya ko dekha. Uski nazar naram ho gayi.

Usne Anaya ke khoon lage haath apne haathon me liye.

"Main janta hun, Luna."

Phir wo wapas sabki taraf mudha.

"Sun lo. Anaya Malhotra Pack ki Luna hai.

Jo bhi uske khilaf jayega... wo mere khilaf jayega."

Riya ko stretcher par le jaya ja raha tha. Jaate jaate wo boli:

"Tum jeet gaye aaj, Alpha. Par 84 din baaki hain."

Armaan ne Anaya ki kamar me haath daala aur use bahar le gaya.

Baarish me bheege hue.

Anaya ne uske seene se sir laga diya.

Pehli baar usse laga... ki ye Alpha uske liye poori duniya se lad sakta hai.

Malhotra Mansion ke gate band hue.

Aur ander... ek nayi jung shuru ho gayi thi.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Chapter 7: Luna Ka Faisla