The Dormant Queen of the Hybrid

Book 1, Chapter 11 Dook

Sweat and dried aftershave, caked his face. He took a bath a few minutes ago in his personal office washroom, but the morning heat is already getting to him. He turn on the air-conditioning. Well—the stress is also a contributing factor as to why he looked like an undead right now. Oh he’s definitely encountering the feeling of despair.

“Boss. Don’t be such a drama queen. It’s just adobe acrobat,” his heartless assistant said as she closed the window curtains, to prevent the sun’s deadly ultraviolet rays from entering the president’s office.

“F*ck. I’m a millennial, but I can’t open an adobe file document.” Apparently one of his client’s bought his niece yesterday. The little devil-know-it-all, pull a prank on him, renaming and reformatting all the files, when he rejected her, after a confession. She’s just a thirteen years old for gods sake. Meanwhile, the blue eyed lady sat on his office table, occupying his personal space, laughing at his misery.

“Come on Asterids, respect the CEO’s table. Use the comfortable chair!” She pouted in response, but eventually followed his order.

“Didn’t you finish college, and pass the civil engineering board exam? How is this challenging for you?”

“Yes and please, stop with the provoking.. I—your boss, don’t have the energy left in me to start the day as it is.” Asterids wiggled her eyebrow as if saying ; what am I going to do with you?

“Okay, okay. Let me end your sufferings.”

“Please, assistant.”

“Do it like this—press F2 to edit the name of the file and then add (.pdf) at the end, to make it portable document format.”

“Wait, that’s it?”

“Yiz, Boss,” Asterids said goofily.

“Holy cow! My assistant saved the day!” Dook immediately opened the PDF with success. “I could kiss you, if you weren’t so darn annoying.”

“First: Eww no! Second: How rude!” the annoying lady rebutted. Dook made his famous perfect smile in response.

“Shoot!”

“What happened?”

“Boss, I’m actually here because officer Gerdo sent me a response on our email inquiry about Hamorabi.” she immediately handed him a printed copy of the emailed document. Dook started reading the articles, then checking the pictures included. h*******t war five hundred years ago.. Dictator wizard king Hamorabi.

“He’s a member of Swastica,” the young alpha stated after checking the papers.

“Apparently yes, Boss. They are an ancient group who aimed to end the shifter race by—”

“Killing the heart of the shifters. The monarch King and Queen.”

“Correct.. He was taking his racism to a higher level.”

“F*ck, assistant. This might be larger than our clan’s problem.”

“I’m afraid you might be right, Boss.” Asterids agreed. “And you know what? with all this threat—”

“What?”

“It’s making me hungry,” the glutton lady replied with a serious face. Dook immediately lost all the anxiousness and tension build up from hearing the grim news from officer Gerdo , because of his assistant’s goofiness.

“Be right back, Boss.”

“Coffee, Sir?” The kind-eye secretary suddenly emerge from his desk carrying Dook’s favorite black coffee with brown sugar.

“Thanks Tony.”

“You know Ms. Asterids has been a good addition to this office.”

“Is that so?” Dook sip his coffee, as he look at his secretary voiced his opinion for the first time in a while.

“The boss that I remember doesn’t show his weakness to anyone. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good color on you sir.

“I get your point.” Dook smiled. “I believe you just didn’t had the opportunity to see me vulnerable at work. I guess I’m just one of those alpha who don’t really need to display any toxic masculinity required of them by the society.” Mr. Tony also smiled as he tap Dook on his shoulder to respond back.

“I’m lucky to work for a boss like you sir,” the guy said as he starts to walk back to his station. “Oh, Sir. I forgot to mention. Your gang is here.”

*** *** ***

“Dude, no! I’m not into leather.” It seems that outside the office building is busy with people that day. Into what now? The voices are a bit muffled because the young alpha is coming from the inside of the building. He did hear few words like ‘all naturale and naked’, and also ‘a bit of oil will do.’ Dook was supposed to steer away from them. It’s clear that whoever these people are, they’re definitely into kinky stuff. Private stuff shouldn’t be talked outside for the public to hear. One of the voice is very familiar, though. And so Dook followed the noisy conversation in the middle of the parking lot.

“Three of you at the same time?” Asterids asked the three muscular men in front of her. From the looks of it, she’s really considering her answer, so Dook have to intervene.

“Wait, what’s happening here?”

“Oh hey, Boss.”

“What’s going, Alvin?” Dook immediately interrogate the tall red haired—horse shifter, in a man bun hairstyle, middle of the trio men. Why the f*ck is his underlings talking to his assistant about leathers and other of those kinky stuff you read in the heavy mature novels?

Alvin was about to reply. “Good morning, Alpha—”

“Here me out, Boss. Do you like the feel of leather touching your skin?” Asterids cut him off.

“Of what?! Simon, what have you guys been teaching my assistant here?” His construction foreman—a bear shifter—with a boyband-wavy-black hair—the guy left of Alvin, went stiff as a board. “Alpha w-we were just talking about furniture—”

“New supplies of the tropical theme furniture arrived today, alpha Dook.” Theo, another bear shifter—and the construction expeditor—also a bespectacled guy with black fax hawk hair, added.

“What’s with your subordinates, Boss? The three of them at the same time, was not able to fit the new furniture supply in the storage. The delivery truck was very much smaller than the storage room,” the blue eyed assistant complained.

“Oh.. Wait, you guys were talking about oiling her naked skin and about leather earlier. What’s with that?”

“Eh? Oiling my naked what?!”

“Oh,” Alvin and Simon said at the same time, while Theo got speechless, or possibly just trying to hide a big laugh by shutting his mouth.

“We were talking about our preferred furniture design? I like them without any covering, just pure naked wood covered with oil or lacquer,” Asterids explained.

Dook cleared his throat, while hiding his mouth behind his hand. “Carry on then,” he said weakly as he stared at the office building, away from everyone.

Then his assistant looked at him Like he’s a small dung beetle and whispered ”, Pervert.” The trio goons immediately scattered out of the parking lot to save themselves.

“Hey, Alvin!” Dook caught the leader of the trio goons to change the topic. “Tony said you needed me today?”

“Yes, Alpha. The clan elders is calling for you.”

“Okay.”

“And also for Ms. Asterids.. They are demanding the current representatives of the clans. It seems that they want to oust Mr. Edward from his position as the Madrigal’s Alpha clan leader.” Alvin added with a serious tone. That definitely recomposed the young alpha immediately.

*** *** ***

The Madrigals and the Sordlaks are two influential clans who owns a few village within the city of Pasig. The Sordlak clans covers the whole ward of Rosario, while equally the Madrigals have the Manggahan district. Aside for being one of the largest and competitive construction firm across the country, both clans also have the list of powerful people and groups as their member. Alvin, one of the trio goons helped Asterids get off the company van as they arrived in the Capitolio. The Capitolio is a private bar owned by the Madrigal clan under the management of an alpha wolf, he’s a local celebrity and a TV host for a morning talk show in channel two. The bar is actually a three story building in fifty square meters. The first floor is loftier than the other storeys, and is open to the general public, while the second floor is for VIP members. The third floor is strictly for Madrigals members + the office for admin works. Today the whole building was reserved privately.

“Ms. Asterids, alpha Dook. They are waiting at the third floor. There is a reception provided, so please stay with us until the end of the event.” A serious looking guy in a formal attire, accompanied by a muscled bouncer welcomed the team.

“This meeting is sudden. They usually send an email,” Dook reprimanded.

“I’m sorry sir—” The serious-formal-attire guy was cut off by a voice coming from the back of the van of team Dook.

“It’s because I finally told the Sordlak elders of the truth about the killings.” Tia Madrigal is wearing her glamourous self as usual.

“Step-mother.” Asterids stated, as if a greeting.

“Daughter,” The petite lady responded. “Follow me upstairs,” she added.

*** *** ***

The third floor is star studded. Some local and national celebrities, both political and business, attended the meeting. Representative leaders from different villages, lined to shake the hand of the alpha tiger, and also to celebrate the return of the one and only daughter of the Madrigal family. Wine and champagne free flowed in the room, as well as the extravagant provisions supplied to each round tables with eight to ten seating chairs. At the elevated stage is a podium speech desk, where the emcee announces the arrival of the primary guests. But this did not stop the elders with their grim expression as they finally meet the two clan leaders.

“This is not good management my alpha,” one of the Sordlak elders plea.

“Elder Gregorio.” Dook held the arms of the elder man to show respect and greetings.

“Only recently that we found out about the gruesome killings of the Madrigal alphas. And of the missing alpha Edward Madrigal!” Dook glanced back at Tia as she look on the floor, avoiding eye contact from everyone.

“We definitely have a serious dilemma about this. But it will not help our clans in any way if we focus on pointing fingers,” the young alpha said. Immediately, his assistant Asterids made her self known, shaking everyone’s hands, to speak to the elders.

“Elders of the Sordlaks and Madrigals. On behalf of m-my father Edward Madrigal. I am honor to lead the clan. Alpha Dook and I—”

“What farce is this?” An old female voice stop the blue eyed young lady from her speech. Elder Kunai Doromeda, the third cousin of Edward emerge from the shadows of the dim room.

“You’ve been gone for a while, after getting pregnant. And now that alpha Edward is missing.. You, a woman, tries to replace him as if it’s that easy? Know your tradition, young lady,” she said as she put her right hand on her hips.

“And who would you choose take the seat Kunai?” Another elder challenged the old lady.

“My son Eduardo.”

“Enough, Madam.” Dook hissed.

“No! Alpha Dook. The company of Edward has been on decline before the merger. Obviously that Edward is no longer fit to lead the clan!”

“With all due respect, Madam. I do have the qualification to take over the clan,” Asterids firmly said. Dook noticed her eyes are strong as her motivation, just like when they first met. He believed from his experience being with Asterids for few months now, that she doesn’t really care about the politics. Yes at first she wanted to claim the clan for her revenge but from the looks of it, Asterids genuinely cares about her people. “We’ve been working our ass off to help!” she added. Dook smiled deep inside. His assistant is ferocious.

“We already found clues about the killer. We are actually moving forward on this case, compared to the findings of the police or the MCCDS!” his blue eyed assistant continued.

“What are your merits to be a leader?” Kunai only heard what she wanted to hear. She ignored everything Dook’s assistant said and went straight with challenging her qualification to take over her father’s clan.

“I am a hybrid and the daughter—”

“I have known you since you were just a child and never have I seen you shift into your animal self.” The elder woman countered. “And besides.. Hybrid or not. You are not an Alpha. You do not have the skill of Haku.” The blue eyed young lady went silent. That is a good argument, because only an Alpha can manifest the capability to use the Haku. The roar of a leader. Since ancient time, the leaders of any clan have a way to use their aura through their commands or howling to make any feral animals regain their sentiency. This is how they control outbursts and prevent disasters. Nowadays, the MCCDS takes care of any shifters who’s having an outburst or is in a fit of temper using their new technologies and armed force. The capability of Haku became a cultural thing or a formality to elect a leader.

“There is.. Another option.” Another elder from the Madrigal clan interjected. His voice is echoing across the room. “Let the Sordlak clan absorbed the Madrigals under its wing,” he added. This erupted different reactions among the crowd.

“I-I might agree to that.” Kunai stated with a disappointed expression. Agreement started to fill the room.

“Well? What is your decision, alpha Dook?” And then the room suddenly stopped moving and everyone’s eyes went to the young alpha.