The Female Alpha

The conference room grew silent as it dimmed, the projector being the only source of light illuminating the place. A woman sitting at the table rose, her legs wobbling slightly as she tried to maintain her composure, failing miserably at it. She sucked in a deep breath as though preparing herself for war. It was not too far from the truth, the situation she was in was the same as going to the battlefield. She stepped next to the projection screen that was in front of the room and smiled. Her eyes scanned the room of male faces, shuddering as she locked gaze with the only other woman in there, the main cause of her nerves. Aurora Alonso. " Anytime now." Aurora's voice sounded in the dead silent room. Silent not because the other people in the room had nothing to say but because Aurora preferred it that way. Silent. Shivers raced down the woman's spine on hearing Aurora's voice, inciting her to start the presentation instantly. The woman's voice shook, cracking a little as she spoke, occasionally glancing at Aurora to monitor the change in her facial expression but it never changed. Not even once. Aurora's face looked aloof, her blue eyes looking almost bored but the people in the room weren't fools to fall for it, again. They all knew Aurora, her bored expression was just a facade while in reality, her brain is checking the facts, calculating the number of ways the project could blow up in the company's face, and crossing out all the odd values. Not to forget how she cross-checks all the loopholes. Aurora never missed anything. It wasn't only the woman who was presenting that checked Aurora's facial expression but also everyone else in the room. Her face remained unscathed. She was still calculating, readying her final verdict. The woman presenting soon said the last lines of the project she, and her team devoted two months of their lives working on and all eyes turned to look at Aurora, waiting for her judgment. With Aurora's ability to detect errors, they all took her words as law. Aurora's eyes studied the people sitting around the table before directing her gaze to the front of the room, almost making the woman standing next to the projection screen to faint. The atmosphere of the room grew heavy and stayed heavy, tormenting the other board members as their hearts threatened to burst from the suspense they were forced to endure. It was her way of both torturing them and getting a good chuckle. " I love it." Aurora declared after seconds of brutal silence and the jaws of all the people around the table dropped, including that of the woman who presented. " Huh?" The woman couldn't help asking in shock. She was expecting a laundry list of errors that were found in her presentation, not a direct approval. " You heard me," Aurora said, getting up from her chair. " Meeting adjourned." Instantly, all the men around the table got up and exited the room, leaving just Aurora and the woman that presented. " You look uneasy." Aurora pointed out, getting up from her seat. " You are new here, right?" The woman nodded at the question Aurora directed at her. " Yes, ma'am." Aurora hummed. " Then I'm sure that they already pumped you up with stories about me." The woman's gaze fell to the floor, unable to meet Aurora's eye. She couldn't deny it though. Just a few days working with this company and she had already heard all sorts of things about Aurora. Unimaginable things that were practically impossible. Aurora sensed the nervousness oozing from the woman in front of her and smiled. " Don't worry." She chuckled. " All the gossip is true anyway." Aurora's heels clicked as she exited the conference room, heading to the top floor of the building. The CEO's office. After knocking first, as expected, Aurora gently opened the door and ambled in. Right in front of her was a middle-aged man seated in his chair, his black hair streaked with gray. He was on the phone so Aurora quietly shut the door behind her, waiting for him to finish. The man's call ended and his gaze shifted to look at the woman who stood at the door, his lips tilting into a smile. " Aurora." " Father." She called out, professionally. Despite being her father, he still was the CEO of the company and even held a higher position among others of their kind. " It's always professionalism with you, Aurora." The man chuckled. " Come and give your old man a hug." Pushing his chair back, he widened his arms, and slowly, Aurora dragged her feet towards him and he hauled her into his embrace. Patting her on the back, the same way he always did when she was little. They broke their embrace and he tucked strands of her hair behind her ear. She had brown hair and blue eyes, just like her mother had. " I heard about your streak of success lately." He said as Aurora took a seat on the couch in the office. " It's the company's success, not mine." She responded, elegantly crossing one leg over the other and her father nodded. " True, but I'm proud of you either way." His smile remained unscathed as he stared at her. His only daughter. His pride. A spitting image of his late wife, whom his heart would forever belong to. When his beloved wife passed away, he felt a part of him die along with her. The only thing that kept him going was the bundle of joy in front of him. The ray of hope his wife left him. " I spoke to your uncle the other day." He started and just as expected, Aurora rolled her eyes. The mere mention of her father's brother made her fist itch to punch a brick wall. Her father was aware of this, he knew where her resentment was coming from. Talking about his brother with Aurora was threading on troubled waters but he didn't stop. " And what did the hound say this time?" Aurora asked, her jaw clenched. The overgrown dog that is her uncle, constantly found a way to infuriate her. Always lurking around, advising her father. More like brainwashing him. Hate was a small word when it came to describing what she felt for her uncle. " We spoke about you and to be honest, he gave some really good suggestions." Her father answered and Aurora grimaced. Well, of course, he gave suggestions. What else was he used for? " I know I am going to regret asking but may I know what those brilliant suggestions were?" Aurora asked, her voice dripping with scalding sarcasm that her father completely ignored and proceeded. " I think you should stop rejecting suitors and actually get to know one of them." " Is it what you think or what they made you think?" Anger stirred inside her as her father's words streamed into her ears. " I am not getting any younger and you are my only child." He asserted and Aurora couldn't even believe what she was hearing. She jutted up from the couch. " Father! I can't believe you are coming at me with this crap again." After all the years of working her ass off for the pack. After trying her best to prove herself worthy, to show those bird-brained males that they were wrong for thinking she wasn't good enough to rule, but till now even her father still doesn't believe in her. " It's for your own good. The pack needs a leader." " I can be that leader, father." Her father's jaw tightened. He was tired of repeating himself because, apparently, Aurora would just disregard his words. She chose not to understand. " You can't." He said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. He saw this coming. Though he strived to dodge it, deep down he knew he couldn't. It has been happening for the past seven years. Things between him and Aurora always go haywire whenever he spoke about leading the pack. " Why not? I trained for years. I know your business and the pack like the back of my hand." " We have laws for a reason, Aurora." " Laws that make no sense. How can you people say a woman can't rule over the pack when you worship the moon goddess, who— if I remember correctly— is a woman." " Aurora." " I know you are the alpha and all, you are just looking out for the future prosperity of the pack. I get it. I want the same thing too but I definitely don't need a man to hold my hand when I sign documents." Here came the rant. Aurora tends to go on a tirade whenever this topic is brought up, especially by family members. She hated it, not men though but the fact that they treat women as second-class citizens. To them, women were helpers, assistance to the males but never rulers. Aurora called their way of thinking bullshit which was exactly why she embarked on her righteous crusade to prove them all wrong. That females were just as capable. But now she asked herself if it was all worth it. Even her family— her father— doesn't believe in her. " Are you trying to say that the moon goddess was wrong for blessing every wolf with a mate?" Her father's voice stiffened as he asked, Aurora's choice of words slowly irritating him. " No, I am saying that females are meant for so much more than being just mates. For all we know, the moon goddess might have mated me with a dead wolf because she knew I would be perfectly fine on my own." She argued, the heat of the anger she felt searing in her chest. Again, it wasn't as though she completely alienated the thought of having men— love— in her life, it was the way those things would make her feel that turned her off. Dependent, just like the other females in the pack. " Aurora!" Her father growled and shot out of his seat. " As much as I am your father, I am also the alpha of our pack, ruling it even before you were born. I know what's best for the pack more than you think you do and what it needs is a stronger leader to secure its future. Your husband would do that for me because you— sorry to say— can't."