Suits and Rogues

Chapter 7

    It’s been three weeks since he came back to the city, three weeks since he started investigating the council, three weeks since he last saw his pack, and three weeks that he’s back to being a wolf hiding in a sheep’s skin. He hates living in the city because it means he’ll be required to meet with other businessmen and tone down his nature in order to interact with the others in a more civil way, and in a boardroom filled with egotistic and boastful businesspeople, acting civil is almost impossible.

    “...got into my 101th yacht with the girls and damn they can suck a d*** so good-“ Odin tuned out from the conversation as much as his heightened senses could. The meeting was supposed to be about trading services with other companies. At this phase, the participants should have been laying out their offers and choosing which ones they want for their company and discuss the possibilities of an alliance. But as soon as the participants started talking about their offers, it quickly escalated to bragging about their company and wealth until they all ventured off topic. As for Odin, he spent the last two phases restraining himself from throwing a businessperson out of the 234th floor building.

    “When will the host be back?” he gritted out to his secretary who is standing beside him as he takes a tense sip from his 31st glass of red wine.

    “He should be here any minute now sir, according to his secretary.”

    Odin grunted in irritation. “How much more f*****g minutes do I have to put up with these childish assholes?”

    He felt his secretary grimace. “Perhaps longer than you like sir.”

    Odin growled lowly, startling some businessmen beside him and making them scoot a little bit farther away from him. Odin rolled his eyes and continued sipping on his wine. In the span of a minute, he emptied his 20th or something bottle of wine. His nerves are getting the best of him and it doesn’t help that his wolf is crankier than him ever since the last time they saw the hellhound. He’s been experiencing some withdrawal issues because mates shouldn’t be apart at all for an entire 3 weeks upon meeting for that’s when the bond’s pull is at its strongest and being near each other makes the bond settle down. But since Odin doesn’t have that luxury, he has to suffer through constant migraines from his wolf, the company, and the people around him along with some withdrawal issues and an annoying random feeling of arousal that pops up at untimely times.

    “...that’s lame. I spent 7 billion dollars on only my earrings. If you don’t spend that much at a single product then you’re a low ranked businessman. Such lowlife is below me.” One of the businesswomen boasted, flashing her “billion” dollar necklace for the rest of the participants to gawk at. It’s an iridescent gem that holds a bit of fae magic in it and accentuated with shiny diamonds encrusted in nature-patterned lace. For most eyes, it is beautiful and rare. Only a few humans can get their hands on magical items and the woman who wore it is flashing it in pride while the rest looks on in envy.

    “You’re so picky, Miss Shien. It’s no wonder you haven’t found a husband yet.” One commented.

    “Who said I was looking? I’m simply waiting for the right man.” She said haughtily before looking at Odin in a suggestive way, posing like a princess showing off her perfectly manicured nails and beautifully painted lips.

    Odin nearly choked on his spit. “Wine.” He demanded his secretary and she hurried off to fetch another bottle. Odin doesn’t doubt that by the end of this session, the host – Mr. McLoan – would find his wine collection empty. Oh well...he did say that they are free to take any refreshments they want in the building.

    “Mr. Gray, would you be so kind to join me for a dinner date tonight? I would love to get to know you.” He cursed upon hearing her near him. Closer than most people are allowed to be near him and this irritates him further. Still, he doesn’t have any choice but to act civil. Most people are already afraid of him and this is taking a toll on the company. Looking and striking up an alliance and partnership had gotten harder and harder over the years and Odin needs them to keep the company at the top.

    “A nice offer, Miss Shien but that’s not part of my purpose for this meeting.” He replied as calmly as possible despite his wolf growling angrily in his head.

    The door of the boardroom opened and Mr. McLoan finally entered along with Odin’s secretary carrying another bottle of wine. He relaxed a bit.

    “I apologize for the long disappearance. I hope everything is well and everyone is having a good time?” the middle-aged man smiled kindly.

    “Ok...well! I have good news!” he clapped excitedly and Odin fixed his attention on him. McLoan rarely get excited over something unless he’s sure that it will give him a mountain pile of money. “I’m sure all of you have heard of the new booming business – Arion.” Murmurs resounded among the participants. Even Odin is intrigued. He caught his secretary’s eyes while she pours him another glass of wine and she nodded in affirmation. This is the reason Odin decided to join this meeting in the first place. Arion is a new business who only started 3 months ago. But in that span, they managed to earn billions and spread their business across the country WITHOUT any alliance or outside sources. All their customers are greatly satisfied about the business and businesspeople had been competing to strike a partnership with them. Arion specializes in many products and services but a certain employee of Odin’s found out that they are also making flash vehicles. A vehicle that travels so fast that it can travel all over the world within a day. Since Odin’s business usually deals with products as a majority, a fast way to ship and travel is very beneficial to their business, especially the ones outside of the country. Since this is the first time that Arion joins any meeting with fellow businesspeople, Odin is determined to make this opportunity count.

    “Yes, that is the good news ladies and gentlemen. The staffs of Arion are here join us today. May I introduce, Mr. Whorf, the CEO and founder of Arion.” For some reason, Odin’s heart jumped at the name and even his wolf stopped his growling and pacing to pay attention to the figure approaching the entrance doors. He can scent 3 males outside the door along with the scent of new suits and shoes. However, there’s also an underlying scent of a werewolf within them and Odin got slightly alarmed upon not recognizing any pack scent from them. They don’t smell like rogues either. That’s...weird...and it’s even weirder that his wolf suddenly got excited upon seeing a familiar silhouette approach the door.

    It can’t be...

    The door swung open with a gush of wind that came out of nowhere. The scent of werewolves got even stronger and somehow he felt a tinge of familiarity to the newcomers that he couldn’t quite point out. Three imposing-looking males all stand tall and proud by the entrance. They all exude that aura of confidence and superiority most businesspeople do but their difference is obvious – they’re not human. Shockingly, Odin felt an intense wave of disappointment upon finally seeing them and he doesn’t know why. Even his wolf deflated and huffed before retreating to the back of his mind to lick at his imaginary wound.

    The male at the center caught Odin’s eye for a split second before the three of them went towards the McLoan in perfect synch. Their movements are so well-tuned and timed with the other that they seem like they all have the same mind but in three different bodies. This made Odin even more suspicious. Only pack wolves have the possibility to move synchronously because of the pack bond and link, but even they don’t move as flawlessly in synch as these three. Odin wonders who they truly are. Also, none of them acts like one of them is more superior than they are so Odin questions more if one of them is actually the CEO.

    “Welcome, Mr. Whorf and also to your staff. We’re so glad you could come and join us.” Mr. McLoan greeted them with a handshake. Odin immediately noticed how the male at the center – the tallest one – reached out to reciprocate the gesture but grabbed McLoan’s forearm instead of his hands. If their scent didn’t give away that they’re werewolves, then that gesture surely did. Only werewolves greet by grabbing the forearms and not the hand. It’s an instinctual and traditional habit. The latest generation of werewolves are slowly losing that instinct and habit but most werewolves still practice it.

    “We’re pleased to be here, Mr. McLoan but I’m not Mr. Whorf. I’m one of his directors. Mr. Whorf cannot join today. He has...important matters to deal with.“ Odin tensed when the male’s eyes caught his once again. This time, Odin threw away the idea that this male’s stares are actually coincidental because they’re not. Regular werewolves can’t look an alpha in the eye because it’s not in their nature, but this male is looking at him in an unwavering way that raises Odin’s fur. “He doesn’t want to seem rude by turning down such a pleasant invitation so he sent us instead. I hope we can learn a lot from each other.” The male continued, looking away from Odin.

    “Oh, that’s unfortunate. Still, thank you for coming. Please take a seat. We have much to discuss.” Mr. McLoan gestured for them to sit. To Odin’s both luck and lacks of luck, the only empty seats are beside him. He made it that way so he can have easy access to Arion’s staff but with the nagging feeling he has, he knows being near them spells trouble. If they do any wrong move, Odin will not hesitate to commit murder.

    “Thank you.” The male said before he took a seat beside Odin while his two companions stood behind. Odin could feel their presence behind him and he does not like the fact that unknown males – werewolves at that – are behind him. For all Odin knows, they might stab him in the back. They are no match against Odin but Odin had learned a painful lesson before to never let his guard down, no matter how innocent the situation might be.

    Odin’s secretary squirmed at her spot when the males stood beside her so Odin mind-linked her to take a seat on the cushions behind him. His secretary immediately caught on and she nodded before turning around with a subtle reach to her pockets where her cellphone is. If these males do anything suspicious, Odin will know since his secretary will be recording them discreetly from her spot. If they do anything suspicious, her phone will automatically make a sound – alerting Odin about the danger.

    “Mr. Gray.” The male greeted politely and he nodded as a reply. He’s not in a mood to strike a deal yet. He needs to know more about them first before he does anything.

    As soon as the male completely sat beside him, Odin caught a whiff of his mate’s scent; making his claws grow and for his fangs to come out in response. The wine glass he’s holding shattered in his grip as his eyes blazed bright silver.

    “Mine” the word is growly and unintelligible to human ears but to werewolves, it is as clear as day.

    “Mr. Gray, are you alright?” McLoan asked somewhere at his right.

    “I’m fine!” he snapped, pretending to read something in front of him to hide his glowing eyes and elongated nails. Thankfully, the man sensed the aggressive vibe he’s giving off and chose to not push it. The male beside him continued to sit calmly as the participants chatter and continue on with the meeting.

    Growls are bubbling in Odin’s chest as his sight starts to tinge blood red – redder than the spilled wine in front of him. His gums ache from his strain in keeping them clamped so he would not bare his fangs out and cause another scare to the humans around him. He does not want another repeat of that scenario.

    “Who...are...you?” Odin gritted to the male beside him, trying to be as discreet as possible. A headache is starting to form from his effort to restrain himself from lunging at the male and also from his wolf’s raging fit inside his head.

    “Aren’t you going to ask whose scent is on me, alpha?” the taunt in the males voice made Odin’s hands clench into fists. Blood dripped from the wound his claws made on his palm but Odin ignored it. His anger is far stronger than the slight sting from his wound.

    “Do you have a death wish, male?” Odin growled, taking a sideways glare to the male who is looking in the front like everything is normal.

    “Maybe I have, alpha. I wouldn’t f**k your mate if I don’t.” He chuckled and that made a loud growl escape from Odin. The entire table silenced and Odin could feel their gazes at him.

    “Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Gray and I here are just getting to know each other. After all, it’s not usual that businesswolves meet together in such a nice opportunity as this one. Right, Mr. Gray?” the male stated politely and Odin had to swallow his growl just to reply.

    “Damn right!” with that, the chatters resumed.

    The male chuckled when it got noisy enough to not draw attention to them. “It’s really a shame. You could’ve had all that glory if you’re not as conceited as your kind.”

    “Don’t talk like you’re better than us. Just because you had an impressive achievement with your business does not mean you’re in a higher position than us.” Odin gritted out.

    The male chuckled further. “Aaahh...that’s not in our vocabulary, alpha. You Whurr wolves already coined that trait. Don’t involve us with it.” He teased, giving Odin a wide taunting smile. Odin’s fist clenched even tighter. The urge to pound this male’s face and tear him tissue to tissue is so tempting Odin had trouble staying still. What’s worse is that this male is a rogue. If he knows the hellhound then he’s also a rogue.

    “What’s that suppose to f*****g mean, rogue?” he growled, this time turning his head to look at the male directly. He wants to memorize his face so when the chance arises, he’ll give him a painful death.

    “It means what it is, alpha. But that’s not the reason why we’re here.” The male smiled eerily. “Our Alpha sends a message and a little present.”

    “Keep it. I don’t want anything from you filths!” he turned away from the male and gave his attention back to the meeting at hand. Thankfully, the male kept quiet throughout the duration of the meet and Odin managed to strike 3 deals to invest and build a partnership with his company. Many participants all tried to do the same towards Arion but they politely declined, saying that their offer is limited for one partnership only and they’re still looking for it.

    When the meet finally finished, all the participants each shook each others’ hands except Odin and the rogues. If the others noticed, they didn’t say anything about it and slowly, they filed out until only Odin and the rogues are left.

    Just as Odin finished putting the files in his briefcase, the male approached him from behind. In reflex, Odin reached behind him with two hands and grabbed a hold of the male’s neck and delivered a powerful flip that made the male land on the spacious table with a loud crack. The sound of the male’s breath getting knocked off of him made Odin smile smugly.

    “You should know better than to approach an alpha from behind.” Odin said in a dark tone.

    “Since when did approaching from behind become a bad thing?” the rogue wheezed. His face is already turning purple form the restriction on his neck from Odin’s grip.

    “Since you rogues started your habit of backstabbing.”

    “Are you sure you pack wolves did not start it? Because you sure as hell are the expert in it.” The male wheezed.

    Odin pretended to think deeply. “You know what, since you have a death wish, why not just kill you now?” Odin grinned sinisterly that made the rogue’s eyes go wide in alarm.

    “Aren’t...you...c-curious...with...what is in...this?” the rogue asked breathlessly, pulling out a small square envelope.

    “You have nothing that I want.” Odin replied impassively.

    “Nothing? Right...admit it or not, you’re here to strike a deal with us. We know about your problem with shipping. You strike a deal with us, all of those will be solved. Who knows, if our boss is feeling generous, he might even help you with your little council dilemma...and more.”

    Odin paused. He used his perceptiveness to find out if he’s lying but he’s not. As much as he doesn’t like rogues, such opportunities are rare and too easy. Odin knows that easy means trouble but at a time like this where his worth is slowly decreasing because of his past mistakes, Odin took the risk. He’ll worry about the consequences later. For now, he wants a good deal and more benefits for his company.

    “You got my attention. You have 2 minutes to talk before I cut your head off.”

    “Oh that won’t be necessary. All you need to know is in here.” The rogue gestured to the envelope in his hands so Odin took it and let go of the male. He tore the envelope open and saw an incomprehensible writing. “What the f**k is this?!” he growled and looked up but instead of seeing the three males, a wave of smoke drifted towards him instead and there was no sign of the males.

    “f**k!” Odin roared, kicking the table and sending it flying to the glass walls and plummet down the building. He’s been tricked! f*****g bastards!

    “Alpha...” his secretary started and Odin turned around to face her to see Mr. McLoan rushing towards him.

    “Mr. Gray! That was a priceless table!” he exclaimed.

    “I’ll replace it.” He replied before pocketing the envelope and storming off. He does not know why he didn’t tear of the useless paper already but an instinct told him he might use it later.

**********

    “...everything is great here, alpha. The destroyed houses are almost fully replaced; our pack structures that were damaged during the fight had been fixed. Most of our injured pack members are also fully recovered now. The newborn pups are all healthy.” Decker’s voice filtered through the phone speaker as Odin listens on to the daily reports about his pack. Once again, he feels the urge to go back to them but his father gave him strict orders to stay in the city until instructed otherwise. Odin knew he shouldn’t be letting his father dictate his actions since he’s the alpha but it’s in werewolves’ nature to always be respectful towards their elders. And in Odin’s case, he can’t really disobey his father since he’s not entirely above his father in rank. Pack members choose the ranks of their superiors and whether Odin admits it or not, his father is still above him. “The new lab equipment you ordered three days ago have arrived and Dr. Elliot along with the rest of the hospital staffs send their gratitude. I’ve managed to keep my son away from your stress balls-“ Odin doubts it. “Ok, not entirely, but at least I managed to save your favorites! You know, those golden-yellow colored ones? The ones you’re really fond of?” Odin’s frown got even deeper at that. Flashes of his mate’s golden yellow eyes appeared in his mind, making his heart ache in longing for his mate. Shaking his head, he replied. “It’s ok. Your son can have those if he wants it.”

    “-e’s really mischievous and all that but I always try my best to keep those golden-yel-what?!” he heard his beta exclaim. “Can you please repeat that alpha? You want me to give your golden-yellow stress balls to my son? The same one’s you go all King Kong s**t just to keep? Those stress balls?”

    Odin sighed. “Yes, beta, those stress balls.”

    “WHAT?! Like for real?! Are you sure you’re Odin? Odin Gray? The Odin Gray? The grumpy one with a weird habit of throwing things to my face? The same Odin Gray who throws a tantrum every time he sees any form of PDA? The Odin Gray who-“

    “Shut up before I reach inside this phone and bang your head to the wall until you get your s**t straight.” Odin threatened with an even deeper scowl.

    “Ok...that’s definitely you. May I ask why you are suddenly giving away the only thing that calms you down? I mean, you seem to really like them and are possessive of them so why suddenly give them away? Did you finally found your mate?”

    Odin doesn’t know how to answer. Those stress balls truly are the only ones who can calm him down but after seeing their connection to his mate, things got complicated and it hurts him that the only good thing he has in his life is ruined just because they remind him of his rotten luck.

    “Just give them away or throw them away. Whatever.” Was the only response Odin could come up with before hanging up. He took a very deep breath in to loosen the tight knot in his chest. His emotions are starting to rise once again and he swipes them down. He has no time for emotions today. He has a lot of work to do.

    Standing up from his seat, he changed out of his suit and into more comfortable clothes but still kept his dress pants. Walking through his mansion, he told the maids to just have their dinner without him before going to his garage. Taking out his golden Arc Vector, he drove from his mansion and towards the countryside. His wolf is itching to go out and it’s been 3 weeks since he shifted last. If he stays in human form any longer, his wolf might force his way out and it will be a disaster given his bad temper.

    The cool night air relaxes Odin as he speeds through the streets. The way the breeze sweeps through him makes him feel like he’s in his wolf form, running full speed through the forest. The only thing missing is the smell of rich soil and greenery. Buildings and streets blurred past him as he rides away from the city and towards the countryside.

    Slowing down then stopping, he kicked the stand of his bike to keep in upright before taking off his helmet. He does not need to see his hair to know that his black hair is disheveled and is sticking in a hundred different directions. He feels lighter and freer as he stares at the distant lights of the city. The air turned crisp but with a tinge of warmth, already making him feel like he’s home. His wolf gave him a gentle nuzzle in comfort, sensing his emotions.

    “I’m fine.” He told himself but even he doesn’t believe it. He does not know what he’s doing anymore. Everything is so messed up in his life and things are happening too fast. If only he has the ability to pause time.

    Shaking his head to clear away those depressing thoughts, a familiar rumble of a bike reached his ears. Looking back to the direction of the city, he saw a familiar Rouser speeding up towards him. In a few more minutes, the rider stopped in front of him and got off his bike.

    “Alpha” the male greeted, taking off his helmet and bowing.

    “Rex. I presume you have news for me?” he nodded at the male in acknowledgement.

    “Yes alpha.” Rex walked closer. “I’ve followed Elder Mackley as you asked but so far he’s not doing anything suspicious. Beside his frequent visits to the goddess’ temple, there’s none. Besides the usual meeting with alphas and some businessmen, there’s nothing else. However, I heard some of the Elders talking about someone being angry that something or someone is stirring. I don’t know what they mean but my team and I are still gathering more info in case they add up. As for the wolfsbane part, we haven’t found out yet about their source and production location but we’ve noticed that humans are freely going in and out the council’s territory and they only interact with the werewolf elders. We’ve followed the humans 24/7 but they all seem normal. The only suspicious behavior they have is that they stay a minute longer when in the kitchen alone. I’m guessing there’s something there. We’re preparing to investigate further. By tomorrow, we’ll initiate the investigation.” Rex reported as he shows Odin his notes, pictures, and maps.

    “That’s it?” Odin asked as Rex fumbles with his pockets.

    “There’s also this note Alpha...” he said, pulling out a piece of paper. “I don’t know what it is or what it means but a shadow just breezed past us yesterday night and this note was left in its wake. We don’t know what or who left that note but we are certain it was left to us on purpose. We’ve been trying to decode it ever since but I brought it to you in case you have better luck than us since you’re good at decoding, alpha.”

    Odin nodded in thanks before taking a close look at the writings on the paper. It’s another incomprehensible writings in a piece of paper and no codes that Odin had ever come across with can resemble such code. It must be new and it may probably take a while for him to decipher a pattern to understand it. What’s with these incomprehensible writings anyw-he suddenly remembered the piece of paper those rogues gave him.

    Looking at the writings at the paper that Rex gave, Odin finally sees the resemblance. Maybe it’s not a code after all. Taking out the paper from his dress pant’s pocket, he held them side by side, making sure that his deduction is correct.

    “There’s another piece?” Rex asked incredulously in front him.

    Odin pursed his lips grimly at the papers. “We’re about to find out.”