The Runaway Bride Who Bought The Alpha King

You Work For Me Now

Alaric Pov

***Five years later***

“Mr Nightbane, your blood has confirmed it for the third time.”

The doctor paused.

“You have stage three HV7.” I didn’t move as Dr Ludwig handed me the test results.

For a moment, I thought that the doctor had made a mistake. Werewolves never got sick because of their healing abilities. They were starved, weakened, harmed but never sick.

Until now.

The doctor continued. “This is the same result from ten different hospitals. Your nervous system will gradually deteriorate. Paralysis begins approximately six months, and then…”

“Death—” I cut in. Heavy silence thickened the room.

“I'm sorry.”

I stood up and left without a word. “Drive,” I commanded, as I made my way to the car.

A heavy feeling lingered in my chest. I was dying with no heir to continue my bloodline, my company was falling and the pack was losing faith in me.

A message popped up on my phone: The new CEO is here. Great.

Let's get this s**t done once and for all, I muttered as I headed straight to the elevator. And then I bumped into a little boy.

“You are in my way,” he snapped. I stood in shock. What gave this little man the confidence? I gently tapped on his shoulder, but then I felt a sense of familiarity. My wolf whispered, our blood. His eyes and hair were the same colour as mine.

“Didn't your mother teach you manners?”

“Don't you ever talk about my mum,” he said, he kicked me and ran off. For a moment I was lost. He felt…familiar.

I barely remembered walking into the boardroom of the office suite where directors sat in tension.

A project flickered on the wall: Acquisition Finalised.

The company had pushed to the edge, and now it had been bought by an investor I had never heard of.

“Alaric,” the chairman began. “The transition has been completed. The new owner is resuming leadership directly. We—”

The boardroom door opened. High heels clicked across the marble floor with a slow precision.

I froze.

The last person I expected walked in. Aurora, in the flesh.

Dressed in a tailored black suit, every line precise, every movement controlled. Her hair was a sleek ponytail, chin high and eyes as cold as mine. There was no trace of the fragile bride I had deflowered. She was just pure power. No warmth.

She didn't look at me.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,” she said smoothly. “As of today, I am the new Executive Director of the Nightbane Biotech domain.”

The board members rose immediately to greet her.

For the first time since my diagnosis, fear had nothing to do with death.

She shook hands with each of them. When she got to me, there was no rage, no hatred. Just indifference and her casual gaze brushing over me.

“Mr Alaric,” she said formally. “You are still here.”

“Aurora,”

“Ms Stone,” she corrected sharply. “We are not familiar. You work for me now.”

She turned back to the board.

“Thank you all for the warm welcome. I'll keep this brief.” She opened the folder on the table. “This company has spent the past years trying to regain losses, I intend to regain purpose.”

“What purpose,” I asked.

She didn't look at me.

“The development of a cure for HV7,” she said. “Not a theory. A solution.”

Silence.

The board members looked at one another uneasily. Their expression showed intense worry, especially for their investment.

Chairman Marcus began speaking.

“The virus is theoretical, Ms Stone. We don't know the cause and you are talking about a cure.

Aurora shot him a glance, and he became quiet.

“It is real. Deadly. It is not just killing werewolves anymore. Some humans have started showing early symptoms of the disease.”

I felt a jolt move through me, but I kept my face neutral.

She placed a small USB drive on the table.

“Over the last four years, my research team has developed a blueprint for the cure. We are yet to begin phase two—live testing.”

“You are saying you have the cure?” A board member asked.

She nodded. “A prototype. It requires DNA calibration using an infected werewolf subject.”

I stiffened. She has the cure.

She turned her gaze on me, finally. Her expression was calm, professional and cold.

“I expect everyone's cooperation. There will be consequences for those who intend to stand in the way of progress. Meeting adjourned.” Aurora promptly left the boardroom, and immediately the room burst into a chorus of complaints about the new boss.

They got more than they bargained for.

With sudden urgency, I reached for my phone and dialled my private investigators.

“I need you to get me everything there is to know about Aurora Stone from the last five years. And search for any information about a child, especially a boy around five years old.

“Understood sir,” he responded and hung up immediately.

I let out a heavy breath. It was relief but laced with tension.

My runaway bride is back, but with my fate in her hands. And I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want, but first…I have to face the pack tonight.

I managed to attend the pack's meeting in the courtroom. The elders were seated, looking at me with no hope.

“Alaric, you are dying with no heir,” one of the elders began speaking. “We need someone strong and reliable to rule us, and that's why Darius will be the next in line after you.”

My fist and toe were clenched as my chest tightened. Immediately, Darius and Seraphine walked in holding hands.

So typical of Seraphine.

“You are too weak, cousin,” Darius sneered. “And that's why I'll be ruling the whole pack after you die.”

“Except I won't be dying,” I shot back, my tone cold and steady.

That boy in the elevator wasn’t a coincidence and if that boy is Aurora’s son… then she's not holding just my cure.