The Curvy Human Behind The Alpha's Survivor

The Alpha’s Stand

Griffin's POV

I took a quick shower because I was already running late for the office, and Patricia, my P.A., had been bombarding my work line with incessant calls to remind me of the important meeting I had at the office.

I dried myself quickly, pulled on a clean shirt and buttoned it while walking toward my closet.

I had been looking into expanding our company, having branches in other territories or making partnerships that would benefit the neutral territory.

The neutral territory had always been a delicate place. Wolves, humans and other supernatural beings lived here without having to answer to any pack or kingdom. It was supposed to be a place where everyone could build a life without worrying about species.

At least, that was the idea but making it work was another matter entirely.

I slipped on my watch and grabbed my jacket before heading downstairs. Patricia was already waiting by the entrance with a tablet pressed against her chest.

“You're late,” she said the moment she saw me. “That's not a good way to start your day, Alpha Griffin.”

I fought back the urge to laugh. Knowing Patricia, she'd probably fill my schedule with a lot more work so I nodded and said, “I know.”

“You said that yesterday.” she retorted.

“And I'm saying it again today.”

She sighed and followed me outside and she got down to the business of the day, keeping me up to date. “The investors arrived fifteen minutes ago.”

“I'll be there in five.” I replied.

“That's what you said ten minutes ago.”

I looked at her and she smiled sweetly.

“I'm only reminding you.”

I shook my head and climbed into my car.

By the time I arrived at the office, the morning rush had already begun. The building stood in the heart of the neutral territory, a modern structure of glass and steel that housed nearly every division of our company.

Our business wasn't limited to one thing. We managed residential estates, commercial properties, hotels, office buildings and private developments. We handled security, maintenance, property leasing and development projects.

Basically, if someone owned a piece of property and didn't want to deal with the headache of managing it, they came to us.

It had taken years to build the company into what it was and now I wanted more.

I stepped into the building, immediately greeted by several employees.

“Good morning, Alpha.”

“Morning.” I responded.

Patricia walked beside me, already listing the things I needed to sign. “The investors from the Eastern territory are here. The representatives from the neutral council are also waiting.”

“Good.”

“And Odette has already reviewed the financial projections.”

I glanced toward the other side of the floor.

Her office was directly opposite mine. A transparent glass wall separated her section from mine, which meant I could see her whenever she was working.

Odette handled our development and investment division. She oversaw new projects, studied potential properties and negotiated with investors who wanted to establish businesses or developments within the neutral territory.

She was good at what she did so there was no denying that. She was standing behind her desk now, going through a file with one of her assistants.

Our eyes met and she gave me a small smile. I nodded before turning away. I still wasn't ready to revisit what had happened over breakfast.

“Conference room,” I told Patricia.

She nodded.

The meeting began a few minutes later. There were representatives from different territories around the long table, along with several wealthy investors who had expressed interest in our expansion plans.

I took my seat at the head of the table.

“Thank you all for coming.”

A few people nodded while some answered back and I opened the presentation in front of me.

“Our goal is simple. We want to expand our operations beyond the neutral territory while creating partnerships that will bring more investment into this region.”

One of the investors leaned forward.

“We're particularly interested in the residential developments.”

“You should be,” Odette said from across the table. She tapped a file in front of her.

“We've identified three areas where residential development could increase the territory's housing capacity without disrupting existing communities.”

The presentation continued smoothly.

Numbers were discussed, potential profits,

construction costs, security and property values.

It was going well until one of the men at the table cleared his throat. He was an older wolf from one of the neighboring neutral settlements, and from the moment he'd walked in, there had been something unpleasant in his expression.

He leaned back. “I have a concern.”

I looked at him. “Go ahead.”

He folded his hands over his stomach. “I don't understand why we're investing so much into accommodating humans.”

The room went quiet and Odette's expression tightened. I remained calm.

“What exactly do you mean?”

He looked around the table. “We're wolves. We are stronger, faster and more capable than humans. Yet we're building entire estates for them as though they're our equals.”

I leaned back in my chair. “The company manages properties for anyone willing to meet our requirements.”

“That doesn't answer my question.”

“It does.”

He scoffed. “We shouldn't even have humans living here.”

A silence settled over the room. My fingers tapped once against the table. “That's not your decision to make.”

He frowned. “This is wolf territory.”

“No.”

My voice was calm, but firm. “This is neutral territory.”

He shook his head. “Neutral territory was created by wolves.”

“And maintained by everyone who lives here.”

He opened his mouth again. “We're superior to them.”

I felt my patience thinning. “Superior in what way?”

“We have strength, speed, senses and healing abilities.” he listed. “So why do we need them?”

“And humans have built half the infrastructure you're sitting in.” I answered. “And what have you done?”

He fell silent but I continued. “They've built businesses here. They pay taxes here. They employ people here. They invest in the territory.”

“That doesn't make them our equals.”

“No,” I said. “It makes them residents.”

Odette glanced at me. I could tell she was trying not to smile. The man wasn't finished.

“If we keep allowing humans in, they'll eventually take over.”

I almost laughed. “Take over?”

“Yes.”

I leaned forward. “Then perhaps you should stop buying products made by humans, stop using human-built technology and stop living in buildings designed by human architects.”

A few people around the table exchanged amused looks. His face darkened. “This isn't funny.”

“I agree.” I straightened. “This company wasn't built to serve wolves alone.” I looked around the room. “We are here to develop the neutral territory. That means everyone who lives here.”

He shook his head. “You're making a mistake.”

“That's your opinion.”

“I'm warning you.”

I held his gaze. “And I'm telling you that discrimination isn't part of our business model.”

Odette finally spoke. “Our projections also show that human investment currently contributes significantly to the territory's economic growth.”

The man looked irritated and I knew he wished he could slap her for saying such.

“I don't care about numbers.”

“Then you shouldn't be investing,” I said.

He stared at me and I closed the file in front of me. “We're not going to waste this meeting arguing about whether humans deserve to live here.” I looked toward Patricia. “Move on to the next proposal.”

She nodded immediately and the presentation resumed but my mind wasn't entirely on the numbers anymore.

I knew there were wolves who thought like him. I'd h

eard the arguments before.

To them humans were weaker and they didn't belong but if the neutral territory was going to survive, someone had to draw the line.

And I was prepared to be that person even if it meant making enemies along the way.