Derek's POV
My grandfather was very strict with me, but he also always protected me well.
My grandfather never revealed the whole truth to me. He simply said that my father couldn't fully assume the role of Alpha due to some critical issues, so he concentrated on preparing me for the position instead.
Back then, I innocently believed my father was genuinely occupied with the pack's matters.
I had no idea that he had another family and other lovers outside.
I always assumed that everyone was as loyal to their mate as the werewolf world I was familiar with dictated, where mates shared a profound and unbreakable bond.
When I was still oblivious to many things, that little boy Zander seemed to know me inside out.
That time, Zander and the other kids smeared cake on me.
My face, arms, neck, and body, none of them were spared.
Their mocking laughter filled my ears, but I turned a deaf ear and just stared at Ambrose.
I thought he would pick me up tenderly or stop other kids from teasing me.
However, he just stood there indifferently, like a stranger.
Zander, who had an angelic face, said the cruelest things, "Derek, you and your mom shouldn't be in this world. One day, I'll take everything that's yours. It was always meant to be mine."
The driver rushed over from afar and picked me up, and by then I had turned into a little buttercream mess.
As the car slowly drove away, I saw the man who claimed to be my father carefully wiping a bit of cream off Zander's fingers with a towel, cleaning it so meticulously, as if it were an incredibly precious treasure.
I couldn't understand what I had done wrong, why my father wouldn't acknowledge me and seemed to despise me so much.
That night, my father didn't come back to celebrate my birthday with me.
Perhaps even if he didn't come back, it would be good to see my mother.
I gathered my spirits, but during the moment of blowing out the candles, before I could finish making my wish, my emotionally unstable mother suddenly grabbed me and ran toward the balcony.
As she leaped down from the terrace, I looked up at the sparkling stars in the sky, and the image of Zander being carried on Ambrose's shoulders came to my mind.
He said he would take away everything that belonged to me.
I even thought at that time, maybe if I died, he wouldn't have to fight for it anymore.
The little boy from that year overlapped with the man in the white suit in front of me.
Zander now wore a suit and a tie, but he used the most despicable means.
He slowly eroded the top shareholders, just like Poison and Wolf Shadow. He was not satisfied with everything Ambrose had given him.
Even if Ambrose started afresh and did well abroad, it could not compare to the Greenwood Group, which had been operating for a hundred years by the Black Thorn Pack.
Over the years, they hadn't hesitated to deliberately ingratiate themselves with Alpha Elliott and Luna Erin, hoping to return to the Black Thorn Pack.
Alpha Elliott never relented, saying that he didn't want this son and handed over all his assets to me.
I wasn't blind to Zander's secret mischief, but he was cunning in his actions, always managing to avoid getting caught in the act.
This time, using Tabitha's situation as a pretext, Zander stirred up trouble from behind and even tried to take advantage of the chaos, naturally revealing his sly true colors.
He was sitting in the main seat without any courtesy as if he were the owner of the Greenwood Group.
"It's been a while, Derek," Zander said, still wearing the brightest smile just like when we were kids, but doing the cruelest things.
But this time, I wouldn't stand there foolishly, waiting for him to insult and mock me.
"Call security and remove the irrelevant people," I commanded, with no intention of making pleasantries. At the same time, I let out a hint of an Alpha's aura, allowing those around me to feel my authority and the inviolability of my presence.
Zander thought he had me outmaneuvered and caught me off guard. He grinned with the smile of a victor, "Derek, sorry to say, but today I'm here as a shareholder."
With my arms crossed, I looked down at him with a scornful gaze, and the Alpha aura within me radiated even more intensely.
"So you still remember you're a shareholder and not the chairman, huh? I was beginning to think that with all this time apart, either you've gone blind or your brain's turned to mush."
In my mind, I said to Leo, "Leo, this guy is still so disgusting. I will never let him succeed."
Leo responded in my consciousness, emitting a deep roar, expressing dissatisfaction with Zander and support for me.
My fists clenched slightly, the veins on the back of my hands faintly visible, as if I were ready to unsheathe my wolf claws and teach Zander a lesson at any moment.
But I knew it wasn't the right time yet, I needed to respond to his provocation in a more rational way.