Kingsley's POV
I was in a meeting in the conference room when a loud noise erupted from outside. Not long afterward, a woman's voice reached the room.
"Get out of the way! I want to see Kingsley!"
The security personnel at the door were busy dissuading her, "Alpha Kingsley is in a meeting; it's not convenient to see anyone right now."
"I don't care about his meeting! I want to see him now!"
The voice outside was so loud that everyone inside the conference room could clearly hear it. Everyone exchanged incredulous looks. Even the person who had just spoken stopped and looked at me tentatively.
My face was calm as I coldly said, "Continue."
He then cleared his throat and resumed speaking. The meeting continued for more than half an hour before adjourning. People from the R&D department came out of the conference room one after another.
"When did Eric leave after I left last night?" I asked Jeremy casually.
Eric Blackwill was my nominal uncle, Grace's brother, and now the Alpha of the Black Wolf Pack. Grace and my father were joined in marriage, bonding the two packs.
However, the Black Wolf Pack had always been insatiable. Grace, in particular, consistently sought to benefit both the Blackwill Group and the Black Wolf Pack, regardless of the business at hand.
It would be tolerable if Eric or the other members of the Black Wolf Pack were capable, but they were all opportunistic and insatiable individuals.
Jeremy whispered, "Alpha Eric waited for over an hour before leaving and didn't look too good when he left."
I nodded before walking out.
Grace, who was waiting outside, finally saw me.
She gritted her teeth and snapped, "It's so hard to see you."
I glanced at her, saying, "What brings you to the office?"
Grace sulked, "Something happened to the Blackwill Group. Why didn't you help?"
I looked at her and asked, "Do you know why the Blackwill Group's production line was shut down?"
Grace furrowed her brow, "Isn't it just a fire failure? How big of a deal is that?"
I lowered my eyes and said, "His workshop's emergency corridor is filled with flammable and explosive materials. These items aren't even within the licensed scope of the production line. Once ignited, with so many workers in the workshop, have you considered the consequences? If something were to happen, who would take responsibility?"
Grace paid little attention; she always had eyes only for herself and the Black Wolf Pack. So when she heard my words, she immediately responded, "Isn't this still a problem? Let's get the production line back first, and then we can rectify the situation according to the requirements. Everyone makes mistakes. When I find out who is behind the report, I'll definitely not spare him!"
"Really?" I raised my eyelids. "I reported it."
Grace stiffened, "What did you say?"
"I'm saying that I reported the firefighting issues with the Blackwill Group's production line."
Grace's expression shifted from initial shock to disbelief and finally to indignation. She gritted her teeth, "Why did you do this?"
"No particular reason," I replied, my eyes devoid of emotion. "I just wanted you to experience how it feels to have your most important thing destroyed as well."
Grace was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that I did all this just for Freya.
With a hardened look on her face, she said, "You're the one who broke Freya's heart, and now you're blaming me?"
"I acknowledge my own mistakes, and you must face yours," I said, pursing my lips.
Grace paled, looking at me as if she didn't recognize me. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, "Kingsley, are you crazy? Doing this to your mother because of a woman?"
"Sorry, you're just my stepmother," I said coldly.
Grace raised her hand and pointed at me, snapping, "Even so, I am still your mother in name, Kingsley! If the members of the pack knew that their Alpha was such a disrespectful person to his own mother, do you think they would still dare to trust you and submit to you? Don't forget, you're just a illegitimate child of your father! Think clearly, is it worth it to go against me for a woman or not? It won't do you any good. I, at least, have the Black Wolf Pack behind me, whereas you? Your father died a long time ago!"
I sniffed but suddenly revealed a cold smile, exuding an icy aura. My wolf let out a snarl of anger, carrying the oppressive feeling that belonged exclusively to an Alpha.
"Yes?" My eyes turned amber. "It seems you may not have realized that the illegitimate child you called has already grown up, Grace, and he is now the Alpha of the Shadowmoon Pack."
"Perhaps I should remind you one last time," I said, looking coldly at Grace, "that you once attempted to poison Freya, the Luna of the pack, with wolfsbane in an attempt to render her infertile. If this becomes known to the pack, I'm afraid you will be banished. I think you realize how important an Alpha heir is to the pack. And I think you would know very well what will happen to a werewolf who betrays the pack. I'm only afraid that by that time, the Black Wolf Pack you're talking about will not even dare to take you in due to public opinion."
Grace looked at me, her face pale. Suddenly, however, she laughed out coldly. "Yeah? Then why don't you do that?"
Grace's eyes were mocking, and her gaze fixated on the mark on my neck. "I heard that you and Freya made up again, didn't you? I guess you probably didn't want the pack to know about Freya's possible infertility. It is true, as you said, that an Alpha heir is vital to the entire pack. Therefore, you would not allow anyone to question Freya's eligibility to be the Luna of the pack."
"In that case, how can you threaten me with that?"
At those words, I merely cast her a glance with an indifferent expression. "Freya is my choice, as long as I recognize her as the Luna of the pack. Regardless of any future challenges, I will naturally protect my Luna, stand by her side, and resolve any issues. On the contrary, consider who stands to lose more if this news were to circulate!"
Grace's face turned green with anger. Undeterred, I continued, "Not only today, but moving forward, I'll refrain from meddling in any of Black Wolf Pack's affairs."
With that, I circled around Grace and confidently strode away.
"Kingsley," Grace interjected, calling out to me.
Glancing back at Grace's grimacing face, I frowned.
"You're going to pay for what you did today," Grace said sorrowfully.
Meeting her gaze, I retorted with a cold, "You can try," before turning my head and departing.
I hadn't visited Freya yet today and wondered what she was doing right now. With that thought, I quickened my pace.