ALEX.

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, the air hit me differently, harsh, cold, suffocating. My jaw clenched as I strode toward my car, my mind racing faster than my heartbeat.

Everything had spiraled out of control.

Getting Ella away from the triplets... it wasn’t going to be as simple as I had initially thought. They weren’t backing down, and worse, she wasn’t resisting them the way I expected.

That alone irritated me.

No... it angered me.

I slid into the car and slammed the door shut harder than necessary, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel as I drove straight back to the pack mansion. The engine roared beneath me, but it did nothing to drown out the thoughts clashing violently in my head.

I needed a plan.

Not just any plan...something airtight, something that would corner Ella so completely that she wouldn’t have a choice... but to come back to me.

A dangerous glint flickered in my eyes at the thought.

By the time I arrived at the mansion, I was already moving before the car fully stopped. My steps were quick, sharp, echoing through the halls as I headed straight for my study.

At the same time, I mind-linked Philip.

Get to my study. Now.

I didn’t wait for a response, as I pushed the doors open and stepped inside, only to freeze mid-step.

An omega stood near the wall, holding Ella’s framed picture...taking it down.

For a split second, I just stared, then the anger hit.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" I barked, my voice thunderous, slicing through the silence like a whip.

The omega flinched so violently that the frame nearly slipped from his hands. He immediately bowed his head, his entire body trembling.

"I... I..." he stuttered, struggling to get the words out as fear gripped him tightly. "It was Luna Eva that instructed me to trash it, Alpha."

My fists clenched at my sides instantly.

Eva.

Of course it was her.

A dark shadow crossed my face, my jaw tightening as a wave of irritation surged through me.

Who the hell gave her the right?

Who gave her the audacity to walk into my space... and start removing my things?

And this... of all things.

My gaze shifted back to the picture in his hands, and something unfamiliar stirred in my chest...something sharp, almost possessive and It annoyed me.

Why was I reacting like this?

It was just a picture of Ella.

Yet the thought of it being thrown away, discarded like it meant nothing...sent an unexplainable anger coursing through me.

"Drop it," I snapped, my tone cold and final. "And get out."

The omega didn’t hesitate. He carefully placed the frame back where it belonged, then turned and rushed out of the study as though his life depended on it.

The door had barely shut when it opened again.

Philip stepped in.

I didn’t look at him immediately. My eyes were still fixed on the picture, my thoughts tangled and restless.

If I went upstairs now... if I confronted Eva...

No.

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to calm down, I couldn’t afford to lose control, especially not now.

Not when everything was still hanging by a thread.

"Take that," I said finally, my voice lower but still edged with authority, as I pointed toward the frame. "To the secret room within the study."

Philip didn’t question me.

He simply nodded and moved forward, picking up the picture with care.

I watched him for a brief moment before turning away, running a hand through my hair as frustration simmered beneath my skin.

Everything was becoming messy.

I sank heavily into my chair, the weight of everything pressing down on me at once. The leather creaked softly beneath me as I leaned back, tilting my head slightly toward the ceiling. For a brief moment, I allowed my eyes to close.

Then I drew in a deep breath as if that alone could steady the storm raging inside me but it didn’t.

Nothing did.

The door clicked softly, pulling me back, and I opened my eyes just as Philip stepped out from the inner section of the study. His expression was serious, too serious...and that alone was enough to tighten something in my chest.

I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on the desk, my fingers interlocking as I fixed my gaze on him.

"What’s the update?" I asked immediately, my brows lifting as impatience crept into my tone.

There had been a reason I sent him to the company earlier.

A feeling.

A bad one.

And now, judging by the look on his face, that feeling hadn’t been wrong.

"Alex..." he began, his voice cautious, as though he was choosing his words carefully. "Your guess was right."

A pause.

Just enough to make my jaw tighten.

"Thomas has already infiltrated the company."

The words hit harder than I expected.

I shot up from my chair instantly, the legs scraping loudly against the floor as irritation surged through me like wildfire.

"How?" I demanded, my voice sharp, edged with disbelief and anger.

Philip stepped closer, maintaining his composure despite my outburst.

"He used the name Frank Wards," he explained steadily. "He’s been purchasing shares quietly from some of the shareholders."

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

Of course he had a plan.

Thomas never moved without one.

"The offers he made were extremely high," Philip continued, his tone tightening slightly. "High enough that they couldn’t refuse."

I let out a bitter scoff, already knowing where this was heading.

"And now," he added, pausing briefly before finishing, "he has managed to secure thirty percent of the company’s shares."

For a second, everything went still, and then it snapped.

"Arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The frustration tore out of me as I slammed my hands against the table, sweeping everything off in one violent motion. Files, documents, papers, they all scattered across the floor, a chaotic reflection of the storm inside me.

My chest heaved as I stood there, breathing hard, my anger spilling over uncontrollably.

"Calm down, Alex," Philip said, stepping closer, his voice firm but controlled as he tried to ground me.

I turned to him sharply, my eyes blazing.

"How do you expect me to, Philip?" I shot back, my brows raised as disbelief laced my tone. "He’s just ten percent away from matching my shares."

The realization alone was suffocating.

"Very soon..." I continued, my voice dropping into something darker, more dangerous, "...he’ll be the one calling the shots in my company."

The thought made my fists tighten even more, everything I had built after I took over. Everything I had fought for.

And Thomas was closing in...

"Yes," Philip admitted, but there was a calm confidence in his voice that made me pause. "But luckily... we found out in time."

I stilled slightly, my breathing still uneven but slowing.

"We can still stop him," he added, meeting my gaze directly.

Silence stretched between us for a moment.

Then I inhaled deeply, forcing the anger to settle, not disappear, but sharpen into something more useful.

He was right, this wasn’t over yet.

I straightened slowly, rolling my shoulders back as my expression hardened with resolve.

"Call for a board meeting..." I said, my voice low but firm, each word deliberate as I clenched my fists tightly.

My gaze darkened, determination replacing the earlier chaos.

"...I need to make things clear."