Page 4 of Betrayed By the Alpha

Zack chuckled. "You are lucky you are my best friend. Never call me 'sour wolf' again. I really need to get some rest. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"I guess."

Zach got up, getting his jacket from the back of his chair. "When you go out, please try not to drink too much. Try to stay away from the women. You can get STDs, and we don't want that for your mate."

Ryder sighed with a little shrug. He looked visibly worried about his friend. Zach knew Ryder had lots of things to say, but he wouldn't because he didn't want to provoke him. Zach knew deep down he hadn't been himself lately. He tried to tell himself that it was the stress of being the head of the black ops, but Zach knew there had to be something else he didn't want to talk about, not even to himself. "Okay, if you say so. I better head out. I'll be meeting the guys at the bar."

Zack nodded and patted his friend on his back as he walked past him. "Have fun," he muttered.

***

"Hello, I'm here to see the Mayor," Zach said to the receptionist at the front desk.

"Okay. Do you have a—" The receptionist paused when she looked up and saw who it was. "Oh. Uh, he is not around, sorry. Maybe you could come back later?" Zach knew she was lying immediately. She was just about to ask him if he had an appointment but had changed her mind. He guessed Bruce probably gave her instructions in case he came in. The young lady couldn't meet Zach's piercing gaze and focused on the computer.

"What's your name?" When he asked the question, he noticed the tag on her shirt. "Lily. That's a beautiful name." His tone had changed from the urgent one he had arrived with to a voice Ryder described as a 'bedroom voice', which was actually just the way he spoke when he was in a rare and pleasant mood.

She looked up, and though the pink tint on her cheeks showed that his words affected her, they still weren't enough for her to give in. "Thank you, but you still can't go in and see the Mayor."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "So, he is in there. I thought you said he wasn't around."

She slowly looked at him, her eyes filled with dread as she realized her mistake. "Fuck, I'm going to get fired." She looked back at her desk. "I’d better get packing before he comes to yell at me!" Zach watched her for a moment and then headed to the elevator.

He knew he should knock as a form of respect, but he was so angry that the Mayor had ordered his receptionist not to let him in that he didn't give it a second thought before pushing the door open.

"Ha, Mr. Hill, you're here." Bruce looked just as surprised but tried to hide his fluster. "You didn't inform me you were coming." Zach didn't do that because whenever he called the Mayor to let him know he would be visiting, Zach would never find him when he arrived.

"Good evening, Mayor. I wasn't planning on visiting today until your letter arrived."

"Oh. Why don't you have a seat?"

"Thank you, but I'll have to decline the offer. I won't be here for long."

"Okay then, go ahead with what you have to say."

"The black ops are getting impatient. We are getting close to the end of the month, and none of the wolves have been paid for the previous month. The head of the finance team is away at the moment. That’s why I have taken it upon myself to come to speak to you myself."

"I must apologize, Mr. Hill. I know you are a busy man—"

"Yes, just like you."

Bruce looked slightly taken aback by Zach's boldness, but Zach didn't back down. He knew Bruce was spending public funds on unimportant things. His new Porsche and the mansion he just bought in the city were all over the papers last week. There was also a rumor that Bruce had a secret club where all sorts of sex parties were taking place. Zach didn't think Bruce was fit to be the leader of the people.

"I know you must think I don't know how to run this town," Bruce said. Zach remained quiet. "But you don't know how difficult this is until you wear the crown."

Indeed, Zach wasn't wearing the crown, but he had been alive long enough to watch three leaders at that position, including his father, to know that Bellefleur was at its worst under Bruce’s leadership.

"But I won't blame you, just like your father—"

"With all due respect, Mayor, don't bring my father into this. I'm not here to question your leadership skills. I'm just asking that you release the funds meant for the black ops before the end of the week."

"Fine, Alpha. Have a nice evening."

"Thank you, Mayor. A nice evening to you, too." Zach gave a small bow in respect and walked out of the office. Onhis way down, he saw a face he found even more annoying than Bruce's climbing up the stairs. Zach sighed when the man looked him straight in the eyes, and now he had no choice but to acknowledge him. "Monroe."

"Zach."

No other words were exchanged between the two.

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