Page 50 of Fate Awakened

Quinn stepped in as my assistant the day I took over the pack. Her mother, Evelyn, held the position for my father when he was in charge, but after his accident, she didn’t feel she could continue.

It was temporary at first. She was just filling in where her mom couldn’t, but after a few weeks, she created routines, knew my needs before I could ask about them, and became the support I needed to keep the pack running smoothly.

Later when we officially opened VP Securities, her role shifted to cover my duties, both as Alpha and CEO. She’s my right hand in all things, and I trust her implicitly.

In truth, I don’t think any of this would work without her, and I’ve been meaning to push her to take some time off for weeks. Once everything settles down, I’ll make sure she gets a break. Maybe send her and Pres on a girl's trip.

We will all need a break.

***

My phone wakes me several hours later, the alarm beeping at me to get up.

Four hours wasn’t nearly enough time.

Rolling over, I grab the device to shut it up, and I noticeI have several notifications splashed across the screen.

Two missed calls, three emails, and one text message from an unknown number. The text message pulls my attention first, as everyone I know is saved on my phone. I pull it open and nearly drop it from my hands as I read the text.

Restricted number: Trade happening at 3 pm. Negotiate her release before the Alpha returns. Bring the leverage and prepare for a fight. If her Unawakened status is revealed before the trade is made, lives will be lost.

Fuck.

Hudson is already trading her to Reno. We were supposed to have more time. My eyes flick up to the clock on the screen, noting it's already 9:21 am.

Throwing off my sheet, I jump out of bed and rush to get ready.

Dante: Quinn, I’m moving the council meeting to 9:45 am.

Quinn: I’ll get the room set up. What do you need?

Dante: Files on leadership within the Reno pack, an updated map of their territory, and an Americano.

Quinn: I’ll take care of it.

Pulling off my T-shirt, I head to the bathroom to clean up before the meeting. I take a moment to focus and send a mind-link to the entire council.

Dante: Council, I’m moving the meeting to 9:45 am. Get up, and get here.

Dante: Pres, I need you to trace a number.

Pres: Fuck you and your early bird wake ups

Her response makes me chuckle. Pres has never been a morning person. No time before noon is safe to talk to her because she's usually up half the night coding.

I send along the number once I know she’s awake enough to jot it down somewhere and step into the water. Usually, I get the best ideas as I stand amidst the steamy spray. The time in relative silence allows me to approach problems from another angle. Today’s shower isn’t long enough to sort through anything, and I get out still wondering how this is going to play out.

Dante: Erik, I need the Gulfstream ready by noon. Submit a flight plan to Reno.

Dante: Jake, I need a team of eight ready for wheels up at eleven-thirty. Select four from the black team, two from blue, and two from red.

Erik: Copy.

Jake: Copy.

Each of our traveling response teams specializes in a specific skill set. Our black team consists of the strongest Betas in the pack. They're trained and focused on up-close combat in both wolf and human form. The blue team contains our best sharpshooters covering a dozen different weapons types. Our red team deploys to stealth missions. They tend to be at the center of the human trafficking cases. Honestly, I hope we don’t need any of them.

I pull on a pair of black slacks and a deep blue button-up shirt, remembering I have CEO duties after this meeting that I’ll need to take care of before heading north, and I head out of my penthouse apartment.

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