Page 41 of The Alpha: Part One
“You look beautiful,” Seth says when I walk down the hall.
“Thank you for getting Mallory to call me. It helped.”
He smiles, “Talia gets nervous about clothes sometimes, too. Jasper usually handles that.”
“You look nice, too. Ready to go?”
I’ve been at events when the Minos pack shows up. Everything stops and everyone gawks until they get settled and the gawking continues until they leave. I’ve done my own fair share of gawking. I’ve never been on the receiving end of it, though. People haven’t stopped staring since Seth and I walked through the door behind them. People are staring at me specifically. I recognise some of these people from school and work. The head of the hospital is even sitting at one of the tables we walk past on the way to ours at the back of the restaurant.
Seth pulls out my seat for me and touches my shoulder when he slides into his own seat. They put Mallory and I next to each other at the large round table. Seth is sitting next to Alpha Minos, and the rest of his pack fills in the remaining four seats. I hope nobody’s trying to talk about anything secret tonight, they’ll have to yell across the table to say anything. Not that I think any of them are going to be talking about any secrets.
Small talk of all varieties is what happens as dinner orders are taken and then brought out. Mallory seems genuinely interested in my work at the hospital and if I intend to work with any of the private home birth units in my off time; and Minos is making an odd point of pointing out every pack that has a relationship with the Flores pack. I’ve heard his name more in the last hour than I’ve heard it in my entire life, and everytime he says it Seth finds a way to discreetly touch me. My hand, my elbow, offering me more water or wine, even nudging my thigh with his. I think it’s as much for his comfort as it is mine.
Everything goes smoothly until Minos brings up Council Operative Teams.
“You’re close with the Johnson pack. What can you tell me about the COT units the East Coast Council uses? I wonder if something like that might be useful here.”
Seth tenses. His face tightens and he doesn’t immediately respond. Everyone at the table is quiet until he takes a breath to answer. “I’m going to be very blunt here. Please don’t be offended. I’m not trying to be rude or offensive.” He reaches for my hand and I give it to him. This is the first time he’s reached for me since after my heat.
He takes another breath. “I can’t share much of what I know about the COTs. It takes a certain type of person to be on a COT unit and most people don’t make it through the training. The council needs to be able to trust each person on the unit implicitly. I think you’ll need to re-evaluate some things before you could successfully implement something like that here.”
Mallory speaks up quietly without looking up from the table. “Do you know Elizabet Graves?”
Seth looks around me toward her. “I’m very familiar with Missus Graves. Why?”
Mallory bites her lip and looks at Minos, who nods. “Do you know very much about her institute for omegas?”
“I know a little. I can put you in contact with her daughter. I’m close with her.” Seth squeezes my hand and I pull our joined hands into my lap.
Mallory nods. “If you could, I’d be grateful.”
The entire atmosphere at the table has changed. It has become dark, heavy. I don’t understand.
“Of course. I’ll pass your number to her, if that’s alright.” He returns his attention to Minos. “I’m sure you’ve put it together by now, why I’m here?”
Minos nods. “Not entirely, but yes. Call me selfish, but I hope to take advantage of the opportunity. I have a lot to say, but I can’t say it here.” He looks around the restaurant. I don’t know who he’s specifically referring to, but there are more people who either owe or work for the Flores pack in this area of the Western Territory than there are people who don’t have a connection with them. And they’ve become way too interested in me.
I look over at Seth and find him staring down at our hands in my lap. I’ve been absently tracing the gently raised scars covering the area where he’s missing fingers. I immediately stop and pull my fingers away. I can’t believe I didn’t realize what I was doing.
“It’s alright,” he says. “I don’t mind. I’m just not used to it. It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me.”
That’s great, but I’m too embarrassed that I was touching him so intimately to keep doing it.
Mallory clears her throat. “I see two marks, Desir’ee. Can we expect a third soon? I can’t wait to see what the registration form will look like with the additional credentials.”
Minos cuts in, saving me from having to come up with a good answer. “I’ll sign it myself when it comes through. We were thinking about seeing a late movie tonight. You’re welcome to join us?”
Seth looks at me with raised brows. I guess I get to decide. I don’t want to go, I really don’t. I’m tired of being stared at and if I’m watching a movie I want to do it on my couch at home. I also can’t imagine Seth being comfortable in a dark, crowded theater. But saying no means refusing an offer from the highest ranking pack in the territory.
“Oh, Alphie,” Mallory leans forward to bat her eyes at him. “Can I change my mind about the movie? I’d much rather go home” She raises an eyebrow, making her intent obvious.
“Another time then, Pratchett,” he chuckles. “Maybe we can book a private showing. I think it’s past Mallory’s bedtime, anyway.”
I take off the heels while we’re waiting for the valet to bring the truck around. Seth is obviously not happy about my bare feet on the sidewalk, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Just a minute,” he says when I reach to open the door when the truck parks in front of us. He walks around it and looks inside the cab before he nods and helps me inside.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask when we pull away from the curb.
