Page 11 of The Alpha: Part Two
The secretary picks up and I give her my name. “Good morning. This is Seth Pratchett. I’d like to schedule a meeting with Alpha Minos as soon as possible.”
After a brief delay and some clicking, she comes back with disappointing news. “I’m sorry, Mr. Pratchett, but Alpha Minos won’t have any time to meet with you for quite a while.”
“A phone call then. Could you patch me through? I won’t take up much time.”
“Hold just a moment, please,” she says, then I’m listening to the hold music before I have time to respond. She comes back after a minute. “He’s out for the day, Mr. Pratchett. I can take a message if you like.”
I sigh and bite back my disappointment. “Yes, thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
I end the call after I give her my number with a message for him to call me at his earliest convenience.
“You should have said as soon as fucking possible,” Alex gripes from the passenger seat of the minivan. “At his earliest convenience was too nice. You need this asshole to hear you out, not fuck around and get back to you eventually, if ever.”
“Don’t say fuck,” Trent hisses through his teeth, but it’s too late.
“Fuck!” Dutch yells, thoroughly pleased with himself, then repeats it several times.
“Talia’s going to beat your ass,” Trent says.
Alex looks back at Dutch. “Don’t say fuck, sweetheart. Mama doesn’t like to hear you say that word.”
“Yeah,” Trent snorts, “that’s definitely going to work.”
Dutch only says fuck two hundred times before we get to the zoo. Iris whispers it once, and Zetty narrows her eyes at me like it’s my fault her siblings are delinquents. When I think about the scene we must make climbing out of the van, assembling strollers, distributing sippy cups and the entirely-too-healthy cookies Talia sent for the kids, I start laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Trent asks, with his fingers tangled up in the ponytail dangling off the side of Zetty’s head.
“We are,” I laugh. “Look at us. You with all the tattoos, him with the hair, and me looking like a pirate. We don’t look like we should be cruising around in a minivan and adjusting ponytails. That’s all. It just struck me as funny.”
Alex looks at Trent, and Trent looks at Alex, then they look around at the kids and all their equipment. “Yeah, okay,” Alex grins, “we look ridiculous.”
“You look ridiculous,” Trent argues. “I look hot. Don’t I, darlin?” he croons to Zetty, who beams up at him. Then Dutch takes off, because that’s what he does, and I run after him.
We’ve spent way too much money on treats the kids are definitely not allowed to have, and are each pushing a stroller full of sleeping toddler through the underground aquarium that lets people see what otters do when they’re underwater when we run right into the very person I wanted to see. Looks like Minos really wasn’t in his office.
“Seth!” he calls, smiling at me before he remembers he’s not supposed to. “I thought you left for home.” He gives Trent and Alex a good look, then comes back to me with more than one question in his eyes.
“I did,” I tell him. “But I didn’t get very far. This is Trent and Alex, of the Johnson pack.” I give him a lingering look. “They’re friends from home.”
“Alphonse Minos,” Alpha Minos introduces himself, reaching out a hand to shake theirs. They glance at me and between each other, their expressions immediately going stoic as they each shake his hand. “You say you didn’t get very far?”
I nod. “I turned around. Listen, I called your office this morning. I need a chance to explain my situation. Things aren’t the way they sound.”
A flash of something flickers in his eyes. “The report was wrong? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“No,” I start, “the report–”
“Isn’t complete,” Trent interjects, shooting me a look.
Mallory comes to Minos’s side and takes his hand. “Seth,” she says. “Didn’t expect to see you today. Who do we have here?” she asks, looking down at the sleeping toddlers.
“They’re ours,” Alex doesn’t smile when he says it. He looks at Minos and holds his gaze. “We need a meeting with you. Do you think you can work us in? I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to stay in the territory.”
“Not without some of the other counselors, I’m sorry. What’s this all about?”
“When was the last time you heard from Flores?” I ask.
Minos glances back at his pack to make sure they are out of hearing range. “I’m not really sure. Why? What do you know that I don’t, Seth?”
