His implication that Emme was nothing more than a mystery to unravel pissed me off, but considering my own intentions toward our omega weren’t completely altruistic, I kept my irritation to myself. “Did Kellan arrive?”
Slade’s huff was clear down the line. “Ten minutes ago. He’s sitting in her section, tipping away our fortune and ensuring no other shifters get too close.”
That little bastard had half the city fooled into thinking he was the nice one when he could be just as diabolical and dangerous as the rest of us. The only difference was the smile on his golden face as he stabbed you in the back. It was a relief to know he’d keep an eye on her during her shift.
“That’s good. Until further notice, that omega belongs to the Reeves pack, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I let anyone fuck around with my belongings.”
There was another huff, but for a change he didn’t refute my claim. It spoke volumes that he was still sitting there, attempting to work out the final pieces to her puzzle. Dragons werepossessive in nature, and I wondered if Slade had finally found a shifter he couldn’t just dismiss and walk away from.
There was a crack down the line as his boots hit the ground. “I’m out of here. This is a waste of my fucking time.”
Or not.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I cursed the fucking morons who thought this thankless job was an honor. Being the entitled alpha was going to be the death of me—not that I’d cede control to anyone else. Not while I still breathed.
“Okay, I’ll see you at home in a few hours. I’ve got to oversee final testing on a new product that hasn’t quite gone to plan, and then I have to unravel this shipping screwup between the UK and Australian branches.”
Slade hung up and I actually laughed; he was always consistent in being an asshole.
Two hours later I had my new product working as expected, and I’d fired six of our London upper management while promoting one legend who’d managed to pull his head from his ass and help me save about fifty million dollars by getting the shipment to the right fucking location on time.
A quick glance at my Jacob & Co told me it was almost midnight. I was wrecked. It wouldn’t be the first night I’d worked until I crashed at my desk, but I wanted to get home and see how Emme’s first shift had gone. Bradley, who was on his way out of Golden Claw with two black eyes, and zero chance of ever returning, was hopefully the only shifter I’d need to teach a lesson to during our omega’s first days at her job.
Not that it was a hardship to protect her. I was born for the role, and soon Emme would understand exactly what that meant for her. My obsession with the omega grew with each interaction, and one day very soon I’d claim her.
She would beg me for it.
Packing up, I grabbed my phone and briefcase and headed down to the parking garage. I’d driven my Range Rover today, but right now I wished it was a bike. I’d tear through town in half the time if I had my Aprilia or Yamaha.
The gates to the office parking lot opened as soon as I came into sight. Harold was the best damn night watch we’d ever had, and I would pay him double his already high salary if he ever tried to leave. “Night, Alpha Hunter,” he called, a hint of his Thai heritage in his accent. “Drive safe.”
“Call me if you have any issues,” I told him through the half-open window.
He saluted, already back in his booth by the time I drove off. I was too wound up for music tonight, but without background noise all I could do was think.
Think and worry.
The Summit kicked off on Monday, and I’d already fielded five calls today from other council members to confirm requests for visiting dignitaries. If being an entitled alpha didn’t kill me, politics would. If I made it through this week without punching anyone… well, it’d be the first Summit I’d managed to keep my cool.
Now that we had an omega to worry about, I doubted I’d last more than the first couple of days. Emmeline was a hot commodity. Two of those five requests were to meet with the newest Golden Claw omega.Not a fucking chance.
Her designation was so rare it was still unknown what happened when an omega bonded into a complete quintet. It was this rareness that had everyone wanting to claim one, along with their ability to step outside normal power structures.
Her wolf would fall to no one’s call, even if they were as powerful as Slade.
I’d never had a reason to investigate omegas until recently, and I’d been surprised to find a few vague references tothem strengthening an alpha in a completed quintet. It was unconfirmed though, and for the first time ever I needed an answer.
Hitting the call button on my phone, I scrolled until I found the right number. Despite the late hour, there was a decent chance my video-game-obsessed best friend would be wide awake and gaming his life away. It’d been weeks since I managed to make a session ofCall of Dutywith Sorenson, but he rarely missed a Saturday night.
“Hunt, buddy. Please tell me you’re calling because you’re about to log on. We’re getting our fucking asses kicked.” His voice wavered as if he was ducking and dodging. “You cowardly, flea-bitten pricks! I’m going to rip out your intestines and choke you to death with them.”
I chuckled, relaxing for the first time in hours. “Nah, I’m only just leaving the office. Lots of fires to put out today.”
That grabbed his attention as he stopped trying to blast his way through the battlefield. “Anything you need help with? You know I’m excellent at fighting fires.”
Often literally, since we were both volunteers with the local fire brigade.
“It’s all sorted, but thanks.”
