Ariadne: Almost an Alpha | ✓

Chapter 30 - Too Kind to Me

Chapter 30 - Too Kind to Me

I keep to myself for the rest of the day, and Mateus doesn't leave his office. Soon, it's six, the time of the conference call, and I begin to get antsy. Will Mateus come update me after?

Every 15 minutes or so, I take a walk down the hall to his office and listen to see if the call has come to an end. About an hour and a half later, the voices stop, but he still doesn't leave the office.

Has he even had anything to eat all day? I know for sure he skipped lunch and dinner.

    When I go to see if Helena had any leftovers from dinner, I can't find any. I grill some glazed chicken for him before putting it over a balsamic salad. Quick but tasty. I carry the plate, utensils, and a water bottle to his office and knock on the door.

"You can come in, Ariadne."

"How did you know it was me?" I ask, stepping into the office.

"I could hear your footsteps," he says with a small smile. "You walk evenly. Most put more weight on one foot."

I smile sheepishly.

"Yes, I know you've been pacing out there for the last couple hours," he confirms.

"Sorry," I apologize. "I um... I didn't think you had anything to eat today. I brought dinner."

Mateus' normally organized desk is covered in papers, so I hesitate in setting everything down.

Looking into my eyes, he says, "thank you," before moving his laptop to make room for the food. "Did you make this? It doesn't look like something my mother has cooked before."

"Yeah, there weren't any leftovers available." I reach over the desk to set it down.

"It looks good. Sit. I'll eat and then tell you about the call."

He quietly begins to eat as I make myself comfortable in the chair.

I look around at the stacks of paper on his desk. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm reading all the reports from the year of the massacre to look for any mentions about disturbances elsewhere in the United States. Even if this new stuff isn't related, we want to know where all those rogues went. It's nothing very interesting to help with."

"I'll read a stack."

His eyebrows lift slightly in surprise. "Okay, the small pile to your right is half of September. It shouldn't take too long."

I jot down anything that could be relevant on a notepad. One stack turns into more stacks. Soon it's late into the night, and he keeps pulling more paper out. It's endless.

"You should rest," he says during his third trip to the filing cabinets against the wall. "I don't want you to be exhausted on tournament day."

"I'll be fine. What did they say during the call?"

He puts a new stack on the edge of his desk and leans against the stackless front side to face me.

"They went over the recent attacks in more detail. Many of us wanted to plan precautionary measures, start pulling warriors from regions all over the US and sending them down before it's too late. We don't want things to get hectic again. One is refusing, saying he doesn't want any foreigners in his territory. It seems he's paranoid that anyone not in his pack will be cooperating with the rogues."

"Who?"

"Alpha Lucia."

Staring at the floor, I let the name sink in. I haven't heard it aloud in a while.