Plans

I stretch my body, feeling the aches all over. I didn’t sleep at all, but that’s to be expected.. How could I sleep when I was on a concrete floor with a barely there blanket? I kept worrying about Zara. I worried about what would happen if I didn’t get out this morning. Maxim has threatened to leave me in here for days before, and this might be the time that he actually did it. 

I wish I knew what time it was, but of course, I went all night without my phone. There’s no window down here, so I’m at a total loss. Right now, I can only hope that my husband isn’t a complete bastard and he allows me out to take care of our child. 

As if my thoughts could make things happen, the door creaks open. Light spills into the room from the kitchen, and I have to swallow the sob that almost slips out. “I decided to let you out. Someone has to care for the child. Don’t bother with breakfast for me because I’m eating out.” He says nothing else before turning on his heel and walking away. I hesitate at the bottom of the stairs because I can’t really believe that he’s being this benevolent. 

I’m sure calling him benevolent is a misuse of the word, but what can I say? I know that my husband hates me, but there’s nothing I can do about it. If I try to run away, either he will find me and bring me back, or my father will. I learned my lesson from the only time I’ve ever tried it, and I will never try again. 

When there’s no more movement or sound, I hurry up the steps. I check the time on the oven and see that it’s pretty early. I should have time to shower and start breakfast before Zara wakes up. 

⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱⤱

Zara pushes another forkful of pancake into her mouth as I sip my coffee. She’s been bubbly all morning, talking about a certain Beta that landed last night. A part of me wants to tell her to stop because hearing about him makes the pain too real. The other part of me is loving everything she’s saying because it gives me a rare insight into the man who was made just for me. 

My phone buzzes next to me, but I ignore it because it isn’t a call, just a text. Whatever it is can wait until Zara finishes eating. I hate taking time away from her since I’m the only parent who acknowledges her existence. When I’m with Zara, I like to be focused entirely on her, no outside distractions. 

My phone rings and I just know it has to be Maxim. I quickly answer the phone, not wanting any more mess. “Why did you respond to my text?”

“I was feeding Zara.”

“You need to have lunch ready for four people and it better not be crap.” The call disconnects before I can respond. I put the phone down and sigh. I guess I have to play cook and waitress later today. It looks like Zara will need to entertain herself for a while. 

~Maxim~

I lean back in my chair, placing the phone on my desk. “Everything is all set for later. We will have lunch and can discuss the particulars.” A cloud of smoke wafts toward me, but it doesn’t bother me. When the smoke comes from an expensive cigar, it’s always a great smell to have in the air. 

“And you're sure that this is what you want to do?” I lean forward, anchoring myself on my forearms. I’ve had this planned for a few weeks now. The moment I saw the opportunity, I seized it. It could be the answer to some of the problems I’ve been dealing with. I just need to make sure I see it through my

“This is the best option, and it’s mutually beneficial. Who am I to gatekeep, hmm?” He sits back and places his hands behind his head. 

“The Beta female, is she your wife? I didn’t notice a mark on her neck or anything.” I internally roll my eyes. 

“Yes, she’s my wife. Why do you ask?”

“I think I want to amend our original agreement.” Intriguing, definitely. 

“What did you have in mind?”

~Houston~

I got no sleep last night, and it’s irritating. There should be no reason why the Beta female was on my mind all night long. She was, and so I didn’t sleep much at all. Alayasia is her name. I smirk at Colby’s words. 

And why do you care to correct me on her name? Colby turns his head and lowers it. 

I have no idea. He curls into a ball and shuts our connection. 

I wasn’t the only one bothered by thoughts of this woman all night. Colby was up, and that’s definitely outside of the norm. Maybe I’m just bored or need to get laid. It has been a few months since the last time. I need to look into that when I get back home. 

Tyrice walks up to me as I stand in the hallway. Many other Alphas and Betas arrived this morning, and there was a massive breakfast. I decided to skip it because I just wasn’t interested. Now we have to attend some meetings, which is the entire reason we are here in the first place. “Let’s get this torture over with.” I nod and follow Tyrice. 

We walk down the hall, and a door opens in front of us. We are on the second floor, which is set up for guests, and there are offices on this floor. A door opens up ahead, and a man walks out. He stands in the hallway and waits. Maxim walks out, and they exchange a few words before shaking hands. Tyrice’s hand clamps down on my shoulder, causing me to pause my steps. “Is that Alpha Brian Montgomery?” I shrug. 

“Looks like it. From the Blackfang pack, right?” He nods. “Ok, so?” Tyrice sighs. 

“If he’s here and having private conversations with the Beta of this pack, we may leave a lot earlier than we originally planned.”