Her Alpha Mate 59

Zack:

What goes up must come down.

And there was no better example of that than last week. Last week Freya and I were practically floating on air with the idea of having a puppy, and this week it all went downhill.

I'd completely forgotten that we were supposed to be training the pack warriors. To do that we needed medical records, a family history, behavior reports, and of course training reports that I'd to sign off on.

Reece was in charge of training everyone, and I'd to assess whether or not they were ready to join the pack. If so, they'd attend the ceremony in a few weeks, if not, they'd continue training under Reece until the next year.

But on top of all the stress of the initiation ceremonies, I'd to meet with the council so that I could give them the blood contract to keep. The council consisted of five people who knew of our existence and made decisions for the species when we couldn't agree. They were in no way biased toward any species, so all of their judgments were fair. Now I'd to hand them the agreement I'd made so they could make sure the conditions were met.

I glanced at the stack of paperwork on my desk and groaned inwardly. My plans to spend the evening with Freya were slowly going down the drain. There was no way I could wrap this up before next week if I continued to take time off.

"Knock, knock," a soft voice called from the doorway.

My eyes drifted over to the figure and a tired smile formed on my face, "Hey, beautiful."

Freya entered and pushed the door shut behind her as she carried a plate of food over to me.

"I thought you could eat something since you've been cooped up in here for hours," she said, setting the plate on my desk and pushing my papers aside.

I sighed, took her hand, and waited for her to walk around the desk and sit on my lap.
When she sat down, I buried my face in the crook of her neck and felt relaxed for the first time today.

She was dressed warmly in her thick pajamas, and her hair was tied in a cute little braid, as it always was when she was tired.

"How come when you're tired you look so good, while I look like someone beat me up a few times?" I asked, amused, brushing a loose curl behind her ear.

She smiled mischievously, "Don't worry, I really like the little gray hairs you've. They make you look distinguished."

I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork, knowing full well that I'd no gray hair.
While I ate my pad Thai, Freya started carefully digging through my papers to make sure she didn't mess up my system.

"You know," she said, furrowing her eyebrows as she flipped through a packet,
"I can take some of that off your hands."

I shook my head and nibbled on her temple,
"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want you to stress about it. It's not good for the baby."

She shook her head, "I don't want you to stress about it either. Besides, I won't be needed at the hospital for a few days. I can take care of the medical reports and paperwork you need for the meeting."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she turned and gave me a stubborn look. "No buts," she said, pointing her finger at me.

I pressed her finger down and kissed her soft lips, "Fine. I'll give you the papers later. I've a few more to collect, so I'll give them to y'all at once."

She nodded and got off my lap, "Eat up and come home. I'm getting tired of watching Chance and Betty blush."

I smiled and watched her butt wiggle as she walked out the door.






***





Over the next two days, I managed to get all the papers Freya wanted to work on and started dividing them into piles to make it easier for her to keep track of them. "Hey Zack."

I looked up and nodded to Michael, "Hey man, what's up?"

He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "Nothing much. I just wanted to see what you've been up to. You, Chance and Reece seem so busy."

"You got that right," I muttered.

He sat down in front of me. "I'm starting to miss the days when we were young and could get drunk whenever we wanted. No mates, just us."

I laughed, "Nobody got drunk but you. If the rest of us had, my dad would have kicked our asses the next day at practice."

"Maybe so, but you guys changed after you found your mates."

"You'll find yours soon enough. I'm sure she's somewhere nearby or even in Africa."

He was silent, "As for that. I've been thinking about staying here. I love to travel, but I just need a break."

I nodded, slightly concerned, "Then I'll just send someone else in your place. Take some time off. You've earned it."

"Thanks," he muttered gruffly, "I'm going to go work out for a while. Blow off some steam."

Just as he reached the door, I put the last sheet of paper on the pile and called him back, "Would you please take these to Freya they've to be ready in three days?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Is that enough time?"

"It should be. I believe in them."

He nodded and accepted the papers without another word. I stretched my arms and got back to work on the training reports.




***





Freya:


There was a knock at the back door, so I quickly dropped the dishes and hurried to the door.

"Oh. Hi Michael," I said, stepping aside to let him in. He stepped inside and looked around.

I wasn't quite sure why he was here. Zack was in his office, and we didn't know each other very well.

For some reason, I'd a feeling that Michael didn't like me. The few times we spoke, he seemed a bit cold, and the way he stared at me made me feel like I'd done something wrong.

"Is Zack here?" he asked, looking around the kitchen.

I shook my head and reached for a glass to pour him some lemonade, "He's in his office. Would you like some lemonade?"

"Sure," he mumbled, taking the glass and pouring it back as if it were a shot.

When he finished drinking, he slammed the glass back on the counter, making me wince.

Was he drunk? Why was he being so aggressive? Why was he staring at me like I'd run over his cat?

"I've to go. I've to find Zack," he muttered almost inaudibly.

I blinked and swallowed nervously, "Okay.
I'll see you later, I guess. Can you ask Zack to give me those papers? I'd like to get started so I've enough time to finish them."

Michael shrugged, "Sure thing."

I watched as he sauntered out of the house, slamming the door behind him so that the window panes shook.

I frowned and pressed a hand to my nonexistent bump.

"I got a bad feeling about him, baby," I said softly and watched Michael's back disappear.

I looked down at my stomach and pursed my lips, "I hope he doesn't do anything stupid. I can't have any more drama."

My stomach growled in response, to which I chuckled and grabbed a pot to cook myself something.