The Alpha Summit

Chapter Sixteen

Mel placed the phone down on the table harshly. That hurt her more deeply than she expected. The woman she looked up to for advice and how to be a good leader was a horrible person. How would she ever succeed with nobody to help her?

The door opened, startling Mel a bit. Bentley, Jax, and Achilles entered the room quietly. None of them knew how to console her, as none of them knew what Alpha Wren meant to her.

Achilles put a comforting hand on her back, "You did amazing, Mel. I know that must have been hard for you."

"It was," she answered. "But the important thing is we are one step closer to figuring things out. She should be calling one of you soon."

Mel's gaze flitted to Jax and Bentley. They both looked visibly uncomfortable with the thought.

"I'll talk to her," Bentley replied. "I think if Jax did he would ruin the plan."

Jax growled, "She literally insulted all of us. I'm pretty sure we all wanna punch her."

Not even Mel could deny that. Alpha Wren deserved a lot more than a punch.

Achilles sighed deeply, "I think we all need a break. As of right now it's all hurry up and wait anyway."

Bentley nodded, "Let's go, Jax."

Jax looked over his shoulder as he was dragged out of the room. He offered Mel a lopsided smile. She assumed it was some sort of apology. She never understood why people apologized for things that weren't their fault.

As the door shut Achilles dragged his fingers through his hair, slightly tugging at it. His brain felt like a pile of scrambled eggs. Even better, he still had massive piles of work to attend to. He looked up to Mel. Her eyes were focused on something behind him; she was clearly in a different world. He couldn't help but stare at her. She gave him the hope that maybe things would be okay.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

He watched her focus back on him and he smiled. There was no way she heard any of that. He smiled wider at her confusion and settled on repeating his question.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Oh," she said. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"We'll just have to stop by my office quickly and then we can go."

She nodded. He reached for her hand. She promptly laced her fingers with his. There was no hesitation. They both needed the support right now.

Achilles led the way and opened the door when they reached his office.

Mel filled him over to his large desk. She stood behind his chair as he sat down and placed her hands on his shoulders. He opened his computer and she gasped at what filled the screen. He quickly closed the tab, but it was too late.

"What was that?" She questioned.

He threw his head back, "You weren't supposed to see that. Surprise ruined."

She smiled widely, "You were going to surprise me with Red Sox tickets?"

"That was the plan."

Mel threw her arms around him. She had only briefly mentioned her love for the team but he remembered. Not only that, but he was willing to bring her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He laughed, "Who said I was still bringing you? You ruined the surprise."

The look that overtook Mel's face made Achilles laugh loudly. Apparently, she was still hoping to go.

"I'm kidding," he said. "If taking you to a game makes you hug me like that we can go every day."

Mel scoffed, "Okay, whatever. How about that walk you promised?"

"Just give me a few minutes. You can wait outside if you want, it won't take long."

Mel hummed a reply and walked out of the office. She shut the door behind her and immediately began to wander. She notices a photograph of cherry blossoms she hadn't seen before.

She loved how the middle of the picture was on focus but the sides blurred out. It made the flowers seem infinite. She reached out to touch the glossy finish of the picture.

"Hmm, haven't seen you around."

Mel yanked her hand back and turned to the source of the voice. The voice belonged to a tall brown-haired boy. He was built athletically and looked to be quite the charmer. He offered Mel a large smile that reached his emerald eyes.

"I'm Chase and you're looking at my photo," he said with pride.

Mel's eyes widened, "Wow, you are an amazing photographer!"

Chase got a bit closer to Mel, "It's all about what you're photographing. It's easy to get a beautiful picture if the subject is lovely. Like it would be easy to get a wonderful picture of you."

Mel laughed if only he knew how unphotogenic she was. She knew what he was going for though.

"Although that was a well-executed line, I am taken."

Chase sighed, "The stunning ones always are."

Mel shivered as she felt eyes on the back of her head. She turned to Achilles, he looked very unhappy.

"Chase," she said. "I would advise you to leave."

Soon Achilles had grabbed him, forcing her behind his large body. He was growling at a surprised Chase.

"f**k! I didn't know you were the girl everybody was talking about!"

Mel grabbed Achilles' shoulder, "He didn't know. You can stop now."

Achilles pulled her into his chest and dipped his head into her neck. He was clearly trying to prove something.

"Okay, Achilles," Mel said. "I think he gets the point."

Achilles growled deeply, "He doesn't, or else he would be gone."

Mel heard hurried footsteps and sighed. Achilles really needed to work on his jealousy problem. She shoved back on his chest and gave him a glare.

"Did you need to do that?"

Achilles nodded, "He was calling you stunning. What would you do if one of the other girls started calling me hot? It makes me and Cain jealous. We are the only ones that can call you stunning."

Mel looked into his increasingly dark eyes. Cain wanted to say something too she guessed. She motioned with her hand for him to come forward.

"Say your piece, Cain."

Cain instantly took over at her words.

"Want mark mate. So many boy eyes." Cain growled.

Mel started playing with her shirt. She knew this was going to come up again, but she just wasn't ready. She was scared. She really liked Achilles but she didn't want to make a decision she wasn't ready for. It didn't feel right to be marking her mate when so much was going wrong. Kasey was missing and Alpha Wren was still running rampant. It also felt wrong that she was the one that got a happy ending. What about all of the Omegas she'd left?

Cain could sense her hesitancy, "No? Sad?"

Mel closed her eyes and rubbed her hands down her face.

"Cain, it's not that I don't like you or Achilles, I do. I-it just," She closed her mouth and started fresh. "Now is not the right time. What else can I do to make you both feel better? I'm not ready for a mark, but I don't want you to have to feel like you need to ward off every guy."

Cain looked at her confused and frustrated. He growled but was quickly replaced by Achilles. Achilles looked her in the eyes.

"What if we scent each other? It doesn't last long, but that would make us both feel better. I think that's what Cain was trying to say. He didn't have the words."

Mel received a low growl from her wolf. She approved the idea.

"Okay. I think that's fair."

Achilles smiled, "I'm so lucky to have you. I know I'm not easy to deal with."

Mel laughed, "We are both difficult to deal with. Anyway, how do we do this? Do we just hug?"

Color rushed to Achilles' cheeks, "Um not exactly.

Mel furrowed her eyebrows, "What then?"

Achilles gave her a sexy smirk and bent down to her ear, "Let me show you."

He pulled Mel in by the waist. She was firm against his chest as he started to rub his body on hers. Mel felt her heart speed up, but she reacted quickly. She wasn't one to lose the upper hand. She rubbed on him making sure to focus on his lower body.

Achilles let out a low growl at the contact, "Mel, are you trying to kill me?"

She smirked up at him and eyed his lips. He noticed and his eyes darkened with lust. She knew hers must look the same.

"Kiss me."

He lowered his head, "Your wish is my command."

He kept rubbing himself onto her and she placed his lips on hers. He slid his tongue inside her mouth and she could taste his sweetness. She pulled apart gasping for air and he continued down her neck. He left sloppy kisses down her neck until he got to a place he liked. He began to kiss and suck on it making Mel feel hot. She stifled a moan.

Suddenly she realized what he was doing. He was marking her differently. Well, that was unfair. Mel let her hands wander south. She made sure her hand brushed against his member. His head shot up and she shoved his face in his neck.

"You don't get to be the only possessive one."

She sucked on his neck and he groaned, "Holy s**t Mel."

When she was finished she looked up at him. He looked completely undone. His hair was a mess and he was breathing heavily. She smiled up at him.

"Do you feel better now?"

He growled, "I'm not sure."

His eyes went down and hers followed. Her eyes gaped out and she saw his member standing at full attention. She could barely tear her gaze away.

"I see you enjoyed yourself."

He glared at her, "And you didn't?"

She looked at the sky as if contemplating it, "Hmm, I've had better."

A deep growl left his throat as his eyes darkened. Her heart pumping widely at the danger in his eyes. Why did it have to be so attractive?

"You're mine."

She laughed, "I know."

She pulled down the neck of her shirt and tied up her hair, showing off the hickeys. He growled lowly in approval.

"How about that walk, now?"

He rubbed his face, "You are going to kill me."

Mel grabbed his hand and pulled him to the stairs. She felt giddy as she appeared in the kitchen. Her chest felt like it did when she used to sneak out to parties. She felt free and rebellious.

Achilles couldn't put a name to what he felt. He felt like somebody had filled bubbles with excitement and happiness and put them in his stomach. It's how he felt every time he looked at her. It made him feel even better when the men looked at her with him. They knew this beautiful girl was all his.

Mel pulled him out the front doors and kept walking. She had no idea where she was going, but the destination didn't matter. She just wanted to spend time with him. Every moment she spent with him felt like a moment mending her past.

Achilles followed blindly as she led him randomly. He would follow her anywhere. He trusted him fully, which was rare for him. He hadn't trusted anybody in a very long time. It felt amazing to feel safe following someone blindly. She had taken that away from him, but Mel was starting to bring it back little by little.

Mel stopped when she reached a small river. It flowed elegantly, cutting the forest in half; easy to underestimate, but persistent. Perhaps like the start to their relationship.

Achilles spotted a small white rock by the riverbank. He picked it up. He knew it was something Mel would like. Natural and beautiful. He dipped in water to get the dirt off. He held out to Mel.

"It's lovely."

"I think it's quartz," He said.

She nodded, "It is. It would look beautiful, tumbled, and polished. I'm sure there are so many great rocks and crystals around here."

"There is," Achilles replied. "The witches beg us for them all of the time. We usually agree. They've never done anything to harm us so I figured we could spare some rocks."

Mel looked at him with admiration. It's like she was never going to stop learning about him. There was so much depth to him that she had never anticipated.

"Maybe we will have to go on a rock hunt when all of this is over," she suggested.

He laughed, "Only if we can make it a picnic. I can only imagine how persistent you will be when it comes to finding rocks."

She admired the quartz in her hand, "It's a date."

He was about to respond with surprise when he heard Bentley in his mind.

"Alpha Wren called him. She wants the party to be in two days."

Mel sighed, "Of course she would pull something like that."

Achilles cupped her face, "We're going to get Kasey back and we're going to figure out what her plans are concerning you. We have to, so I can take you on that date you just promised me."

Her mouth feel open, "I didn't mean-"

"Too late you already said it."

She gave him a playful smack on the shoulder, "Fine then. We better get a plan together."

Mel and Achilles turned to walk out of the forest. It was time to let Alpha Wren know where she stands.

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Reading Questions:

-How do you think Mel and Achilles' relationship is progressing?

-Do you think Alpha Wren has Kasey?

-What should the plan be?