The Billionaire Alpha’s Dilemma

Chapter Seven

When Isla woke up she thought she was still at home and she groped around blindly for her phone on her bedside table then opened her eyes to the unfamiliar tableau in front of her before belatedly remembering that she was in a private plane and not on her dingy bed in her bedroom. she sat up in the chair and stretched then stood up from her formerly prone position, the throw which had been used to cover her slid off and she looked around in confusion noting that her papers which had been spread across the table in front of her were now arranged in a neat pile with her glasses placed on top, the last thing she remembered was that she had been going through her notes, she had a list containing the items needed for the ritual that would , she surmised that she had probably fallen asleep, as she felt no pain in her neck she guessed her seat had been reclined not long after she had fallen asleep and said a silent thanks to whoever had looked after her and ensured that she did not wake up with a cramped back, she wondered if Remi had been the one who had come to check on her and make her feel more comfortable then dismissed the thought, Alpha Arrogant would not denign to take care of her lowly self. she could bet it had been Mr Connor the co pilot who had covered her with the throw, Remi certainly did not look like he could be tender and considerate enough to care about her discomfort, he treated her with such high handedness, he was probably being solicitous towards her only because he needed her help and he probably could not wait to get rid of her so he could fly around without a care in the world.

Well she thought to herself she certainly could not wait to be free of his company too, someone that turned her to mush without even being aware could not be trusted, it was not like he would even bother with her, she was sure he had a type and she was not it. She got up, shuffled the pages and her glasses into the satchel, folded the throw, righted the reclined chair then went towards the door Remi had pointed out last night, she opened it and entered a quaint restroom, even though it was extremely small it was filled with expensive looking mini bottles of cosmetics and toiletries, she picked a bottle up and scrutinized the Elizabeth Arden label and rolled her eyes, of course they were high end. only the best for Alpha Remi she thought with irritation, all these probably cost a little fortune. She looked at the mirror, eyeing her reflection and groaning at the dark circles around her eyes, she had already been having difficulty sleeping because of the bank problems and taking care of the failing bookstore and now that they were on the clock to get all the items to break the curse she envisioned many sleepless nights for herself, she quickly washed her face and used a brand new toothbrush she found then she brushed her hair and put it up in her usual bun, she looked the worse for wear and briefly thought of the glamorous women that had probably graced this restroom in the past and mentally scolded herself, she did not care how about how she looked, she was here to work and not for a dalliance definitely not with the arrogant werewolf she was working for so as such she had no need to compete with what she was sure was a long line of leggy self assured and tanned international model types. She straightened her shoulders and walked out of the restroom and into the cabin and was stopped in her tracks by the sight of Remi’s back to her, she watched the white shirt stretched taut over his broad back as he strained at a table doing what heaven only knew, her eyes narrowed as they went down the line of his back to where the shirt disappeared into the trim waist of his pants then even lower to a bottom that would have been the envy of Michelangelo’s sculptures.

“Tea or coffee” he asked without turning or looking back at her.

“Hmmm?” she answered distractedly, still staring at his body.

Remi turned and caught her still looking and smirked cockily, “I said tea or coffee? Or is there something else I can offer that you would rather have, let it not be said that I was not a gracious host.” his smile deepening condescending.

“Coffee please ” Isla scowled, embarrassed at getting caught, she felt like the child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Turning her heated face away and going back to her seat and looking out at the fluffy white clouds. She could not believe that she let herself get caught staring, Remi was so insufferable, she wanted to wipe the smirk off his face she turned and looked harder at the clouds, impatiently wondering when they would land so that she could remind Remi to send help to Ruth, she felt sick thinking about her all alone through the night with her sprained ankle and no one to care for her.

As if reading her thoughts Remi spoke up, “we will be landing very soon, you have just enough time to drink your coffee, that’s all that’s on the plane, when we get home you will be fed. by the way how do you take your coffee?”

“Creamy and sweet” looking down through the window as if so she could catch a glimpse of the pack she asked, “so that means we are near your pack?”

“Not really” he replied coming to her side and offering her a steaming mug and looking down on her as she refused to look up and just mumbled thanks and collected the mug from him careful not to let their fingers touch, he guessed she was embarrassed at being caught staring at him, he was amused at her behavior and he shook his head then continued speaking. “We will stop at an air strip and take a twenty minute helicopter ride to the commune, when I land the plane I will be back for you, don’t go anywhere” then he walked out of the cabin.

Isla lowered the papers she had been pretending to read and sipped her coffee, relishing the hot sweetness, he had certainly not spared the sugar. She watched the wide quietness outside the window and felt peaceful, it was little wonder that Remi enjoyed flying as a hobby, being able to be up here felt so blissful she felt herself begin to settle.

After she finished her coffee the slung her bag crossbody and sat back and almost immediately heard Remi’s admonition to buckle up which she did and waited while the plane bumped along the runway and eventually taxied to a stop. Almost immediately Remi stood at the entrance of the cabin with his blazer draped over his arm then Isla walked over to where he waited and allowed herself be led out of the plane.

“I would like to thank Mr Connor, can I see him before we leave” she asked still refusing to meet his gaze.

Her eyes snapped up when Remi growled, his fingers around her elbow tightened. “There is no need for that, he has work to do we don’t have time to dally and anyway he will be here for the return leg of your trip, you can have your little chat then” he ground out.

As she came out of the plane and walked down the stairs she was hit by the chilly autumn wind, she could even smell the sea even though she couldn’t see it yet and was glad for her overcoat and it’s soothing warmth, she glanced at Remi who did not bother to put on his blazer then remembered that werewolves have enough body heat that it had to be extremely cold to affect them. She saw that they were in a clearing like the one they had taken off from in Nantucket however this clearing was muddy and didn’t have a lot of grass. As she was propelled through the muddy path that led towards towards a helicopter, as she came closer she realized the helicopter also had the same insignia she had noticed last night on the jet.

When they got to the helicopter Remi helped her into the front and climbed up right beside her then he helped her put on protective headset and buckle up properly in her seat.

“You’re flying this thing too?” She asked in awe. This man was simply amazing.

He grinned and gave her a thumbs up then wore his own headset and buckled up and lifted the helicopter and they were soon in the air, flying over clusters of buildings, vegetation and an expanse of sand, as they moved close to the sea towards the coastal area where the waves lapped against rocks and extremely thick vegetation the helicopter rose even higher and she realized the vegetation and rocks expertly concealed the plains that rested on top, she saw buildings and tarred roads, it was exhilarating, finally she had her first look at the Lune Commune. As they kept going Adrien pointed out a castle like building and she nodded, without being told she could tell that the building which seemed like a focal spot by all the other buildings around it was the packhouse, her excitement mounted, it all felt surreal and she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she was not dreaming glancing at the man beside her as he maneuvered the helicopter she thought he looked like a dream with his tousled hair and the rolled up sleeves and muscles flexing underneath, the grim determination in his face made her sweat, she looked away and bit her lip, Focus Isla she mentally scolded.

As they rounded the buildings they headed towards a clearing which was a little way from what appeared to be the residential section of the Commune, she looked down and noticed the same insignia that was on the sides of the helicopter and the jet, this time it had been branded into a large round pad and the helicopter hovered over it for a minute before gently touching down, Isla was at The Lune Commune.