The Alpha's Lottery

Chapter3

----Sindy----

Director Scunlun’s office always smelled faintly of coffee and old paper, the kind of scent that felt permanently baked into the walls after decades of sitting here, reviewing the same types of reports. I sat across from his massive desk, watching his thick gold wedding band catch the fluorescent light as he flipped through the written report I’d submitted on the Grantham pick-up.

The ring gleamed against the deep tan of his skin—a tan he didn’t get from desk work. Golf course, more like. If I was being honest, he probably spent more time perfecting his swing than running the Western Division. Still, he’d always been a decent boss—kind enough, though often more absent than present.

He finally closed the folder with a soft thunk and set a broad palm across it. His bushy gray eyebrows rose as he grinned at me.

“Solid work, Sindy. Unfortunate about her sister interfering like that.”

“Yeah,” I said, taking a sip of coffee and feeling the sting of heat on my lips. I still hadn’t learned patience with hot drinks.

Scunlun shrugged his surprisingly broad shoulders—still strong-looking for a man pushing sixty. The slate-gray jacket tightened across his chest when he did. “A few days in holding will be enough to show her the light, I think.”

Lola Theam’s sister hadn’t exactly been subtle about her objections. The moment Kalem had ordered Lola to strip down and put on the Retrieval Uniform—that awful vertically-striped thing that looked more like a potato sack than clothing—the sister had gone off. Cursing like a sailor, she’d shoved Kalem hard enough that I thought for a second she might actually try to swing. Kalem handled it like she handled everything: calm, quick, and precise. One throw later, Lola’s sister was face-down on the floor, cuffed, and swearing even harder.

Kalem didn’t waste time. Lola left that dorm wearing the uniform, while her sister got a complimentary ride to holding.

I met Scunlun’s eyes. “Not the worst we’ve seen. Kalem addressed it quickly enough.”

He gave a short, approving nod, then rose from his chair, dropping the report into one of the overstuffed shelves behind him. His office wasn’t just cramped—it was crowded. Floor-to-ceiling shelving, packed tight with hard copies of reports that most directors would’ve had digitized years ago. Not Scunlun. He was old school. He wanted to look someone in the eye when he discussed their work.

When he turned back to me, gripping the worn leather top of his chair, his pale blue eyes caught the light in a way that made them seem even more unreadable. That was the thing about Scunlun—you never knew exactly what was going through his head.

“Auction coming up next week, Agent,” he said. “I reviewed Kalem’s after-action on the last one you attended. Rather interesting…”

I tilted my head. “I… I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

But of course, I knew exactly what he meant. He was talking about him.

“Not unknown,” Scunlun went on, “for the representatives of Wolf Nation to take an interest in agents. But there’s nothing to be concerned about.”

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral.

“FMB takes care of their own,” he continued, settling back into his chair. “They know it. We know it. Just do your job by the numbers and it’ll be a cinch. No worries at all.”

“Why bring it up, sir?”

“Oh, he’ll be there again,” Scunlun said casually, though his gaze stayed locked on mine. “Cold Ridge will be among the bidders. Thought I’d remind you, in case you missed it in the pre-auction prep docs.” He leaned back, eyes still fixed. “Glacier Peak, Taos Canyon, and… what was it? Madre Norte.”

“A pack from Mexico?” I set my coffee on the edge of his desk. “I thought they’d gone off the grid.”

Most of the southern packs had moved north decades ago, though no one in the Bureau had ever gotten a straight answer about why. Wolf Nation wasn’t in the habit of explaining itself.

“They’re up east of Flagstaff now, right?” I asked, though we both already knew the answer.

“That’s our understanding, yes. Not technically Wolf Nation territory, but Treaty-protected nonetheless.”

“It won’t be an issue, sir,” I said. “I’ve handled worse. I think I was just… a little taken aback.” I forced a small laugh. “I’m used to agents being completely ignored at auctions.”

The truth was, I hated the atmosphere of those places. The tension. The charged, unspoken energy that thrummed through the air. Everyone watching, calculating. The way the women stood under those harsh lights, knowing they were about to be sold to the highest bidder.

Scunlun chuckled. “And for all we know, you might be totally disregarded again. Just wanted to bring it up. If you have concerns, I want to hear them. Otherwise, carry on as usual. Kalem will be there too—it should be uneventful.”

“Unless your name is Theam,” I muttered.

He inclined his head knowingly. Auctions were tense on a good day. Usually, the biggest trouble came from fights between packs, but sometimes an omega herself could be the problem. Lola Theam had the potential to be one of those.

I lifted my coffee again. “Anything else, sir? I should get going. I’ve been feeling… off today.”

His eyes flicked to mine, sharper now. “Off?”

“Yeah. Restless. Nervous energy I can’t shake. Never felt anything like it before—maybe I’m burning out.”

“What did you say?”

“About what?” I slid my arms into my black pea coat. “Feeling off?”

“No, the part about never feeling anything like it. Not ever?”

I shrugged, trying to keep it casual. “It’s probably nothing. But… yeah, it’s like everything’s turned up a notch. Sounds, lights… more intense.” I snorted softly. “Probably just a migraine coming on. I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

He studied me for a long moment, then smiled faintly. “Get some rest. Take tomorrow off if you need it. Nothing much until the auction anyway. A three-day weekend might be good for you.”

“Thanks, boss.” I started for the door.

“Sindy?”

I leaned back in. “Yeah?”

“There’s nothing to fear. Or be nervous about. It’s just an auction. You’ll do it clean and efficient, like always.” His voice dropped, and the shadows in the office made the lines on his face seem deeper. “The Bureau takes care of its own. Remember that.”

I gave him a quick smile. “Got it.”

Then I left.

The hallway air felt cooler, but I still tugged at my coat collar. Too damn hot in there.

And for some reason, the restless feeling hadn’t gone anywhere.