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Forty-Five
Elena
Alpha Thomas pisses me off, so I feel nothing as I slip what Tieriny calls her poop juice into his wine. For the rest of the night, Thomas remains quiet; I speak with the other Lunas, not wanting to piss Axton off. And I am surprised he doesn’t rip me to pieces over what I’ve said to Alpha Thomas.
“Are you alright, Tom?” Alpha Soyer asks, making me glance across the table at him.
Everyone turns their attention to him. He dabs at his brow with a napkin. He is sweating profusely, his other hand on his stomach. I watch as he sips from his glass of wine.
“Maybe some water, dear,” his mate tells him, offering her glass to him.
He slaps her hand away, spilling the water down her dress.
“Leave me. I must be coming down with something,” he snarls at her.
I hope my arguing with him earlier doesn’t make things worse for her. I notice how quiet she’s remained most of the night.
Axton leans back in his chair, draping his arm across my shoulders, his fingers absentmindedly playing with my hair. I tense automatically, only to feel his fingers move to my nape, his fingers running through my hair as he massages softly. I don’t know what to think of his affections tonight. I just have to keep reminding myself it is all for show.
“If you’ll excuse me, I think I might call it a night,” Alpha Thomas states, rising from his chair. His stomach gurgles loudly, and he clutches the edge of the table, his wife hurrying out of her seat. His face changes to a deep shade of red, sweat running down the sides of his face.
“Very well, the council would like to speak with you on Monday about your finances, Alpha. Be sure not to be late,” Axton tells him. His tone is ice cold.
Alpha Thomas tenses, and I know why. I’ve searched for months, trying to find out where the money was coming from via his laundromats. I managed to link his dealing with the human banks, yet I had a feeling Alpha Thomas was dealing in trafficking, although I could never prove it, and neither could the council. It was there; we knew he had underground dealings with the vamps. Proving it was another matter.
Once Alpha Thomas leaves, the atmosphere changes, and I can tell that Axton is good friends with those who stay. I watch as he downs his last drink, the one I dissolved three sleeping pills into. His words begin to slur, and he shakes himself.
After a couple more hours, most of the Alphas are blind drunk, including Axton; their Lunas are clearly driving.
“I see you to the door,” Axton says, stumbling from the couch, his whiskey in hand, as I walk Doreen to the door.
I like her; she reminds me a lot of my mother, and I know they’ve been friends for a while.
Axton stumbles, and I grab his arm to steady him. His hand goes to my belly, rubbing like I am a Buddha.
“So good to hear you two are trying to set things right after the whole leaked video incident,” Doreen comments.
I try not to snort. She has no idea I am playing along because I don’t feel like dealing with my ex-mate’s raging god complex. We are far from being a happy couple. Axton drunkenly leans against me, his hand moving over my belly.
“Have you thought of any names yet?” Doreen asks.
“I want to name one after my grandfather. Elena can pick the other,” Axton says before shocking me by kissing my cheek.
Doreen smiles softly. In contrast, Lexa seethes in my head. We aren’t buying his stupid act for a second, or his affections. We know what will become of us once the twins are born.
We say our goodbyes, and I notice the guard eating the lava cake Tieriny had made. Shutting the door, Axton lets out a breath and lets me go before stumbling.
“I think you poured my drinks a little strong,” he laughs as I grab his arm to stop him from faceplanting to the ground.
“Come, I will help you to bed,” I tell him, leading him down the hall. I push his bedroom door open, and he staggers, falling face-first onto the bed, and I move to remove his shoes when he grabs my arm.
“Lie with me,” he mumbles.
“I’ll pass. You’re drunk, and I can imagine the hell you would raise if you woke up beside me,” I tell him, shaking his hand off before tugging off his shoes.
“You did good tonight. I expected you to try to embarrass me.”
“And what purpose would that serve me?” I ask, and he yawns.
