AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Realizing I was still touching him, I took my hand away and dropped back into my seat. “I’ve gone to all this trouble to do it. You can’t change it now.”
“Will you check in with me regularly?” He looked imploringly at me, and I feared I’d made things worse.
I considered his request. “Every hour is the best I can do.”
He stared at me, obviously weighing whether it was worth pushing for more than that. “That’ll have to do. I’m telling you now that I don’t like this. The first sign of trouble and I’m pulling you from the route.”
“Fine,” I said curtly, then stood and stalked out of the office.
Everyone outside tried to pretend they hadn’t been listening for raised voices as I exited the office and closed the door firmly behind me. I did not slam it though I wanted to. It felt like one step forward, two steps back with Dakota. It was maddening.
Shelby approached me warily. “Everything okay, Kade?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, fine. Brief difference of opinion with Dakota, but it’s all fine. Listen, I don’t have his personal number and he’s insisting on regular check-ins with this new route. Could I get his number?”
She looked confused for a second but said, “sure, gimme a sec,” before walking off. She returned a minute later with her own device and quickly added his number for me, as well as her own. When I gave her a quizzical look, she explained, “you really should have more of the support staff numbers just in case, so now you have mine,” she gave a bright smile and went back to her desk.
I typed out a message quickly, snorting at how Shelby had saved his number on my phone:
Kade: Hey, this is Kade. First check-in. Another in an hour.
It might have been slightly sarcastic in tone, but it could also be read without it dripping with subtext. It didn’t take him long to reply, and I vowed to change the name before I did anything else.
Boss-man Dakota: Thank you, Kade. Speak to you in an hour. I hope you have no issues.
Quickly changing the name, I went to grab my handheld and deliveries and found that the ogres had already filled my van for me. “Hey, thanks, peeps!” I called out in their direction and they smiled at me and gave head nods. I never liked to take it for granted that they would load up for me. They certainly had enough to do and even as an omega, I was plenty strong. Still, I appreciated their work ethic, and they saved me from a sore back.
Stepping up into the van, I was ready to fall at their feet when I saw how they’d organized it for me. “I love you, peeps!” I shouted from the depths of my vehicle and I heard their rumbling laughter. That totally made my day.
It didn’t take me long to get on the road after that and towards Sweetwater.
I hadn’t been in the town of Sweetwater in months. The pack alpha preferred that the same drivers came in and out and that we didn’t change up the schedule without warning. I usually stuck to the fringes of Northarbor, or downtown Northarbor itself. So I’d completely forgotten that I’d have to check in with the sentries when I tried to deliver anywhere near the pack alpha’s home. I had nothing for the main house, which was a relief because just getting past the enforcer at the compound gates was going to be a problem.
He made the universal signs for stop and roll down the window. “I.D,” he barked, his dark shades hiding his eyes from me.
After looking over the offered card, he handed it back and consulted a list. “You’re on the list and your I.D says omega. I smell beta.”
Well, fuckety fuck.How the hell had I forgotten the whole checks that the pack had done on us all, including noting our designations? Simply put, I was a moron. “I...uh...am having ex trouble.” I flashed a flirty grin, “keeps following me around. Thought this would throw him off.” I gave a self-deprecating grin. “Totally forgot about the check-ins. Don’t suppose you could let this pass? I’d make it worth your while.” The tone of my voice was suggestive.
“Oh, yeah?” The enforcer inclined his neck, flashing a mating bite. Moon help me. Though they couldn’t carry young or impregnate anyone, betas still formed mating bonds. The more mated pairs that a pack had, the more secure and stable the pack was. Council law decreed that alphas only bonded with omegas and betas only with betas to ensure our numbers stayed stable.
Mated. Fantastic. “I meant cold hard cash, though you are hot.” I hoped I still had my stash of cash hidden in the van.
“That right? No chance. Alpha Blake pays me plenty. I don’t need your money.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. I should have known that pack tithes and the cider business meant the pack did okay financially and could pay the enforcers well. “Look, I just want to do my job. I don’t mean any harm. I swear. It’s just for my safety.” I pleaded.
He considered me. “So you only want to keep a guy away? That’s the only reason?”
“Yeah, listen, you can check in with my boss. His name should be on the sheet. Dakota Flemming.”
The enforcer moved away from me and made the call out of earshot, his back to me, so I couldn’t hear what was being said, even if my wolf senses were working right. I shook my head to clear the fog that was descending as he returned. My body flashed from hot to cold in the stuffy van and I felt jittery and wrong.
“I’m letting you through today and making a note that I checked with your boss. Can’t say every enforcer will do the same. Take that warning and leave the magic behind next time.” He rapped firmly on the bonnet of the van, indicating I should drive through.
Although I shook, I somehow managed to get by the checkpoint and on to my first delivery. Getting out of the van was a challenge. My legs felt like jelly and I just wanted to go home and sleep. The encounter had sapped my energy just when I’d been feeling pretty decent for a change.
The Sweetwater pack deliveries took no time at all and I could finally breathe when I exited the compound where most of the four hundred strong pack lived. It was like its own village within the town with pack-run businesses. I knew they had a farm and a brewery. I’d even tried the shifter strength cider they sold to the nearby cities and towns.
