Chapter 26 - Wouldn't That Be Inappropriate?

— Elaeya —

Kaden was right about the smell. I made sure to wash thoroughly before I went down for breakfast.

Of course, omelets were already prepared and served when I walked into the kitchen.

I was used to being alone, do things on my own, in silence, but this morning, the silence was weighing on me, and I sat at the counter instead while Mrs. Raynolds took care of washing the pan.

“Were the books I lend you yesterday useful?” she asked me after a minute.

“Yes, very much, thank you. I will continue to study them,” I replied.

“I’m glad to hear this, Miss. If you ever want more, just tell me, I can probably find many more.

“That would be lovely.” I took a few more bites, it was delicious. “Does he do this very often? To skip meals?

“Alpha Devon?

“Yes.

“He is a very busy man.

I pursed my lips but said nothing.

Mrs. Raynolds looked at me from above her shoulder. She put the pan down and turned around to face me.

“How about I prepare something and you can bring it to him?” she suggested.

“Oh, no, no, no. I was not saying this to insert myself in his affairs.” I shook my left hand in refusal and took another bite.

“You are worried about him, and rightfully so. Let’s do something about it,” she said with a sunny smile. She looked like a really kind woman.

“It is not my place.

“It’s very your place, or you would not have that mark on your neck.

I pawed at it subconsciously.

I shook my head. “He can take care of himself, it is not my place to interfere.

“He takes care of you, so I think you can take care of him too,” she told me wisely.

“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate of me?

“Given your position, I think it would be highly appropriate,” she went to the refrigerator. “How about I prepare something easy for him to eat while working, and you can bring it to him?

I nearly choked on my food, and swallowed carefully.

“It is not my place to go there. Maybe I should just send someone to cater it to him,” I suggested.

“I don’t think it would have the same effect,” she told me, taking a few things out and laying them on the counter. “I think the person that does the delivery is as important as the meal itself.

“I don’t think we are like that yet.” It sounded awfully domestic, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

“That is not what I heard this morning,” she said under her breath as she kept her eyes on her task.

I felt myself blush furiously.

“And if this is not what the two of you are yet, wouldn’t it mean that you have to make an effort to reach that goal?” she asked sagely.

“That is a sensible train of thought,” I admitted absentmindedly.

She smiled at me.

“Wouldn’t it be strange for me to go in there?” I asked her, putting my fork down.

“You will have to do it eventually,” she told me.

I nodded distractedly.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, but I got nothing.

I nodded again. “Do you need help?

She smiled at me again, and an echo from yesterday’s conversation flashed through my eyes. She saw it too, and shook her head. “I’m nearly done. You can finish your breakfast and get ready.

* * * * *

I stood by the packhouse with a small bag in my hand. Mrs. Raynolds made breakfast burritos and I prepared coffee. I was fairly sure he could easily get coffee at his office, but I felt the need for a thermos.

She gave me indications on how to reach his office, and I tried really hard not to get awkwardly lost. The house was enormous.

I had tied my hair in a low braided bun not to attract more attention than necessary with my hair. When I left, two more deliveries of boxes were being taken to my room. I didn’t even dare verify what was in them. Would there be more? Mrs. Raynolds was probably organizing their content by now.

I walked through the hall and down a long wide corridor. I crossed a few people who looked curiously at me, I ignore them and tried to look as if I knew exactly where I was going. I took a turn and headed toward the office wing.

The architecture changed from Victorian to something more Tudor-esque, intersected with highly modern additions of glass, stainless steel, and polished white glossy finishes.

“Excuse me, Miss,” someone interrupted me.

I turned around.

“I don’t know you. How did you enter this building? This is not for visitors,” he told me.

He was sitting behind a desk, another man dressed exactly like him, in a black suit and a white dress shirt, joined him.

Maybe I should just give him the package to get it to Kaden.

“Oh, what a surprise,” said a female voice that I recognized.

I turned around and saw Eva. She had traded her jeans and shirt for a dark-purple button-down and high-waisted pencil skirt. She looked quite elegant and professional.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, coming to me and giving me kisses on both cheeks.

“Do you know her Gamma Devon?” asked the man at Eva.

“Obviously,” she gestured at what had just happened, I supposed she questioned his deduction abilities. She turned to me.

“I am just delivering something,” I said.

She looked down at my package, smelled the air, and smiled broadly at me.

“I’m sorry Gamma, Miss, but you are not in our files, you can’t go any further.

“Then put her on file,” ordered Eva.

The man looked at his colleague briefly, but complied.

He took a camera and snapped a picture of me, which made me highly uncomfortable. I always made sure to never leave any photographic evidences behind.

“Name?” he asked me.

“Elaeya,” I replied.

“Full name,” he corrected.

“Elaeya Nari Ishaï Alden,” I complied.

He blinked. He probably had no idea how to write it.

Eva made an exasperated face, took the form from him and gave it to me, leaned over his desk to grab a pen and gave it to me too.

“That’s not how it’s done,” he told Eva. She scoffed.

I wrote my name in full and showed it to him.

He took the form from me and continued.

“Age?

“Twenty-two.

“Place of birth?

“Unknown.

He looked at me. Eva signed for him to continue.

“Citizenship?

“None.

“Social security number?

“None.

“Last place of residence?

“None.

He raised his head once more. “Now Miss…”

“She really has none,” confirmed Eva. She took the form from him again. He looked like he wanted to argue with her, but let her do it.

“We have security protocols for a reason,” the second man told Eva.

“Sure,” she said. “Isn’t there a vouching box somewhere?

“Here,” said the first man pointing to the place on the form. She signed her name, and filled another box. Then gave the sheet back.

“Come,” she told me. “I’ll show you around.

“She needs to be verified. And it will take a long while with so little information.

“Look at the box that reads relation to the pack,” Eva told him.

He looked down, I looked too.

Future Blakemore’s Luna

The man blinked at me with his eyes wide.

Eva took my hand and led me further in the building.

“Wait,” said the second man. The first slapped him in the chest and showed him the form. He looked annoyed at his colleague but looked down. His eyes bulged out and he looked slowly up at me.

“I can trust you to be discreet, gentlemen?” Eva asked them.

“Yes Gamma Devon,” they both replied and we left and moved up a flight of stairs.

Then another.

And another.

We stopped on the fifth floor. I could see the woods through the small windows deeply recessed in the thick reinforced walls of the fortress that made the office wing.

There was a desk near the stairs where two men similarly dressed to the ones below, sat. One of them jumped to his feet and inclined his head. It was Stellan. The other straightens in his chair.

“Hey, there Eva,” he said.

Stellan kicked at his legs for him to get up, but the man looked back at him confused.

“Hey guys,” said Eva as we passed them.

We walked pass a few offices, until we reached a reception desk with a dark skin man sitting there.

“Hey Mark,” Eva told him. “You can go ahead,” she told me, pointing at the wooded medieval door with long black hinges.

“You can’t,” Mark told me. “The Alpha is having an important call.

“You can’t,” Eva told him. “She can.

He looked as confused as I was.

“No one can block her,” she explained to him. “She outranks us all.” She looked at me. “Well… It’s a work in progress.

“Now I’m really confused,” Mark said.

Eva leaned over his desk and in a conspiratorial way muttered, “I don’t know if we can let this information go around yet, but she’s kinda your future Luna,” she said.

I squirmed. If things continued this way, everyone will assume I am Luna before either Kaden or I make any conscious choices regarding this.

“Which pack?” he muttered, clearly enjoying this.

“Blakemore,” she replied.

His eyes widened as he looked at me.

“Well, I’ll say this,” he finally commented. “Your brother has taste.

I looked down nervously.

“Go on ahead,” said Eva again.

Mark waved his hand communicating the same thing. Apparently, there were no more objections.

I inclined my head timidly and went to his office door, with the hope it would be less embarrassing with Kaden, but I doubted it.

I knocked twice and opened the door.

The office was large, the walls all made of thick stones. There was a large square midnight blue rug that covered most of the space. There was a large wooden desk before which were two leather chairs. There was a sofa further back and large bookcases covering most of the walls.

Kaden’s head whipped up annoyed, but his expression changed completely when he saw me. He had an earpiece, and I could hear someone talk on the other end, so I stayed quiet.

Kaden gestured at one of the chairs before his desk, I nodded nervously and went to sit.

“I don’t see how we can move this forward otherwise,” he told his interlocutor.

“I know, how about we meet up, have a long chat, brainstorm some?” asked the male voice on the phone. It sounded young and foreign. Latin? French maybe?

“I really can’t leave at the moment,” said Kaden, looking at me.

“How about I come?” the man suggested. “You’re always helping out, and I haven’t seen your pack in what twelve years?

“More or less. And yes, it would work much better for me. We can go more into detail about the contracts, and how we approach this. And while you’re at it, I have the Brotherhood on my ass, and they’re not happy with me, it could help to have a neutral party present.

“Sure. I don’t want to break it to you man, but I don’t think they ever really liked you.

“Oh, I know they never liked me. I’m just saying, they’re liking me even less now,” said Kaden.

“Ouch, if this continues it will turn hostile.

“That’s what I’m worried about. I don’t want hostilities right now.

“Okay, give me a few days, maybe a week. I’ll check my schedule with Laeticia and confirm with you.

“Deal,” said Kaden.

“Okay, I’ll call you later,” the man said.

Kaden grunted in affirmation and hung up. He looked at me happily.

“Is this breakfast that I smell?

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