The Alpha Summit

Chapter Sixteen

Mel placed the phone down on the table harshly. That hurt her more deeply than she expected. The woman she looked up to for advice and how to be a good leader was a horrible person. How would she ever succeed with nobody to help her?

The door opened, startling Mel a bit. Bentley, Jax, and Achilles entered the room quietly. None of them knew how to console her, as none of them knew what Alpha Wren meant to her.

Achilles put a comforting hand on her back, "You did amazing, Mel. I know that must have been hard for you."

"It was," she answered. "But the important thing is we are one step closer to figuring things out. She should be calling one of you soon."

Mel's gaze flitted to Jax and Bentley. They both looked visibly uncomfortable with the thought.

"I'll talk to her," Bentley replied. "I think if Jax did he would ruin the plan."

Jax growled, "She literally insulted all of us. I'm pretty sure we all wanna punch her."

Not even Mel could deny that. Alpha Wren deserved a lot more than a punch.

Achilles sighed deeply, "I think we all need a break. As of right now it's all hurry up and wait anyway."

Bentley nodded, "Let's go, Jax."

Jax looked over his shoulder as he was dragged out of the room. He offered Mel a lopsided smile. She assumed it was some sort of apology. She never understood why people apologized for things that weren't their fault.

As the door shut Achilles dragged his fingers through his hair, slightly tugging at it. His brain felt like a pile of scrambled eggs. Even better, he still had massive piles of work to attend to. He looked up to Mel. Her eyes were focused on something behind him; she was clearly in a different world. He couldn't help but stare at her. She gave him the hope that maybe things would be okay.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

He watched her focus back on him and he smiled. There was no way she heard any of that. He smiled wider at her confusion and settled on repeating his question.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Oh," she said. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"We'll just have to stop by my office quickly and then we can go."

She nodded. He reached for her hand. She promptly laced her fingers with his. There was no hesitation. They both needed the support right now.

Achilles led the way and opened the door when they reached his office.

Mel filled him over to his large desk. She stood behind his chair as he sat down and placed her hands on his shoulders. He opened his computer and she gasped at what filled the screen. He quickly closed the tab, but it was too late.

"What was that?" She questioned.

He threw his head back, "You weren't supposed to see that. Surprise ruined."

She smiled widely, "You were going to surprise me with Red Sox tickets?"

"That was the plan."

Mel threw her arms around him. She had only briefly mentioned her love for the team but he remembered. Not only that, but he was willing to bring her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He laughed, "Who said I was still bringing you? You ruined the surprise."

The look that overtook Mel's face made Achilles laugh loudly. Apparently, she was still hoping to go.

"I'm kidding," he said. "If taking you to a game makes you hug me like that we can go every day."