The Alpha's Surrogate [The Alpha's #1]

Chapter 18

ALPHA MARCELLUS STORM

For what felt like the millionth time in the past few minutes, Marcellus shook his head and groaned audibly, not even trying to hide how frustrated and done he was with the conversation that had just started.

Oh, how he wished he could hang up the phone and drift back off to dreamland where his dream awaited him, residing in a completely different reality where she wasn't pregnant and everything was perfect; where they were perfect.

Too bad life just didn't work that way.

"Alpha Marcellus." Elder Malachi, the head of the council, tutted for what also felt like the millionth time in the past few minutes, his voice demanding attention. "Are you still there?"

Marcellus clenched his jaw tight and stilled his breathing, sinking further into his bed and burying his head into the pillow, beyond frustrated even though he had barely been able to say anything before the elder had demanded that he calm down before proceeding.

"I can hear you breathing." Malachi deadpanned and Marcellus was sure that he was rolling his eyes.

His wolf growled at that.

These old bats think that they know everything but there's a reason that they're not in positions of power anymore.

And there's also a reason why they became elders. He sighed and reached up to run a frustrated hand down the side of his face. They're were so good at being in power that they've become elders.

Or they're so power hungry that they just couldn't give it up.

Well, there's that too. Marcellus audibly chuckled before turning his attention back to the phone.

Marcellus didn't put it past elder Malachi to complain about him to his father, elder Maverick as some of the elders had done a few times in the past. Whenever they believed Marcellus to be difficult or non-conforming, they tattled on him like he was a child. Not that his father could do anything other than try and convince him to be more pleasant on the phone with the distance between them.

"The line cut off there for a while." Marcellus lied expertly, refusing to apologise even if he was being rude. "I couldn't quite hear you but it's all good now."

"Sure." Malachi hummed on the other end of the phone, not falling for the blatant lie for even a second. "But I believe you got my message from your Beta?"

"Yes, Dalton told me all about the pleasant conversation the both of you had last week." His frown deepened as he thought of the way he had avoided calls from the council all week, choosing to deny the problem instead of acknowledging it in hopes that it would disappear even though from his ten years as Alpha, he knew denial was never the way to go.

It was only because the call had come in through private number, and mixed in with the fact that he had been asleep that Marcellus picked up the phone, expecting it to be either one of his wolves or employees.

"And it took you a whole week to get back to us?"

"Yes." He replied dryly, not bothering to hold back the urge to roll his eyes. "I've been busy running a pack and a business to keep this pack afloat, but I'm sure you already know about all of that."

Marcellus didn't bother hold back his snicker on that last statement, a direct jab at the elder who had only been a Beta in his time during the pack. The former Alpha of his pack had been the head of the council for many, many years but after he had passed – under slightly suspicious events which Marcellus doubted was very thoroughly investigated – elder Malachi had jumped to take over and since he had been his Alpha's right-hand man for his entire life. He had won with a unanimous vote.