Ayla: Always an Alpha

Chapter 26 - Russian Roulette

~Ayla~

"I'd like to get some small matters out of the way before we get into our main topic of discussion," Alpha Cox began.

As much of an asshole as he was elsewhere, Cox surprisingly donned an air of professionalism for the monthly alpha meetings. Some of the older alphas liked to suit up for the occasion, and while I'd never seen Cox quite so professional as the older men, he'd always wear a crisp button up - some shade of blue, white, or off-white, of course - and a pair or leather shoes for this one day a month.

The younger alphas usually showed up as I imagined they looked every day. That included Alpha Martin, or to me, just plain old Noah, who shot me an amused grin as soon as Cox started speaking. We'd been making fun of Alpha Cox together long before either of us was ever a participant in one of the monthly meetings. Back when my father was grooming me to be a luna (because how dare I wish for anything else), he'd purposely drag me along to meetings with Noah's father, which included the monthly alpha gatherings, so Noah and I could have a playdate. Back then, we did not know that "playdates" were essentially some new-age version of a long, drawn-out arranged marriage but hey, at least my dad's illness kicked in before daddy Martin and him could start more seriously planning a wedding. What could've been an extremely uncomfortable experience thankfully turned out to be our best inside joke.

Past our initial exchange, Noah listened intently to Alpha Cox speak. While we'd surely talk up a shit storm after the meeting, we both knew that Cox, as annoying as he was, was due our respect during them. That's not to say we both haven't gotten into heated professional arguments - essentially statements that start with "respectfully, sir, I disagree" - with Cox over some of his stances in the past.

I tried to keep up with Cox's list of which packs were getting new warriors this cycle, but half of my brain was focusing on which side of 80/20 for smoothly/not smoothly I'd get today. I imagined being an accurate predictor of odds was a skill Killian had naturally picked up on the job, so I was taking that 20% as fact. While that was better than a single coin toss, I was not a fan of Russian roulette.

80/20. 80/20. With each new topic Cox brought up, my brain spun the chamber again.

What was Killian even up to? He'd refused to tell me any details, and I didn't badger him about the issue too much because I knew he was right about not letting me in on the plan. I tried to pitch other ideas on how we could find evidence against Cox without being in his territory, but Killian was convinced that whatever he intended to do today was the best way to go. It's safe to say by not continuing the argument, I was trusting his expertise.

I wondered if Killian had ever played roulette.

When a phlegmy alpha across from me cleared his throat to speak, the sound caught me by surprise, and I jumped.

Beside me, Noah cocked his head. His attempts to catch my eye were ignored.

Thankfully, Alpha Cox soon moved on to something that had everyone listening carefully.

"There were assassination attempts on two alphas made late yesterday," Cox revealed.

Goosebumps overtook my skin while the room erupted in exclamations of horror and confusion. Alpha Cox didn't care to share this information with me last night? Noah's hand grabbed mine underneath the conference table and gave me a reassuring squeeze. Still, I fought the urge to throw up while everyone quieted down enough for Cox to continue.

"One was made against Alpha Waters in Oregon. Another against Alpha Laurent in Pennsylvania. Alpha Laurent passed away shortly after she was found." He paused to stare straight at me. "We have reason to believe someone is targeting the female alphas."