The Alpha King Call Boy: Chap 47-128

Alexander

I was texting Fiona with a dumb smirk on my face when I heard sounds of movement approaching our bedroom door and snapped right to attention.

I was already opening the door by the time the man reached the doorstep. He had just raised his hand to

knock and froze when he saw me. It was a palace servant, one I didn’t recognize.

“Oh!” I had startled the small man. He lowered his fist awkwardly. “Alpha Alexander. The Alpha King has requested a meeting with you, Sir.” He inclined his head reverently.

“A meeting? When?”

“At your earliest convenience, Sir. He would prefer to see you right away, if at all possible.” The servant handed me a sealed envelope, stepped back, nodded his head again and then scurried away.

I watched him go. Then dipped back inside, locked the door behind me, and opened the letter.

My father had written me a note with his own hand, so that I would know this request was truly coming from

him. He asked me to meet him in his study.

I suited up quickly and walked fast to the other end of the palace.

The servant who had been at my door was just leaving my father’s study as I approached. I startled him for a second time. His eyes had been down, focused on the tray full of empty coffee cups he was carrying, and he almost walked right into me as he turned out of the doorway. I ducked out of his way at the last second. “Oh!” he cried again.

I had been assuming that my father wanted to speak to me about my summons to testify at Scarlet’s embezzlement trail. But as soon as I entered his study, I got the feeling something else was going on.

He looked up at me, stone-faced, as I entered.

“Good morning, Father,” I said with all the respect I could muster. “It has been a while since we last spoke.”

He gave a single, slow nod to acknowledge this. His lips curled down into a kind of emotionless frown.

“What is it?” I asked. Suddenly it was clear that things had changed since that last time we’d interacted months ago, when my smug and arrogant father had lashed me bloody for offending his wife in public. A different version of that man was standing in front of me now.

“Something’s happened,” he said. His baritone voice sounded grave.

“Vampires.” The word was on my lips like a reflex. I came out as a statement, not a question.

He nodded again. “Sightings in the southern villages.

No attacks yet. No disappearances. But… they’re back. I know it.”

A kind of switch flipped inside me, activating my military mind. There were no emotions in that part of my brain. Only fast thinking, calm composure, and an urgent compulsion to start planning.

“What do you need from me?” I asked.

My father began to pace the room. His steps looked heavy and tired. I got the sense that he had been up all night.

Finally he brought his large body to a stop in front of a picture window that overlooked the forest. He gazed out at the view. Then, without turning toward me, he said, “I need you to tell me what to do.”

He couldn’t bring himself to look me in the eye while he admitted this.

My mind was still turning on the news about the vampire sightings as I changed into sweats and jogged outside to meet Kayden for our usual pre-training workout.

Nearly every day we ran a rough path into the woods and back, just the two of us. It gave us time to warm up as well as talk before we turned our attention to the pack for the rest of the morning.

I always had something to talk to my Beta about. He was my sounding board. My confidant. My therapist on occasion, if I’m being honest. And always helpful for talking through a strategic issue. He asked good questions and pushed me to see things from different perspectives.

Running outside was the perfect time for thinking, too.

Something about the journey out and back, and the simple, instinctive movements required from the body satiated my wolf. I always felt calmer and more centered after a run.

Kayden was quiet for a while after I caught him up on all the details that my father had just shared with me.

“How many sightings have there been?” he finally asked.

“Only two that have been reported to my father.”

“Both in the same village?”

“Mm-hm.”

He went quiet again as we entered into thicker woods and had to separate from each other. We’d been

running side by side; now he fell behind me.

The trees grew closer together deeper into the forest.

This was the part of the run that put agility to the test.

I used my forearms like machetes, snapping small branches and other foliage out of the way as we charged forward through the overgrowth that crossed and attempted to block our path.

Kayden and I slowed and turned in unison when at last we reached the rock formation that we used as a mile marker, and started the second half of the run back toward the palace.

“Has he deployed any units?” Kayden asked, picking right up with the conversation we’d paused several minutes earlier.

“No. He hasn’t taken any action yet. Wanted to know what I thought, first.”

“What’d you tell him?”

“I told him I’d sleep on it. Give him my recommendations in the morning.”

We reached a place where a fallen log blocked the path, and leapt over it simultaneously.

“We should meet up tonight,” Kayden said between breaths. He was starting to get slightly winded. “Think Fiona will be working late again? We could talk about it over dinner. If she’s gonna be busy anyway.”

“Maybe. I’ll check in with her and see.”

Kayden was mixing up a couple of protein shakes in the little health bar behind the weight room while I chugged some water and checked my phone outside.

The crisp morning air felt amazing, cooling me rapidly

with every passing breeze that skimmed my sweat-drenched skin.

I opened my thread with Fiona and felt my face drifting into a smile while I reread our last couple texts. I still owed her a picture. For now, though, I just asked how her day was going, and if she had an idea yet about when she was going to make it home tonight.

I suppose I had been expecting to see a text or missed call from Iris when I looked at my phone, too.

But there was no word from her since we last spoke in person yesterday morning.

She was sure leaving me alone now, just as I had requested. But I discovered that I felt worried about her now after not hearing from her. I hoped that she was okay.

That woman was a real mess. I’d been—reasonably, I still felt—very frustrated with her crazy behavior. But the fact was, she really needed help. And I had promised I would take care of her.

It was still early, the last few minutes of deep blue dark before the sun would make its appearance in the sky. But Iris was an early riser. I texted her to see if she wanted to have a bite to eat with me and Kayden in a few hours, after we finished pack training.

She was up. She replied right away.