The Lone Wolf

12, The Omega

Once a month, Fox learned, the Alphas had a meeting at one of their houses. This one was held at Leyra's house.

Fox had just finished brushing his teeth in the bathroom when he heard the voices of the other Alphas downstairs. He poked his head out of the bathroom to get a peek down the stairs, wondering why they were all here. They herded themselves into the kitchen, and as they passed the stairs, Fox could see them carrying paperwork.

Fox went to his room and changed into fresh clothes. After, he made sure to be quiet as he went downstairs. As he peered around the corner into the kitchen, he found everyone making themselves comfortable at the dining table.

He stepped forward just enough to make his presence known, but not enough to invade their space. The Alphas glanced at him.

"Go grab some breakfast, then come back here," Leyra told him.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, and slipped out the back door to make his way across the field.

Breakfast was uneventful. Fox and Star swapped food they didn't like, and no one tried to fight. Afterwards, the lone wolves were sent to spend their day of rest in their bunkers, or within the sector under watchful eyes of the Betas.

Star asked Fox if he wanted to stay there and hang out with her. She could share some of her experiences as a witch and show him what patronage to goddesses was like. But Fox regretfully declined, telling her he still had to serve the Alphas today. Star was disappointed, but understanding, and Fox promised to hang out with her some other time.

He made his way back to Leyra's house. The back door was propped open to let in the cool late summer air. Papers were spread over the dining table, and Sunshine had brought out glasses of iced tea for everyone. The Alphas were engaged in conversation when Fox approached the back door, and he decided to wait for instruction. He settled down onto the back porch steps.

He listened silently as the Alphas discussed various things. Their topics ranged from how the start of the school year was going, to inventory checks of both the farm and medical sectors, to upcoming holiday plans, to going over suggestions made by the pack members.

A few hours went by, and Fox was beginning to think he wasn't needed for anything at all. Leyra had just told him to come back so that he could stay somewhere under watchful eyes, and away from the other loners. It made him wonder if the Alphas purposely wanted to keep him apart from the other lone wolves, either for a reason, or because they had noticed he didn't like them.

Fox felt bad that he had to turn down Star, but maybe it was better to keep his distance from the bunkers. He didn't want to get into a fight with either Seb or Warren.

Fox moved to lie down on his side, boredom causing drowsiness to take over. He'd just begun to doze off when Evander called his name. He jolted and stood up, turning to face the Alpha.

"I want you to run to the sandwich shop in town and grab lunch for us. Take these," Evander said, holding out a couple slips of paper and two $20 bills. Fox reached out and took them. One slip of paper was a permission note, and the other was a list of their orders. "Look at me," Evander said, and Fox met his gaze. "I don't want any pickles or mayonnaise on mine. Absolutely none, understand? If I find either on my sandwich I will make you walk all the way back into town and get a new one."

"Yes sir. No pickles, no mayonnaise," Fox assured him.

"And I want both the exact change and the receipt. If I see that something doesn't add up, I will not hesitate to punish you. This is not your money, understand?" he added, his expression hardening to get his point across. Fox nodded.