Secret of An Alpha: Repercussions

Chapter thirty-five

"We'll have our dinner, and after we're done, we'll come here. Come on, Rolus. Try to loosen up and enjoy."

Rolus grunted, getting up to wear his shoes.

They walked out of their tent with the food they brought. Most of it was meat, crackers and different types of nuts. They found Giveon, Cole and Leo preparing the fire. Hope, Lilah and Bianca were marinating the meat.

Luke went to help the men by scavenging for woods. Rolus came to help him and told him to return to camp with the woods he gathered.

After Luke left, Rolus walked around the area, surveying it for small creatures that might scare the women. He walked farther from camp, his eyes darting this way and that trying to locate snakes, rodents or lizards.

There were small shrubs that hid those rodents. He then heard rustling of leaves next to him. A rodent scurried away from the shrub next to him to hide under another shrub away from him.

"Bored much?" Rolus turned to meet with Cole.

He was holding two beer cans and handed one to Rolus. "Thanks."

"We are waiting for you. What are you doing here?" Cole asked, taking a sip of his beer.

Rolus opened the can. The first sip was refreshing and cold, the crispness of the beer quenching the undying thirst he never knew he had.

Rolus shrugged, telling Cole that he was making sure that the area was safe. "Places like these usually have rattle snakes hustling around for rodents."

"There are no snakes here. We get this place fumigated at least twice a month to make sure that it's safe for our guests. Don't worry."

That made Rolus mentally roll his eyes. He was sure that the shrubs hid snakes. His nose did not lie.

"Do you own this resort?" Rolus questioned, just out of curiosity.

Cole drank the last pint of his beer, crushed the can, then threw it far away. "It's a family business. My siblings and I have shares in this business..."

Cole explained how they all took their share. One sibling owned the hotel, the other the recreational area, Hope owned the lake and the surrounding areas and he owned the hiking trail. That's why they accompanied them.

"It's a lucrative business, especially this hiking trail."

Rolus joked, "I agree that it's a lucrative business. It's quite expensive, especially this hiking trip."

Cole lightly chuckled, explaining to him that they have a private chopper for their customers if ever one can't come down.

"We prioritise safety over everything. Bianca had to go to nursing school just for this. She figured that knowing basic first-aid wouldn't help a dying person. We invested everything we had into this and now that it's running smoothly, we want to get our money's worth."

Rolus agreed that they prioritised safety over everything. Yes, they made them feel safe and accompanied them to the top of the mountain. They kept them entertained. What he still didn't understand was why it was so damn expensive. The hiking was the most expensive of them all.

"Why do you seem bothered by the cost, Rolus?"

That broke Rolus out of his trance. He shrugged, "Nothing. Anyway, let's head back to camp." He crushed the can and threw it away.

They walked together back to camp to find Luke and the others sitting around the fire, eating. He snuck next to Luke so that Luke rested his head on Rolus' shoulder.

"That took long," Luke muttered, handing Rolus his plate of food.

Inside was skewed meat with crackers and salt on the side. Natalie's plate had roasted marshmallows with peanuts and crackers.