The Alpha King Call Boy
Chapter 232

Alexander

I hardly noticed the hours slipping by as the team and I stayed up all night, strategizing in my study. Grayson, Chase, Kayden, and a handful of my Gammas worked together until at last we had our battle plan completed, just as the morning sun started warning us that our visitors would need to depart soon. Our new allies were returning home today, starting with a mid-morning flight and then a long train ride deep into the desert. A trip that I would be making soon myself, along with almost all my soldiers.

Only a few members of the pack would be staying behind from this mission. Three men had been injured in training last week and weren't fit for battle, and a half dozen others would be staying at the palace for the important job of keeping an eye on Fiona and Alexis while I was away.

That trip out to Grayson's property, long as it would take, would be the simplest part of this journey. After camping with the Cold Moon pack, the true challenge would begin.

We knew now where the vampires were hiding. We had found their lair. And now we had plotted exactly where we would lay siege.

And I had made a decision about how we were going in. There would be no explosives. The threat of ecological destruction was too great.

We would have to make our approach down into the canyon caverns much, much more slowly and carefully. It would be laborious and painstaking.

The important thing was that we had a plan, and it was apt to work.

But it was going to cost us.

Climbing down into the canyon manually was going to deplete and weaken us. I would be foolish not to be concerned about this part of the 'plan. How many hours it would take and how much strength we might have left once we finally invaded the enemy's nest... at which point, much work would still be done. Some of those vampires were bound to awaken and struggle when we made our attack- they always did. Caius would awaken the quickest; I was sure of that. And he was the fiercest among all those evil creatures. The strongest by far. That demon was a truly ancient evil, a deeply powerful devil I hope to never face on my own, without the strength of my pack behind me.

Caius was sure to hear us when we broke into the tomb, and he was going to put up a good fight.

"That leaves just one last thing to decide," Kayden said, finally tearing his tired eyes away from the map on the table. He was right, everything had been discussed by now - all but one last detail. "When do we leave?"

I heard Fiona talking as I opened our bedroom door. "Yes, that will be fine," she was saying in a business-like tone.

She was seated at the table with Lexi at her breast, feeding the baby and multitasking. Her phone was flat on the table nearby. I recognized the female voice that rang out on speaker. It belonged to the interior decorator Fiona had been working with this past week, who I'd met once.

My eyes caught briefly on a neat row of gift bags arranged on Fiona's desk, shiny gold and lavender colored bags with tufts of white and purple tissue paper peeking out from the tops.

Fi looked up at me when I entered and smiled a little, but did not break pace in her conversation. She thanked the woman for giving her some information and wrapped up the call while I finished sloughing off my shoes and jacket, sniffing myself as I did so and realizing that I was in bad need of a shower. "Hi," Fiona finally called out to me.

"Hi, beautiful." I crossed the room and kissed my wife's forehead.

And then the baby's. Lexi was less receptive to my affection than Fiona; she pushed my face away with a surprisingly strong hand and narrowed her steely little eyes at me angrily. "Sorry," I mumbled, chuckling and backing away. Fi giggled, shaking her head down at Alexis. "So, I've made a decision," she said, clearly excited about whatever it was she'd just been discussing with the decorator. " I've decided that I want to go through with it. Turning that room in the East Wing, the big empty one, into a hospice suite for Grandfather."* Oh." I was a little surprised, considering we'd only just learned last night that Fi's grandfather was in pretty bad shape and couldn't even have visitors anymore. But Fiona is a rational person. I had to believe there was some logic behind this idea of hers. I nodded. encouragingly and waited for her to continue." I started looking into it and asked Isabel if she'd be up for overseeing such a project. She was on board and even seemed to know a little about how to get started." "Well, that's good."

"I know that now is not the right time, of course." Fi shook her head, then shrugged. "For Grandfather to move in here. And perhaps there will be no right time. But I just want to have it ready, in case. In case there is a time when he is up for the move, and we can bring him here safely, and then I can spend some of his last days with him. Who knows if such a time will come, but if it does, I'd like to have the room ready and waiting."

"Makes sense." I reached out and stroked Fiona's cheek. "How can I help? Anything you need from me to get the renovation started?" She leaned into my hand and smiled up at me. "Not really. Just your support, which you are already giving me. Thank you." I leaned down to give her a kiss. "That," I told her, "you can have any time, sweetheart.*

"I'm sorry," she said, suddenly shaking her head. Reprimanding herself, I realized "I was so wrapped up with my project, I didn'teven ask you how your night went. Did you guys get a plan worked

"It was good. And yes, we've finalized our battle plan."

Fiona exhaled thoughtfully then moved her eyes from me to the baby. Lexi was finished eating. I gestured for Fi to hand her off, so that I could burp the baby and clean her face while Fiona pieced her nursing bra and button-down top back together.

Finally, she asked the big question. I wondered if perhaps Fiona had actually been stalling this whole time since I walked in, waiting to get the baby off of her before she found out the answer. "When are you guys going to leave?" she asked. "Have you decided upon a day?"

"Yes," I said with a sigh. "Saturday morning." She nodded. "Two days."

"Yes." I held little Lexi close to my chest, cradling her head with one hand ever so gently and gazing down into her aquamarine eyes.

Leaving these two for the battlefield.. This was so different than the last time I left this palace for war. I had so much to lose this time. So much I was leaving behind.

"Good," Fiona said quietly. "Time to get this over with, I suppose." I smiled at her sadly. "I suppose you're right."

"Have I missed our guests' departure?" she asked, glancing at her watch.

"No. Though I think they'll be heading to the airport within the next half hour or so."

"I'd like to say goodbye. And I prepared a few parting gifts for the ladies." She used her eyes to point at the pretty bags on her desk.

"You're going to make me look bad," 1 mumbled, admiring the beautiful wrapping job she'd done.

*What? What do you mean?"

"I didn't prepare any gifts for Grayson or his Beta.

She laughed. "Hm. Well, perhaps it will put your mind at ease to know there are a few items in those bags that the ladies' husbands are sure to appreciate,"

I felt one of my eyebrows lilt lecherously. *Is that so?"

Fiona grinned. "Yes. It the men are disappointed to leave without goodie bags of their own, they may not be disappointed for too long."

"Well. That's a very thoughtful indeed *

She shook her head at me, pressing her lips against a smile. "There are other things, too. Not just lingerie and bubble bath. I also went through my closet for items that I thought they might like. I have too many clothes, in so many different sizes, and I hardly wear any of them anymore... I thought it might be nice to share."

1 looked at my watch to check the time for myself now. Fiona followed my eyes.

"Yes," she said, standing. "We should head out now, if we're going to catch them."