Page 54 of The Betas: Rene
Chapter Nineteen
The Alpha’s Library
Monday Morning
“I can’t believe I ate two stacks of pancakes, a cheese and bacon omelet, sausages and toast. If you didn’t tell me about my new metabolism, I’d be horrified.” Spring had finally arrived and the walk, although short, was pleasant.
Frankie and René returned to The Alpha’s house by the same route they’d traveled early that morning. Their first venture out as a married couple was to their workout in The Alpha’s home gym. Martin and Edward joined them there, and the four of them worked out together. Edward was a good workout partner for Frankie, they were well matched.
“I’m glad I have someone human to lift with me. Those two can lift an obscene amount of weight as casually as we would pick up a pencil and not break a sweat. At least with you, I stand a chance in the competition.”
Edward chuckled. “What’s disgusting is that Martin and René are Betas. Can you imagine what The Alpha can lift?” He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. “I’m for the showers. We shower here because Meg feeds us.”
“As far as I know, Annie has breakfast waiting for us. I’ll see you later.” Frankie slapped Edward on the back and had headed home with René.
Upon their return, Frankie could see why The Alpha needed him. The Alpha lived in a world populated by loup garou with only The Alpha Mate and Edward to give him the human perspective. Edward maintained his own office in the city to be accessible to the other Alphas and didn’t interact with The Alpha daily, and The Alpha Mate wasn’t a good example of a typical human. The Alpha needed a human around to remind him that they shared this world.
René would be with him today, his first day of work. The Alpha Mate had no plans to go out. On Mondays, he didn’t have class or studio time, so René would be home for the meeting with Dante.
Frankie arrived with René at The Alpha’s and Pierre directed them to the dining room. Frankie’s curiosity heightened because earlier, Martin had told him that The Alpha would meet him in the library. The Alpha abruptly came downstairs for breakfast instead of eating with The Alpha Mate in his suite as was his usual custom. Meg had to scramble to set a place and serve coffee. The Alpha asked Frankie, René, and Martin to sit down with him. Behind The Alpha’s back, Martin raised his brow. Frankie knew there was trouble upstairs.
The Alpha loudly cleared his throat. “We have to devise a strategy. However, first, we must define our goals. Frankie?”
Frankie took a deep breath. “As I see it, we want Dante to let our men pose as his, take Prokhor and Mikhailov unawares, have them guarded in our car, while Dante takes care of Kuznetsov by offering him monetary compensation for his trouble.” He took a sip of his coffee.
“That’s it, yes.” The Alpha rubbed his chin and began to eat his breakfast.
“We’ll have to offer Dante monetary incentive because he may lose Kuznetsov as a business partner,” Frankie suggested. The Alpha leaned in closer, attentive.
“When you paid to guard Richard, Dante named what he considered to be an impossible sum, as did Apuso when Alpha Davidoff wanted to free Donal. You paid without negotiation for both Donal and for Richard’s protection. Therefore, he knows you have money, lots of it, and he’s aware that it means nothing to you. He’s going to ask for something else. Something that will cost you more. Don’t think because he let me go that he’s suddenly gone soft. As usual, my mother asked, and he provided.” Frankie sipped his coffee.
“Didn’t René tell me that he’s finally accepted the fact that some men are born gay?” The Alpha finished his first omelet and took the paper off a blueberry muffin, buttering it while Meg prepared the second.
“Intellectually, now, he may get it, but emotionally, he’s still old-school Italian, having only left Little Italy to go to Brooklyn, so my mother could have her house.”
René gasped.
The Alpha said aloud what his René could not bring himself to ask. “Do you think he may ask for you back?” René’s face grew thunderous. He may be a Beta, but he was more than enough Alpha compared to a human to outwit Dante.
“It’s a possibility. Although, maybe not, because Dante knows now I’m not above appealing to my mother, now that I’ve fulfilled my obligation to him. It was because he knew I was the type to always pay my debts that he trusted me to stay put in the first place. The only leverage he has over me now is Mom, and we both have an interest in keeping her safe and unaware of the true nature of Dante’s business dealings. As I’ve said before, he does love her.”
Meg brought out plates, and The Alpha offered the Betas and their Mates some muffins. Because of his new metabolism, Frankie didn’t refuse.
The Alpha nodded. “I could see that, Saturday. Dante’s very solicitous of your mother and his eyes go soft when he speaks of her.” He took the last bite of his second omelet and a piece of Taylor Ham.
She was there with the coffee as soon as there was only a drop left in The Alpha’s cup. She removed the omelet plate as The Alpha took the paper off another muffin and sipped at his fresh coffee.
Martin spoke up, “What could he ask for that we don’t have the resources to give him?” Meg filled both his coffee cup and Frankie’s.
“A piece of Garou.” Frankie scanned the table. The shock on their faces was palpable.
“No!” The Alpha shouted as he pounded on the table until the coffee cups rattled. “No part of Garou will ever go to an outsider. Every member of the board would challenge me before that happened and rightfully so.”
“That would be his opening negotiating position. After being refused a part of your business, he would ask to use it as a front for his illegitimate businesses. That is what you can expect from a fully emboldened Dante unless you can ferret out something hewants more.”
The Alpha made a moue of distaste.
Armand bristled. “If that’s the case, I’ll go into the pit with both Russian Alphas. It’s not as if I couldn’t take them. They have let themselves grow soft. I will prevail and then deliver them to the gods for beheading once I’ve beaten them.”
