Page 18 of Coveted

Vax almost choked on his tongue. He knew the agreements he’d signed stated an alpha had to pick the omega up at the Collection Center where she resided, but he hadn’t thought through the timeline. He’d need eight days to travel to Earth and back.

“Would it be possible to send my assistant to bring her here?”

Orange eyes narrowed, the woman’s lips tipping down in a frown. He’d heard about Suri enough to recognize her, but he’d yet to see the bubbly personality Elise always talked about. Earth’s Intake Coordinator had shown him nothing but cool professionalism that took a turn for the worse with his question.

“We do prefer the alpha pick up his omega himself since the first meeting is so important. Plus, there’s the week of visitations at the Center to get to know each other before she leaves.”

His breathingdidstop with that announcement.

“Week? I can’t stay on Earth for a week! The trip alone is going to put me behind.”

He knew it was a bad idea to lose his temper with one of the few people capable of overriding him claiming Alana, but he was under enough pressure to get everything he needed done. While he could handle a lot of it from the hopper on the trip there and back, he didn’t have the extra time to linger.

“We understand you have a busy schedule, Chancellor, but these protocols are in place for a reason.”

He ground his teeth, barely holding back the growl threatening to rip from his chest. Protocols were half of what had led him to his current predicament, but if he didn’t find a way to work it out, he’d have spent a lot of credits for nothing. They weren’t going to give him a refund because he was too busy to come get his mate.

He was wracking his brain for a way to make it work when Suri offered him exactly what he needed.

“Because we know you have other responsibilities, we can waive the visitations, but only after the initial meeting, and only if Alana agrees. It must be you that comes to get her.”

It was a small concession, but Vax knew it was the best he would get. For him to meet Alana on Earth when she arrived, he’d have to leave in two days, so he didn’t have the time to waste arguing over it.

“I’ll be there.”

Suri nodded at his terse response, her features softening.

“I’ll forward the information for when you arrive and leave you to your preparations then. Congratulations. I hope you and Alana find happiness together.”

A grunt was all he could manage as he disconnected the call, thoughts jumbling together as he tried to figure out what meetings he would need to reschedule and what he could do as a call. He preferred to see people in person where he could gauge their reactions, but he couldn’t put everything off for that long.

Clicking the line open to Varner, he asked the man to come to his office. He didn’t even wait for a greeting from his Chief of Staff before launching into a list of tasks.

“I need to change all the meetings I have scheduled after tomorrow. Most will have to be done as calls, but there are a few that will need to be rescheduled for after my return. I’ll send you a list of those.”

The horns that served as Varner’s brows rose as Vax continued.

“I’ll be gone for about nine days if all goes well, so if I’m needed during that time it will have to be handled as a call, or it will have to wait. You will be acting Chancellor in the case of an emergency if I cannot be reached.”

Vax watched the beta’s eyes grow wider, secretly enjoying Varner’s surprise. One of the things Vax appreciated about the man was how unflappable he was, but Vax enjoyed throwing him off-guard when he could. He hadn’t informed Varner that he’d even bid on Alana, much less that he’d won and was going to retrieve her, and he had to fight a smile imagining how Varner would react.

“Each evening after my return through the foreseeable future, I need an hour after dinner blocked off. No interruptions other than emergencies. I also need the hopper prepared for a trip to Earth, leaving in two days, with a second passenger on the return. The First Lady’s rooms will need to be ready when we arrive.”

Varner’s eye lit at the last sentence as he connected the dots. The grin that split his face was almost terrifying with the man’s pointed teeth on full display. Even the betas on Ithxa had evolved with deadly features to survive their harsh planet, but Vax knew the Ithxan alphas were even more fierce.

“You listened! For once.”

Vax straightened the smile he hadn’t realized he was wearing, narrowing his eyes as he let out a huff. Excitement bubbled in his chest at the idea of having an omega, but it still warred with the worry that she’d distract him from his duties. He hadn’t been trained or chosen for his position, and he was only hanging onto it because the people of Farcon 1 trusted him. If he failed to meet their needs and they grew discontent, the Council would replace him in an instant.

“Any word from the Council about the next meeting?”

Varner’s expression turned serious as he gestured toward Vax’s tablet.

“I sent you the information this morning. You’re not going to have much time to prepare once you return.”

Concerned by Varner’s tone, Vax turned his attention to the tablet by his hand, opening his messages and skimming to the one he needed. Curses fell from his lips as soon as he read it, his growl underlining it all as he slammed a hand on his desk.

“This is ridiculous. The only reason they want to have the Council meeting here is to put their noses into everything and try to force me to move faster. Why can’t they just back off? I’m doing what they want as fast as we can.”

---