Chapter 60: 60: The Summit Part 2

MELANIE

I’m sneaking into the pack house, slipping into Max’s room to hang his tuxedo on the back of his closet door. He won’t notice it there.

I’m out of the house in a flash, grabbing Ginger’s suitcase and rushing it up to my room.

The car is safely tucked away in the garage, and Ginger is waiting for me by the back door. We’ve managed to stay hidden, so I’m hopeful we can slip into the house unnoticed.

We’re tiptoeing up the stairs when I hear a door open. Worried it might be Beck or Macy, I quickly shove Ginger into a coat closet.

Those two can’t be trusted to keep her secret. I lean against the wall, pretending to be engrossed in my phone.

Then it hits me. It’s not Beck or Macy.

The scent filling my nostrils doesn’t belong to any member of our pack.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath. That’s when I remember the king’s guards are staying on the beta’s floor.

“That’s not a very nice thing to come out of such a beautiful woman’s mouth,” a deep voice echoes.

I look up…and up. Standing before me is one of the largest men I’ve ever seen, nearly as big as Brock.

Seeing him instantly reminds me of Brock, causing my heart to ache. As I study the man before me, I realize he must be a Viking too.

It’s strange to think that I’ve now encountered not one, but two Vikings in my life.

“Oh hello. I apologize, I thought you were someone else.”

“Is that good or bad, Princess?” he asks.

“Uh, good, I guess. I’m trying to avoid the person.” I shrug.

“And why would you call me Princess? I hate that.”

“Because you are. Are you not the alpha’s daughter?” he says, grinning.

“I am, yes. Well, I am one of them. I am certainly no princess, though.”

The big man shrugs. “If you say so. The name is Dirk.” He extends his hand.

Instead of shaking my hand, he brings it to his lips and kisses it. I’m taken aback, and it must show on my face.

Dirk laughs, a deep, genuine laugh. I pull my hand back and give him a small smile.

“Dirk. It’s very nice to meet you. My name is Melanie. Now if you will excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

As I turn to head up to the third floor, I glance over my shoulder. “You never saw me.”

He shakes his head and then descends the stairs.

I wait at the top of the steps on the landing to the third floor. Once I’m sure he’s gone, I run back down, pull Ginger from the closet, and we dash up to my room.

We need a better plan. I can’t keep hiding Ginger like this.

If Max comes home while she’s here, he’s sure to find her and then her surprise would be ruined.

MAX

These meetings are exhausting. Some of these alphas could talk for hours, seemingly just to hear their own voices.

I glance at my father a few times and can tell he’s growing bored. He’s good at hiding it from everyone else, but I know him well enough to know he’s thinking of something else.

I lean over and whisper, “Is this almost over? I’m starving.”

My father shoots me a scowl, silently telling me to be quiet. I sit back in my chair and turn my attention to the alpha of the Phoenix pack.

He’s just taken the floor and is discussing improving the maximum-security prisons. Apparently, there’s been a breach at one of them.

He doesn’t say which one, which means it could be anywhere in the world.

“I think this is a good idea, let’s discuss it further after we have dinner.”

My father is one who gets very testy if he’s hungry. We skipped lunch to ensure everything was set in the banquet hall.

My father turns to the king, “That is if you’re ready to eat your majesty?”

“Of course. I think we could all use a break and something to eat.”

The king rises from his chair and walks over to where there are bottles of water in an ice bucket.

My father takes that as his cue and signals to the wait staff to begin dinner service.

I rise from my chair and walk over to the alpha from the Phoenix pack.

“Max, how are you?” he asks me right away. I’m surprised he remembers me.

“I’m well, how are you?”

We stand there and make some small talk, as the staff begins preparing for dinner service.

Somewhere in the midst of the conversation I manage to bring up Ginger. “May I ask, Alpha, how is Ginger doing? I know you offered her protection from her stepfather.”

“Oh yes, an awful man. I cannot believe my beta’s mate married him. He must be rolling in his grave to know that his beloved is with such an unstable man.

I was pleased that your family was able to assist in getting Ginger back to Phoenix where she belongs.”

I’m surprised by how candid he is in his description of Ginger’s stepfather. “At any rate, I rather imagine Ginger is doing well.

She has completed her studies and will be graduating here next month. I know she’s looking forward to that.”

I can’t help but smile. “Thank you for the update, Alpha. It looks like they are coming around with the first course, so I’m going to take my seat.

I hope you enjoy dinner.” He gives me a nod and I go back to my seat with Ginger on my mind.

Later that night, I make my way back to the pack house with my brother Jaydon in tow. He’s very quiet on the ride back, which isn’t unusual for him.

Regardless, I thought he may have a comment or two about everything he had seen and heard today. He’ll be heading off to alpha training himself, in the not too distant future.

I glance over at Jaydon, and then lean my head back against the headrest. We have a driver tonight, for which I’m thankful.

“You seem quiet,” I finally say to him, breaking the silence.

Jaydon turns toward me and shrugs. “Just tired. There are just too many voices in that room. It gives you a headache after a while.”

He isn’t wrong. “Did you speak with the king?” I ask him.

“I did, yes. He had a lot of questions for me.”

I sit up straighter and look at Jaydon, trying to read his expression. “What kind of questions?”

“He asked me when I was leaving for training and then he mentioned the Venice Pack. Do you know that Dad told him I would take over that pack one day?”

Jaydon sounds annoyed. “I guess I saw that coming, but you know Dad’s planning to move out there for a few years, right?

Until you’re trained and ready to take over.” I’m trying to read Jaydon’s face, but he’s not giving me much to go on.

“He never asked me if that’s what I wanted.”

I let out a sigh. “Jaydon, it’s either you or one of our sisters’ mates. It makes sense for it to be you.

Plus, I think you’ll really like it there. It’s small, quiet, peaceful. It’s really beautiful.”

“I’m sure it is. I just don’t know if I want to be away from everyone,” he confesses.

“Jaydon, Mom and Dad will be with you for a while and I’m sure they’ll visit often. You don’t know what Melanie and Selene will do.

“Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if Selene went with you. You two have that twin thing,” I chuckle.

We both know they couldn’t be more different. But they love being around each other, always teasing and laughing.

Jaydon just shrugs, leans his head back on the headrest, and closes his eyes.

***

When we get to the pack house, Dirk and two other guards are getting ready to head to the hotel and relieve the day shift.

“Hey Max, I met your sister Melanie today,” Dirk says. “She’s something else.”

“I’m glad she’s finally home. But what do you mean by that?” I ask.

“I think she was hiding from someone, not sure who. But she’s beautiful. I wish she was my mate; she’s going to make some guy really happy.”

He claps me on the shoulder. “Got to head out to work. See you tomorrow.”

Dirk and the other guards climb into their van and drive off.

My sister’s in town, which means she was supposed to pick up my tux. But I can’t help wondering who she was hiding from.

The house is pretty empty today, just Melanie and Mom. Melanie’s been acting a bit strange lately, and I can’t quite figure out why.

I’m starting to think this whole Summit thing is messing with her. Add Brock’s absence into the mix, and it’s clear she’s not handling it well.

I know my sister like the back of my hand, but her giving me the cold shoulder all day? That’s not like her.

I’ve decided I need to find her tonight before I go to bed. I need to figure out what’s bothering her.