Fated reborn - Chapter 248: Chapter 248
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Luciano's Pov.
*Next day*
The alarm was too loud and too early. I groaned, slapping at my phone until it shut up, then just lay there for a minute, blinking at the ceiling. My eyes felt like sandpaper, and for a second, I thought about just rolling over and ignoring everything. But that wasn’t happening, not today. Too much to do.
I forced myself up, rubbing a hand over my face, and stumbled to the bathroom, yawning so hard my jaw popped. The shower was quick—water hot enough to sting a bit but not enough to wake me all the way up. I leaned my head against the cool tiles for a second, eyes slipping shut, and sighed. It helped, a little.
By the time I dragged myself out and into some clothes—a plain black button-up and dark pants—I felt a bit less like death warmed over. I was running a towel through my hair when a knock sounded at the door, quick and familiar. I didn’t bother answering; he’d come in anyway.
Sure enough, the door swung open, and Victor leaned in, already dressed, tie a bit crooked. His eyes flicked over me, one brow rising.
“Wow, you actually look awake,” he snorted.
“Barely,” I grumbled, tossing the towel aside and running a hand through my hair. It was still damp but good enough. “Thought you were still asleep.”
“I was,” he muttered, dragging a hand over his face. “But someone—” He glared at his phone, screen still lit up. “—decided to call five times at six in the damn morning.”
I snorted, grabbing my watch off the dresser. “Bet that made your day.”
“Thrilled,” he deadpanned, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You ready or what?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, checking my reflection one last time. The shirt was fine, the sleeves rolled up a bit. Good enough. I grabbed my keys off the desk, brushing past him with a quick, “Let’s go.”
We headed down the hall, footsteps soft on the carpet. The house was quiet, only the faint hum of the air conditioning and the soft tick of the clock. The guards at the main door straightened when they saw us, nodding quick greetings.
“Morning, Alpha. Beta,” one of them said, hand to his chest.
“Morning,” I mumbled, barely glancing at him, too busy trying to shake off the last bit of sleep clinging to me. Victor grunted something similar, and we stepped outside, the early air cool and sharp.
The sun was barely up, sky still smudged with gray and gold, and I squinted against the light, stifling another yawn. The cars were parked in a neat line along the drive, sleek and dark, windows glinting. I unlocked the one nearest with a quick click, sliding into the driver’s seat while Victor took the passenger side.
“You’re driving?” he muttered, one brow arched.
“It’s my car,” I snorted, jamming the key in and starting it up. The engine purred, low and smooth, and I eased it out onto the road, tires crunching over gravel.
“Just don’t kill us before we get there,” he grumbled, slouching down a bit, eyes slipping shut.
“No promises,” I shot back, smirking a bit when he snorted.
The drive was quiet for the most part, the city just starting to wake up. A few shops had their lights on, early risers moving behind glass windows, and the streetlights blinked lazily, caught between night and day. Victor flicked through the radio stations without asking, settling on something low and slow that filled the silence.
The building came into view after a few minutes, glass and steel gleaming in the morning light, and I pulled into the lot, parking near the entrance. We stepped out, shoes tapping softly over concrete, and headed inside, the doors sliding open with a soft hiss.
The lobby was bright and too polished for this early, marble floors glinting under fluorescent lights. A few people milled about, glancing our way with quick nods and murmured greetings. We nodded back, not slowing as we moved past the reception desk and to the elevators, Victor jabbing the button with a bit more force than necessary.
“Calm down,” I muttered, smirking when he shot me a glare.
“It’s too damn early,” he grunted, leaning back against the wall as the doors slid shut.
The ride up was quiet, only the soft hum of the elevator filling the space. I leaned against the wall, eyes slipping shut for a second, and blew out a slow breath. My fingers tapped against my leg, a soft, restless rhythm, and I caught Victor’s smirk out of the corner of my eye.
“What?” I muttered.
“Nothing,” he snorted, but his eyes said otherwise.
I rolled my eyes, pushing off the wall as the doors slid open with a soft ding. The top floor was cool and shadowed, blinds pulled halfway over the windows. The office door was unlocked, and I pushed it open, stepping inside and flicking on the lights.
Victor headed straight for the coffee machine in the corner, muttering curses under his breath when it took a second too long to start. I snorted, dropping into the chair behind the desk and leaning back with a sigh.
“Gonna break it if you glare any harder,” I mumbled, smirking when he shot me a look.
“Shut up,” he grumbled, finally getting the thing to sputter to life.
I shook my head, leaning forward to grab a few papers off the desk, flipping through them half-heartedly. The coffee machine burbled and hissed, filling the air with a warm, bitter scent, and Victor handed me a cup without asking, flopping into the chair across from me with a grunt.
“Thanks,” I muttered, taking a careful sip.
He just grunted, rubbing a hand over his face and taking a long drink from his own cup. For a while, we just sat there, the soft scratch of paper and the hum of the air conditioning filling the silence.
A soft knock broke the quiet, the door creaking open to reveal Clara, her blonde hair pulled back and a stack of files balanced in her arms. Her eyes flicked between us, lips twitching.
“Morning, Alphas,” she greeted, stepping inside and kicking the door shut behind her. “You’re early.”
“Don’t remind me,” Victor muttered into his cup, and I snorted, shaking my head.
Clara just rolled her eyes, dropping the files onto the desk with a soft thud. “These are the reports from last night’s patrol,” she said, tapping the top one with a finger. “And the council meeting’s been moved to noon.”
I grimaced, blowing out a breath. “Perfect,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.
“There’s more,” she added, eyes flicking to me with something too close to amusement. “The supply reports came in too. They’re on your email.”
I groaned, tipping my head back and dragging a hand over my face. “Of course they are,” I mumbled.
Victor snorted, smirking over the rim of his cup. “Have fun with that.”
“Shut up,” I shot back, shoving a paper at him. He took it with a huff, eyes scanning over it quickly.
Clara shook her head, smirk tugging at her lips, and slid a few more papers across the desk. “Try not to kill each other before the meeting,” she muttered, one brow rising.
“No promises,” Victor grumbled, flipping a page.
She snorted, turning to leave, but paused at the door, glancing back. “Oh, and Alpha Luciano?”
“Hm?” I muttered, eyes still on the files.
“Try not to look like you’re dying before lunch, alright?” she smirked.
I shot her a glare, but she just chuckled, slipping out and pulling the door shut behind her.
Victor snorted, kicking his feet up on the desk and grinning. “She’s got a point.”
“Bite me,” I grumbled, but the smirk tugging at my mouth ruined it.
*Next day*
The alarm was too loud and too early. I groaned, slapping at my phone until it shut up, then just lay there for a minute, blinking at the ceiling. My eyes felt like sandpaper, and for a second, I thought about just rolling over and ignoring everything. But that wasn’t happening, not today. Too much to do.
I forced myself up, rubbing a hand over my face, and stumbled to the bathroom, yawning so hard my jaw popped. The shower was quick—water hot enough to sting a bit but not enough to wake me all the way up. I leaned my head against the cool tiles for a second, eyes slipping shut, and sighed. It helped, a little.
By the time I dragged myself out and into some clothes—a plain black button-up and dark pants—I felt a bit less like death warmed over. I was running a towel through my hair when a knock sounded at the door, quick and familiar. I didn’t bother answering; he’d come in anyway.
Sure enough, the door swung open, and Victor leaned in, already dressed, tie a bit crooked. His eyes flicked over me, one brow rising.
“Wow, you actually look awake,” he snorted.
“Barely,” I grumbled, tossing the towel aside and running a hand through my hair. It was still damp but good enough. “Thought you were still asleep.”
“I was,” he muttered, dragging a hand over his face. “But someone—” He glared at his phone, screen still lit up. “—decided to call five times at six in the damn morning.”
I snorted, grabbing my watch off the dresser. “Bet that made your day.”
“Thrilled,” he deadpanned, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You ready or what?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, checking my reflection one last time. The shirt was fine, the sleeves rolled up a bit. Good enough. I grabbed my keys off the desk, brushing past him with a quick, “Let’s go.”
We headed down the hall, footsteps soft on the carpet. The house was quiet, only the faint hum of the air conditioning and the soft tick of the clock. The guards at the main door straightened when they saw us, nodding quick greetings.
“Morning, Alpha. Beta,” one of them said, hand to his chest.
“Morning,” I mumbled, barely glancing at him, too busy trying to shake off the last bit of sleep clinging to me. Victor grunted something similar, and we stepped outside, the early air cool and sharp.
The sun was barely up, sky still smudged with gray and gold, and I squinted against the light, stifling another yawn. The cars were parked in a neat line along the drive, sleek and dark, windows glinting. I unlocked the one nearest with a quick click, sliding into the driver’s seat while Victor took the passenger side.
“You’re driving?” he muttered, one brow arched.
“It’s my car,” I snorted, jamming the key in and starting it up. The engine purred, low and smooth, and I eased it out onto the road, tires crunching over gravel.
“Just don’t kill us before we get there,” he grumbled, slouching down a bit, eyes slipping shut.
“No promises,” I shot back, smirking a bit when he snorted.
The drive was quiet for the most part, the city just starting to wake up. A few shops had their lights on, early risers moving behind glass windows, and the streetlights blinked lazily, caught between night and day. Victor flicked through the radio stations without asking, settling on something low and slow that filled the silence.
The building came into view after a few minutes, glass and steel gleaming in the morning light, and I pulled into the lot, parking near the entrance. We stepped out, shoes tapping softly over concrete, and headed inside, the doors sliding open with a soft hiss.
The lobby was bright and too polished for this early, marble floors glinting under fluorescent lights. A few people milled about, glancing our way with quick nods and murmured greetings. We nodded back, not slowing as we moved past the reception desk and to the elevators, Victor jabbing the button with a bit more force than necessary.
“Calm down,” I muttered, smirking when he shot me a glare.
“It’s too damn early,” he grunted, leaning back against the wall as the doors slid shut.
The ride up was quiet, only the soft hum of the elevator filling the space. I leaned against the wall, eyes slipping shut for a second, and blew out a slow breath. My fingers tapped against my leg, a soft, restless rhythm, and I caught Victor’s smirk out of the corner of my eye.
“What?” I muttered.
“Nothing,” he snorted, but his eyes said otherwise.
I rolled my eyes, pushing off the wall as the doors slid open with a soft ding. The top floor was cool and shadowed, blinds pulled halfway over the windows. The office door was unlocked, and I pushed it open, stepping inside and flicking on the lights.
Victor headed straight for the coffee machine in the corner, muttering curses under his breath when it took a second too long to start. I snorted, dropping into the chair behind the desk and leaning back with a sigh.
“Gonna break it if you glare any harder,” I mumbled, smirking when he shot me a look.
“Shut up,” he grumbled, finally getting the thing to sputter to life.
I shook my head, leaning forward to grab a few papers off the desk, flipping through them half-heartedly. The coffee machine burbled and hissed, filling the air with a warm, bitter scent, and Victor handed me a cup without asking, flopping into the chair across from me with a grunt.
“Thanks,” I muttered, taking a careful sip.
He just grunted, rubbing a hand over his face and taking a long drink from his own cup. For a while, we just sat there, the soft scratch of paper and the hum of the air conditioning filling the silence.
A soft knock broke the quiet, the door creaking open to reveal Clara, her blonde hair pulled back and a stack of files balanced in her arms. Her eyes flicked between us, lips twitching.
“Morning, Alphas,” she greeted, stepping inside and kicking the door shut behind her. “You’re early.”
“Don’t remind me,” Victor muttered into his cup, and I snorted, shaking my head.
Clara just rolled her eyes, dropping the files onto the desk with a soft thud. “These are the reports from last night’s patrol,” she said, tapping the top one with a finger. “And the council meeting’s been moved to noon.”
I grimaced, blowing out a breath. “Perfect,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.
“There’s more,” she added, eyes flicking to me with something too close to amusement. “The supply reports came in too. They’re on your email.”
I groaned, tipping my head back and dragging a hand over my face. “Of course they are,” I mumbled.
Victor snorted, smirking over the rim of his cup. “Have fun with that.”
“Shut up,” I shot back, shoving a paper at him. He took it with a huff, eyes scanning over it quickly.
Clara shook her head, smirk tugging at her lips, and slid a few more papers across the desk. “Try not to kill each other before the meeting,” she muttered, one brow rising.
“No promises,” Victor grumbled, flipping a page.
She snorted, turning to leave, but paused at the door, glancing back. “Oh, and Alpha Luciano?”
“Hm?” I muttered, eyes still on the files.
“Try not to look like you’re dying before lunch, alright?” she smirked.
I shot her a glare, but she just chuckled, slipping out and pulling the door shut behind her.
Victor snorted, kicking his feet up on the desk and grinning. “She’s got a point.”
“Bite me,” I grumbled, but the smirk tugging at my mouth ruined it.
End of Fated reborn Chapter 248. Continue reading Chapter 249 or return to Fated reborn book page.