Fated reborn - Chapter 249: Chapter 249

Luciano's Pov.
I rolled my eyes at Victor, snatching one of the files off the desk and flipping it open, but the words just blurred together. The coffee helped a little, warm and bitter, but I still felt half-asleep. I skimmed through the report, catching bits and pieces—something about border patrols and a rogue sighting—but my brain wasn’t keeping up.
Victor kicked his feet a bit, the chair creaking, and I could feel his eyes on me. I glanced up, raising a brow.
“What?”
He snorted, tipping his cup back. “Just waiting for you to actually wake up. You look dead.”
I flipped him off without looking, shoving a paper his way. “Shut up and help, would you?”
“Fine, fine,” he sighed, grabbing it with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “You’re so grumpy in the morning.”
“Wonder why,” I muttered, slouching back and rubbing a hand over my face.
The coffee was kicking in slowly, enough to clear the worst of the fog, but my eyes still burned, and the chair wasn’t helping, stiff and too straight-backed. I shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable, but it was a lost cause.
Victor scanned the report, lips twisting. “Rogues near the west border again. That’s what, the third time this month?”
“Fourth,” I grumbled, tossing my empty cup in the trash and reaching for another file. “Need to up patrols out there.”
“Mm,” he hummed, eyes flicking over the paper. “Might want to check the security feeds, too. They’re getting bolder.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, blowing out a slow breath. “Add it to the list.”
Victor snorted. “Pretty sure the list’s a damn novel at this point.”
“Tell me about it,” I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair.
The office was too bright, lights glaring off the papers and making my head ache. I squinted at the tiny print, trying to focus, but it was useless. Every time I got through a paragraph, my mind wandered. I dropped the file with a huff, leaning back and closing my eyes for a second, fingers drumming against the desk.
“Giving up already?” Victor smirked, one brow arched.
“Bite me,” I muttered, not even opening my eyes.
He chuckled, and the sound was almost enough to make me smile. Almost.
A few minutes passed, the only sounds the soft rustle of papers and the faint hum of the air vent. I let my head tip back, eyes slipping shut again, but the chair was too stiff, the light too bright, and I gave up, groaning and dragging a hand over my face.
Victor shot me a look, lips twitching. “You’re hopeless.”
“Remind me why I didn’t leave you at home,” I grumbled.
“Because you love me,” he snorted, smirking when I flipped him off again.
The door creaked open before I could retort, and I looked up to see Marcus stepping in, tablet in hand, glasses slipping down his nose. He blinked at us, brows lifting a bit.
“Morning, Alpha. Beta,” he greeted, voice smooth and way too awake.
“Morning,” I mumbled, sitting up a bit straighter. Victor grunted something that might’ve been a greeting, feet still kicked up on the desk.
Marcus’s eyes flicked between us, lips twitching. “Rough morning?”
“Something like that,” I sighed. “What’s up?”
“Got those budget reports you asked for,” he said, tapping the tablet screen and passing it over. “And the security updates. We’ve been upgrading the west border cameras, but a few are still down for maintenance.”
“Perfect,” I muttered, scrolling through the numbers with a grimace. “Any idea when they’ll be back up?”
“Couple days, hopefully,” Marcus shrugged. “Had to order a few parts.”
“Figures,” I sighed, tossing the tablet on the desk with a soft thud.
Victor snorted. “Told you the list was a novel.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, but there was no bite to it.
Marcus chuckled, pushing his glasses up. “I’ll make sure the rest of the updates are sent over by noon.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, already scrolling through the budget report with a frown. The numbers blurred a bit, and I blinked hard, forcing my eyes to focus.
Marcus hesitated, glancing between us. “You sure you don’t want me to handle the council meeting?”
“I got it,” I grunted, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Just need more coffee.”
“More?” Victor snorted. “You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.”
“I’ll risk it,” I muttered, pushing back from the desk with a sigh. “Be right back.”
I could feel Victor’s eyes on me as I headed for the coffee machine, the empty cup dangling from my fingers. The stupid thing sputtered for a second before finally filling the cup, steam curling up warm and bitter. I took a long drink, the heat burning my tongue but chasing away the worst of the tiredness.
When I turned back, Victor was smirking, one brow arched. “Feeling better, princess?”
“Bite me,” I grumbled, dropping back into the chair.
Marcus cleared his throat, hiding a smile behind his hand. “Right. Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll get started on those updates.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I mumbled, waving a hand.
He chuckled, slipping out with a quick nod, and the door clicked shut behind him. I slouched back, blowing out a slow breath and tipping my head back to stare at the ceiling.
Victor’s smirk didn’t budge. “Maybe get some actual sleep next time?”
“Maybe shut up,” I shot back, flipping him off again for good measure.
He snorted, tossing a paper at me. “You’re so grumpy.”
“Wonder why,” I muttered, catching it and skimming the first few lines. Patrol routes, mostly. Nothing urgent.
The minutes blurred together, paperwork piling up faster than I could get through it, and by the time the clock ticked close to noon, my eyes were burning, and my fingers ached. Victor had given up pretending to help, chair tipped back and eyes half-closed.
I huffed, flicking a paper at him, and he cracked an eye open with a grunt. “What?”
“Council meeting,” I grumbled, pushing back and stretching until my spine popped. “Let’s go.”
He groaned, tipping forward and dragging a hand through his hair. “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” I snorted, grabbing my keys and jabbing him in the side. “Up.”
“Slave driver,” he muttered, but he stood, stretching slow and dramatic.
I rolled my eyes, shoving him toward the door. “Move your ass.”
He snorted, but a smirk tugged at his lips, and he bumped my shoulder as we headed out, the door swinging shut behind us with a soft click.
The halls were busier now, people moving quick and purposeful, nodding greetings as we passed. I kept my eyes forward, fingers drumming against my leg, Victor’s footsteps a steady echo beside me. The sun was higher, slanting through the windows bright and warm, and I squinted a bit, stifling another yawn.
Victor chuckled, catching the look. “Still tired?”
“Shut up,” I muttered, but the corner of my mouth twitched.
His smirk widened, and he slung an arm around my shoulders, steering us toward the main hall. I grumbled, shrugging him off, but he just laughed, and for a second, the exhaustion eased.
The council room was already half-full, voices low and murmured, and heads turned when we stepped in, conversations trailing off. I tipped my head, sliding into my seat with a muffled sigh, Victor dropping in beside me with a huff.
The chatter picked back up, papers rustling and chairs creaking, and I rubbed a hand over my face, steeling myself for a long few hours.
Victor leaned over, smirking. “Try not to pass out.”
“Bite me,” I muttered, but there was no heat behind it, and he just chuckled, settling back with a lazy grin.
Great. This was gonna be a long day.