CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE LEAD IN

                                    

                                          
MARKUS
LATE THE NEXT DAY ...
SLAAAAM!
WHAT A FUCKING DAY! I felt the walls strain a bit at the force of the door slamming shut. 
Shit! I better watch it. An exasperated sigh escaped my mouth as I set down my briefcase. Walking over to the mini bar, I drained three small bottles of water. This had been a whirlwind of demands, changes and alterations.
Those damn Danes are so pedantic about everything. In the end they settled on the deal I laid out and we could move forward. Grateful beyond words that this was finally done. I was still due for one more week here to finalize the hand over, but I was seriously contemplating blowing the whole thing off and leaving once the papers were signed. 
The thought of home was so tempting, but I knew Alpha work would be waiting for me there too. Oh when will it ever end! A humourless chuckle fell from my lips. It never does, my dad's words ringing through my mind. 
-----------------FLASHBACK----------------
So Son, tell me have you given much thought on choosing a mate?  
Sputtering out my coffee, my eyes widened at his loaded comment. Trying hard to stop the grimace from spreading, I gave my brother a weary glace. I noticed Lucas snickering behind his coffee cup... I scoffed and glared him down. He just kept his eyes forward, but I could see he felt the heat of my murderous gaze.
Huffing out, I rolled my eyes and focused back on my dad. He looked perfectly serious. 
Wow, that was random...why do you ask? I took a tentative sip of my coffee, praying it doesn't make me choke again.
Well your brother tells me you have a bit of a stalker situation. I gave Lucas another nasty stare. I never imagined he would sell me out like this.
FUCKER! I spat at him through our mind-link.
I'm sorry...He suddenly started up with his mate speech on the way over and I briefly mentioned your problem to distract him. 
Three strikes. I'm kicking your ass when we get home. Bank it. 
He simply shrugged and sipped his coffee peacefully. I groaned and gave my dad an exasperated sigh. He continued when he saw our attention was back on him.
Well, I thought goodness she must be something if she's chasing after the legendary Wild King. He flashed a cheesy grin, that my brother matched for some reason. If the ground could swallow me, I wish for it now. I gave him an annoyed look. The green eyes, we all shared, flashed with mirth. He was greying up a bit now, but judging by the waitress's blush at his smile, he was still a good looking man. 
Ugh...This is a nightmare. The waitress re-filled Lucas's empty cup and he winked at her. If she could turn any redder, she could stop traffic...I tried to signal for water, but apparently the double whammy from these two had knocked her sideways. 
Guess it's just coffee for me then.
Thank you Darling. My father 's voiced dipped smoothly. She nearly dropped the coffee pot as she scurried away. I sneered. Well its clear where my brother got his tendencies from. The old man had ruled alone since our mother passed away not long after Luke turned four. It's been just the three of us for a long time... 
Until he married that woman...
The thought of that annoying bitch sent a pang of pain to my head. She reminded me of Emily so much it was scary. Opportunistic and power-hungry, history's finest combination.