Chapter 154: Duties Delegated

ALEX

I knock on the door of Ariel’s office twice, but get no answer. Peeking in, I chuckle softly at the sight of Ariel napping on a few folders. I crouch next to her and kiss her lightly on the cheek. She smiles in her sleep and mumbles my name before opening her eyes.

“Hi there, sleeping beauty. Enjoying your nap?” I tease her.

“Nap?” she blinks slowly before jumping up. “Crap! What time is it? I have a training session with the kids at 11!”

“It’s lunchtime, Ariel. I came to see if you wanted to head to that restaurant with the sandwiches you like,” I laugh.

“It’s not funny, Alex!” Ariel snaps. “Goddess, what must they think now?”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I hold my hands up in surrender and then pull her in for a hug. “I’m sure Steve has it covered. He is listed as the main instructor for the camp. You don’t have to be at every session.”

“But I want to be! Do you have any idea what kind of potential this camp has to grow our future warriors?

Ariel pulls away from me and ties her hair up in a ponytail before leaving the office. I follow her out, quickly glancing at the forms that were in front of her.

These are the requisite forms that need to be completed by tonight, otherwise the orders won’t be completed in time.

“Ariel, wait! You need to get those forms done before you get wrapped up in the training,” I call after her.

“I’ll do it after!” She ignores all my attempts to get her to focus on her Luna duties and pushes the palace doors open.

“Ariel!”

“What?!” She spins around and I see the irritation in her eyes. “I have to go!”

“You have responsibilities outside of the warriors that you’ve been neglecting! You need to focus on...”

“I have to focus on the kids’ training right now. If you’re so worried about those damn forms, do it yourself. It’s all you do anyway.”

Her words punch the air from my lungs.

~Is that really what she thinks? That paperwork is all I can do…~

“Alex,” she says, a guilty look on her face as she realises how harsh her words are.

“Forget it. I'll run the pack on my own and you focus on being a warrior. I did it before we met and I know how, as you said yourself. I'll be in my office if you’re looking for me.”

I turn away from her and slam the doors shut behind me.

I can’t believe that she thinks all I do is paperwork.

It's needed to make things run smoothly in the pack.

There are alliances that I need to maintain to keep us safe.

Other packs send incident reports when they encounter rogues or when they are attacked by another pack.

Just because I'm not out there training and fighting every minute or holding a rank in the army doesn’t make me any less of a warrior.

***

ARIEL

“I screwed up, Helena! It was awful. I was awful! I just spoke without thinking…”

“He will forgive you, Ari. Just take a breath before you pass out! I am not going to catch you if you fall over,” Helena gestures to Camilla napping in her arms.

“You have to help me think of something to fix this, please! I don’t know what to do… But between all the damn paperwork and training and more forms and the mating weekend…”

A wet cloth smacks into my face, interrupting my freak out.

“Please tell me that wasn’t covered in some kind of food,” I beg Helena…

“Wishful thinking, Ariel. Wait until you have kids, everything will be covered in food! But I do have an idea for what you can do to make up with Alex.”

“If it is a good idea, I might forgive you…”

“You need a day off together to reconnect… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did you miss the whole point of this fight? We’re too busy! There isn’t time to take off with everything going on right now!”

“Have you ever heard of the word ‘delegation’, Ari? What is the point of having me and Dom if you don’t use us?” Helena lifts an eyebrow in question and I stare at her in disbelief.

Delegate my duties? To Dom and Helena?

“But I thought you had your own duties!?” I yelp.

“Shh!” Helena gestures to Camilla, who is wiggling unhappily in her arms. “Our duties are to assist you in anything you need, Ariel. Dom regularly helps Alex with the alliances and meetings with packs. I have been waiting for you to ask me for help since you were crowned, but then Camilla came and I thought you were giving me time off…

“I didn’t realize that you had no idea that you could ask for help.”

Helena is right…

All this time that I have been in over my head and barely making it through the day, I could have simply asked for help.

“I had no idea, Helena… Goddess, you must think I’m an idiot! Alex and I have a lot to talk about it seems…”

“Which is why you will take this weekend off to talk everything over. You have both been so busy this year, that you probably skipped over all the small details that are now biting you in the ass. I will check in with Dom so he ensures that Alex has the weekend free.”

“You are an angel and a star all in one, Helena!”

***

ALEX

My office door bursts open just before dinner, even though I told Dom that I didn’t want any interruptions.

I need to finish my review of our alliance with the Crescent Moon Pack to see if there is any way for us to increase our support.

“Pack it up, man. You are officially done with work for the rest of the weekend,” Dom says, plucking the pen from my hand.

“Dominic,” I growl. “Give it back. I want to finish this off tonight.”

“Nope. You can growl all you want, but you are going to your room and not coming back until Monday morning. You have a weekend-long date with your mate, as per my mate’s orders.”

“She has even more work to do than I do, Dom. We can’t just take time off whenever Helena snaps her fingers, no matter how good her intentions.”

“Well since you fucked up, Alex, you will listen to Helena on this and go to your rooms to spend time with your mate.” Dom pulls me up and gives me a shove towards the door.

“What the hell are you talking about? What did I fuck up now?”

“Ariel is under the impression that she needs to do everything on her own…all the duties and responsibilities that come with the crown. She didn’t know she could delegate to others.”

I stand frozen in front of my desk…

~How did I let this happen? ~

~Did I really forget to tell her that she has people to help her?~

~That I want to help her?~

“I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, man, but you can fix it now. Go!”

I run out of my office and take the stairs two at a time to get to Ariel as soon as possible. I have to make this right.

More chapters coming soon!

^Broken Queen is a work in progress.^

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