Chapter 25
Christina
I slept great, even if I did wake up in the middle of a Sebastian- inspired dream–induced orgasm. Besides the feelings falling away much too quickly, the orgasm had spiked hard, my entire body clenching as I’d exploded. That’s what had woken me up. Damn that. man and his magic hands.
I shower and get dressed before walking out to the kitchen. Haley beat me there this morning and already has the coffee brewing.
“You are goddess sent.” I tell her as I start pulling out cups while she gets the cream and sugar. She’s uncharacteristically quiet, so I turn and look at her.
“You okay?”
She stops what she’s doing, staring at the counter or her hands, I’m not
-sure.
“He’s so sad. I’ve never seen sadness like that before,” she says, her voice catching.
Tyler.
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I turn and look at her, stopping what I’m doing to focus on her. “You‘ ve never lost someone you love, have you?” I ask gently.
She shakes her head and when she looks at me, I see the sadness that she feels for Tyler in her eyes.
“You have though, right?”
“Yes. I don’t know what I looked like back then, but I know that Dane looked very much like Tyler looks now.
“It’s so … painful to watch. How will he ever get through this semester?”
I open my arms to her, and she walks into them. I hold her tight as her body shakes with her effort to keep from crying.
“We’re going to help him. We’re going to support him and be there for him in any way that he needs. Our jobs here are more than just cooking and cleaning. We support these Alphas to help them become the best and strongest Alphas they can be. Sometimes that means talking to them, listening to them, or giving them a dose of reality. In this instance, just be there for him. Let him know that you’re here if he needs to talk or just doesn’t want to be alone. We won’t let him fail. He’s got too many reasons to succeed.”
My face is turned toward the wall where the coffee is brewing, but as lift my head up from Haley’s, I smell him. I turn and look at him, but he’s staring at Haley
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“Good morning, Alpha Did you want some coffee?” I ask. Haley jumps, pulling out of my arms and quickly wiping her eyes.
“Good morning. Alpha Tyler,” she says, not looking him in the eye.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I followed the scent of coffee.” he
says.
“It’s just about ready,” I tell him.
“Actually, could I get some tea?” he asks.
“We have three different kinds, Alpha,” Haley says, turning and pull the tea bags from their spot on the counter. “Which one would you like.”
“Surprise me,” he says, forcing a smile. It’s not a big smile, but he’s trying, and I’ll take that as a win for today.
James walks in behind him, looking between us. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s good, Alpha.” I say, getting back to my breakfast prep.
“Good morning, Alpha James,” Tyler says to him.
“How’d you sleep, Alpha Tyler?” James asks him.
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“Well, it was my first time on a train, so… I’ve slept better.” he says. I‘ m sure that’s not the only reason he didn’t sleep well, but it’s as good
an excuse as any.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Haley says, turning to smile at him. “My first night, I could barely sleep. Every time the train jolted, even just a little, it woke me up.”
“You get used to it,” James and I say in unison. He’s watching Haley, probably seeing the residual streaks of tears. He looks over at me and I subtly shake my head, telling him to let it go.
“So Haley, what incredible, delicious delight are you making us for breakfast this morning?” James asks.
“You know I’ve been making breakfast too, Alpha,” I say, scowling at
him.
“Eggs are eggs, Christina. What Haley creates are masterpieces.”
Since everyone has complimented Haley
On her cooking, I can’t argue.
“I thought I’d make crepes this morning,” she says.
“Crepes?” Tyler asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Have you ever had them, Alpha?” she asks.
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“Only in France. They were delicious.”
“I’ve never been to France, so I hope I can live up to the expectation,” Haley says modestly. “I’m making two different kinds
sweet. Everyone can have their choice.”
“Oh, I’ll try both.” James says immediately.
savory and
“You really are a bottomless pit, aren’t you,” Sylvic says, walking in and kissing his cheek as she passes.
“When I find something I like, I devour it until I’m satisfied,” he says, his eyes heated as he looks at her.
“Why Luna, are you blushing?” I tease her.
“Shut up, Christina,” she says, glowering at me.
I laugh and start pulling down coffee mugs, pouring several before making mine and moving out of the way.
“Did you want cream or sugar in your tea, Alpha Tyler?” Haley asks
him.
“Good morning.” Mia says walking in and looking around. “What’d I miss?”
“Not much. Alpha James is still devouring everything in sight,
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including Luna Sylvia…” I begin.
“Hey!” Sylvie says, smacking my arm with the back of her hand.
“Oh, and Tyler drinks tea, not coffee,” I say. Both women turn to look at him and his eyes go wide, the cup stopping on the way to his mouth.
“Good to know,” they both say.
“Is there any particular kind of tea that you like, young Alpha?” Sylvia asks, sipping her own coffee.
“Uh, this is good,” he says, lifting his mug.
“It’s black tea, Lunas,” Haley tells them before turning back to gather her ingredients.
“So, I guess I’m sous chef this morning, Haley. Tell me what you need.”
Within fifteen minutes, all of the Alphas, including Alpha Logan, and all of the assistants except, you guessed it, Emma, are in the kitchen getting coffee and checking in.
“When is today’s train/stop?” James asks.
“Five o’clock, so dinner will be later than usual tonight,” Sylvie says.
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“And what time does the train pull in tomorrow?” Sebastian asks.
“Two o’clock Alphas. So we’ll have breakfast and lunch on the Train and then we’ll have enough time to get settled and get the kitchen set up for dinner. Mia and I already talked about doing a heavy lunch tomorrow since we’ll have to spend a good portion of the afternoon preparing the kitchen at the Academy, so dinner will be light.”
“That works,” Alpha James says, looking around. “We’ll plan to meet tomorrow night at seven o’clock to go over the rules of the Academy, make sure the young Alphas are briefed on everything that they need to know to start classes the next day. Tonight, however, we’ll meet to discuss some of the important boundaries between Alphas and assistants. I don’t like to let that go for even a day. It already makes me nervous having three Alphas on this Train without having the
conversation,” he says. Logan looks sheepish, but Ezra and Tyler just look curious.
“So tonight, eight o’clock, we’ll meet as a full group for the first time. we’ll set rules and boundaries, and then tomorrow we’ll get settled, talk about classes and partners for the sex class and then Monday morning, we hit the ground running.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Alpha
in says.
“Now you see why it’s important to be here in the morning.” Daniel says to Logan.
I have a feeling Alpha Daniel will be riding him hard all semester.
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Chapter 26
