A Battle at Breakfast

*Mark*

I don’t want to walk into breakfast with the other Alphas.

I already know how this conversation is going to go.

If it were up to me, I would’ve continued to lay in bed with Rose all day, but she has a schedule to follow, and so do I. As I get ready to go to the room that the four of us have breakfast in… together… every day, I feel my heart hammering in my chest.

This is bizarre. We are sharing a woman! A beautiful, intelligent, sexy woman.

I straighten my tie and think about how amazing Rose felt. I am one lucky bastard to be the one who got to claim her virginity. No matter what happens in the contest, whether or not I impregnate her and become the next king, or I end up losing, no one will ever be able to take that memory from us, the night we shared together when she surrendered herself to me, and I was the first man to ever feel her body wrapped around his.

With a deep breath, I head down the hallway, hearing voices from behind the heavy wooden double doors as I approach. I have a feeling I am the last to arrive.

Walking in, I pause in the doorway as a hush falls over the other three Alphas. They are all staring at me, wide-eyed.

Waiting.

I clear my throat. “Good morning, gentlemen,” I say, assuming my regular seat at the table. “What are we having today?” The castle chefs always serve us a ton of delicious food every morning, and I am starving.

Having sex always takes a lot out of me.

The others say nothing, only exchange glances. I know what they want, but I’m not going to be the first to volunteer it.

“Pancakes? Omelets?” No one answers. “Gosh, I hope it’s not chicken.” The urge to meow comes to mind, and I can’t help but laugh.

“What the hell is so funny?” Reece asks.

“Oh, it’s an inside joke,” I tell them. “You would’ve had to be there.”

“An inside joke between you… and Rose?” Tristan asks, and I can see in his eyes that he’s jealous.

I shrug. “Well… yeah. Don’t worry. You’ll get your chance to impress her with your wit.” I’m not smiling anymore. The realization that Tristan will be taking my place next to Rose in bed–inside Rose in bed–later today makes my stomach tighten.

I don’t think I’m a fan of this arrangement.

He nods. “That’s true. I will be getting my chance. Soon.” He grins at me.

I swallow hard as a servant girl brings us huge plates of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. She smiles at each of us, her grin a bit seductive, but she’s not that pretty, and we all ignore her. Even if she was pretty, all any of us can think about is Rose.

And this servant girl has a disproportionately large nose. None of us really like a girl with a giant schnoz.

“Well, I guess you’re not going to tell us anything then?” Eli asks as he spreads his napkin in his lap.

Picking up my fork, I say, “What is there to tell? Don’t worry, guys. It was all business. Rose is… a professional.”

“Are you calling her a whore?!” Tristan’s silverware clatters to his plate.

I roll my eyes as I attempt to disarm him. “Of course not,” I dismiss. “I mean, she was very much aware that we were just… doing what we were asked to do. It’s not like there was any… emotion involved.”

“There wasn’t?” Reece sounds surprised. “With you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask him, no longer interested in my food.

“Nothing,” he assures me. “It’s just… you’re kind of an emotional guy by nature, Mark. You wear your heart on your sleeve.”

“That’s not true,” I argue, and the other two laugh and nod in agreement with Reece. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” I tell them. “What’s done is done, and now it’s everyone else’s turn.” I force a smile to my face, but I’m sure it looks like a grimace.

“Well, I would thank you for passing the baton,” Tristan begins, picking his fork back up, “but I wouldn’t want anyone to be confused about which one of you I’m planning to sleep with tonight. I’ll take the gorgeous blonde girl, thank you very much.”

That got another laugh out of the others, and I chuckle a bit, too, just trying to seem normal. He wouldn’t have to worry about touching my baton. That isn’t how I swing.

But then… he will be touching Rose. Everywhere.

I stab a glob of eggs and raise them to my mouth, but even though I felt like I was dying of starvation a few minutes ago, now, I don’t know how I’ll manage to choke this down.

“So you’re really not going to tell us anything?” Eli asks.

“Yeah, no pointers at all?” Tristan takes a drink of his orange juice. “You don’t know what she likes or doesn’t like?”

“Uh… I’m not sure I really feel comfortable talking to you guys about that sort of thing,” I confess. “Just be gentle with her, and it’ll be fine.”

Tristan smirks at me. “Wait–are you serious? Be gentle. Dude, I’m not sure that’s in my playbook.”

I glare at him. “You’d better figure it out, man. She was a virgin up until a few hours ago, remember?”

Reece jumped in, agreeing with me. “You’ve gotta take it slow, Tristan. Don’t be trying any of your weird shit with her. Not right now.”

Tristan’s eyes bulge. “I don’t know what you mean! Everyone I know likes that kind of stuff in the bedroom. If you’re not using whips and chains, you’re missing out.”

“You’ll just have to miss out this time then,” Eli tells him as he runs a hand through his red hair, and I think he is probably afraid he might lose his temper. He is a ginger, and when he gets mad, it’s hard for him to hide it.

“Fine! Fine!” Tristan says, raising both hands. “I'll be gentle with her. Jeez. Why don’t you guys keep your dicks out of my bedroom, huh?”

“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be telling you what to do with your dick,” Reece says, speaking for Eli and me as well. “But that’s our girl you’re talking about.” He gestures at all four of us. “She’s not just yours.”

“So don’t hurt her!” Eli shouts.

“I won’t!” Tristan yells back. “Relax!”

The four of us go back to eating, dropping the subject of Rose, but I can’t help but think about how awful it would be later that night, thinking about Tristan making love to her.

I want to be the only one with Rose, but I have to share her with these other three guys.

I’ve been with quite a few women in my twenty-five years, but I’ve never met anyone who affects me the way that she does.

The feeling is both exhilarating–and terrifying.

We finish breakfast before anyone speaks again. “You guys up for a game of basketball later?” Tristan asks.

“I’ve got some work to do,” Eli replies. “I need to check in with the leader I left in charge back home.”

“Me, too,” I answer. It is really hard to run a pack from this sort of distance, but we have to figure out a way to make it work because our Betas have to be with us as well. I don’t really trust the three guys I’ve left in charge not to screw everything up, but at least my mother, who is still an acting Luna, is there to help keep them on track.

“No problem,” Tristan says. “Maybe after lunch?”

“Sure thing,” Eli agrees as he gets up from the table.

“Yeah, catch you later,” Reece says, also rising.

I want to take the opportunity while we are alone to threaten Tristan that if he hurts Rose, I’ll mess him up.

But I keep my mouth shut. I have to remember she doesn’t belong to me. And I have to hope she is strong enough to speak up for herself.

“See ya,” I say to Tristan as I get up to go.

“Mark!” he shouts, getting up from the table to follow me. Tristan is a big guy, even bigger than me, and it takes him a few hurried steps to get all of that muscular girth over to me. “Are you mad, man?”

“No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I’m thrilled. I can’t wait until you take Rose to your room and have your way with her. In fact, I can’t wait to hear the full report in the morning over breakfast.”

We take a few more steps before he says, “I can’t help but think you’re being sarcastic.”

I bite back another snide remark. “Yes, Tristan. I am.”

“Well, I’m sorry, man, but that’s kind of how this goes. We’ve gotta be nice to one another. We are allies, after all. Besides, Rose probably wouldn’t like it if we were fighting with one another all the time.”

I want to tell him that he can’t presume to know what Rose will like because he doesn’t even know her. But I know he’s right. She wouldn’t like for us to argue.

“Okay,” I say to him. “Just… be gentle with her.”

He bows his head to me, like I am his Alpha, and I snarl. Now who is being sarcastic?

Tristan chuckles and pats me on the back before he ducks into his room, leaving me to walk to mine. My heart is heavy, and with every second that ticks by, I can’t help but think I am already awfully attached to Rose. I’ve never felt like this before about anyone.

Am I falling in love?