The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 8

Zoey

I hadn't slept that soundly in years. I had barely put my head down, and the sun was shining through the windows. Dreamless sleep would have been the best possible scenario, but I couldn't expect everything good at once. For now, I'd take the fabulous sleep as it was.

I slowly rolled over, taking care not to fall off the couch in the process. What a fabulous way to start the day, landing on the floor. When I squirmed my way around, I noticed that the bed was vacant. Van must have already left for his morning workout. The wall clock declared that he'd only been gone about 15 minutes, so I allowed myself another 15 minutes' snooze before officially beginning my day.

Those minutes passed far too quickly, but at least it was my own initiative to start the day. Usually Jax was hitting me with a pillow or pulling my blanket off to wake me up, so having it as my choice was a beautiful change from my normal. I pushed the blanket to the side and swung my feet to the floor. As I'd taken a shower last night, I only needed to dress and prepare myself for the day. A snapshot of Van putting his shirt on last night flashed through my memory. He obviously took care of himself to look like that...

I vigorously shook my head to clear that thought. No, most definitely could not go there. He'd made it quite clear that he wanted nothing to do with me, and I couldn't risk getting on his bad side any more than I already apparently was. Besides, I wasn't looking for a relationship or anything close to it. I had enough troubles on my plate.

As I still didn't have too many of my own clothes, I grabbed the outfit that Luna had given me last night. I had no way of paying for new clothes, but maybe I could work something out with Luna to earn some money to buy at least one or two outfits. For now, I'd appreciate her thoughtfulness and let her scent cover mine. Even though he'd told me when he'd be back, I didn't want to risk Van returning while I was changing; so I hurried to the bathroom and changed out of my pajamas as quickly as possible.

After washing my face and twisting my hair into a sort of messy bun, I tidied up the bathroom counter and even the shelf with all his stuff on it. Just arranging a few things to where it was all visible and organized, nothing crazy. Some part of my mother's training still echoed in my mind, apparently.

I stashed my pajamas in the duffle bag beside the couch and straightened the blanket. It didn't matter if he cared or not; I wanted my space to look as minimal as possible when he walked into the room. If he didn't overly notice my presence in his room, maybe he would ease up on the scowling when he saw me. Maybe... it was a small hope.

You should ask for an omelet today, my wolf suggested. The chef seems nice, and I'll bet he'd made it extra special if you asked.

No one should go to the trouble for me, I reminded her. Besides, I don't remember what I like in an omelet at all. Why bother someone if you don't know what you want?

She huffed a little at me but didn't put up any argument. She seemed to be settling in quite well, lucky girl; she didn't have to face the people in this new pack. I was the one who had to walk into each room and deal with the sea of faces.

I stepped into the house slippers Luna had given me and left the room. If 'everyone' was expecting breakfast at 8am, I wanted to be downstairs before they arrived. Hopefully I could eat outside with Luna again, but I also didn't want to presume that she would do that for me. Sooner or later, I would try joining the group at the table; but I wasn't ready yet.

Thankfully, the family wing wasn't very complicated. The hall ran straight to the staircase that descended to the family room/entryway. Once you were on the main floor, you followed the smells to the dining room. I made my way down the stairs with my hands stuffed in the pockets of my sweater. A few sounds of life echoed off the walls: clanging of pans somewhere, voices of people heading somewhere else, the light rumble of wheels as the kitchen staff rolled the food cart to the dining room. In general, there was a calm peace in the air as the day slowly geared up.