Chapter Twenty-Five
Shayne
The ride to Cressidan City is a little more relaxed than I thought it would be. Falcon seems less moody now that we’re on route to meet the stranger he helped rescue. He didn’t complain when I put the radio on a few miles back, and now he’s humming along to the pop song that’s playing.
It’s a good sign, like the kiss he gave me before we left.
Maybe everything will be back to normal after this.
It’s possible that all he really needed was to make sure she was fine.
Truth is, I don’t know how that night affected him. He wouldn’t talk much about it.
But it’s obvious it was a rough situation. The whole thing probably shocked his system.
Alphas are supposed to protect others, especially the most vulnerable.
Seeing evidence of an Alpha who did the complete opposite must have been awful.
I can’t imagine what that must have felt like.
There’s no question that it hurt Falcon.
He wouldn’t have needed this trip so badly if it hadn’t affected him so deeply.
My lead Alpha might seem tough, but he’s more compassionate than most.
Once we get into the city, I clear my throat and turn the radio down.
“So, what’s the plan once we get inside?”
He glances at me. “The plan. Right.”
“You do have a plan?” I ask, suddenly not certain.
“Of course,” he murmurs.
“Then, do you mind letting me in on it?”
“Well, I have it on good authority that the medical ward is to the right when you get through the main entrance,” he starts. “But that’s not the entrance we’ve been asked to use tonight, so I’m going to need to … improvise, a little.”
I stifle the groan that wants to exit my mouth.
“So, you’re saying there’s no real plan?”
“I’m saying I’ll have to go “looking for a bathroom” while you stay in the ballroom, making sure no one suspects your pack-mate might be wandering around the academy looking for the medical ward.”
“Oh, God.”
He’s expecting me to act like everything’s fine and like I’m there to meet Omegas while he spends who only knows how long out of the room.
My stomach starts to churn.
“It’ll be fine,” he assures me.
“What happens if you get caught?” I ask, starting to really wonder.
The academy has changed, sure. A pack living in a basic apartment with less than ten million dollars in combined savings never would have had a shot at coming to one of these social events in the past, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be cool with an Alpha lurking around their hallways after entering the building under false pretences.
This whole thing might have been a mistake.
“If I’m caught, I’ll explain about the girl, and they’ll kick us out. I’ll tell them you didn’t know. Don’t worry. If there are repercussions, they’ll fall on me.”
“What if they try to detain you, or something?”
“They won’t do that. If they do, you can call the Alpha Alliance. They’ll know what to do about it, and they owe me one.”
“I thought your contact was ignoring you.”
“Don’t call Jeff. Call the alliance directly. They’ll call you back.”
Sighing, I take my cell phone out of my pocket and look up the public contact information for the alliance. If I might have to call them, I want to make sure I have their number saved and ready.
“This whole thing is crazy,” I murmur as I save the number.
“Sure,” Falcon says, shooting me a smile, “But you’ve been wanting to go on a date night for a while, so …”
“This doesn’t count,” I cut in quickly.
“We’re dressed up …”
“Any you’re going to be looking for a strange woman all night,” I remind him.
“Not all night. There’ll be time for some fun after that.”
“I hope so,” I murmur.
Time will tell.