Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Robin
Despite the urge to let my thoughts linger on the memories the Alpha who came to my rescue stirred up in me, I push those newly recovered images out of my head as I go back to work.
The ballroom is bustling when I step back into it with a refreshed tray of fancy finger foods.
I don’t see the Alpha I bumped into before, and that realization stirs up a mix of relief and disappointment within me.
He probably found an Omega.
I shake off that thought as I move along the row of tables, offering food to everyone nearby.
It’s none of my business, and I need to stay focused, so I don’t bump into any more guests.
The shifts starts to speed up with so many people to serve and so few plates per tray.
Katie and I pass each other every so often, but there’s no time to talk.
At least not while the party’s still going strong.
It starts to dwindle before the hall empties completely at midnight.
That’s when I find out the remaining hour of my shift is to be spent in the kitchen, washing up the crazy big pile of dishes with Katie.
It’s late but I don’t feel tired. I can hardly believe the night is almost over.
“So?” Katie asks, as she picks up a dishtowel.
“Um … what?” I glance at her while the water rushes over the plates in the sink.
She has her gaze on Chef Harris, before she looks back at me.
She leans in a bit and lowers her voice. “So, who was the guy?”
“What guy?” I ask, knowing she can’t be talking about Falcon.
She wasn’t here when he came in, or when he left.
I’m not sure who else she could be talking about.
“The guy you had the little oopsy encounter with,” she clarifies, keeping her voice low.
Clearly, she doesn’t want our boss to overhear us, which makes sense now that I know she’s asking about the Alpha I bumped into.
How could I forget the handsome guy with the devastating smile?
Even thinking about him makes butterflies in my stomach, but I know I shouldn’t feel that way.
So, I raise an eyebrow at Katie as I add the dish soap to the water.
“An oopsy encounter?”
She laughs. “You bumped into him and ruined a tray of appetisers. I saw from across the room. He was kind of cute.”
I can’t help but cringe. “You saw that?”
It was so embarrassing, and that was only made worse because he was so handsome.
“I saw the sparks that flew,” Katie teases. “You definitely had a moment with him. I didn’t know all I had to do was bump into an Alpha to get his attention. Maybe I’ll give it a try at the next social.”
“It was just an awkward accident. He was nice about it, but he was here to meet an Omega.”
She shrugs. “What’s so special about Omegas anyway? I mean, besides their delicious perfume, and their sweet natures, and … Okay. I get it. They’re pretty dang special. Why are the special ones only made for each other?”
“Because they’re special, I guess,” I answer, thinking about Falcon.
Anyone who would care enough to check up on a random girl he rescued from a bad situation is extraordinary. He’s not only special because he’s an Alpha. He’s a really good guy.
The kind of woman he would pick would have to be special.
He deserves someone sweet and kind and pretty.
He probably already found her.
“Don’t you ever kind of wish you were special?” Katie asks, her tone dreamy.
I think of my mother, and I shake my head. “There are bad things about being special, too.”
“Those things wouldn’t matter if I had a big, strong Alpha mate.”
Clearly, she’s daydreaming.
I shake my head.
She doesn’t even notice.
“I keep thinking maybe one of the new Alphas or packs will just see me and decide I’m the one for them,” she admits.
“I’m sick of college Betas and all their fuckboy games.
I gave up on dating in the real world last year.
If Lana ever decides Beta women can come to these socials as guests, you bet your ass I’ll be swapping shifts and throwing a new party dress on my credit card. ”
“Even if Alphas are mostly creeps?” I ask.
She smiles. “That’s true, but if you get one who isn’t, it’s like hitting the boyfriend lottery.”
She goes on about dating and men while I start to wash the plates and trays.
I don’t have much to contribute, so I let her ramble on.
“You’ve been kind of quiet,” she admits once we’re done and I’m draining the water. “I guess you didn’t have much of a social life before … Well, before all the bad stuff happened to you. I can help if you need to know about dating apps or whatever. I’m pretty much an expert at this point.”
“That’s okay,” I tell her, wondering how much to reveal about my past. “I … I never had a normal life. I was … My mom was the one who was sold to that Alpha. I was born there in that house, and the housekeeper looked after me. I worked in a kitchen my whole life, basically, so I never had much of a social life, and I don’t know about dating.
It’s not something I’m thinking about right now, if I’m being honest.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. That sounds awful,” she murmurs. “I totally understand. All the more Alphas for me, I guess.”
I can’t help but laugh. This girl really has a one-tracked mind.
She joins in, and we crack up for a few seconds, drawing a suspicious glance from the chef.
When the dishes are done with, I pull the plug and let the water drain.
Katie dries off the last dish and puts it away in the cupboard.
I wash my hands and dry them, and then I walk with Katie to the other side of the kitchen, where the chef looks up from a list he’s making.
“You are finished with the dishes?”
“All done!” Katie sings. “See you tomorrow.”
He nods. “Goodnight, girls.”
We leave the kitchen, and once we get to the second-floor landing, I find out Katie stays on the floor above mine.
“Room number 305,” she says. “If you ever need to call me, you can ask to be put through to my room. The phone system used to let us call each other without going through reception, but they changed that because of the whole thing with Warren Corvina.”
“Warren Who?”
“Right. You’ve been off-grid for a long time so you’ve never heard of him.
Well, he’s the guy who brainwashed a bunch of Omegas.
Since there are a lot of Omegas in the academy and he had access to this place for a long time, there have been rumours that some of the Omegas here could have instructions that they’ll carry out if someone triggers them.
It sounds a bit over the top to me, but I guess it’s possible.
Either way we got new phone system protocols not too long after Lana took over. ”
“That’s kind of scary. Is he in prison, or …”
“Oh, yeah. He’s locked up, but there’s a good chance he trained other psychologists with his methods, so there’s still a chance someone could make a call and something bad could happen.
I guess he could make a call from prison, even.
Oh man. I wish I wouldn’t think of these things.
I’m way too good at creeping myself out. ” She shudders.
“I’m sure it’s not likely. Lana’s probably just being careful.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Lana. She thinks of everything! Anyway, I’m up on the third floor, so sweet dreams and all that. Will you be working tomorrow?”
“Uh, I’m supposed to start properly on Monday. I think I was just pulled on tonight because someone was sick, so I don’t think so.”
“Right! I forgot about that. Duh! Well, I’ll see you next week then. Call me if you need anything.”
Her offer makes me smile. “Thanks. See you next week.”
I doubt I’ll find a reason to call her, but it feels good to have made a friend.
She goes up the stairs, and I walk along the corridor to my suite.
Everything’s still so new to me here, but I’m already looking forward to getting a good night’s rest in the big, comfy bed. This place is starting to feel like home.
It’s a little scary to admit, but it feels right.
I like it here. Who wouldn’t?
The suite is basically a luxury apartment.
Food is provided. There are doctors on site.
The job is good, no one yells at me for my mistakes.
And now, as the cherry on top, I’ve made a friend.
If I’m honest, it still feels too good to be true, but if that’s my only real complaint, I think I can live with it.