FAYE
When I opened my eyes, for a moment I wasn’t entirely sure where I was. My mind clung to that hazy, foggy place between sleep and wakefulness. I blinked, forcing my vision to focus, and that’s when I saw him.
Alexander was seated at his desk. My stomach flipped. For a heartbeat, I thought maybe I was dreaming. That couldn’t be real. I would never just–fall asleep in his office. But the way his eyes lifted to mine, directly, made it painfully clear this wasn’t a dream. I thought maybe I had dozed off for a minute while reading those books.
“You’re finally awake,” he said. His voice was even and casual, but I swore I caught the faintest edge of amusement in it. “Good morning.”
My eyes flew wide open. “Good morning? What time is it?”
Alexander glanced at his watch without hesitation. “Seven twenty–five.”
“What?” My voice shot up a pitch, panic lacing through it. “Why didn’t you wake me? You–you just let me sleep here?”
He didn’t flinch at my outburst. Of course he didn’t, he was probably expecting that. Instead, he sat there watching me.
“You looked exhausted,” he replied calmly, his tone almost dismissive, as though it wasn’t that serious. “I decided to let you sleep.”
Heat rushed to my face, and not just from embarrassment. My heart was pounding too hard, and I couldn’t tell if it was because I had just been caught sleeping in Alexander’s office or because of the way he looked at me while saying it–like he knew more about me than I was comfortable with. I hoped I didn’t talk in my sleep or something worse.
I sat up straighter in the chair, running a hand quickly through my hair. Goddess, it was a mess. My sweater was wrinkled, my pajama shorts were riding up awkwardly, and my face probably screamed I just drooled through half the night. Wonderful. Just the image of grace and poise. The worse part?…..he didn’t look away.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, trying to sound composed even though the awkwardness practically strangled me. “For… letting me sleep.”
Alexander rose from his seat at last, and the movement drew my eyes whether I wanted them to follow or not. He was still in yesterday’s outfit–dark trousers and a fitted black shirt,
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sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. He hadn’t even changed into sleeping clothes. Which
meant…
“You slept here too?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
He didn’t confirm or deny it. Instead, he gave one of those half–shrugs that revealed nothing, his gaze momentarily flicking to the window. “There was work that needed to be done.”
i swallowed, pressing my lips together to stop myself from asking more stupid questions. Still… something tugged at me. Some part of me wondered if he had stayed there because of me and not work. But that was ridiculous.
I stood quickly, needing to escape before the silence wrapped itself around me and suffocated me. My legs felt stiff, my hair a disaster, and my entire being screamed that I needed to vanish before anyone else noticed me leaving his office at this hour.
“Right. Well. Thanks again,” I muttered awkwardly, avoiding his eyes as I brushed past him toward the door. Why does it feel so embarrassing?
I know why. He was my mate, but not the kind I was supposed to be that comfortable with. We’re not supposed to be sleeping in the same room for goodness sake.
The second I stepped into the hallway, I collided with someone.
“Luna Faye,” Cole greeted, his voice polite, with the faintest trace of warmth.
I froze, my entire body stiffening. My heart leapt into my throat. Did he know? Did he think I’d spent the night in there with Alexander? Oh gods.
“Good morning, Cole,” I managed quickly, plastering on the thinnest smile I could muster.
He gave a slight bow of his head in acknowledgment, but his eyes lingered on me a second too long, as if studying the way my hair stuck out in every possible direction and the fact that I was very much not dressed like someone who should be wandering the Alpha’s corridors.
Another wave of embarrassment surged in me again, and I nodded quickly. “Thank you, Cole.”
And then I bolted.
I didn’t care if it looked unseemly. I didn’t care if I appeared rude. My bare legs were cold from the draft in the hallway, my sweater hung loose around my shoulders, and my entire being screamed for the safety of my room.
Anyone who saw me walking out of Alexander’s office at this hour, in this state, would only come to one conclusion–and I wasn’t ready to face the whispers, the sideways glances, the knowing smirks… assuming we got carried away in there, and spent the night together. Not
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when nothing happened. Not when I had simply fallen asleep by accident.
But deep down, as my footsteps echoed down the corridor, I couldn’t stop replaying the moment I had first opened my eyes and seen Alexander watching me. The calmness in his gaze. The way he’d chosen not to wake me. The fact that he had stayed there through the
night too
As I made the turn to my chamber, I nearly stopped short. Maya was walking toward the staircase. She stopped immediately she saw me. The way her eyes flicked in my direction made me pause. She was obviously coming from my door.
For a second, our eyes met, and I caught something in her expression–awkwardness. It wasn’t the usual warm, respectful smile she gave me whenever we crossed paths. No, this was different. She looked… uneasy.
I frowned. Why would she look at me like that? The first thought that came to mind was the mess of my own appearance. My hair was far from tidy, my clothes wrinkled. Maybe she thought it unbecoming of a Luna to look so disheveled this early in the morning. But that explanation didn’t settle right in my chest.
Also, the way she lingered on me, as though she knew something. And then it struck me, maybe she knew I slept in Alexander’s office–but that didn’t make much sense either. She couldn’t possibly know I had slept there instead of my room. Not unless she had seen me coming out, the way Cole had.
A flicker of irritation ran through me, but I smoothed it over quickly as I reached where she
stood.
“Luna,” Maya greeted, lowering her head respectfully.
I answered her greeting with a brief nod, then I asked, “What do you want, Maya?”
Her hands fidgeted slightly before she folded them in front of her. “I only came to ask what you would like for breakfast, Luna.”
So that was all? I narrowed my eyes just a little, then waved a hand dismissively.
“Coffee,” I said carelessly, not bothering to think of anything else.
Her brows pulled together for the faintest second before she asked, “Are you sure that is all,
Luna?”
“Yes,” I replied sharply, then I added, “Coffee will do. Bring it to my room, please.”
She gave a small bow. “As you wish, Luna.”
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