Chapter 6 - Are you alright?

ZACK

With a scowl on my face and my foot tapping on the hard tile floor, I glance at my watch and sigh.  Where is he?  I told him to be here at 8am sharp and it is now 8:30. 

He is nowhere to be found.  Don’t tell me he is stilling sleeping like a baby up in his room.

Ugh…  I hate working with irresponsible people. 

The echo of footsteps stumbling down the stairs bounces around the lobby area. 

Yes.  It is about time. 

I whip my head up and glare up the stairs. 

I take a deep breath and get ready to blast Brayden with my anger.  How could he be this irresponsible?  He is the alpha of his pack.  People rely on him to do a lot for the pack.    

However, as soon as my eyes land on him, all the harsh words running through my head along my anger instantly disappears. 

His perfectly combed blonde hair from yesterday is gone.  If I didn’t know better, I would think he hasn’t combed his hair in weeks with all the knots and strands sticking up all over. 

The dark bags under his eyes also are new.  Did he sleep at all last night?  I don’t have to ask, though, as he yawns and quickly tries to cover it with his hand.  His eyes continue to look down at the last few steps as if he is afraid to look away, fearing he will fall. 

What the heck has happened to him?  It is almost like a totally different person is here today.  Yesterday, he was confident and freaking cocky.  All the things that rub me the wrong way when I first meet someone. 

I dash over to him just as he looks up at me.  My steps falter a bit, and his eyes are blank, but there is something hidden within them.  Something I can’t put my finger on, but something that is causing him great pain. 

My heart twists, and a sudden desire surfaces to take his pain go away. 

My concern seeps through to my words as I ask, “Brayden, are you alright?  You don’t look so good.”

He shakes his head and waves his hand in the air.  “I’m fine.  I just didn’t get much sleep.  It is probably because it is a new place.  Sorry for being late.  I finally fell asleep and then slept through my alarm.”

His voice wavers a bit while he refuses to look me in the eye.  As he looks at anything but me, he mumbles, “Have you eaten breakfast yet?  I haven’t and I’m…”  However, he doesn’t have to finish his sentence because his stomach does it for him as it lets out a loud growl. 

Normally, I wouldn’t allow for such behavior, but for some reason, I don’t even protest as I shake my head.  “No, I haven’t.  I was waiting for you.  We can go to the dining hall and ask the kitchen staff to fix us something, since we have missed the normal breakfast time.”

A lie.  I have already eaten earlier with the pack, but for some reason, I don’t want him to eat alone. 

I motion towards the dining hall.  “Let’s go sit down.  I’ll tell the staff to fix something quick.  Is there anything in particular you would like?”

He shakes his head.  “No.  But I’m fine with some toast and a glass of orange juice.  I don’t need a big meal.”

I snort.  “Nonsense.  You need to eat something decent for breakfast.” 

As we walk into the dining hall, I point to the empty long table at the front. Only a few pack members are here, along with some kitchen staff cleaning up.  “Go sit down.  I’ll be right back.”

I don’t wait for a response before I turn and scurry off to the kitchen.  After telling them what we will have, I grab a glass of juice for him and a cup of coffee for myself. 

As I walk towards the table, my heart twists again.  Brayden is laying his head down on his arm on top of the table.  He looks like he is lost in thought, but from the small tear that runs down his cheek, my earlier assumption is correct.  Something is causing him pain. 

The need to take his pain away washes over me as I sit his glass of juice on the table.  “Here is the juice you asked for.  If you need more, let me know and I’ll ask the staff to bring some more out.  Also, the food should be done soon.  Do you feel up to talking about what I planned to cover today?”

I sit down beside him as he lifts his head and sits upright in the chair.  “Give me a little time.  My mind is still not quite working.  Once I get some food in me, I’m sure I’ll be back to normal.”

A crease forms along my forehead.  I know he is lying.  However, I’ll leave it alone for now.  If this continues on, though, I’ll ask him about it. 

A silence falls over the table while he sips his juice.  I have so many questions circling around in my mind, but I don’t dare ask any of them.  They are all too personal, and we aren’t close enough to be asking them. 

I finally settle on something neutral. 

I lift my cup of coffee and casually ask, “So, what do you think of our pack and the grounds?  Are you impressed by them?”

A snort slips out of him as he raises an eyebrow.  “Are you seriously asking me that question?”

Well, there he is again.  The cocky, arrogant cute brat is back. 

Wait.  Did I just think cute?  He is not cute at all, but he is very irritating. 

I match his snort with one of my own.  “Yeah, I just asked that.  Do you have a problem with my question?”

A faint chuckle fills the air between us as he shakes his head.  “You have a lot of problems.  I said I wasn’t going to discuss it until my brain is working again and I have food in my stomach.”

As if his stomach heard him, it lets out another loud growl.  He quickly covers it while his cheeks turn a cute shade of pink as he whines, “It needs to stop doing that.” 

Again, my anger slowly disappears. 

I give him a small grin.  “Don’t worry.  I told them to hurry.  I’m sure the food will be here any minute.  Just wait a little longer.”

My hand itches to reach out and pat his shoulder, but I quickly put my hand under the table.  No.  I won’t comfort him.  For all I know, he is lying to me and is tired from being up all night talking to his boyfriends. 

With that thought rolling through my head, a wave of anger pulses through me.  I quickly push back any idea of being nice to the jerk. 

However, as I look at him, I still question whether he is an actual alpha.  He is so small for being a true alpha.  Granted, I’ve seen other alphas about his height, but my first thought when I saw him was that he is a beta.  It wouldn’t be the first time a beta has tried to pull off hiding behind an alpha mask. 

I stop and take a closer look at him. 

His skin is smooth and flawless while his green eyes had held a warmth which is missing this morning.  However, I remember yesterday how inviting they were.  Even now, without the spark, I could stare into them all day and never get tired. 

Wait.  No. 

My eyes drop to his moist plump lips as I lick mine.  They are calling to me and begging for me to devour them and then him. 

WOW!!  HOLD ON!!!!

I AM NOT GAY!!!  I LIKE WOMEN!!!  ONLY WOMEN!!!

I shake my head as a warm shiver runs through my body. 

Brayden’s alluring voice calls out to me.  “Zack, is something wrong?  You are staring at me like you want to say something.”

Gulp.