One Night With My Alpha Professor

Audrey

“To Audrey! Our friend, Luna, and savior.”

I rolled my eyes at Tina’s last choice of words, but toasted anyway. The red wine instantly soothed my frayed nerves as it went down.

“Are you guys sure I didn’t make a fool of myself?” I asked, looking at my friends around the cramped kitchen. “I feel like I did.”

“I mean, you didn’t pi** yourself or run off the stage crying, so I’d say it could have been worse,” Gavin joked, eliciting a well- deserved smack on the arm from Avis.

Betty rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Audrey. You did great. Seriously.”

Unsatisfied, I glanced over at Edwin. He was currently elbow-deep in a bowl of homemade pizza dough, his sleeves rolled up, flour dusting his exposed skin. The entire kitchen smelled like yeast and freshly made tomato sauce.

“You have more public speaking skills than you give yourself credit for,” he said with a small smile in my direction. “Even with all those cameras around, you spoke like a pro.”

I suppressed a shiver at the reminder of the cameras. The town square where the press event had been held had been packed to the brim with reporters when we’d arrived. I knew that it would be a frenzy, but not quite to that extent.

Still, somehow I had managed to follow Betty’s public speaking advice and give my speech with relative ease. My voice had cracked a few times and my hands shook as I spoke, but it seemed to have turned out okay in the end.

Especially the part where Edwin and I had announced that I was the official Luna of Crescent pack, brandishing the ring on my finger.

The reporters had gone absolutely berserk at that, asking questions about our impromptu mating ceremony, whether we had a public wedding planned, and why we’d gotten married so quickly.

I’d told them the truth; that I knew the Silver Star needed to shift in order to save the people I cared about. And that it was thanks to our off-the-cuff, private mating ceremony that I’d not only been able to do that, but also fulfill my promise to Ivy and all those other kids.

I think I handled that part pretty well, at least.

And now here we were, hours later, standing in the middle of the apartment kitchen with the scent of homemade pizza in the air and the taste of cheap red wine in our bellies.

We’d discussed going out after the event, since we were all dressed up, but had ultimately decided to come home. The paparazzi likely would have followed us to whatever restaurant we agreed on, and besides-this sort of peace was exactly what we had fought for, and I intended to make good use of it.

So we’d come back here, agreeing on homemade pizza and s***y box wine. I’d hung up my dress and threw on my sweatpants, and I felt more at home than ever.

I glanced over at Peter then, who was leaning back in one of the chairs around the kitchen table with his legs stretched out in front of him. The way his eyes kept flicking to Betty whenever she laughed wasn’t lost on me.

Betty, for her part, seemed oblivious. And completely uninterested in him. Or maybe she was just an excellent actress.

“Don’t you dare,” Edwin’s voice rippled down the bond. “He’s my brother. Don’t start.”

I turned away and sipped my wine, hiding my smirk. “Quit reading my mind.”

3

“I don’t have to. It’s written all over your face,” Edwin chuckled. “You promised you wouldn’t play matchmaker with them.”

Edwin was right. For a little while, I had considered talking to one or both of them to find out what was going on. They would have made a cute couple, and it was clear that Peter liked her. But ultimately I’d decided to stay out of it.

If Betty was his mate, then it was on them to figure that out. Not me.

Soon enough, the pizza was prepared and in the oven. Edwin joined me where I stood in the doorway and looped his arm around my shoulders. He smelled like a mixture of dinner and cologne, and I leaned into him, watching as our friends joked and teased each other in the kitchen.

Just about everyone was here tonight: Peter, Betty, Gavin, Avis, Tina, Eliza, Claudia, and even Charles. Our big, strange, haphazard family.

“Have you thought about my proposition?” Edwin suddenly asked..

I glanced up at him, recalling the conversation we’d had last night while laying awake in bed. His empty mansion up in the center of Crescent territory was almost empty, just sitting there waiting for us. We’d discussed moving to the estate before, but it had been a distant thing-something to save until we were married.

But we were married now. And this apartment… Well, when Edwin had rented it, he’d never expected to have so many guests. He’d never expected to have any.

“It’s just so far,” I thought back to him, chewing my lower lip. “I like being here.”

Edwin’s inner voice hummed thoughtfully. Avis had her apartment and shop just down the street, and Gavin was moving in with her soon. Tina was staying with Claudia, who’d basically become her foster mother, while she looked for work. Betty was living with her parents for now, but was looking for a house in the area.

And then there was Claudia, whose estate was less than a thirty minute drive from here.

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Everyone was close by, except for Peter, who was the only one who spent most of his time up north. But he roamed around enough that it hardly mattered. The guy practically lived in motels, especially since he’d become Crescent’s spymaster. I saw him at least three times a week.

But at the same time, there was no knowing where any of us would be in a year. Maybe, as is endemic in groups of friends fresh out of college, we’d eventually split up and go our own ways.

That was okay. Natural. But in the meantime, I wanted to enjoy having my strange little family close by.

“We have plenty of time to decide,” Edwin replied, sensing these thoughts of mine through our bond. “I don’t mean to rush you.”

I let out a little sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

Edwin offered me a small smile and squeezed my arm before moving away to check on the pizza.

A little while later, the kitchen table was covered in crumbs, the wine was drained to the dregs, and our bellies were full of cheese and dough. Avis and Gavin were half-asleep curled up on the couch together, Claudia and Eliza had said their goodbyes and gone home for the night, Betty and Tina were arguing over a game of cards, and Charles and Peter were talking quietly on the balcony.

I, however, felt too strung up on the adrenaline from the press event to lounge around. I grabbed my coat and turned to the others. “Walk, anyone? I want to pick up some more

wine.”This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org: ©.

My friends all agreed, and soon, we were all stumbling down the street in search of the liquor store. We passed through the quiet market street, stopping in front of various shop windows to peer inside.

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All was calm until suddenly, Betty let out a wail that had us all whirling as if she’d just been hit by a car. Peter quite literally bolted to her side, rounding a corner into a nearby alleyway that she’d slipped into.

“What’s wrong?” I gasped, coming to a screeching halt around the corner.

Betty pushed her lower lip out in a pout and jabbed her finger at the glass of an empty shop window. “My favorite thrift shop… It’s closed!” she wailed, nearly on the verge of tears.

Avis sighed. “Oh, that one. I meant to tell you…”

We walked over and peered inside. The shop was dark and empty, save for a few crates and abandoned clothing racks. Last time we’d been here was right before the masquerade, and the place had been stuffed with clothes.

“What happened?” I asked, cupping my hands around my eyes to see better through the glass. “I thought this place was super popular.”

Avis shook her head bitterly. “It’s that d***mn fast fashion company that popped up recently-Nightfall, I think it’s called. It’s been putting places like this out of business.”

I frowned, exchanging glances with Edwin. Nightfall… I hadn’t heard of it.

“D****n,” Betty sighed, leaning her forehead against the glass. “That breaks my heart…”