Page 4

Chapter 4

Ash

A grueling four hours later, we were all still sitting inside the conference room. We weren’t talking about unnecessary things. That wasn’t it. But it was a lot to take in all at once, especially with the distractions, ones that should very much not be distractions at all.

Zayne had gotten up and walked around a few times as we each talked about the students we would be teaching. It was clear that he valued and respected his trainers and loved his students. I remained quiet through most of it, only offering my thoughts when I felt strongly about something and asking clarifying questions as needed.

Each time, Zayne just looked at me as if he could see right through me. He never outright ignored my ideas, but he didn’t embrace them either. It was like I was there, but not really. I didn’t get it. Was it because I was an eagle, or because he thought I was a threat, or worse, a burden? Maybe it was me being an omega. It didn’t really matter. The result was the same.

If this was how the entire season was going to go, we were in for a long one. I would persevere. This was my one shot at this, and I refused to mess it up or let prejudice stand in my way.

Finally, as the evening stretched on, Hayden and Kellan stood up, resolve across their faces. Well, that and exhaustion. It would be impossible for them not to have been.

“Zayne, we’ve got to call it a night. We’ll be back at it tomorrow. We have time before the students arrive. Then class begins.” Hayden wasn’t asking.

Zayne didn’t look up from where he sat, staring at the wall. “Thank you. We accomplished a lot today.”

The two trainers gave me a tense smile. They had been nothing but welcoming. Meanwhile, Zayne had been cold and distant. He probably felt threatened by my mere existence, which meant I needed to watch my every step. I knew things would be uncomfortable here. I was hardly the ideal Co-Leader being an eagle alone.

I remained back, hoping to speak with Zayne alone. It would be my chance to understand where his head was at. It seemed as if he didn’t even notice I was still in the room. Or maybe he noticed and hoped I’d leave if he pretended I wasn’t here. Why was this dragon so confusing? I cleared my throat.

“Did you need something? Do you know where your room is?” he asked as if coming out of a daze. At least he wasn’t snapping at me. At least there was that.

“Yes, I’ve got one of the cabins on the grounds.” It was nicer than I thought it would be but hardly luxury.

He nodded, his eyes still not meeting mine. I could take a hint. The alpha dragon didn’t want the omega eagle around telling him how to do his job. Except, that was what I was there for. It was my job to make sure he did his job better and bring our team to a championship. And I was going to do it no matter how much he didn’t like me. I’d tread lightly at first, ease my way into this, but at the end of the day, I had to prove myself to the games. This wasn’t just about this team or the two of us. Not really.

“Listen, it doesn’t feel like we’re off to a great start.” What an understatement.

“Why not?” he asked, his voice gruff.

Did he truly not see it? Was it all in my head?

Just those two words made me question my train of thought. The way he looked at me so intently… What was it that I was worried about? The only thing I knew about Zayne was that he was gruff and quiet, and a damn good Flight Leader. So why was I surprised that was how he was behaving? He was being exactly like his reputation, and somehow, I took it personally. If I continued going down this route, I was going to end up miserable and my job was going to be a thousand times harder than it already was.

I cleared my throat again. “It’s just that… I guess I don’t really know how you feel about me being here.”

“I don’t know yet.” At least he wasn’t lying to make me feel better. I would choose honesty over patting me on my head and telling me I looked good any day of the week. “I’ll know once I start seeing the results of your work.”

“Right. Okay, so you’ll be taking my thoughts into consideration, then? Working them into the curriculum? We are Co-Leaders. I’m not just one of your trainers.” Why couldn’t I leave well enough alone? This was my first day.

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, the muscles in his forearms flexing. This wasn’t the time to look at muscles rippling underneath his bronze skin. Not that there ever would be. This was my job, and work didn’t mix with play, no matter how sexy the alpha in front of me was.

I forced myself to look into his eyes and nowhere else. I didn’t need to be distracted by his looks. Or his scent, which had permeated the room when he walked around. His eyes were just as alluring, but at least meeting them was a sign of respect, unlike ogling his muscles or trying to get a glimpse of his ass.

Eagles didn’t have the keenest sense of smell, as a rule, but it wasn’t non-existent. Our strength lay more in our sight and hearing. But with Zayne, I definitely noticed when the scent of sandalwood and cool water hit my nostrils as Zayne walked by. His scent was stronger than most and not in a gross, he needed to shower sort of way. It was quite the opposite. It had me wanting to rub up against him.

I needed to stop. The last thing I needed was to be the omega stereotype—the one who fell for their alpha boss.

Only… he wasn’t my boss. Not really. We were colleagues. Equals.

“Yes,” Zayne said. “Nobody on this team is just anything. They aren’t just trainers any more than you are just a Co-Leader. They are members of our team, and it’s important you understand that from the get-go.”

My eyes fell. He was right.

“I take my Flight Leaders’ and Trainers’ opinions seriously. I don’t know a lot about you, Ash, and I only just learned that you were arriving today. So, excuse me if I’m not bursting with joy over my plans for the year being thrown away last second, but ignoring my team isn’t my style and never will be.”

“No, of course not. I didn’t expect—” Crap. I deserved every single bit of his judgment right now.

“I don’t like to be interrupted.”

I clamped my mouth shut. For a man who didn’t like to be interrupted, he sure did it a lot.

“I know what’s being said about me,” he continued. “And I know the pressure the Flight Commander is under from the parents and the rest of the clan. They want us to win so we look good to the rest of dragon society.” He let out a long sigh. “Maybe you’ll make a difference, or maybe the problem really is me. Time will tell, I suppose.”

Did the alpha just admit that he could be the problem? I wasn’t expecting that. It sure made things look more promising about us working together. That was for sure.

“Right… but we should actively work toward getting along and working together. Don’t you think?”

“Is that not what I’m doing?” He looked honestly perplexed. Had I been reading too much into his actions? Was he one of those people who always looked angry even when he was having the best time ever? “Is that how it feels?”

Crap. I hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. Only… how could I get him to see that?

“It’s just that I—I don’t feel overly welcome.” And there it was, laid out without any sugar coating. If we were going to make this work, we needed to trust each other, and that included being honest.

But also, it sounded ridiculous—like I was a little kid who was sad their teacher didn’t call on them and not a grown-ass man starting his first day of work.

Zayne stood then, gathering his papers and laptop.

“I’m not responsible for your feelings, Ash,” he said. “If I were you, I’d keep them to yourself.”

Right. Okay. Message received.

“Listen,” I said, exhaling sharply. “I came in ready to play nice. I have a lot of respect for you and the career you’ve built in your tenure here.” And now it sounded like I was kissing his ass. Why couldn’t I find the right words around him?

He scoffed. “Is that another way of telling me I’m old?”

“Well… you’re not young.” And just like that, I made it worse.

“Not like you, huh?” he snapped. I deserved it.

“Youth has nothing to do with this conversation.” Even if I was the one who’d inadvertently brought it up. “I have good ideas. If you listen to what I have to say, try the techniques I have, we’ll have a winning team.”

“Sure. Easy as that? Just let you run the whole show?”

“That is not what I said.” Only, maybe I kind of did. “At least that’s not what I meant.”

“Mean what you say and say what you mean.” His eyes flickered, his dragon close. “If you do that, we won’t have any further problems.”

“Arggg.” I clenched my fists at my side. Why was this man so infuriating and why couldn’t I control my emotions around him?

I’d worked with the top alphas in this industry for my past jobs. It wasn’t like I couldn’t hold my own in a conversation with them, but with Zayne? With Zayne it was like I lost my ability to communicate.

If I kept digging, I was going to end up in a science fiction world below the earth.

“Argg? That’s your response?” He started to head out the door, stopping only long enough to call back. “Maybe read a dictionary tonight and learn some words. We both need this to work, and if things keep going this way, it won’t.”

And then he was gone, leaving me there to stand in a mess of my own making. At least the others weren’t there to see it. It was going to be hard enough in the morning, walking back in here after the way today went.

“I can fix this.” Being my own hype man wasn’t working, dread seeping through every pore of my body as I left the building and made the walk to my new home.

I wasn’t even unpacked yet, and as I walked in the front door, nothing about the place felt like home.

“Maybe I should’ve stayed where I was.” I leaned against the closed door and closed my eyes, replaying the entire day in head and seeing all of the ways I could’ve made things better and didn’t.

My eagle pushed at me. He wanted out. I stripped my clothing, opened the bathroom window wide open, and shifted. That was one thing I had over the dragons here, I could shift inside, fly away, and disappear into the trees.

I took to the air and explored the grounds from the sky. It was a stunning campus. Did I fly over Zayne’s house? Yes, I did. I could see why he wanted it there and wondered if he ever got lonely being so far from the others. Maybe that’s why he came across as so grumpy?

The why didn’t matter, nor did his potential loneliness, or even the location of his house. The only thing that did was getting through this season and showing the world what I could do.