She shrugs and walks back to the room.
I head for the shower when I remember I have a question about Shadow.
She holds up my ripped camisole. “A little aggressive, were we?” she asks with a smirk.
Heat rises from my chest up to my face. I clear my throat. “What happened to Troy Larson? I could have sworn he was the Young Alpha,” I ask, ignoring her still holding up my top.
Her face transforms from good-humored to confused before she turns away from me.
“Sixes? Did something happen to Troy while I was gone?” I cover my mouth briefly. “Did Shadow do something to him, to Tobias, to become Alpha?”
She sighs and faces me again; she lets out a breath. “No, nothing like that. Troy stepped down as Young Alpha, and Tobias retired.”
My shoulders drop in relief. “Why is he here?”
“At one time, Shadow was your world, and you were his.”
I frown. “Yes, but that was before the Resistance corrupted him.”
“I don’t know all the details. The guards and I are looking into it. I have a feeling he is here because he is still crazy about you. Think about it. Despite his vow to torture you and make your life miserable, he hasn’t really done anything horrible to you. I know that he threatened to kill you, but that was right after Emily’s death. They were…” She makes a gagging sound and covers her mouth. “They were…” She silently gags again, scrunching her face as she swallows. “They were close. Anyway, I think you should meet the rest of the men and see where your heart leads you.” Suddenly, the sheet wrapped around my body disappears and lands in her upturned hand.
“Seriously?”
She gives me a cheeky grin.
Showered and dressed, I exit my room to find Anders and Carmen. Skip and Matt, my guards, stand on either side of my door.
“Good morning, Alpha Princess,” Skip says in a singsong voice. “Did you sleep well?” he asks.
I eye Skip warily. Were they standing by my door all night? I was so exhausted by the time I got to my room. I can’t remember who exactly escorted me back. I look over to Matt, and his cheeks pinken. Shit. Did they hear me? I wasn’t exactly quiet, and neither was Shadow.
“Yes, I slept well. Thank you for asking,” I reply, avoiding Skip’s amused grin.
“Did you have a good start to your day so far?” he jokes.
Skip, Matt, and I went through the recruit program together. Skip and Jeremy were the class clowns. Matt is kind of like Elijah in a lot of ways—quiet and shy. Well, he turned shy with me oncehe discovered I was a girl, not one of the guys. Prior to that, he liked to help Skip and some of the others play pranks on me in the beginning.
I roll my eyes at Skip. He is such a gossip. He leans in as if to tell me a secret. “So, which one was it? How did you get him past us?”
Matt’s face reddens even more.
“What makes you think it was a man?” I wiggle my fingers and give him a passive smile. He snorts, but before he can remark, Anders stands between us.
“Thank you, gentlemen. I have it from here.” The two men nod, step around us, and leave. I couldn’t be happier to see Anders.
“Good morning,” I greet Anders.
He nods. “Good morning. Could I have a moment with you in my office? It won’t take long. I understand Carmen would like a word with you before your day starts.”
I follow Anders to his office, which is in the same wing as our living quarters. I miss Alpha Agnus’s home. It saddened me when I learned we were moving into the castle. A majority of the filming will be done here. My room for now is only temporary.
Once the show is over and I choose my mate, I’ll move to another wing to share with him. I hoped that we could move into Alpha Agnus’s home, but my mother insisted that living in the castle with the guards made the most sense. Plus, she mentioned Anders, Joe, and Xavier living under the same roof as my husband, and I wouldn’t be comfortable for everyone. After seeing Skip's and Matt’s faces this morning, I guess she is right.
We reach Anders’s office, and he gently closes the door. His office here is much bigger in size, and they installed floor-to-ceiling shelves and custom filing cabinets. A large mahogany desk similar to the one he once had sits to one side, with two armchairs in front. I take a seat. I notice the floor is bare, andthe shelves are not quite full of the books he had in his previous office.
“I’m still putting it all together,” he says as he sits behind his desk.
I glance around and smile. “I see you’re preparing for all of your books to arrive.”
