Page 39 of Coveted

He rushed from the room, sliding around the corner to where they’d eaten lunch, but there was no Alana there either. Rage filled his chest as traces of Regis’ scent tickled his nose andhe remembered there was another unmated alpha onboard the ship.

His stomps echoed down the hall as he made his way to the cockpit. If he didn’t find them there, there was only one other place they could be, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself if he found the pair in the bunkroom. He’d kill his friend without hesitation, and lose everything he’d worked for in an instant.

Vax was already snarling when he realized the door to the cockpit was open and he could hear Alana’s voice. Slightly mollified, he was able to swallow the noise before he made it to the doorway.

Two sets of eyes turned to him, wide innocent greens with a happy smile, though Regis' yellow orbs shuttered when he took in Vax’s expression.

“Alana. I see you’ve met Regis.”

He tried to keep his tone even, reminding himself this was his friend, someone he’d known a long time and trusted with his life. He must not have swallowed all the possessive urges though, because Alana’s smile shrank as she scrambled from the chair beside Regis.

“Yes, he found me suffering through a terrible cup of holis juice and showed me how to make it correctly, then he was nice enough to teach me what all the different monitors and buttons do in here. You were so focused on your work I didn’t want to bother you.”

Vax pulled in a few deep breaths to release the rest of the tension that had built in his chest. As much as his instincts would allow him to, he trusted Regis not to steal his omega, but he still didn’t like them being alone together when he wasn’t aware.

“I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention. Are you hungry?”

There was a bit more work he needed to get done, but since he was already up, he might as well get their evening meal.

Alana’s posture relaxed as she nodded.

“Food sounds good. You can choose again. Lunch was delicious.”

He huffed a laugh and the rest of his agitation melted away as she moved to his side and took hold of the hand he offered.

“I can’t promise everything is as good as that.”

Her smile grew brighter, and they moved down the hall to the dining room. It was rude of him not to acknowledge Regis, especially when Alana had glanced back to wave at him, but Vax wanted to forget the other alpha existed for a while, until he was sure his temper was under control.

Pulling out a chair at the table and holding it for her, Vax wracked his mind for something to eat that she might enjoy. The replicator was good if you knew how to use it, but he didn’t want to ruin her first taste of a dish if it was something that would be better handmade.

He settled on a simple meat and vegetable dish, something lighter than they’d had for lunch. He could handle all the heavy, dense foods, but he knew the other dynamics tended to prefer not to have too many of them.

Vax brought the plates to the table and placed Alana’s in front of her. He enjoyed the simple act, his need to provide soothed as she tried the food. She talked about what Regis had taught her between bites, and Vax realized he should apologize to his friend. He’d overreacted, but the other alpha should have realized the feelings it would cause to find them alone together.

They finished their meal and walked back to the suite, but as soon as the doors slid shut behind them Alana seemed to grow uncomfortable. The easy conversation stalled, her eyes darting around the room as she looked at everything but the bed.

“I still have some work to do, but my calls are finished so you can use the tablet again until you’re ready to go to sleep.”

She bit her lip but nodded at him. He picked it up from his desk and passed it over, careful to keep a little distance between them even though he wanted to pull her close and soothe the lip she was nibbling on.

“Thanks.”

She took it without meeting his eyes, her breathing shallow and the first hints of burning sugar filling the space between them. It took him a few moments, but as he settled at his desk and Alana curled her legs under her on the couch, he realized what had to be bothering her.

“You can have the bed. When I’m done, I’ll go sleep in the bunkroom with Regis.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Alana

Her head snapped up, eyes meeting his as her lips popped open. Returning to the room had reminded her that she would be sleeping there with Vax, and she must have let her discomfort show.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Guilt flooded her at the thought of him having to sleep on some little bunk when he had such a large bed in the suite. He was a Chancellor, she couldn’t kick him from his own bed.

“I’m fine on the couch. It’s plenty big enough for me.”

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