We finished our ablutions in record time. I supposed that female recruits might equal males in numbers in the future, but we were far from there now. When we emerged, it was clear that the male side was overwhelmed. Considering the heavy scent in the stairwell, I sincerely hoped it didn’t cause my male peers to skip showering.
Mari noticed, too. “They should partition off a smaller section for us,” she rumbled.
“Maybe I’ll suggest it.” Much as I appreciated their effort to provide for female recruits, it did seem silly to give us all this room.
Breakfast was served on the fourth level, a large, open-area cafeteria. Many were still held up in the washroom, so the crowd wasn’t too bad yet. Mari and I wove our way through the lineup at the serving counter. While I helped myself to a variety of interesting edibles, along with a decent selection for Trix, Mari heaped her plate with what looked like greens.
“Are you vegetarian?” I asked.
She stabbed herself an intact fish from a platter, and added an egg from another, then peeled her ogress lips back in a grin.
“I stand corrected,” I said, snagging an egg for my furry friend.
When we emerged at the other end, I looked for a table. Which was when I noticed that they were arranged in rows, and in the center of each were pictograms on stands. The Phoenix symbol was three tables in from the aisle. Matt waved at us.
“This is our team table,” he said with the familiar, heart-fluttering smile when we wove our way to him. “Been a bit lonely until now.”
By the as-yet uneaten food on his tray, he’d selected enough to feed a small family. “Where’s your roomie?” I asked, sitting down opposite him. Mari lowered her form onto the chair beside him, and it creaked ominously.
“He grabbed brekkie and buggered off.” Matt shrugged. “He’s a right FIGJAM.”
When Mari frowned at him, he added, “Um. FIGJAM stands for ‘F-frick-I’m-Good-Just-Ask Me.’”
I worked it out, putting the less polite version offrickout in front.
Mari, however, remained confused. “He’s a Dragonshifter,” she corrected.
That surprised me, and I shot her a look. Matt’s roomie was the Dragonshifter? The whisper of wind against wings drifted through my mind.
Matt’s mouth straightened, and he nodded. “Not known for enjoying a good piss-up.”
Mari’s brows performed gymnastics they were clearly not suited for.
“Partying,” I said. “I think.”
She shook her big head, frowning at Matt again.
The food might not be familiar, but it was good. I shoveled in a mouthful as I let my gaze drift. And stopped chewing when I spotted a female form entering the cafeteria.
With her long dark hair and coppery skin, she was quite beautiful. She’d come in through the student entrance flanked by three damned good-looking guys—a striking blond, a stunning dark-haired guy with an easy smile, and a huge, rugged mountain of a man with auburn hair.
As they ranged along the food bar, they draped over, touched, and pushed into each other’s space as though they strove to be one person. It was a graceful, coordinated thing. Like a dance. It mesmerized me...
“Pack.”
Matt’s smooth voice jerked me out of my fascinated appraisal. I shot him a look. “Pack?”
“They’re pack.” He seemed as captivated by them as I was. “But not an ordinary one. I think she’s the alpha, and she’s mated them all.”
“How can you tell?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Body language. And she’s got the energy. I can feel it.”
Shewas alpha? And she’d mated all three of them? My interest piqued, I looked back at the four loading up their trays. I expected Mari to eat a lot—keeping that huge body running must require resources—but if this was any indication of how all shifters ate, the food bill for this place must be enormous. I examined their interactions more closely and finally saw what Matt had observed—that the males seemed to revolve around her like planets around a sun. “Is that unusual?”
“The female-alpha part is. Very.” His gaze moved off the four and landed on something else. Every muscle in his face clamped tight, his brows lowering.
I turned to see what caused the reaction and noticed two men approaching, each carrying heavily laden trays.
