The Alpha's Prize

12

Word Count: 1848

~Hunter

Tay slams her palms down onto the table, shocking me out of my half-slumber.

Both Kaan and I jolt up a little straighter, focusing on the girl who finally sinks down into her seat, a grating smile on her face.

"I'm glad I convinced you both to join me for breakfast," she exclaims cheerily, picking up her knife and fork, digging into her pancakes.

"Mmm," I mumble, bracing my head up with my hand.

It's far too early in the morning, and I got almost no sleep last night after my escapade with Kaan. Memories of it haunt me, although Kaan is definitely hurting more than me.

"I only agreed to this because you were cooking, and I much prefer that over whoever mother hired," he says, scattering some sliced fruit over the top of his stack of pancakes.

I only agreed to this breakfast with Tay because I feel guilty about not being her friend.

"You look so hungover, Kaan," Tay notes, raising a brow at him.

My cast slowly shifts over to him. Dark shadows linger beneath his red rubbed eyes. He lets his slightly too-long hair hang down over his forehead like he's trying to conceal his face from me.

"That's because I am hungover," he mutters.

Tay slides a mug closer to me across the table. "Here's your coffee, Hunter. You look extra tired this morning too."

I almost laugh. Instead, I silently take the mug, grateful for the bitter taste of the coffee. I'm not going to tell her about my night with Kaan because I can't quite make sense of it.

Plus, it's shameful to admit that I nearly let a man go down on me that I barely even know.

"I was kept up last night," I tell her, staring down at the dark liquid that swirls around the cup.

"Couldn't sleep?" Concern digs in between her brows. She really cares for me, which makes me feel bad about lying to her, especially when she wants something to happen between Kaan and I.

I shrug. "I was distracted, actually."

I risk a tentative look at Kaan, who I find to be staring back at me. I swallow tightly, remembering what he looked like as he gazed up at me from between my legs.

"You need to get more sleep if you want to be fully healed," Tay says, slicing through my illicit thoughts.

"Maybe it's all the coffee you keep giving her," Kaan states, pointing his fork at my mug.

I narrow my eyes on him. He's probably just jealous that I'm getting more affection from her than him. Although now that I think about it, I haven't seen any member of this family show affection to another.

I have more things in common with these people than I thought.

"She likes it," Tay snaps back at him.

"Or, it gives you an excuse to go talk to her," he notes, taking a long drink from his own mug of coffee.

Tay flushes, knowing she has been called out. She already admitted her intentions to me, and I don't mind. I've been getting better at warming to her overbearing personality, even if it unnerves me sometimes.

"I think I only need another week or two before I can get back on my horse," I bring up, wanting to shift the conversation away from anything that may lead back to what happened last night with Kaan.

Tay's smile dims. "Really? That soon?"

"I've surprised myself with how much I've been able to walk recently," I tell her, cutting into a pancake with the side of my fork.