Page 57 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

“Same offer from my side,” Marcel points out. He wraps an arm around Elise, who is still settled on his lap. “My goddess here said she wants to research Egyptian mythology with Elodie and Henry, but I’m free.”

I nod thankfully. “Actually, it would be awesome if you came along. Serenade and I were counting on Deacon to be there at least.”

“Great!” Marcel beams. “How many teens signed up for your workshop?”

“More than expected.” I wave at Serenade, who is already looking for me. She comes closer, greeting Elodie first and welcoming her as Henry’s mate. Then, she greets Elise and Marcel.

“So, you are the future beta?” Elise asks curiously. “Girl, you’re hot. Good thing I already placed a mark on my man.”

I snort while Marcel grins brightly. It’s funny how neither he nor Elise are the least bit ashamed of anything they say aloud. These are my type of people, clearly.

I turn my attention back to our task ahead. “Serenade and I have put three groups together. Ages 10–12, ages 13–16 and 17-plus.”

“You have ten-year-olds attending?” Marcel asks.

“Yeah, we didn’t originally plan for it, but a bunch of the pups were so excited to participate, so we decided to let them. If this is successful, we might put something together for the younger ones, too,” I point out.

“Obviously, we aren’t going to train them for a life-death situation,” Serenade points out. “But we want to teach them some emergency scenarios in a light atmosphere. How to defend themselves, how to use their strengths to their advantage.”

“The seventeen-year-olds already got their wolf, so we have them in an extra group.” I nod towards Marcel. “I know you train some of the teens in Moon Blood, right?”

“Yes, I’m sure I can help you out.” He seems happy to help. Marcel is strong and capable, and I know he was in the run for the gamma position in Moon Blood. And although he didn’t get it, he is one of the top choices for any special task. “I can see why you want a third person to help with the groups.”

“Deacon was supposed to do that,” I explain. “The plan is to switch groups every two hours. I will start with the youngsters, Serenade will work with the actual teens, and you could start with the seventeen-year-olds. After two hours, we will switch.”

“Awesome, I assume you have a precise training schedule with games and the like?” he asks.

“Yeah, come with us, Serenade and I will fill you in. We’ll start in an hour. Not much to prepare, so I think you will be alright.”

I wave goodbye to Henry, Elodie, and Elise, wishing them luck on their research and noticing the sheer amount of relief on Henry’s face that Marcel volunteered for the task.

Marcel noticed it, too. “Your brother looked like he wanted to kiss me with tongue and all.” He snickers.

Serenade laughs. “Henry is a great warrior and a capable trainer, but the kids are scared of him. His tone can be a bit harsh.”

“They just don’t know him well,” I point out.

Serenade flashes me a grin. “That’s a pattern, too,” she tells Marcel. “These two always stick up for each other.”

“I noticed.” Marcel laughs. “Say, Serenade, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but where do you originally come from? You are clearly not Caucasian.” He chuckles. “Same as me.”

“I don’t mind at all. My mother was from an indigenous pack,” she explains. “She is a Native American and met my father during a pack meeting and then left to live with him here. I have a lot of contact with my family, though, and visit them often. And I try to value their culture. It’s part of me.” She looks at him. “What about you?”

“I was born here, just like my parents,” he explains. “But my grandparents, both sets, were from Senegal. I don’t have any contacts to the Senegal pack, though,” he admits. “I’ve only ever known my family here.” He pauses. “Do you have a second name?” he asks her. “Serenade is a very pretty name, but I assume you have a Native American name, too.”

“You assumed correctly.” Her dark-brown eyes radiate with pride. “It’s Citali and means star.”

“That’s a really beautiful name,” I point out. I knew about her middle name but wasn’t aware of its meaning. “So now that we got to know each other a bit, how about we get right into business?”

“I’m ready,” Serenade exclaims.

“Same!” Marcel says.

During the remaining fifty minutes, Serenade and I fill Marcel in on the program. The storm is picking up, so there is no way we can go outside and train today. Maybe tomorrow. Then we can have some fun in the mud.; I bet the pups will love it. Their parents will probably curse me out, but that’s a risk I’m going to take.

The workshop kicks off well. Everyone is excited to meet Marcel, and fortunately for him, he looks cool enough for the teens, and he indeed brings a lot to the table. I’m impressed by how well he works with the kids that only recently shifted.

It’s an exhausting but fun few hours until lunch. It’s when we send the pups to the dining room to get their lunch. I made sure to have burgers in all varieties prepared for them when the weather picks up again. The thunderstorm picks up, thunders coming so close after another that it sounds like the whole sky is just rumbling.

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