The Alpha Train (Christina) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Christina

I fight the butterflies in my stomach as I approach Sebastian’s door. He‘ s an instructor, he has an adult son who isn’t that much younger than I am. He has no interest in me other than he’s an Alpha and I’m an Alpha who apparently isn’t living up to the standards of other Alphas, namely my brother and Sebastian.

I take a deep breath and knock on the door. I plaster a smile on my face. and when Sebastian opens the door, his smile is warm and doesn’t seem to be forced.

“Come in, Christina. Are you comfortable meeting with me here, with just the two of us?”

“Of course, Sebastian,” I say, knowing that he’d never do anything inappropriate. It’s not who he is.

“Have a seat, Do you want a drink?” he asks. I’m surprised that he has his own drinks in here when we have them on the Train and at the

school.

“Sure,” I say, unused to having someone serve me.

Chapter 5

“Whiskey okay?” he asks, holding up the bottle.

“Absolutely.

When he turns to pour our drinks, he glances at me over his shoulder. “I like being able to have a drink in my room without having to go ask someone to make it for me.”

“Pouring whiskey into a glass isn’t exactly making a drink, Sebastian,” I tell him as he hands me a glass. I stare at the glass a moment. He didn’t ask me how I liked my whiskey. I know he likes his neat, meaning nothing but whiskey. But I like my whiskey on the rocks and that’s how he gave it to me.

“How did you know?” I ask him.

“I pay attention.”

The idea of Alpha Sebastian paying attention to what I want, what I like, makes my heart stutter with joy, but I quickly rein it in. I need to focus. Sebastian doesn’t want me like that. He’s an Alpha, a good one. I know that he used to be on the leaderboard when he was an Alpha, that’s how good he is.

“So, I’d like to know how you feel about taking the classes this semester,” he begins, sitting down across from me and focusing on me just like I expected, as if there’s nothing else in the world right now except me.

Checter S

I look down at my drink. “Before I answer that, may I ask you a question?”

“Anything. I’d like for you and I do have conversations regularly. I want you to feel free to ask anything and not worry that I’ll be offended or put off. I’d rather know what you’re thinking and what you’re questioning. The more I know about you, the more I can help you this semester and the better our partnership will be.”

I nod, swirling my whiskey around in my glass. “Are you disappointed that I haven’t taken any classes in the two years that I’ve been here?” I finally look up, needing to see his response to my answer.

“Disappointed? No. Curious, yes. You’re an Alpha female, one of the very few unmated Alpha females out there. You can’t tell me that you haven’t realized that you would do better than some of these yahoos. who come in for the Alpha school.”

I laugh. “Yahoos?”

He smiles and damn is it sexy. “Yes, how many cocky Alphas have you seen walk on this Train?”

“Nearly every one of them. It’s rare to find the exception.”

“Exactly,” he says, leaning forward. “And how many of them take a shot at being the first to ride The Beast when offered?”

Chapter 5

“Is that how you judge them? The Beast?”

He sits back, an arrogant look on his face. “I don’t judge; I assess.”

“And what is your assessment of me?” I ask boldly.

He looks at me intently for a moment, maybe deciding if I truly want

the answer to my question. I realize that I’m not sure that I do.

“You’re afraid of disappointing your brother, of not meeting the expectations that YOU think he has for you.”

“You think I don’t know what my brother expects of me?”

“I think you have incredibly high expectations of yourself, and you assume that your brother’s expectations are the same. And they may be, but I don’t think so. I’ve met your brother. He’s a good man and a good Alpha. He sees things in others, understands things in others that they sometimes don’t understand in themselves.”

“Kind of like you?” I ask him.

“And you,” he says, making me wonder where he got that idea from.

“He told me he wants me to take the classes this time. He said I don’t give myself enough credit.”

“I would concur with his assessment,” he says, smiling and taking a sip of his drink. “I think you could give these Alphas a run for their money, Christina. You just have to believe in yourself.”

I nod. “I’m not sure how many I can take. It’s a lot to take classes and work. I wouldn’t want to leave my work for others to have to do.”

“I can talk to James, see what we can do. You’ll already be in the strength class with me and in the sex class with me, hopefully, but I’d like you to take the sensory class and the communication class.”

“That leaves How to Manage a Pack and Managing Pack Finances, maybe one more.”

Unless you’re planning to take over your brother’s pack, you don’t need those, but the others will be good for you, I think.”

“Okay, I’ll see if I can work those into my schedule.”

“Good, now, let’s talk about the sex class. I need to be blunt, and I need you to be honest.”

“Alright,” I say, already starting to feel uncomfortable with this conversation. I take a sip of my drink. Damn, the man knows his whiskey. I’m not sure what my face conveyed, but Sebastian smiles.

“It’s the good stuff.”

“Yeah, it is!”

“So, I’m assuming you’re not a virgin, but I need to know that for sure. Have you had sex before?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“With an Alpha?”

“No. Dane never allowed his friends to date me.”

“What about Alphas that weren’t his friends?” he asks, obviously surprised.

“Dane…sort of became a parent figure to me when our parents died. He‘ s like an Alpha big brother on steroids. I think word got around quickly that he’d hurt any Alpha who touched me. They were always pleasant, but they never, ever tried to date me.”

“Humor me for a moment,” he says, pulling out his phone. He hits speed dial and puts it on speakerphone.

“Hey Dad, what’s up?”

Chapter 5

“Ryan, what do you know about Christina Kneeland?”

“Alpha female, off limits,” he says instantly.

“At who’s request?”

“Oh, it wasn’t a request. Alpha Dane was quite clear about what he’d do to any Alpha that touched his sister.”

“Thanks, Ryan. See you in a few months.”

“You got it. And Dad, I hope you figure out that dilemma you were having,” he says, making Sebastian scowl before he hangs up.

“Well, there you have it. Your brother really did scare off every Alpha out there.”

“I’m not surprised. Working the Train, I’ve seen quite a few I’d be happy never seeing again.”

“Well, I don’t scare easily, Christina. And I want you as my assistant in the sex class. So let’s talk about what that means and your feelings around that.”

“Okay,” I say, shooting the rest of the whiskey in my glass.

“Another?” he asks.