Sean had been laughing at something the bartender said when he cut himself off and turned to find Phoenix standing behind us. I watched him straighten up, swallow quietly, and fix the front of his shirt before offering his Alpha a respectful nod.
"Glad to see you back, Alpha," Sean said.
Phoenix hummed. "I hear you handled the Beta role well while I was gone."
Sean shrugged with a small smirk. "It kept me busy. The ranks slipped a little with training in my absence but everything's back to standard now."
"Is that so." It wasn't quite a question. Then his gaze shifted. "And you, Nova? How is your training coming along?"
I closed my eyes briefly in defeat. I had to turn around. Keeping my back to him any longer would read as disrespect, and judging by the curious glances already drifting toward us from nearby guests, that wasn't a road I wanted to go down. I had no choice but to face him.
