I tugged open the study doors, purposely ignoring Ian, Alarick, Chann, and Zev who had fallen silent at my appearance. I headed straight for the cereal cupboard, groaning when I found it empty yet again. I whirled around, my hands going to my hips as I glared at them. “Stop. Moving. My. Cereal.” My words were a snarl any wolf would be proud of, and I knew patches of fur popped out on my skin as my wolf illuminated my eyes.
“You can have your cereal too.” Chann had his hands up as he gestured to a table I hadn’t noticed behind him. “We brought other things as well.”
“I want cereal.” Chan’s hands dropped and his shoulders sagged a bit, but he nodded. I was being bratty and I knew it, but I was angry at them, and right now I wasn’t ready to get over that anger.
“You need more than cereal,” Alarick spoke up. His uniform was perfect, the blue in it bringing out the cobalt in his eyes, and I wanted to growl at him. “You need the protein and nutrients from actual food.” He indicated the table, and Zev moved quickly to remove the covers of silver chafing dishes that held omelets, steaks, and something that looked like it might be stir fry.
I snorted, snagged a box of Cocoa Puffs, and reached for a bowl when a hand caught mine, removing the box and setting it aside. I turned slowly to face Ian. Like Alarick, Ian was dressed to perfection, only he was dressed in a black, three-piece suit with a white shirt. “Excuse you?” I drawled.
“You can have cereal afterwards. You haven’t been eating correctly, and you need to make up the nutrients more than you need your treat. Eat the other food first, have the cereal afterwards. We all know your stomach is cavernous, and you’ll have room for both.” His tone was cool as he angled his head toward the domed, silver warming dishes.
“Uh-oh.” I wasn’t sure if that was Chann or Zev, and at the moment, I couldn’t care less, I only had eyes for Ian.
“You’re right, I haven’t been eating right. May I point out that it’s you and Captain Kangaroo here who have been the cause of that?” I waved a hand in the general direction of where I’d last seen Alarick, unwilling to turn my eyes from Ian even as he began to growl softly. “You keep playing your stupid war games one after the next, so yeah, I haven’t had a chance to eat more than a fucking protein bar.”
“I’ve warned you about that mouth, Ms. Miller,” Ian hissed at me, his dark eyes flashing as he snarled.
I lifted my chin. “And I’ve warned you not to fuck with me.” I enunciated each word softly. “You’re on some kind of alpha power trip here. News flash, you’re not alpha. You’re not even beta,” I taunted.
“He may not be, but I am,” Alarick broke in. I elbowed Ian sharply in the abdomen, forcing his eyes from mine so I could face off with Alarick despite Ian’s tight grasp on my arm.
“Whoop-de-fucking-do, skippy. You’re beta male, but I’m beta female. You both have it in your heads that you out rank me. And for some insane reason, I’ve let you. That stops now.” I turned to Chann and Zev. “As for you two… Zev, you’re also my rank. Chann, I currently outrank you. So why am I being treated like my opinion doesn’t matter?”
“You’re still not realizing that someone will always have to be in charge in a pack, Ms. Miller,” Ian growled. “You may be a beta, but you are still in training. Therefore, my commands will be honored.”
I reached for my cereal again, snarling when he removed it from my hand before I could pour it. “If you take the food again, my wolf is going to maul you,” I warned him seriously.
“Then have actual food and we won’t have an issue,” he retorted with an arched brow.
“Want me to make you a plate?” Chann asked quietly. “It’s all still warm, and I can hear your stomach growling from here.” I debated for a moment before nodding. I wanted to keep fighting my cereal battle, but I knew the other fights we were getting into were far more important.
I turned my attention back to Ian. “As for being in charge, I don’t believe I asked