<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Victoria's excitement was infectious, and Cyrus could only shake his head at her as his insides got all buttery and warm. It was a pity most of the pack didn't get to see this side of her; all bright smiles and uninhibited enthusiasm. But then again, Cy was perfectly content with keeping that part of her all to himself. The soft little smile he couldn’t quite get rid of tilted down in mock offense, "I know how to look after myself," he grumbled under his breath as she kissed his head, his hand reaching to brush his fingers against her cheek before she pulled away. His grey-green gaze never leaving her until she stepped out of the meeting room and out of sight. He huffed out a sigh then, his eyes flickering down to the table, his fingers sliding along the underside of the table. Running over now smoothed with time notches and grooves from the time he’d dragged Preston into the room many moons past, after Ben and company had left.<br/>
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<i>“Dad says it’s a special table, a part of our history that’ll probably outlast us all,” a much younger Cyrus had said. “One day I’ll sit at this table, and you’ll be by my side.” Handing the blade he’d brought along to Preston, he’d crawled beneath the table. Waiting until the other boy had joined him before continuing, “And once I find my Luna, and Gamma, our circle will be complete.” He’d frowned slightly as he’d laid back on the floor, tracing his finger over his freshly carved initials etched into the underside of the table, “Maybe more a square, but that’s besides the point. The point is, the four of us will make history together.”</i><br/>
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He’d already decided when they were children that Preston would be his Beta. Of course no one had taken him seriously then. They should have. It would have saved people a lot of pain and disappointment. ‘<i>People</i>’ mainly meaning Marco. And maybe it was still childish but he didn’t feel they were a proper team yet. Not until Jaymus and Vicky had added their initials to the table. History had been made at that table. And now the four of them sat at it. At that table with its silent but heavy weight of expectation pressing down on them. Or maybe it was just Cy who got all wound up and sentimental about these things.<br/>
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Shaking his head, he grabbed up his stack of documents, the door of the meeting room silently clicking shut behind him as he headed for the kitchen. What was normally a quick trek to the kitchen, took five minutes longer than it should have with how many pack members tried to stop him for a word or ten.<br/>
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Making it to the kitchen with fifteen minutes to spare, he settled down in the breakfast nook, om the long bench beneath the window that overlooked the pack house garden. He’d barely sat down properly when a full plate of food was sat down in front of him. Cy tried to get some work done as he ate. ‘<i>Tried’</i> being a generous word for it. The adults milling about the kitchen at least left him alone. The handful of children that ran in and out of the kitchen, not so much. Clambering onto the bench to cling to his arms, or climb his back. Tiny little hands and feet digging into him as they rambled on a mile a minute. Talking over one another, and Cy gave up trying to focus enough to get anything done. So work was put aside for the moment as he tried to keep up with hundreds of questions and demands.<br/>
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"Where's Luna?"<br/>
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"Why are you eating by yourself?"<br/>
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"Alpha! Nathan bit me!”<br/>
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"Watcha’doin? I wanna help.”<br/>
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And so it went.<br/>
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On more than one occasion Cy just managed not get his eye poked out by unruly hands as they clambered over him, pushing and shoving at one another. But he laughed at their childish antics, showing a patience he didn’t have when it came to adults.<br/>
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A slice of bacon dangling from his mouth, he lunged forward in his seat to grab hold of one particularly hyper pup as she lost her balance on the bench and attempted to kiss the floor with her face.<br/>
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Setting her right side up on the floor, he glanced up to see Preston stepping into the kitchen with no Jaymus in sight. “Why aren’t I surprised to see you here sans Jaymus?” He ribbed mercilessly, with an easy smile as he steadied yet another overly enthusiastic energizer bunny of a child. Though a few of them had settled some once they noticed the Beta. “Let me guess. He ran screaming in the other direction at the mere suggestion of having lunch with you.”</span>