I have been struggling with this for a long time. If the Word was with HaShem in the beginning, and all things were created by His Word, was He talking to the Aleph Beit when He said, "Let us make man in our image"?

The simple explanation will be that the word "Na'ase" – let us make – is a way of modest speech that is common among great and important people (till this day actually) and that’s how the Iben Ezra interprets. The Midrash says that Hashem had consulted with the angels to teach us humility again – this Midrash is brought by Rashi to that verse.