Page 19 of Dark Auctioned Mate

Kira and the other two women nodded and bowed slightly.

“Good.” Rael raised his voice higher. “And that is directed to the rest of you. Alanis is a member of this pack, and you will treat her with the respect that she deserves. Should I hear any more of you troubling her, we will have a very different conversation.”

Another moment of silence followed, and then the members of the pack bowed and resumed their drills.

Rael looked at Alanis, hoping she would feel relieved. Rather, he was confronted with her staring at him, her gray eyes storming with rage.

“What the hell was that?” she asked.

He blinked. “What?”

“I had it covered, Rael.” She took a step back. “I didn’t need you to swoop in and fight my battles for me.”

“They laid their hands on you.”

“And I was handling it!” Her voice rose slightly higher, and a few curious glances were cast in their direction. “I know these sorts of people. I know how to handle them.”

“I’m sure you do, but—”

“But nothing.” Then she turned her back on him and walked down the road that led back to the house. “I am not a wretched victim who must be defended, Rael. Don’t treat me like one.”

Rael stood there, confused and frustrated. Then he followed her. “Alanis, wait.”

“No.”

“Stop and talk to me for a moment, okay?”

She turned so rapidly he almost bumped into her. “What? What shall I say? Thanks a million for making me appear weak before the entire pack? Thanks to you, we made everyone realize that I am not able to defend myself.”

“That was not my intention.”

“But you did it anyway!” Her hands clenched into fists by her side. “All you are doing is making it worse. Now they are not only going to see me as the shiftless outsider who is unable to be of any use, but they will see me as the pet project of the Alpha that needs him to protect her.”

Rael’s jaw tightened. “They grabbed you, Alanis. Was I to be a passive spectator of what was going on?”

“Yes! Or no—I do not know!” She shoved her hand into her hair. “I simply want you to let me do things my way rather than being all up in my business all the time like I am some delicate creature that is going to crack.”

“Look, I do not think you’re weak,” Rael softened his tone. “I think you are the toughest person I have ever known. That does not mean that I am going to sit back and watch someone try to harm you.”

“You want to know what I see when I look at your pack, Rael? It is what I saw in my previous pack—people who already made their minds up that I am not worthy of their time, who looked at me and saw something missing. The only difference is that here I have you to serve as my umbrella, and that only makes me more pitiable and pathetic.”

“You’re not any of that.”

“Then stop treating me like I am!” Her voice cracked at the end as she looked away, blinking.

Rael took a step closer. “Alanis—”

“I need space,” she held up her hand. “Just leave me alone for a while.” She turned and walked away.

Rael stood and watched her fade into the distance. His wolf howled with agony at the increase in the distance between them. Everything in him was prompting him to go after her, to rectify this, get her to know that he was not trying to belittle her; he was trying to protect her.

Javi’s words echoed in his head. “Just speak to her.”

Perhaps talking was not helping. Perhaps he had to demonstrate to her.

Rael breathed deeply and trailed the path that Alanis had blazed toward the house.

He found her in the kitchen, with her back turned to him.