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“What if she betrays us?” Markus asked Kieran outright. “Kieran, you barely know this omega. What if Felix intended all along to plant her to spy on our pack?”
Kieran regarded the other wolf coolly. He knew Markus had started the rumors about him. That Kieran had made a bad call killing two of Felix’s men and taking Rain back with him. He had a network of eyes and ears within the pack house. Nothing went on without his knowledge. Markus had always resented the fact Kieran had become lead alpha by default after Kieran’s father died. Markus’s betrayal would happen sooner or later.
“She won’t. Will you?” Kieran asked Rain.
“I’m not stupid enough to take on all of you,” Rain said. “I didn’t ask to be here.”
“See?” Kieran told Markus, who looked unconvinced. “You and Annabelle are in charge of patrols today. Am I wrong? You two should be going.”
Reminding Markus of his duties only made the enforcer scoff. Markus left the table with Annabelle, grumbling under hisbreath.
“He’ll cause trouble,” Damien remarked. “And Annabelle’s his cousin. She’ll side with him.”
“You’re not worried about Markus? Why?” Rain asked him.
“I welcome any challenger to my throne,” Kieran said.
“You’re confident you’d win?”
“I always win,” Kieran answered. “Now eat up. You’re all skin and bones.”
Rain finally looked at the spread before her. Her stomach growled, making Kieran laugh.
“I’m glad I amuse you,” she told him.
She hesitated, then grabbed one of everything until she had a plate full of food. First, she started on her pancakes, then a pile of bacon. Kieran always liked a female who could eat.
When he first met Rain, she’d already looked thin as a pole. Did Felix deprive her of food? Thinking about that coward only angered him, so he pushed those thoughts aside. He’d make sure she was healthy again.
The other enforcers finally left the table, leaving Kieran alone with Rain. Most of his pack mates had also left for their duties. Kieran believed in a fair system. Everyone, including the dominant wolves, rotated chores.
“What are your plans for the day?” he asked her.
“I was thinking of going for a walk,” Rain said, chewing on a piece of waffle.
“Perfect. I’ll go with you, give you a tour,” Kieran said. “I know these grounds better than anyone. I grew up here, after all.”
He smiled, showing her a bit of teeth. Rain seemed unhappy about that for some reason. “Don’t you have more important tasks to do?” she asked. “Playing tour guide to a nobody like me is a waste of your time.”
Kieran gripped her chin and she stared at him, all defiance and heat. She tensed, as if expecting a blow, but Kieran only thumbed her bottom lip. “Don’t ever let me hear you call yourself a nobody again, Rain. You’re a survivor. A fighter. Be proud of that.”
Kieran released her. Rain looked a little shaken by his little speech. “A fighter. Only my dad called me that. In the eyes of Felix and the rest of the pack, I’m nothing.”
“You can be something much more here,” Kieran said.
Rain didn’t speak for the rest of their meal. He didn’t mind her silence. She was probably gathering her thoughts. Once she was done, Kieran rose from his seat and offered her his arm.
Rain hesitated, then took it. The brush of her small and slender fingers against his hard and callused ones woke his inner wolf. Kieran led her out the hall and the pack house.
He showed her around the grounds. A few of his pack mates greeted them. The adults seemed warier of Rain than the children. Then again, that was to be expected.
A pair of werewolf pups ran past them. A third pup, smaller than the first two, tripped over a branch. Kieran let go of Rain and helped the pup up.
“Gia,” he told the pup. “What did I tell you about being more careful when playing with the older kids?”
He picked Gia up. Gia wagged her little stubby tail at him. Rose, Gia’s mother, came running up to them.
“Sorry for the trouble, Kieran. She ran out of the nursery when I wasn’t looking,” Rose explained. She glanced at Rain and flashed her an apologetic smile.
