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Lily immediately turned off the faucet and wiped her hands on her apron. “I believe we have some sweet rolls left over,” she said. “Perhaps I can heat up the roast beef and potatoes.”
My stomach growled at the thought of eating such a meal. I didn’t get that type of food with my mom. We had to catch birds or squirrels for meat, but mostly it was vegetable stew or something of the sort. I didn’t complain; there was only so much my mother could do from the middle of the forest, but still. My mouth watered just thinking about it.
Lily plated some of the food and stuck it in the microwave. She looked everywhere but at me, deciding she didn’t like me, probably because Captain Byron was the one escorting me to my room. Her crush on him was obvious. I wanted to roll my eyes. If there was something I could do to inform her I wasn’t interested in the Alpha even remotely, I would.
There was a tense silence among the three of us. I wasn’t going to fill it. I found a stool at the large island in the middle of the kitchen and took a seat, resting my forearms on the surface. Every muscle inside of my body nearly collapsed in relief. It felt good just to sit down again.
I tried to ignore the Alpha’s gaze on my profile, carefully scrutinizing my reaction to things. I didn’t like being stared at and tried to angle my head so my hair would fall in my face and mask whatever he might be looking at in particular.
After a few minutes, the microwave chirped shrilly, interrupting the silence. I tightened my grip on the table, but at least I didn’t jump.
My stomach growled again in anticipation, especially since I could smell the salt and spices from the meat.
The second Lily placed the plate in front of me, setting a fork down next to it, I immediately devoured everything I could. I didn’t stop to taste it. The last time I had eaten was a day ago, when my mother –
But I didn’t want to think about that.
I nearly choked on the mashed potatoes I currently had in my mouth – how anyone could choke on mashed potatoes was beyond me – due to a sob that had lodged itself in my mouth. I cleared my throat, bits of food flying onto the bar in front of me. I didn’t bother to look up and see the reactions of Captain Byron or Lily. I didn’t care.
I was doing the best I could.
“She needs a bath,” Lily remarked. She had yet to go back to washing the dishes and I had to bite my tongue not to make a smartass remark about it. Just because she was treating me a certain way didn’t mean I had to stoop to her level – even if I was tempted to.
“Not tonight,” Captain Byron said, crossing his arms over his chest. “She needs rest.”
“Considering I’m sitting right here, you both could simply ask me what I would prefer,” I said after swallowing another chunk of meat. I still refused to look at them, but I couldn’t stand them talking about me like I wasn’t here, even though I was sure that was what Lily wanted.
Which made no sense because I doubted Byron would be here if it wasn’t for me in the first place.
Neither of them made a remark in response, which I supposed was a good thing.
I finally finished my food and finally glanced up, searching for some kind of drink to wash this all down with.
“Lily,” Byron said, still keeping his eyes on me. “A glass of water, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Lily nodded, procuring one for me in a manner of seconds. I drank all of it before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and sighing in relief.
I needed that.
“Are you satiated?” Byron asked, giving me a long look.
Why did he talk like that? Like he was from some other time? I wondered then how long shifters lived. It suddenly occurred to me that while I knew of their existence, I didn’t know much else about them, and I wanted to rectify that as soon as possible, especially if I was going to be living amongst them.
“Thank you,” I said, forcing a smile on my face in Lily’s direction. “That was delicious.”
Again, Lily said nothing. She must be imagining that I didn’t exist, because a flare of annoyance bubbled in my chest at the prospect of her talking about me rather than to me. I glanced over at the Alpha, hoping we could leave now.
“Come,” he said. “You look like you need sleep.”
Yeah, no shit. I barely rested on my way here.
I stood up, the stool scraping against the floor. At that moment, a few other women dressed in the same aprons Lily wore came bumbling in. All greeted Byron with a respectful murmur, gazes lingering, smiling like idiots. When they saw me, though, their eyes sharpened and they stood straighter.
I was over the scrutiny for one night.
Captain Byron led me out of the kitchen. The women swarmed Lily, asking for the information in whispers. I didn’t want to deal with it if I could help it.
I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as Byron moved up a staircase against a stone wall. “This is the southern staircase that will lead you to your dorm,” he explained. “When you’re ready to retire for the night, this is the one you take. In case you get confused, you’ll notice the carpet – I know it looks dark now, but in the light, it’s easier to decipher – it’s a green color, symbolizing earth and the color of your uniform.”
