His eyes are trained on me with an unreadable expression, even as he sets the bag down at the foot of my bed and opens it to produce a bunch of various convenience store snacks.

“Did…you go shopping for those?” I say, surprised.

I’m not so much surprised that he dealt with humans in order to get me food, but more that he wenthimselfinstead of sending someone else to do the work for him.

“Well, I didn’t steal them, if that’s what you’re accusing me of.”

Oh gods, Raine. Honestly, you need to learn to stop doing that!

“No, no!” I shake my head quickly. “I didn’t— I’m just surprised, is all.”

He quirks a single brow. “That I paid for these?”

I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole because what the hell is wrong with me? Two days in—or is it more, since I’ve been out?—and I’ve insulted my new alpha twice. I’m lucky he hasn’t already taken his annoyance out on me and instead has just treated me like I’m stupid.

“I think what she means to say, Your Grace, is that she’s surprised Wren didn’t go for you,” Eris chimes in.

“Ah.” An amused smile plays across his lips. “Wren is otherwise occupied at the moment.”

I nod slowly. Whatever that means…

He has plenty of other shifters here though, so why not send one of them? Why not send Rose? Unless he doesn’t trust anyone but Rose and Eris with me.

I suppose if he’s worried I’m a flight risk, then that makes sense. With Wren gone, the next best person to trust me with would be his sister.

“Is he okay?” I ask. “I didn’t mean to scare him by passing out.”

The amused look on Nyx’s face brightens just a little. “Yes. He will survive. Luckily he caught you before you collapsed onto the floor.”

I wince.

Fuck, how embarrassing. Not to mention, this makes my already bad first impression even worse. So far that male has seen me bruised up and chained, and now passed out and looking close to death’s door, if Eris’s assessment of me is anything to go off of.

At this rate, I’m never catching a break.

“Here.” He hands me the water bottle and a bag of chips. “I realize that it isn’t real food, but I’d rather get you back home and treat you properly than stay here much longer.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, looking down at the bag of chips. My fingers run along the seam of the bag, guilt choking me. Do I even deserve to be taken care of like this? For hell’s sake, I’m an unmated, pregnant female who has caused nothing but trouble for them so far.

“For?” he asks.

“There’s no need to apologize, dear,” Eris says. “Pregnancy is hard on the body, especially for a first-time mother.”

I nod slowly. Without looking up, I slowly peel the bag of chips open. I doubt Nyx will leave until I’ve taken a few bites—he strikes me as the hovering type.

The salty taste is heaven on my tongue, having gone so long without any kind of food after coming back from Pollis. I chew slowly though, not wanting to overwhelm my system more than it already has been.

Thankfully, my nausea is nowhere to be found, which is probably courtesy of this IV attached to my arm.

“Thank you,” I say and chance a look up at Nyx.

He simply nods in response and then turns to look at his elder. “Expect to leave in a few hours. As long as you feel she’s up for traveling.”

“Once she eats some more I’ll be able to give you a better assessment.”

He nods once more and hooks the plastic bag around his fingers, swinging it toward me until he sits it in my lap. It’s heavy, more than I expected it to be.

“Eat what you can. When we’re home, I’ll feed you a proper meal,” he says while turning back toward the door.