Page 14 of Pack Giroux

Taking my eyes off of her to look at him, I give a short nod in her direction. Glancing over his shoulder for a second, I count to five before he turns back around.

"She's the redhead, isn't she?" he asks.

I nod slowly. I'm not sure he got the same read from the table as we passed outside. Whoever those girls are that she's eating with are not her friends. Every one of them resonates ‘alpha.’ It's in the way they're holding themselves and the sureness of their gazes. I can't see the one next to her, but the two across the table have more than once looked disgusted. I'm not an alpha, yet I still get the urge to growl at them in her defense.

"Hello, boys," Kinkaid says, walking up to the table with two plates in his hands. He sets them down, but Raine had immediately turned his focus back to her and hasn't come back since. He simply murmurs something unintelligible.

"Well, hey to you, too. Glad you had a safe trip. I'm great, thanks. Me and Grady have been holding down the fort just fine," Kinkaid teases, lightly punching him on the arm before taking a seat next to me.

"He's a bit distracted," I tell him with a grin.

Once he looks in the same direction, his expression morphs into pure excitement. Which, honestly, he was excited to see Raine after months of him being gone, but I know all too well, especially here lately, that it's a whole other excitement looking at her. He jumps to his feet, finally drawing Raine'sattention back to the table.

"Where's he running off to?" he asks.

I shrug and start in on my food, keeping a close eye on her. I don't want her to leave without getting to speak to her. In the next few minutes, Kinkaid makes it back to the table with a grin.

"What'd you do?" I ask.

"Nothing," he says. "Just left her a little surprise."

Their waiter picks this moment to take their plates out to them. The three of us watch transfixed. She picks up the small piece of paper and reads it with a smile before sliding it back under her plate like she doesn't want the rest of the table to see. She may not have called us, but there's something in the way that her cheeks stay pink and the way that she smiles every time she looks down at her plate that gives me hope.

Kinkaid and Raine chat about the latter's adventures in Paris with his latest photo shoot while I wait patiently for her to get up and leave. I join in conversation every so often, because I really did miss my friend. Do I envy him and the twins for getting to travel so much and see so many places? Not at all. I went with them both once, and that was enough for me. Their schedules are nuts and so are their fans. I almost lost my hand one time because of the crazies. If they ever get booked in one of my bucket list places, then yeah, I'll be going. Well, maybe not now.

The table outside stands, and I watch as she secretly slips that piece of paper from Kinkaid into her pocket. The man beams at my side before his eyes go wide. "Stall for a few seconds."

"Already on it," I tell him, sliding out of the booth behind him. I was just about to tell him to let me out as it was. Not only was I planning on talking to her, but I don't like the way that she keeps her head down as she's walking out. And it doesn't appear to be in a way that she's avoiding looking for us. It feels morelike she's been talked down to, and I have to fight the rage that battles to get out.

It doesn't take me but a few strides to catch her before she walks out, her soft, marshmallow scent hitting me like a ton of bricks. I can't help but take a lungful of it before leaning down to whisper in her ear, "You never called."

She doesn't even flinch, letting me know that she's either expecting it or she recognizes me. Maybe both, if I'm lucky. Then she goes and says, "Did I not?"

And walks out, leaving me flabbergasted and grinning ear to ear after her like a fool. I don't go after her, because Kinkaid is already racing out of the kitchen to go after her. I watch them for a moment before going back to our table.

Raine is focused on the little dance they're doing out there. "I got a small hint of her scent from here."

"You feel it, too, don't you?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

He makes a small grunting noise of agreement. "We've never even tried courting an omega."

"Sounds like one of the mottos that Emerson lives by, don't you think?" I ask. "There's a first time for everything."

Chapter Five

"Let's go, girls! Pick it up!" Coach yells at us for what feels like the millionth time. She's as stern and hard on us as my coach was in high school, and I love it. The more she yells and fusses, the more I want to push my body to its limits to do better and more. One thing we were never allowed to do on the compound. Even as kids, we were to be seen, not heard, so no horseplay. No playing at all, honestly. If we had time to play then we had time to clean, or help with other's chores, or read the bible.

When we finally get done running laps, stretching, and warming up, Coach breaks us off into two teams to scrimmage each other. She made us do an introductory thing earlier, so everyone knew who we new girls are. Which is how I know that she divides us evenly on the teams with the others. Of course, the fact that I end up on the same team as all three of my roommates should've clued me in, too.

"Hell yeah," Nichole states, holding her hand up for a high five.

I oblige, much to Whitney's dismay. I don't know what her problem with me is, but we're on the same team and stuck in close quarters for the foreseeable future. She needs to work out her issues and stop taking them out on me. Otherwise, this is going to be a very long year.

Of course, two hours later and all the praises from the coach on how well I've done, doesn't help anything, either. By then, it's not just my roommates giving me dirty looks. Several of the other girls on the team are, too. I don't get it. My old teammates would've never hated someone on their own team for their talent out of fear they might be better than them. I've never been on the court and received the looks I'm getting now unless it was from the opposing team.

"That's it for the day," Coach calls, saying my name andcalling me over.

I make it over to her, and she hands me a water bottle. "Come on, follow me."

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