Page 215 of Kingdoms of Night

She didn’t immediately still, but her breathing noticeably changed.

I stood absolutely still, afraid that she might suddenly jolt again.

However, all she did was snuggle into my chest, like she was trying to burrow into the source of the rumbling.

With a sigh, I increased the intensity and allowed it to comfort her.

Which caused her to snuggle even closer. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Rather than reply, I started walking again.

It wasn’t until we reached the cabins that she said, “I’ve never had an Alpha purr for me before.” They were soft words that sounded almost groggy. “I’ve never been knotted, either.”

The confessions didn’t surprise me. Claiming typically came with a knotting, which explained a lot about her hesitation where Alphas were concerned.

But I’d meant what I’d said about control—there were Alphas who could control their rutting instincts. And I was one of them.

Herinsultshad certainly helped because while my body was ready to go, my mind was saying,Absolutely fucking not.

She continued to nuzzle me as I walked up to the cabin I’d identified earlier as having the most supplies inside. It also had a heavy exterior door that would be useful for blocking out intruders. The glassless windows would be a problem, but I’d work on fixing that.

Just like I’d go play with the generator out back to see if I could do something about the utilities. From what I’d seen, there appeared to be solar energy panels involved. Which meant it might actually have some energy in it.

I used my boot to nudge open the door, my ears attuned to everything around us once more. But it was just as silent as before, my nose only picking up Riley’s sweet scent and nothing else.

A full sweep of the area would be needed again soon because there was a good chance the Omega perfume was clouding out any and all potential threats.

The faster I moved away from her, the better.

So I carried her into the house and up the stairs into one of the two bedrooms and set her on the bed.

“There isn’t any running water, but there’s a well pump out back near the generator. I’ll go see what I can do. If you want clothes, there are several options in the closet. And there’s some canned food downstairs.” I didn’t elaborate beyond that, just turned to leave.

“Jonas…”

I paused at the threshold but didn’t look back at her. “Yes?”

“I really don’t dislike you,” she said, repeating her words from earlier. “I’m sorry for always being rude. And for disrespecting you.”

My jaw ticked as I tried to think of what to say to that.

While I appreciated the apology, I wasn’t sure I accepted it.

For all I knew, she was just trying to see if she could persuade me to lose control and knot her, only to use it against me later.

It seemed like something she might do.

So rather than reply, I gave a curt nod.

And left.

I had a den to secure and an Omega to protect. That was what mattered most right now. And I couldn’t accomplish either of those things by standing in that room talking things through.

She could take care of herself for a bit.

While I took care of everything else.

CHAPTEREIGHT

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