Page 22 of Ruthless Reign

James slams the door closed behind me, making sure to jab his elbow into my side as he glides past.

"Asshole," I mutter, resisting the urge to rub my rib cage.

"Bitch," he murmurs, making sure I hear him.

I follow him down the hallway as I avoid meeting the stares of the other pack members. When we reach the bottom, I find Sawyer waiting patiently. He takes in my appearance with a disappointed look on his face.

"We gave you the room with the shower," he grumbles, turning his nose up.

"If you think I'm going to take my clothes off anywhere near you folk, then you're truly delusional."

Sawyer and James share a look, before the former beckons me with two fingers. He leads me back into the dining room, and this time, I find the table covered with an assortment of food.

I ignore the rumbling in my stomach, hunger pains making me feel weaker than usual, but I instead indulge in my combative feelings, letting them fuel me instead.

"You're welcome to eat," Sawyer tells me, his tone already indicating that he knows I'm going to refuse. "Otherwise, Alpha Cade is ready to see you in his office."

There are a few people seated at the table, their curious eyes taking in my appearance. I glance over them quickly, before ripping my attention back to Sawyer. "Lead the way."

"Suit yourself," he shrugs.

James rolls his eyes, and I shoot him a look that could kill, daring him to start with me. His own eyes narrow in response,but he stands behind, bringing up the rear as Sawyer leads me through to the next room. We bypass it, heading through the kitchen—which is all white, to no one's surprise—before taking a sharp left turn to head down another corridor. The doors are mostly open along here, and I peek inside as we pass, spotting desks as I realize they are all offices.

When we reach the door at the end, I notice it's half open, and Sawyer pushes it with his hand. Immediately, I spot Cade behind a large oak desk, dressed in a periwinkle buttoned-up dress shirt. He glances up as the door opens, taking us all in with a smile.

"Good morning," he greets warmly, like we're all therewillingly.

"Alpha," Sawyer says respectfully, stepping out of the way to make room for me.

I linger in the doorway, not moving, watching as Cade does the same as the others. His eyes slowly scan my body, a frown appearing.

"Do you like being covered in dirt or something?" he asks, but there's no animosity in his tone, just concern.

"I like not being a prisoner," I snap back, and I can sense James rolling his eyes behind me. I quickly find him over my shoulder, confirming my suspicions. "Keep doing that," I taunt. "You might find a brain back there."

"Okay, that's enough," Sawyer murmurs, placing a hand on my lower back and giving me a nudge into the room, putting space between us. "James, go find Matteo and Annabelle. We need to run over today's schedule with them."

James gives me a final glare before turning and stalking off. I can feel his anger radiating from his retreating form, and once he's out of view, I direct my attitude to the man behind the desk.

He leans back in his chair casually, visually assessing me with interest. I know I look like shit, but it annoys me that heappears professional and together. You can't tell that he spent the evening chasing after me through the woods—or that I punched and tackled him. There are no marks at all on his face, and I make a mental note to work on my ability to sucker punch someone.

I regret spending all my years of training focusing on my speed. I remember how much it used to amuse me, dodging Beta Alix's blows, giving everyone a run for their money with my speed. I guess Alpha Daxton and Beta Alix were right—you can't outrun an enemy forever. I should have learned how to attack when I had the chance, but I was too busy giving attitude and believing that it was over the top to do so much training. Oh, how naive I was.

"Did you manage to get some rest?" Cade asks casually.

I scoff. "Not really. I didn't trust myself to fall asleep."

It's not a lie, but I leave out the part where I did pass out for a few hours. Still, even with a few hours of rest, I am exhausted. The only other rest I've had since the night before Tyler's funeral was the few times I've blacked out from having my head smashed by a rock or passing out from exhaustion in the cell.

Cade nods thoughtfully. "Coffee?" He offers, gesturing to the other side of the office.

I turn my head, spotting an espresso machine in the corner. Damnit—coffee, my one weakness.

An internal battle rages in my head. I don't trust them not to poison my food, but if I make my own coffee with the machine, surely I would be safe. Right?

Against my better judgment, I give a small nod, watching as he smiles victoriously. He stands from his desk, heading in the direction of the machine.

"I've got it," I say quickly, rushing over and shoving him out of the way.

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