Page 128 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
“Oh?”
“Yes! I’ve been gone from our pack for so long. I want to know how everyone is.”
“Ourpack?” He grinned.
I took a large bite of my steak. “Don’t tease me,” I muttered around the mouthful.
He chuckled and ate his breakfast more slowly. “Everyone is fine, but they were worried sick about you. They really felt your loss around dinner time.”
I swallowed and smiled. It was nice to hear that the Wargs cared about me the way I cared about them. After days spent indarkness and isolation, I’d started to believe that I had imagined their kindness, or that it had come from pity.
“What about Tavi?” I asked.
Night hesitated, and worry spiked through me. The last time I’d seen her, she had been cuddled close to Dom’s chest, and she had been acting nothing like herself.
“Don’t sugarcoat it for me,” I said. “I want to know the truth.”
He nodded. “I’m sure this isn’t a surprise to you, but she wasn’t in great shape when we arrived. According to Doc, she’s suffering from wounds that hurt her deeper than we can see.”
I let out a breath.What did those monsters do to my friend?“Have you seen her yet?”
“Not yet,” he said, “but she’s still here in Kings’ territory.Yourterritory.”
I felt a brief thrill at hearing Night acknowledge that the Kings’ grounds were mine.
“Where is she?”
“The last I heard from Dom, she’s staying in a cabin not far from here, resting. My mom is with her; she arrived today while we were sleeping. Doc is with them, too.”
That set my mind at ease. Though we didn’t know much more about Tavi’s condition, at least Violet and Doctor Stan were with her. I would have been worried about them if not for the fact that I’d seen the way Dom behaved around Tavi. I knew that she and Violet were safe with him around.
“Good.” I finished off my steak and then my eggs. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Night watching me in that intent,careful way of his, making me feel fragile and precious. It felt wonderful having so much of his attention, but it also caught me off-guard and made my pulse beat faster. I was so in love with him I hardly knew what to do with myself in his presence. I bit my lip, racking my brain for something more to say.
“And how is Violet?” I asked.
“Her Alpha wound is healing. It’ll scar her for the rest of her life, but she should make a full recovery.”
I nodded. It still haunted me—the way her blood had gushed, the sound of her body hitting the ground—but once I saw her, I was sure I’d feel a bit better about everything.
“Oh! What about Pax?” I’d completely forgotten about the pup. He’d tried so hard to save my life, only for him to fall right into Troy’s clutches.
“He didn’t even have a scratch on him. I know he misses you like crazy. The last I heard from his mother, he was picking books from the library for you to read to him.”
I laughed. “I can’t wait.”
“Do you have any other pressing questions, love?”
“Ah.” My face warmed. I guess I wasn’t being as subtle as I’d hoped. “U-um, the garden?”
“It’s doing fine.” He smiled around the top of the bottle and downed a few swallows.
“And Mable?”
“She’s healthy and, like I said, feeling your loss in the kitchen.”
“R-right. Then, um…”
Night laughed, setting the bottle on the nightstand before settling under the covers. He tugged at my arm and pulled me after him. I caught myself on my elbow and looked down at him. He was so handsome, so present, so masculine. He smoothed his hand over my jaw and buried his fingers in my hair.
