Page 38 of The Alpha King's Hunt

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He looks over to me, and I shrug. "Whatever you think is best, Cal," I say gently.

He nods a few times.

"Okay," he says, standing. "I've got something to do. Declan, you can go. Keira, get settled. We'll talk more later."

He leaves, and I go to stand.

"Hey," Declan says, grabbing my arm. "You okay?"

I look back at him. "Yeah. I'll manage."

He shakes his head. "Just don't shut down. You do that sometimes."

"I know."

"I'm here, sis."

I smile.

"How's it having Octavian? He seems all right."

"Yeah, he's all right. Is it helping you stay focused?"

Declan smiles. "Yes. Knowing you got a fucking giant following you around helps. Still," he says, waving his hands, "all this shit though."

"Yeah. We'll figure it out, brother."

We head out into the hallway, and Octavian looks down at me.

"We're going to stay here for a few days, so come on," I say and start walking. "I'll show you where you'll be staying, and then we can go get some stuff from my house."

He doesn't answer, but I hear his boots behind me, and in this moment, those steps don't annoy me. In fact, it's the last thing they do.

We head over to the east wing. I like this side. It's quieter than the rest of the house. More isolated.

When I reach the suite he'll be staying in, I push open the door and step inside.

"This will be your room. Mine's two doors down at the end of the hall," I say, turning to him. "It's bigger," I whisper jokingly.

I toss my purse onto the couch and move toward the window.

The gardens stretch out below, perfectly manicured, like everything else in this family.

Octavian closes the door and stands right in front of it.

I glance over my shoulder. "You planning to stand there all day?"

"If necessary."

I roll my eyes. "You're exhausting."

"You say that a lot."

"Because it's true."

He doesn't respond.

I turn back to the window, letting the silence stretch.

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