Page 48 of Pack Owned
His assurance wraps around me. I want to believe him… I do, but there’s a cautious creature inside me, one who’s survived by doubting sweet promises and watching for shadows where light seems brightest.
“Thanks,” I reply, pulling my hand back to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Kayla, I promise nothing bad will happen to you.” He stands, and there’s a sudden intensity in his stance that wasn’t there before. Protector. Soldier. Alpha.
I force a smile, trying to mask the tremor of fear that always dances along my spine. Survival means more than just breathing. It means staying one step ahead.
“Kayla,” Dane’s voice is gentle as he grabs his cell phone from the counter next to the stove. “What’s your size?”
I flush at the question, my pulse quickening for reasons that have nothing to do with fear. It’s a simple enough question, but the intimacy of it sends heat crawling up my neck.
“Um… what?”
“Clothes.” He frowns at the screen on his phone while he types. “Might as well have something to wear while you’re here. We didn’t have time back at the cabin.”
I swallow the lump pressing into my throat.
“Um, small, mostly. Size eight.” I mumble.
He nods, his thumbs flying over his phone screen, already ordering.
“Anything you don’t like? Colors? Styles?” His eyes meet mine, and there’s an earnest concern that makes it hard to look away.
“Nothing orange,” I say quickly, and then add a softer, “Thank you.”
“Got it, no orange.” He grins, and there’s something in that smile that makes the tightness in my chest loosen a fraction.
New clothes, expensive ones at that, are one of the tenants of an Alpha claiming an Omega. Gifts of clothes, jewelry, and the like are like the promise rings of the past. Fear leaps in my throat, but I tamp it down. Clothes are just clothes, and these Alphas, they’ve got money. A mini-wardrobe for an Omega probably wouldn’t put a dent in their funds, while I had to scrape and save to buy a new pair of jeans once a year.
The kitchen door swings open, and Liam stumbles in, all sleepy disarray and rumpled pajama bottoms with no shirt. Hisblond hair is a wild mess, sticking out in every direction. He rubs his eyes with the heel of his hand, yawning widely.
“Morning,” he grunts, his voice gravelly with sleep.
The sight of him, so unguarded and adorably human, squeezes something tight in my chest.
“Sleep well?” Dane asks, amusement lacing his tone as Liam shuffles to the fridge.
“Like the dead,” Liam answers, pulling out orange juice with a determined sort of focus.
“Or maybe our last mission on the game of fighting zombies affected your sleep?” I tease, surprising myself.
Liam shoots me a killer-watt smile that steals my breath. “You up for a game later?”
“Sure.”
Dane chuckles, sipping his coffee, and I let being with them both wash over me. For a moment, I allow myself the luxury of feeling safe, not of being an unclaimed Omega with an unsure future.
“Think Ryker’s still sleeping?” I ask, trying to sound casual, but the question feels like a stone in my throat. Last night, he said I’d be taken in this morning, but so far, there’s been no sign of him.
“Who knows?” Liam replies without looking up from his plate of food. “He’s probably off somewhere doing push-ups or brooding in the dark. You know, typical lone wolf stuff.”
“Right,” I say, the word hollow. Even amid warmth and laughter, everything I’m running from looms over me.
“Anyway,” Liam continues, jabbing a piece of sausage off his plate. “Let’s not waste a good breakfast worrying about him.”
“Agreed.” Dane raises his coffee cup in a silent toast.
I nod, forcing myself to focus on the now—the company of two Alphas who, against all odds, seem to be on my side.
