43. Raine
43
Raine
Waking up the next morning, I find myself eagerly heading down to the dining room for breakfast.
All night I was working through the realization that my admiration for Nyx has gotten much deeper than surface level and is now bordering on attraction—a little ironic considering my hang-up regarding Aiden.
But then again, can I really be blamed? An alpha who is willing to take me in, raise my baby as his own, and take care of me? How could I not find any of that attractive?
Not to mention Nyx is easy on the eyes.
Jeez, Raine. Get it together.
Finding only Rose sitting at the dining room table has me feeling a little disappointed. Plastering a smile on my face and taking my seat does hardly anything for my slowly plummeting mood.
Where’s Nyx?
Almost as if reading my thoughts, Rose sips from her glass of juice and then says, “Looks like you’re just stuck with me today.”
“Did something happen?” A plate is set down in front of me, fresh food steaming slightly.
This is the best I’ve been treated in my entire life: a nice place to sleep, fresh and hot food, company who isn’t afraid to talk to me.
Man, am I living the life.
“Yeah, so border stuff I guess,” she says, chewing on a piece of bacon.
I eat a few bites of my food while mentally chewing on that piece of information. Ironically, Nyx just talked to me about this the other day and made it seem like the packs under his rule were all fine and good.
Now that I’m here, has that somehow changed? Do his packs not like the fact that he’ll have an heir soon?
“Does that happen often?”
Rose’s brows pull together as she thinks about it for a second. “Yes and no? It’s complicated.”
“How so?”
She has no reason to tell me anything, but I’m hoping she’ll do it anyway. So far, Rose has been pretty up-front with me about everything that has to do with Soleus. Whether that’s because she feels bad for me or what, I don’t really care.
As long as I get the information in the end.
“I don’t think I’m the best person to ask about that,” she says. “They kind of rattle on about it and I just tune it out. Basically some packs like to start civil issues with each other and it gets out of hand, which forces Nyx to go over there and break it all up. Does that make sense?”
It does and it doesn’t.
Why start civil issues when you have to live with that neighbor indefinitely? Sure, packs can move, but that doesn’t happen often. Once roots are set, it’s hard to find somewhere else to settle.
There aren’t many territories nowadays that aren’t claimed by a pack already on the land. If you find one, it’s rare, though the chances of that place being inhabitable are high.
“So...he’s like a peacekeeper?”
She laughs. Hard . “Fuck no. Think of him as a slap of reality. He’ll go over there and beat them all into submission if that’s what it takes.”
A chill rolls down my spine.
Well, now I know where the rumors about his ruthlessness have cropped up from. “I take it the civil issues resolve themselves pretty quickly once he arrives?”
“Yup. Although there are some idiots that enjoy going toe-to-toe with an alpha like Nyx. Sometimes I think they start the issues on purpose to test themselves against him.”
There are packs like that?
I’ve never heard of any shifter willingly going up against an alpha king in order to see what would happen. To me that just seems like a suicide mission.
“What happens to them when they lose?” I ask.
Rose shrugs.
I guess that’s all the answer I need to come to my own conclusion.
“Look, don’t worry about it,” she says. “He’ll be back soon. He’s never gone for that long.”
That comforts me a little, even if I’m worried that he’ll come back in rougher shape than when he left. Nyx is a strong alpha, much like Aiden. While Aiden and I are significantly younger than Nyx, he’s still quite spritely.
“I was thinking about taking you somewhere today,” Rose says.
That has me perking up. “Oh? Like out of the pack?”
She grins. “Yeah, but you can’t tell anyone. Nyx will kill me and then Wren will bring me back to kill me again.”
Oh boy.
I hope that means it isn’t anything dangerous.
She waves her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not taking you somewhere that’ll hurt you or the baby. It’s a watering hole that I discovered on a patrol one day, this little oasis that you’re going to die over. Trust me, the hike out there is worth it.”
Hike, huh…
Why does this sound like we’re about to embark on a day-long adventure?
“Won’t people notice we’re not here?” I ask.
She shrugs again. “I doubt it. Most people think you’re going to be staying in the house until Nyx announces that you’re pregnant. You know, like that whole ‘mating period’ thing.”
My cheeks flush. “Oh…right.”
I forgot we’re supposed to be pretending here.
Luckily, I’m still barely showing. Which either means I’m carrying farther back, or this baby is going to be small.
Neither of which will be a bad thing. It’ll give me time to acclimate here before people start coming up to me and congratulating me on Nyx knocking me up.
Strangely, heat begins to gather between my legs at the thought.
Would Nyx ever want to do something like that with me? He hasn’t expressed interest so far in making any of this official, but then, that could be him respecting me getting settled in first. He’d been all for passing this baby off as his, so I doubt he’s desperate to get me into bed.
But still…
Would he ever want to?
I assume that eventually once we’re mated, we will—though, there is the possibility that he never will want to touch me. Technically I’m damaged goods in terms of being a breeder. Not to mention if that’s all he sees me as, a breeder, then I’ve already fulfilled my duty.
Getting into bed with me would be an unnecessary step in the process.
“Uh, Earth to Raine?”
I blink back into reality. “Sorry, what?”
“I asked if you were ready to go?” She nods down at my empty plate. “Unless you want seconds.”
“No, I’m good,” I say, and push my plate back from me.
Along with my steadily growing feelings for an alpha I definitely shouldn’t want.