Chapter 9
1077 Words
The people who had come only to watch were the first to leave. After all the chaos caused by my arrival, followed by Hurricane Ryker’s dramatic appearance, everything became quiet as the room slowly emptied.
Most of the council members walked out without saying much. Only a few of them looked back at me before leaving, including Darius. Soon, only Kael and I were left behind.
And one tropical storm that looked ready to blow us all away.
“We need to talk, Alpha Kael,” Ryker said through clenched teeth. His incredibly handsome face was hard and serious. He didn’t even look at me, which irritated my wolf. Only my wolf, though. Personally, I was thankful not to have his attention anymore. Well, maybe I was becoming a pretty good liar after all.
It wasn’t my fault that I was so aware of the giant shifter that it became dangerous. Scent matches were as powerful and distracting as mind-changing drugs.
Not. My. Fault.
Kael gently squeezed my shoulder, and both of us ignored the quiet growl coming from the other alpha.
“Give me a minute to speak with Alpha Ryker, then I’ll take you to get settled.”
My senses weren’t as sharp as those of other shifters, so I couldn’t hear a single word from their quiet conversation, which lasted about five minutes. Neither of them looked at me, but as Ryker spoke, Kael’s expression slowly became more annoyed.
I was sure Ryker was saying only wonderful things.
It was obvious that this alpha had no intention of letting me quietly disappear, and the fact that he was now paying such close attention to me would only make my future plan of leaving America for another country much more difficult.
But not impossible.
Nothing was impossible when failure was not an option.
Their discussion finally ended with both of them wearing grim expressions, while the room remained heavy with shifter dominance.
Ryker walked toward the exit, passing right by me. It looked like he was going to continue ignoring me until...
His head suddenly turned toward me.
The instant our eyes met, I gasped.
His dark gray eyes were filled with streaks of gold, and the air between us seemed to crackle with silent energy.
He held me in place with nothing but his gaze.
Thankfully, before I embarrassed myself by taking a step toward him, he walked away.
My legs became so weak that I almost dropped into the nearest chair.
Only pure determination kept me standing.
By the time Ryker had left the room and Kael returned to my side, I had managed to pull myself together.
Sort of.
Fine... not really.
But fake it till you make it and all that.
“Come on, Aria,” Kael said kindly. “Let’s get you to your new temporary home.”
“Arya,” I said quietly. “If I actually had friends, that’s what they would call me.”
“You have friends now, kid.”
Damn it.
Meeting my scent match had already left me emotionally shaken, making me much more vulnerable to kindness than usual.
The last thing I needed was to become attached to shifters or this whole pack lifestyle.
The loneliness I had lived with all my life had never felt as painful as it did right then.
“Well, since we’re being friendly now, and I’m no longer waiting to be executed, I should tell you I’m actually twenty-five years old. So technically, I’m not a kid.”
Kael laughed, and I was relieved that my lie didn’t seem to upset him.
“When you get to my age, everyone younger than you is a kid.”
He paused for a moment.
“And since we’re being friends, let’s keep your real age between you, me, and your scent-matched pack. At least for now.”
“I’d rather keep them completely out of it. It’s none of their business.”
Hello again, denial.
Kael quickly hid the confused look on his face and didn’t ask me why, which immediately made him my favorite shifter in Shadow Crest.
He led me downstairs into the basement parking area, where only one black Range Rover remained.
I was a bike wolf through and through, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating a nice four-wheeled vehicle.
“Nice one, Alpha Kael,” I said as I moved my hand just above its shiny paint and smooth curves. “This model isn’t even supposed to be released in America until next month.”
Surprise crossed his face before he smiled warmly.
“You know your cars. I collect them. My pack lets me enjoy that hobby because I’m the one who earns the most money.”
I covered my laugh with my hand.
“That actually sounds like a fair deal.”
He unlocked the door and motioned for me to get inside.
“What did you drive while you were living in the human world?”
My heart ached as I thought about my baby.
“I had a black Yamaha YZF-R6. It wasn’t anything fancy, but she took very good care of me. I guess it’s still at the hotel where they captured me.”
Thinking about losing her would only make me feel worse, so I quickly changed the subject while fastening my seatbelt.
“Is being on the council your job? Is that what earns you all that money?”
Kael shook his head as he started the engine.
The deep, powerful sound immediately calmed me in a way I hadn’t felt since before Florida.
“I lead a team of twenty enforcers. We’re basically like SWAT or black-ops in the human world. There are ten teams like mine in Shadow Crest, and we handle security and law enforcement here. Interestingly, one of your mates leads another team.”
Everything inside me twisted at how casually he used the word mate.
I answered in a firm voice.
“Interestingly, I don’t have mates.”
Kael wore a frustratingly smug smile as he drove out of the parking garage.
“Sure, kid. Keep telling yourself that.”
Smug bastard.
For a second, I almost wanted to take back my offer of friendship.
For the rest of the drive, while Kael drove through the busy streets of the city, which reminded me of several medium-sized cities I had lived in over the years, he continued telling me about Shadow Crest.
- Writer
