Chapter 8 | For Now
1436 Words
Raina
Alpha Thorne brings me to the area where his other purchases are waiting. He holds his arm out to me, waiting for me to take it before we walk forward.
It’s weird.
It’s like he’s trying to put on a show about us being a united front. But… I’m not his equal.
Why would he want it to look like I am?
The first thing I notice is that most of his purchases are men. Because of that, I don’t recognize most of them.
The only time we were allowed to mingle with the other s*x at the Crucible Academy was in very specific, heavily monitored, communal areas.
I didn’t go often; it was uncomfortable being watched as intensely as you would be if you chose to enter that space.
The men are incredibly fit. I wonder what kind of work is planned for them. A man, dressed in slacks and a forest green button-down shirt, walks over to greet the Alpha. Alpha Thorne lets go of my arm as he pats the man on the back in their greeting. The man looks to me, his brown eyes wide as he states, “Wow, I didn’t believe it when I heard it over the announcement.”
He pulls away from the Alpha and introduces himself, “I’m Beta Robert Cantworth, but you can call me Bear.”
My eyebrows furrow in confusion, and he gets distracted by something going on with the group of men. He gives me an apologetic smile and says, “I’ll explain the story behind that later.”
He rushes off before I can even respond, and Alpha Thorne smirks at me before addressing the rest of the group, causing whatever commotion was occurring to come to an abrupt end. “Welcome, everyone, you are all officially a part of the Twilight Pack. We are very excited to have you get integrated within our pack, and over the next few weeks, we will find the perfect place for each of you. We are heading out quickly and have quite a journey to get back home, so please listen to any leadership carefully.”
Alpha Thorne looks to Beta Cantworth as he asks, “You know how to proceed?”
The Beta nods, “It’s not my first time around, Alpha. I can handle this group. I already messaged Annie about how many people we have, and she is arranging transportation now. The jet is ready for you when you’re ready to take off. I assume Ms. Trainer will be with you.”
“Yes, she will be.” His green eyes flicker to the back of the group before. There’s tension in his shoulders, and his voice drops as he asks, “Normally, I’m with you. Should I take-”
Before he can finish his sentence, his Beta interrupts him with an easy smile, “It will be fine, Alpha, I promise.”
He nods, turning towards me before abruptly turning back to his Beta and asking, “How is Annie feeling? Have there been any developments while we’ve been gone?”
Beta Cantworth gives a goofy grin as he says, “She’s doing great. Said that the baby is moving a lot more, but there’s no major development, and that the doctor doesn’t expect her to deliver until a couple of weeks after we’re back home.”
A baby? But… whose baby?
Alpha Thorne smiles, “That’s great to hear. I’ll check on her as soon as I’m back on site, and I’ll keep you informed if anything changes.”
Beta Cantworth waves his hand dismissively. I take note of this entire interaction because it’s obvious that the Alpha and Beta have more than just a professional relationship; they’re close with one another.
“She would tell me before you’d even get the chance to, Alpha. No need to worry about her, she is capable, that’s why you trusted her to keep things running while we were gone.”
Alpha Thorne claps a hand on the Beta’s shoulder as he states, “That woman is carrying our future Beta. It’s no easy task, especially when she has kept things running during our absence.”
The Beta’s eyes latch onto mine as he says, “Yeah, I know she’ll be relieved when she finally has a Luna to help her run things when we have to be absent.”
Alpha Thorne smiles as he takes my arm, “Thanks, Bear. I’ll see you hopefully tomorrow.”
He nods his head as he turns and makes a call out to the group, and Alpha Thorne leads me away.
He leads me out the door of the building, and I’m immediately blinded by the light. I hold up an arm to cover my eyes when I realize I’m outside.
I never get to go outside.
Okay, not never, but literally we were limited to like 20 minutes a day, and if it was raining or you did something that got you in trouble, then forget about it.
I drop my hand down and close my eyes, basking in the feel of the sunlight on my face. I can feel Alpha Thorne’s gaze on me, and I ask, “What is it?”
“You like the sun, huh?” There’s amusement in his voice. I suppose this is kind of a weird thing to do, but I can’t help it. I feel rejuvenated.
I wonder if Elyria has come out yet. Has she faced the same exhilaration of freedom I feel now?
I haven’t shifted yet, but I swear I can feel my inner wolf howling in excitement as a breeze blows through my hair.
I open my eyes and turn to face him. All thoughts of trying to keep my sister away from his mind leave me as I ask, “Do you know anything about the Eclipse Pack?”
A playful smile meets me, “Wanting to leave already? Didn’t realize we treated you so poorly that you would want to make an escape.”
I shake my head no and say, “I just… I wonder if she’s made it outside yet.”
He nods slowly; he understands me even if he isn’t saying so with his words. He says, “The Eclipse Pack isn’t far from mine.”
“Really?” I can’t help the hope that laces into my voice.
“Roughly a three-hour drive. I don’t know a ton about them, to be honest. Their Alpha is unmated, I think the whole hierarchy over there is.”
“And who all would that be?”
He raises a brow, “You don’t know?”
“I just want to make sure I understand the structures of packs. That’s not where I was raised, I’m sure you can understand that, Alpha.”
He nods his head in understanding, “There’s the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, and normally each of them is mated, and their mates are very well respected and loved throughout the pack.”
“But, you’re unmated?”
His green eyes seem to darken as he smirks, “For now.”
We walk towards what looks like a nice car, and he opens the front passenger door for me. “After you, my lady.”
My eyebrows knit together, and I ignore the nickname as I slide into the seat. He walks around to the driver’s side and says, “You already met my Beta, Robert. His mate Annie has been helping oversee the pack while we’ve been out. My Gamma, Jamie, had to be focused on our borders while we’ve been gone. That’s part of why we recruited so many men this year.”
“Do you normally make so many purchases?”
“We try. We don’t have a ton of money to go towards the auctions.” Mentally, I raise my brows at that. I know I was the most expensive purchase of the day. He continues, “I wasn’t even planning to purchase a girl this time.”
“What made you change your mind?” I question.
He smiles, his dimples proud on display as he says, “I met a girl who intrigued me. Then she ran and lost her shoe, and I knew I had to get it back to her.”
I roll my eyes, making him chuckle. But I know that there has to be a deeper reason why he purchased me. He said he didn’t usually have much money for purchases, so what made me so different?
And why was I worth so much to him?
- Writer
