Claimed by the Alpha Who Raised Me

Chapter 7

Elowen's POV

My head snapped up from Sable's fur.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I blurted, and the heat rushed up my neck fast enough to burn my ears. "It's not because of that."

Kael watched me stammer through the denial without a single change in his expression. He stubbed out the cigarette, let out a quiet "Mm," and walked toward the study without another word.

One minute I was crying over Bastian and Delphine, and the next I was red-faced and sputtering about boyfriends like a child caught stealing sweets. It reminded me of that first day in Moonhollow, when he'd asked whether I could be sent to an orphanage and I'd been so stunned I forgot to cry.

The study door stayed ajar. From the couch I could see him at the desk with his eyes closed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The lamplight caught the lines of his face in a way that made him look tired, properly tired, not the controlled version he wore during the day.

I got up quietly and went to the kitchen. My father used to come home late from pack dinners smelling like wine and regret, and I'd be the one to make the remedy if the housekeeper had already gone to bed. Ginger, honey, warm water, a squeeze of lemon. I found everything in Kael's cupboard, had the cup ready within minutes, and set it on the corner of his desk.

"Drink it while it's warm," I said, and retreated before he could say anything that might ruin the moment.

Back in the living room I lay down on the couch with the throw blanket pulled to my chin. Sable settled against my stomach and the faint sounds from the study, rustling pages, the scratch of a pen, filled the quiet in a way that felt like proof I wasn't alone. I closed my eyes and let them carry me under.

Sunlight woke me, and I was in bed instead of the couch, blankets tucked around me the way they always were when he'd been the one to move me. I knew how I'd gotten there and didn't let myself sit with it too long.

The cabin smelled like coffee and toast. Kael was at the kitchen window with his phone pressed to his ear, the sleeves of his black shirt rolled to the elbows.

"She's here. Been busy. I'll come by when I can."

He glanced over when he heard me, then looked again. His gaze dropped to the pajama top pulling too tight across my chest before he turned back to the window. I ducked into the bedroom, changed, and came back out.

He was at the stove, flipping the pan one-handed with the kind of ease that came from years of taking care of himself before anyone handed him a title. The empty cup from last night sat clean and dry on the counter, and a small smile pulled at my lips before I could stop it.

"Morning." He handed me a plate without turning around, toast and eggs perfectly done.

I waited for him to sit before eating. "Was that my grandfather on the phone?"

He ignored the question. "Why didn't you tell me the clothes were too small?"

Someone provides for you, you don't complain. "They're fine," I said.

He set down his fork and looked straight at me. "Elowen. Since I brought you here, this is your home now. Whatever standard of living you had before, you'll have here too. If you need anything, say it directly." The corner of his mouth twitched. "You're not the type to butter people up anyway."

My throat tightened. Aldwin had told me before he left that living under someone else's roof meant watching my step and staying quiet, and I'd taken that so seriously I'd been swallowing every word for days. Hearing Kael say the opposite cracked open a door I hadn't realised I'd been pressing shut.

"Nothing to say?" His voice cut through.

I lifted my head. "The pajamas are a bit small."

He waited.

"And the underwear too."

His hand froze halfway to his water glass. He picked it up, took a calm sip, and said, "Finish your breakfast. You're coming with me."

After breakfast he drove us to the market district and stopped outside a shop that specialised in undergarments. He told me to go in and pick whatever I needed while he waited outside, as flat and practical about it as if he were sending me in for bread.

My mother had always handled my clothing from the skin out. I wasn't even sure of my exact size.

The shop assistant returned with several options in a size larger than I'd have guessed. "You're more developed than most girls your age," she said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks," I murmured, and buried myself in the display rack so she wouldn't see my face burn. I'd always wished I were a little smaller because it made clothes easier to fit, but whenever I'd said that, Delphine used to smack my arm and call me a show-off while Bastian pretended to gag. The memory stung more than I expected, so I picked what I needed and paid before my eyes could do anything embarrassing in front of a stranger.

Outside, Kael had already gone through two cigarettes. He was leaning against the railing when a woman's voice cut through the noise of the market.

"Kael?"

He gave a faint nod. A tall woman with dark hair, her smile polished and warm on the surface but her eyes sharper than the smile. "You've been back in the Northern Reach for a while now. We should catch up sometime."

"We'll see."

Her gaze flicked to the shop behind me and the bag in my hand, and her smile stiffened. "Who on earth got you to come shopping here?"

He didn't answer because I was already walking toward them. "All done," I said. "Let's go."

Kael took the bag from my hand without being asked, gave the woman a brief nod, and walked off. I fell into step beside him but couldn't stop myself glancing back. She hadn't introduced herself and he hadn't introduced her either, which meant she was either unimportant enough to skip or important enough to avoid. The way she'd looked at the shop told me it was the second one.

I was deep in imagined backstories when his voice cut through. "Elowen. Are you trying to test that pillar's strength with your forehead?"

I quickly shoved aside my curiosity about Keal’s relationship with that woman. “You said this morning that I shouldn’t keep things to myself. Can I ask you something?”

"No."

“But you said—”

"I told you to speak up about what you need. Not to pry."

Oh. So apparently, I was the only one expected to stop keeping things to myself.

I followed him to the car in silence while the question about the woman with the sharp floral scent sat heavy on my tongue.