Page 8 of Alpha Reid

“I don’t,” I sigh, tickling Sadie’s tummy. She giggles, and I can’t help but grin at the sound of it. I glance up at Taylor to see her leaning back against the dresser watching me curiously, waiting for me to elaborate. I blow out a breath, shrugging and looking back down at her daughter. “I mean he’s my mate, so I guess I will soon enough…”

Taylor slams a drawer shut with her hip, her jaw going slack. “He’s… andyou’re…” she stammers, holding up her hands. Her eyes look like they’re going to bug out of her head. “Hold on,what?”

I chuckle softly, shaking my head. “Hey, it came as a surprise to both of us, too.”

Taylor grabs the stack of clothes off the dresser, rushing over to me with a huge grin stretching her face, her excitement spilling over. “Oh my gosh!” she squeals. “I can’t believe it, he finally found his mate! He’s been waiting… I mean, we’veallbeen waiting… and here you are! This is incredible!”

“Uh, yeah,” I breathe, chuckling anxiously as I reach up to run a hand through my damp hair.

Taylor immediately picks up on my discomfort, stopping short and reining it in a bit. “What’s wrong?” she asks, her smile fading.

I just shrug, bouncing Sadie on my knee. Taylor seems nice, but we aren’t girlfriends. I’m not about to bare my soul to her. And even if I wanted to, my own conflicting thoughts and emotions about the whole thing are confusing enough without someone else weighing in.

She places the stack of clothes on the bed next to me and sets a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Hey, if you’re worried about Reid, don’t be,” she coos. “He’s a great guy.”

I glance up at her, smiling weakly. Unsure how to respond.

“Seriously,” Taylor continues, the look on her face so earnest. “You really lucked out with him. He’s thebest.”

“Yeah, I…” I grit out, panic creeping in. I shoot to my feet, thrusting Sadie toward her mom. “I’m gonna go for that run, clear my head.”

Taylor takes her child from me and I quickly scoop the stack of clothing from the bed, tucking it under an arm. “Thanks for the clothes.”

“Wait!” Taylor exclaims, balancing her daughter on a hip and holding up a finger. “What about running shoes?”

I pause, watching after her as she crosses the room to the walk-in closet, ducking inside. I consider making a quick exit, but she’s right- I do need shoes.

“What size?” she calls from inside, and if she’s got multiple size options to choose from, I don’t question it.

“Uh, like an eight?” I call back.

Taylor emerges a moment later, a pair of purple and black Nike running shoes dangling from her fingers. “Here,” she says, approaching and handing them to me. “They may be a little snug, but hopefully they’ll work.”

“Thanks,” I breathe, taking the shoes from her gratefully and glancing over my shoulder toward the door. “And for the clothes. Again. I appreciate it.”

She offers me a tender smile. “Don’t mention it. Just let me know if you need anything else.”

I nod, feeling a little guilty for bolting like I am when the girl’s obviously just trying to be nice. I can’t overthink it, though- I can’t allow myself to get too close. She’ll just be collateral damage.

I turn on a heel, exiting the room quickly and making my way down the hall. I reach the end to find that, thankfully, Reid and his friends have vacated the kitchen, and I bound up the staircase back to my room.Can I call it my room?Back to the room I slept in last night.

Once inside, I change out of the oversized t-shirt that I’ve been rocking as a dress since last night and into the clothes that Taylor let me borrow- a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a long-sleeved shirt. Despite the fact that I’m taller and built differently than Taylor is, the clothes actually fit surprisingly well. I slip on a pair of socks and the running shoes, then go to sweep my hair into a ponytail only to realize that I don’t have an elastic to secure it back.Dang.Guess I’ll be running with my hair in the wind.

The packhouse is eerily quiet when I head back downstairs, and I pause on the last stair, looking around, contemplating whether I should go straight out the door for my run or seize the opportunity to snoop around a little and explore the packhouse unsupervised. Curiosity gets the best of me and I go with the latter. I tiptoe around the living room, ducking down the hallway across from the one where Taylor and her family reside. I creep along silently, peeking into the first open doorway.

It’s an office- and from the looks of it, I’d guess that it’s Reid’s office. I slip inside, peering around at the interior- from the large wooden desk to the plush leather desk chair sitting behind it, to the array of papers spread out on top. In the center there’s a large map- a map of Reid’s pack’s territory, maybe? I slink closer, quickly gathering that it’s a map of all of the six-pack territories. There are little notes on it, markings to indicate something… maybe battle plans?

“Are you lost, little wolf?” comes Reid’s low, gravelly voice from behind me, and I’m so startled that I nearly jump out of my skin. I whip my head around to face him, pressing a hand to my chest.

He’s standing in the doorway, his large and imposing frame taking up most of it. I watch as his eyes flicker from me to the map spread out on the desk.

“You scared me,” I croak, struggling to catch my breath as I take a step in his direction, away from his desk.

“What are you doing in here?” Reid murmurs, his gaze sliding from the map to meet mine again.

I can see the suspicion in his eyes; hear the hesitation in his voice.

“Just exploring,” I reply, glancing around and playing it casual. “Is this your office?”