Page 12 of Marked By the Alphas

“Rose. My name is Rose,” she offered

“Thank you, Rose. I appreciate your kindness.”

“Of course. Will that be all you need?” she asked, and I nodded, which in turn made her hum in satisfaction.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,” she responded before making her way out of the room.

“Rose?” I called, causing her to stop in her tracks before turning toward me again.

“Is there a problem?” she asked with concern on her face, and I quickly shook my head.

I wanted to ask her what she knew about the prophecy. I wanted to ask if she knew what my fate would be within this pack. I wanted to ask what the moon mark meant to the pack. For some reason, I couldn’t find the right words to ask any of these questions. Or maybe, a part of me knew she wouldn’t give me any of the answers that I sought.

“Will Rhys be joining us for breakfast?” I asked a safer question instead, and a small smile danced on her lips.

“No, he won’t be. He’s on border patrol, but he picked those for you,” she responded, pointing, toward the dresser at the far end of the room.

A small gasp escaped my lips at the sight of the white flowers. They were similar to the one he had plucked and handed to me last night. I immediately stumbled out of the bed, barely registering Rose exiting the room and closing the door. The flowers, delicate and fragrant, held an allure that seemed perfect to me at the moment. There was a note attached to it and I plucked it out to read it, a smile threatening to split my face in half.

“I hope these flowers brighten your day. Rhys.”

The scrawl of his writing was messy, and it reminded me of Silas’ penmanship, but I pushed down the bile that threatened to rise in my throat at the thought, choosing instead to focus on the sweet gesture.

My encounter with Rhys came flooding back. After he had left, I had gone to my room, but sleep was still very far away from me, this time for a different reason. I couldn’t get the thought of Rhys out of my mind. The familiarity in his eyes and his mannerisms all called to me, but I didn’t know why.

Although that familiarity scared me, there was just something about him that kept pulling me in, like a force I couldn’t quite explain or resist. I felt the same way around Kai, except that I found him too intimidating for words. Speaking of which, he was expecting me down for breakfast. I gently set the flowers back on the dresser, making a mental note to ask Rose for some water for them later.

I hurried through my bath, enjoying the way the warm water helped to soothe my strained muscles. Once I had rinsed and dried off, I began sorting through the clothes I had gotten. Isettled on a flowery dress and some sandals, brushing my wild hair out before taming it by plaiting it into a single braid.

The image that stared back at me in the mirror looked decent enough, and with a heavy sigh, I made my way out of the room.

My heart was slamming in my ribcage as I made my way out of the room. I had to fight the urge to run back to my room and remain there until the day was over. The thought that I had to be in Kai’s presence made a shudder run up my spine.

There was just something about the Alpha that was intimidating and that made me restless. I completed my walk down the stairs without having a heart attack or falling flat on my face, and I internally cheered at that small win, urging myself to just get through breakfast.

I found the dining room easily. It was a beautiful room with a large dining table. An elegant chandelier hung over it, casting a shimmering, otherworldly glow over the entire room.

Alpha Kai sat at the head of the table, his spine straight, his aura powerful and dominating. He oozed confidence and so much appeal. Even though I felt very intimidated and wary of him, I couldn't deny the fact that he was a very good-looking man.

Too good-looking, actually.

His entire body gave off an aura of strength that I could taste on the tip of my tongue. His tailor-made clothes fit his strong, muscular body so perfectly that it gave me a decent glimpse of the body underneath. Kai was so attractive that it almost seemed unfair.

The Alpha's scent filtered to me, a heady mix of sandalwood and something primal and untamed that lingered in my memory, a constant reminder of the forbidden desires warring within me. It was a scent unlike any I had ever encountered before, and it was both intoxicating and unsettling. It fueled a yearning deep within me, a yearning I couldn't explain or control.

He refused to look at me, his long, lean fingers tapping impatiently on the glass surface of the dining table. I noted some sapphire rings adorning his fingers that were catching the light.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” His deep baritone voice had a sensual lilt to it that made something curl in my gut.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” I said, straightening my spine while I spoke.

Kai finally raised his eyes to meet mine, and he looked like he had something to say. However, the moment his eyes landed on me, he only let out a heavy sigh. The intensity of his gaze made breathing difficult. It felt like his eyes could pierce through me and read my soul.

“Join me,” he eventually said, and I walked over to the seat that had been pulled out closer to him.

I watched as Kai began serving some food onto my plate, occasionally asking for my preference as he chose from the different foods spread out before us to adorn my plate with. My stomach rumbled at the sight and aroma of all the food, and once he was done filling both of our plates, I thanked him and immediately began eating.

“Thank you for the clothes. I really appreciate you letting me stay in your pack,” I said, and Kai huffed.

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