Page 28 of Marked By the Alphas

Thankfully, the maid was already walking toward me, and I simply held onto her and pulled her with me, ignoring her protests.

The drive to the market seemed to be a completely different route than the one we had taken to the administrative office. The street was also bustling with activity, a stark contrast to the serene quietude of the other areas on pack property. Children chased each other down the street, and the sounds of laughter reached my ears. The air thrummed with a vibrant energy. I felt a flicker of something I hadn’t felt in a long time—a sense of belonging.

The local market was buzzing with activity when we arrived. The air hung heavy with the earthy scent of fresh produce and the tantalizing aroma of grilling meat. I trailed beside Rose, who thankfully held onto me as we walked. My senses felt overwhelmed. I couldn’t remember what it felt like to live in anormal pack and engage in normal activities, and so everything felt new to me.

Curious eyes followed my every move and whispers danced around me, but I could feel Rowan’s warm presence behind me as he led me through the market. It felt very comforting and reassuring, making me even more grateful that he had come along. Although the stares weren’t hostile, more curious, it still made me feel on edge.

As I walked, snippets of conversation reached my ears.

“That’s the Omega girl…”

“I heard she bears the mark of the prophecy…”

“So it’s true…”

Rose squeezed my hands to comfort me, and I offered the girl a grateful smile. “You’re like a celebrity!” she gushed in a hushed tone, and it made me laugh.

The people around were pleasant and polite when they attended to us. No one tried to ask me any questions or grab me, thankfully. I couldn’t tell if it was Rowan’s intimidating presence hovering around that was responsible or something else.

“Hello, Rose. HI, Elara,” one of the women whose stall we stopped at greeted us. I recognized her as one of the council officials from the meeting weeks ago and I offered her a small, shy smile and a wave.

Fearful that she might me hostile toward me, but she returned my smile with a bigger one and it managed to slightly put me at ease.

“What about me, Freya? Don’t I deserve a greeting, too?” Rowan asked playfully, and she smiled.

She was sweet while she attended to us and even gifted me some fruit once we were done, which I really appreciated.

We spent several hours walking around the market and buying various things. By the time we eventually made it home, it was past lunch.

“Thank you for taking me,” I said to Rowan as I stepped out of the car and he pulled me closer to him, planting a kiss on my lips that sent a flurry feeling through my body.

“You’re welcome. I have to get back to work now. Remember, this is our little secret,” he said with a wink and I giggled, nodding my head in understanding before pulling away.

I turned around and began walking back toward the house.

“Elara,” Rowan called once more, and I paused in my steps, turning around to face him.

“Talk to Rhys and Kai. They miss you,” he said and my breath seized in my throat. I nodded, giving him a small wave which he returned, before I turned back around, continuing into the house.

His words filled my mind all the way to my room, and I thought about the best way to approach the other two Alphas. Rowan had been easy because he had found me.

Exhaustion filled me as I settled on my bed to take off my shoes, it felt like a long time since I had done any sort of physical activity, and my body seemed to be protesting at my long day. Without even bothering to change out my clothes, I settled ontomy bed and sent a silent prayer to the Goddess to give me the strength to face the Alphas later during dinner. I closed my eyes and willed sleep to take over.

Chapter 15

Kai

The thick leather of the office chair creaked under my weight as I shifted, my mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. The heavy mahogany desk before me held a mountain of reports, each a silent testament to the complexities of ruling a pack. Yet, none of it held my attention.

My fingers drummed a restless rhythm on the polished wood but it did little to dispel the growing tension in the room.

“I’m sure they’ll be here soon. Rowan just texted me,” Rhys said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could, but I only sighed heavily before looking away.

Rowan and Smith were almost an hour late for our meeting. I had called for an official, but private meeting between the four of us so that we could handle pressing matters without dragging the rest of the council officials in. Now, however, I had half a mind to cancel the entire thing. Just before I could speak again, the door was suddenly pushed open to reveal Rowan.

“You’re late,” I said as Rowan strolled into the office. My voice was raised but it didn’t seem to faze him in the least because he simply flashed his teeth at me in a smile like something was supposed to be funny.

“Well, it seems I’m not the last one here yet so I would say I’m early enough,” he responded snarkily, grinning even wider. Beside me, Rhys chuckled, which grated on my nerves.

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