Page 22 of The Alpha's Grave Secrets

“Thanks,” I say, making my way back to the bunk and taking out the to-go bowl of soup.

“I’m sorry about earlier and I’m sorry about Ezra. Can I ask you something, though?”

I already know what he’s going to ask so I say, “I didn’t know for certain, but I had my suspicions before all of this happened and once it did, Ezra sneaking around with his students was the last thing on my mind.”

It’s silent for a long time, save for the slurping of my soup. When I’m done and set my trash to the side, Kato looks at me for a moment and then says, “I want you to stay at my house with me until we catch this guy.”

Chapter 11

Kato

Ididn’t think Elara would agree to stay with me, at least not without a fight, but she didn’t hesitate when she said yes—not even for a second.

Does she feel the same pull that I do?

Goddess, she’s never seen my house before. What an intimate thing it is to let someone into your home. Let your former lover see the bits and pieces of the person you’ve become in their wake.

My fingers tremble as I fight with the lock and key to my front door. I’ve never taken this long to open my door, not even the nights I came home nearly falling down drunk.

“Finally,” I mumble as the lock clicks, and I’m able to push the door open, stepping aside for Elara to enter. Once she’s inside and the door is shut, she lowers the hood of the oversized sweatshirt she was given by SPIU.

Her eyes roam around my house as I flick on a few lights and arm the security system once again. Elara will be safe here even when I am gone.

My home has a state-of-the-art security system and a few extra magical wards that a witch cast for me a few years ago after I rescued her daughter from a band of rogue wolves. It’s probably the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Not flashy but so practical.

“I could have installed a security system in my home and saved us all the trouble,” she teases.

“But you couldn’t have cast the same spells that I have cast around my house, could you have? This security system is more of a paranoid backup than anything else. Plus, the security cameras cover the whole property.”

“Spells?” She raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me that you got a witch to fall in love with you?”

“Close,” I wink. “These wards are the real deal, no one who intends harm toward myself or my guests will be allowed to enter the threshold and they won’t be able to cause any damage to the house like setting it on fire or even taking a wrecking ball to it.”

“That actually does give me a lot of peace of mind,” she says as her shoulders visibly relax.

“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to do, that and to make sure that nothing happens to you.”

“Wow,” Elara says changing the subject, “Who knew you had a taste when it came to home decor? Do you remember when I visited you in your dorm? That decor was atrocious.” Her eyes meet mine, and a heat builds within me.

I can smell her arousal as her cheeks bloom pink. Goddess, I want to take her right here and now.

Breaking my eyes away from her, I sweep my gaze around the house, a halfcocked smile on my lips, “I was barely eighteen- some things take time to learn.”

“I suppose they do,” I bring my eyes back to Elara, and she shifts awkwardly under the weight of my gaze. ”It’s good to know that you can teach an old dog new tricks.”

If anyone else had said that to me there’s a chance I would have ripped out their throat simply for the act of being disrespectful. But for some reason when Elara says it, I actually find humor bubbling up within me until I throw my head back and let out a laugh that shakes the house.

Goddess knows I needed that. Elara laughs alongside me only silenced by the loud grumbling in her stomach.

“On that note, how does dinner sound before I get you settled in?” I set her bags on the couch and head to the kitchen. “How does steak sound? I’ve got some marinating in the fridge, and I think I could spare one for you.”

“Steak sounds good,” Elara says, settling herself into the chair at the breakfast bar while she watches me cook. Fried potatoes, asparagus, and steaks. It’s not the most intricate meal, but it’s delicious and sure to sustain us for the night. I aim to help Elara regain her regular, healthy, and voluptuous weight.

“I forgot how good of a cook you are,” she says her eye’s rolling into the back of her head as she puts a slice of steak into her mouth. What I wouldn’t give to see those eye’s roll into the back of her head from being stuffed with a different kind of meat.

“Allow your time here to remind you then,” I say with a wink as heat creeps across Elara’s cheeks once again. We are playing a dangerous game here.

After dinner, I show Elara to my guest bedroom and give her a small tour of the house. Since she’s going to be here for a while, she might as well know where to find everything. My body buzzes with each step I take.

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