Page 18 of Rejected By the Alpha

Now that I had picked up the note, I saw the credit card that had been sitting underneath it. I had no plans of leaving the house today—I had gotten plenty of pack exposure for the time being—but even if I had, I wouldn’t feel right using Killian’s money.

I poured myself a bowl of the chocolate circles, added milk from the fridge, and wandered out to the living room to turn on the television. The first channel that popped up was some kind of reality show. As I ate my breakfast, I watched a handful of men and women make fools of themselves while trying to find love as they competed in challenges. It wasn’t my usual choice of entertainment, but my brain seemed to latch onto the simplicity of it all.

Once I had finished eating, I switched the TV off and rinsed out my bowl. I hadn’t gotten a chance to unpack everything yet, and that seemed like as good a task as any.

For the next hour, I unpacked everything I had brought with me. It took less time than I anticipated, but luckily, I had plenty of books. I got lost in one of my favorites, and before I knew it, I heard the key turning in the lock at the front door.

“Hey,” I said, marking the page in my book and placing it on the couch next to me. “How did your meeting with Jasper go?”

“It went well,” he said, heading to the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of water. “Nothing too serious, just going over some of the details on who belongs to which pack. Luna April wants to hold a formal ceremony where each member swears their fealty to their respective alphas, but I think that’s a bit overkill.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea, actually,” I mused.

“Really?” he asked.

“Having clear boundaries is never a bad thing,” I pointed out.

Killian nodded, and I could tell he understood that I wasn’t just talking about the packs.

“Can I ask you a question?” I said, eyeing his glass of water. “You used to drink, but ever since I’ve been here, you’ve only had water or coffee. Do you not drink anymore?”

“I do,” he replied. “Just not as often as I used to.”

I could sense there was more to that, but if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, I didn’t want to pry.

For the remainder of the day, Killian acted like the perfect gentleman. He didn’t tiptoe around me, but he did give me space to do my own thing. When we interacted, he was kind and open without seeming to overcompensate for our argument the previous day. Never once did he mention my revelation about being abused or push me to talk about anything I wasn’t ready for.

The following morning, I awoke and immediately wondered if his behavior yesterday was a one-off occurrence, but he continued acting as kind and respectful as ever. Over the next week, we fell into a rhythm as we learned how to live together.

As promised, Killian asked for my input on which chores I wanted to be responsible for and which ones I would rather have him take care of. Both of us were used to doing everything on our own and were reluctant to give up control of the things we felt we were good at, but with his empathetic communication style, we were able to come to an agreement that seemed fair to both of us.

Since it had been a few years since we had known each other, we also talked about how we liked to spend our days. Killian’s job kept him away from home each day, as did his pack duties, so I was left to my own devices for large stretches of time, which suited me just fine. I had always been an introvert. I enjoyed being able to let my guard down and just be.

What truly surprised me was that each time Killian returned home, he brought me a gift—everything from freshflowers to my favorite candy. One night, he brought home a movie that I had mentioned wanting to see, and I was amazed that he had not only remembered it but had gone out of his way to find it for me.

As much as I tried to fight the instinct to warm up to him, I could feel my walls starting to crumble. I still didn’t trust him, and I knew he didn’t hold any real affection for me, but it was hard to argue with the fact that his actions matched his words.

Still, a large part of me believed that he was only being nice because he needed the alliance with Sparkle Hollow to work out. Without their support, he wouldn’t be an alpha for long.

Chapter 9 - Killian

“Is that really all you brought with you?” I asked, looking at Leah’s meager selection of clothes hanging in our shared closet. Aside from a handful of folded t-shirts in neutral tones, it looked like she had a total of five outfits to choose from.

“This is all I had to bring,” she replied, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “My parents didn’t give me a large amount of money for personal purchases, and they insisted I only wear designer clothes. Kind of hard to buy those on a budget.”

“I can only imagine,” I said. “Now that I’m thinking about it, though, I don’t remember seeing you wear the same thing more than once. How is that possible?”

Leah smiled. “When you don’t have much to work with, you find ways to adapt. It’s all in the accessories.”

She seemed lost in thought, and I wondered what memories she was ruminating on. Something about her clothes seemed to trigger deep feelings for her.

If only I could find a way to help, I thought.

But I could, I realized. I know the perfect way to help cheer her up. Or, at least, to solve a problem for her.

“Grab some shoes,” I said. “I have somewhere I want to take you.”

She looked puzzled by my abrupt request but didn’t question it as she followed me to the car. In no time at all, we pulled up to a boutique run by one of the older women from Alpha Nile’s pack.

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