Page 29 of Wolf Trapped
“Hmmm, sounds like you’re getting a taste of your own medicine and don’t like it.” Angela shakes her head, flopping into the chair in front of my desk, and sits sideways, her legs hanging over the arm.
“What are you doing?” I growl, pushing her legs, so she has to sit normally. “Don’t treat my furniture like that.”
I ignore her barb because, yes, she is absolutely right. I don’t talk or express my feelings, but I can’t. I can’t show weakness and let her get her way at the expense of her own life. I won’t.
“Sorry, Alpha.” She grins, rolling her eyes. “You need to go feed your mate and give her your gifts.”
“Fine.” I groan and walk out of the office.
It’s on the first floor of the pack house and completely soundproof so that no shifter can hear inside those walls.
“There is a plate for each of you on the warmer in the kitchen. Try having lunch with her and actually talking to her. The pack will still be running just fine without you.” Angela finger waves at me as she closes the front door behind her.
Meddling beta. She did this on purpose. How long was the package here before she brought it to me?
I grab the food, walk upstairs with the package under my arm, and unlock the door to my room.
“Angela, I am sooo bored. Please don’t leave me alone again.” Jara says with her back to me.
“I brought lunch,” I say, letting her know she is wrong about who came in. “I also have something to help with the boredom.”
I set the plates on the small table and turn to her. Her eyes are wary, and she looks unsure. Her shoulders stiffen as she stares anywhere but at me. “Archer? It’s the middle of the day. What are you doing here?”
“I thought, or Angela thought we should have lunch together.” I rub the back of my neck with my free hand, embarrassed that I don’t really know how to deal with this.
“You brought me something?” She takes a tentative step forward.
I school my features, not letting the hurt show on my face. I don’t want her to be wary of me. I want her to be happy, but sometimes I can’t make her happy when her safety is at risk.
“I did. I don’t want you to be miserable.” I hand the box over to her. Her brows furrow at the picture on the outside of the box, and I nearly chuckle, remembering she comes from a place that does not have technology.
“It’s called an e-reader. You can buy books and download them on it.” I take the box from her and pull out the device. The black card falls to the floor and she bends to pick it up.
“How do books come on something so small?” She tilts her head to the side.
“It downloads electronic copies of books, called e-books, and you can read them from the screen. That card is your own credit card, and you can buy anything you want on it.” I power on the e-reader and navigate to the book retailer to show her how to browse and purchase books.
Jara’s eyes widen as she watches me scroll through all the books. “When you were at the pack, what kinds of books did you read?”
“We did not have that big of a selection. It was mostly classics that have been around forever.” She shrugs.
Taking her hand, I lead her to the bed, sit with my back to the headboard, and Jara sits next to me. We scroll through many different options, and I study her expression each time I click on a title.
“So, I can just pick books and then read them on the screen?” She asks, confused by the concept. I grin.
“There are other things you can buy at this retailer too. We don’t have things shipped to the pack. I created an account with the correct billing and shipping address. It all goes to the offices in the city. We have someone that brings all our packages out once a week.”
“This is all so strange.” She shakes her head but looks somewhat happy for the first time in days.
“They have movies you can stream too, but we will need to get you a computer or a TV to watch them on.” I scratch the back of my neck deciding to navigate to a popular tech page and order a top-of-the-line laptop.
“Archer, what are you doing?” Jara gasps at the price on the screen. “I may not have lived in a world with technology, but even I know that’s a lot of money.”
“It’s necessary.” I stretch my legs out on the bed, crossing them at the ankles as I make my purchase and return to the book retailer. I set the tablet aside, smiling at my mate. “Will you have lunch with me?”
“Yes.” She’s back to being tentative, and it fucking sucks. I help her from the bed leading her over to the table and pulling her chair out for her.
“I hope this makes things slightly better while we eliminate the threat.” I pick up my knife and fork, cutting into the steak on my plate. Angela did too much for lunch. I usually just make a sandwich.
