Page 27

Kylie

I stepped into the living area and felt my nerves twisting in my gut.

Nathaniel emerged from the left bedroom with an uneasy smile. Commanding in presence, he was easily six feet tall with the unmistakable bulk of a lycan. The fine lines near his eyes betrayed his age, revealing years beyond youthful energy. Dominance rolled off him in waves.

His brown hair was neatly cut shorter on the sides but longer on top. The faint waves of his hair softened an otherwise imposing figure. The smile on his lips grew as his deep brown eyes swept over me.

“Evening, Kylie. I’m Nathaniel. Welcome to our humble abode.” Nathaniel’s voice was soft, but there was a power behind his words that he kept hidden.

I tilted my head to the side in submission, exposing my neck to him. It was a gesture I should have offered Charlotte, but the instinct was stronger with Nathaniel. The undeniable presence pressed heavily on me and my instincts.

Leadership radiated from his very being. There was no doubt he could have ruled a pack if he wanted to.

“None of that, Kylie. I am not an alpha anymore, and I have no interest in going through all of that again.”

I widened my eyes in shock. I had never known an alpha to act like this, at least not in my experience. Most alphas pursued power and dominance relentlessly. Nothing would stop them from clawing their way to the top and cutting down anyone who stood in their path.

Nathaniel was somehow different. He sensed my unspoken questions yet didn’t offer any explanations. Instead, he just smiled with calm, knowing energy. He had made peace with his place in the world and was satisfied with everything he had.

“Another time. Tonight isn’t about me.”

I could hear Charlotte moving behind me, and I turned just in time to see her carrying a big bowl of potatoes. “Sit, dear, please,” Charlotte said, balancing a comically large bowl of garlicky potatoes in her arms.

I raised my eyebrows as she laughed. I didn’t argue, and I couldn’t—especially not with how loudly my stomach was growling, rivaling my beast. I had no time for amusement as they chuckled at my roaring stomach.

A sharper-than-usual hunger gnawed at me, made louder by a pregnancy that left me ravenous.

Charlotte placed two small, golden-brown chickens on my plate.

The skin was blistered perfectly, locking in the juices and sealing in the flavor.

I was tempted beyond reason by the rich, savory aroma.

I tore into the succulent chicken without hesitation, forgetting all of my manners.

Crisp skin crackled between my teeth, releasing a rush of warm, aromatic flavors.

I tasted garlic, rosemary, and black pepper weaving together into a symphony of flavor.

The meat beneath was tender and dripping with juices.

Finally feeling sated, I let out a satisfied growl.

Nothing else mattered right now. That was the best meal I had ever had.

I didn’t stop eating until I stripped the chicken to its bare bones. I still had another chicken left, and I ripped into that with the same level of feral energy.

Charlotte and Nathaniel didn’t say a word.

They sat there watching me tear into the birds without a single comment.

I expected them to be shocked or even unnerved by the sheer intensity of my hunger.

Their expressions changed when I stripped the meat off the second bird and moved on to the mashed potatoes.

They didn’t show any horror or judgment.

All I could read from their faces was a sense of quiet amusement.

They were entertained by my display of feral hunger instead of being appalled, as I would have expected.

“Charlotte told me you were rejected. I’m sorry to hear that, Kylie. A mate should be treated as a gift.”

I swallowed the mashed potatoes, their velvety texture and buttery richness the perfect complement to the roasted chicken. The warmth of the meal lingered, urging me to keep eating and savor every bite.

I couldn’t let myself get lost in the food; my hosts were waiting for me to respond. It would be incredibly impolite to ignore them, and they needed an answer. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Yeah,” I said, resisting the urge to take another bite of potatoes. “My mate rejected me and left me with nowhere to go. Coming here seemed like the right thing to do.”

Charlotte growled with a power I wasn’t expecting. I should have anticipated it, as she was previously a luna, and the power still lingered.

“He should have his coat shaved off for doing this to you. No one rejected their fated mates in our day. Why did he reject the gift of a fated mate?”

Pain flared in my chest as if I had opened an old wound, causing the bond to throb. Even thinking about it felt like peeling away a scab that refused to heal. My mouth was dry and my throat felt lined with sandpaper. I grabbed the water and took a long sip to soothe the discomfort.

They never rushed me through my story. Alphas rarely tolerated being made to wait, but here they were, listening earnestly.

They both leaned in to my story patiently and gave me the space to speak when I was ready.

It was unexpected and refreshing, but somehow, it made it harder for me to find my voice.

Maybe it was too refreshing.

“I’m sorry, but this has caused me a great deal of pain. I don’t want to discuss it at this time. Can we please save this story for later?”

They nodded, and it was Charlotte who spoke. “In time, we would love to hear your story. Take the time you need.”

Biting my lip, I wondered what would come next after dinner. I felt as though I was invited to stay in their home, but I couldn’t be sure.

“Thank you both for taking me in to get cleaned and fed. Let me know if there is anything I can do to repay you. I am an omega with years of experience cleaning houses.”

Nathaniel chuckled. “Simple hospitality is the least we can do. Please, you don’t owe us anything.”

“Stay here, please. At least until you get back on your feet,” Charlotte added.

The room blurred as tears stung my eyes. Years of torment and abuse made me think that there would be a terrible price for their kindness. Nobody was ever this nice.

“But I can’t afford room and board.”

They shook their heads and softly chuckled. Nathaniel bumped into Charlotte and looked into her eyes. I could tell they were communicating through their bond.

Nathaniel cleared his throat. “No one has money when they first come in here. The neighboring kingdom has helped this area prosper. We’ve made trade deals to access food and medicine. It’s sort of a bartering system. They even came in here and developed all of this.”

That was peculiar. How didn’t Maximus know about this? He thinks the rogues around here entered our kingdom for nefarious reasons, but it looks like they have almost everything they need here. If anything, they just need more land.

He sighed. “I wish we could close everything off and find a way to filter the people who come and go. Many believe they can come in here, get food, and build up their strength just to attack the western kingdom’s pack for whatever they want. No one wants to listen to my suggestion about that.”

Charlotte nodded. “Too many have used our generosity to make us look like enemies to the kingdoms instead of refugees who don’t want the pack life.”

It all clicked into place now. The recent attacks had all bordered on rogue territory, and Maximus had assumed they were a power grab—a move to expand their reach. But that wasn’t the truth. The rogues here weren’t the ones responsible.

If I had known about this before I was rejected, I could have stepped in before the damage was done.

I would have had the power as a queen to bridge the divide and integrate the rogues into the bartering system.

We could have ensured they had the resources they needed instead of forcing them into desperation.

Unfortunately, that chance to broker peace had slipped through my fingers.

“If only the other kings understood,” I said. “You could have the same system with them as you do here, so there could be more supplies coming in.”

They nodded, their focus shifting back to their meal, but my mind remained elsewhere. I needed to return to the kingdom. I had to speak with Maximus about this so I could salvage the situation before it got worse.

I lost my breath as a sharp pang shot through my chest. The bond’s ache resurfaced with brutal force. The pain twisted deep enough to make me wince.

Charlotte and Nathaniel reacted instantly, both leaping from their seats, their concern overriding any hesitation as they rushed to my side.

“What happened, dear?”

“Are you alright?”

I shook my head and pointed at my chest. If they understood rejected mates, then they’d know it was the pain from the severed bond. They frowned at me and looked at each other.

“When you said recent , how recent did you mean?”

Even though it would have felt better not to talk about it at all, I could at least tell them that much. “Two days.”

“My goodness, dear. I’m sure you didn’t get any rest outside, either. How about you relax, and I will bring you a cup of tea? There are some herbs in it that can help with any ailment. It’ll even relax you enough to give you a good night’s rest.”

My body still ached from the journey, making the offer even more tempting. I nodded, allowing Charlotte to guide me toward the couch, grateful for the support.

I didn’t want them to feel used—didn’t want to take without offering anything in return. They had already given me more than I could have asked for, and I didn’t know how I could repay them for even a single night of kindness.

But my upbringing taught me better than this. If I wanted them to understand just how much their generosity meant to me, I had to find a way to give something back.

“Can I do anything to repay you? Like I said before, I am an omega, and I know my way around cleaning a house.”

“Nonsense. We can handle the cleaning.”

“No, I would like to repay you in any way I can.”

“We will not have a pregnant omega doing all the cleaning around here,” Nathaniel said in a stern tone.

Shock coursed through me. Could they already scent that I was pregnant? How far along could I possibly be if it was that obvious to them?

A new thought crept in, making me feel uncertain: was this why they were treating me with such kindness?

Did they treat me this way because of my condition?

Did they think I needed to be handled with kid gloves?

I had such mixed emotions. I welcomed their hospitality, but was I only receiving this treatment because of my pitiful situation?

“Nathaniel, I was raised by an alpha. I know how hard it is for an omega to want to do things for herself, but because I was raised by an alpha, I cannot sit in this house and expect to be treated as less than free. Unless your hospitality is only until tomorrow—”

“Absolutely not! I will not toss you out of here when you are newly rejected and pregnant. If it wasn’t for you being in your lycan form when you came into the territory, I wouldn’t even know you were a lycan,” Charlotte growled.

This was going to be difficult. Neither of them would want me to do much if they were this protective of me already. The alpha in them just wanted to take care of me.

Having someone watch over me like this almost felt too good. It was amazing to feel that unwavering sense of protection again.

This was what I wanted from Maximus. This was what I had wished to find when I made the choice to flee.

Nothing hurt worse than the way he had simply let me go.

He didn’t fight for me, nor was he upset.

He saw me leave with quiet acceptance. He should have growled and fought against the very thought of losing me, regardless of a severed bond.

This wasn’t how fated mates acted. There was no other explanation. There had to be something wrong with our bond.

“You are not leaving tomorrow or even within the next few months. You are to stay here until you have the pup. Is this understood?” Nathaniel stood beside Charlotte to show their unity in this decision.

“Then you must let me help around the house, at least until it becomes too difficult for me to do so.”

Charlotte growled and grabbed my hand. “Listen to me, dearie. I can sense how weak your lycan is, and I know that if you push yourself too hard, it might disrupt the pregnancy. How am I supposed to allow for that? I’d rather die than watch you lose the pup because you did too much, especially since your lycan isn’t strong enough to heal you. ”

Damn, I wanted to keep this a secret. I had hoped in vain that I could conceal it. If these two could scent it on me this easily, then so could others.

And that was the real danger.

Charlotte and Nathaniel seemed like decent people who wouldn’t dream of harming an omega, especially a pregnant one. But rogues were an entirely different gamble. This revelation had made my situation much more complicated.

“I cleaned an entire pack house from top to bottom even with my lycan being weak. This house is only a fraction of that. Please, let me do this for you.”

They looked at each other in a way that told me they were communicating through their bond. There were a few growls, but soon enough, they looked at me again. Smiles returned, and they nodded.

“If I see that it is becoming too much for you, then you must stop. Even if it is just for the day. Understood?” Charlotte demanded.

“Yes.”

“Then welcome home, Kylie,” they said in unison, which was a bit freaky, before wrapping me in a hug.

Maybe this could be my new home.