Page 7 of Claiming Her Alpha

Gabriel also turned to leave but stopped with one last look back at Kendra. “Melanie, can you please lend your patient some more modest clothes?”

Ryker could hear Melanie quickly move in one of the nearby rooms. “Of course!”

With stern eyes resting on Ryker, Gabriel firmly said, “Feed her, let her rest, and then send her on her way.”

“I will.”

Gabriel’s words were also a warning not to mess this up. Melanie waited for Gabriel to leave the room before she stepped in with her hands full of clothes.

“I think these will fit. Take whatever you like.” Melanie then turned to Ryker. “Would you like me to prepare a meal for her?”

“No, I’ll do that.”

She nodded and left the room once again. Though Melanie tried to hide it, Ryker could feel the way she pitied him.

Kendra turned to the pile of clothes Melanie had left on the bed and sifted through them. “What is your name?”

Her voice had changed from when she’d talked to Alpha Vallerian. It was softer, less distant. He could hear her exhaustion and even sadness hidden within her tone.

“Ryker.”

She looked back at him and grinned, eyes beaming. “I like that name.” Before he could respond, her eyes darkened. “It’s a punishment, me getting to meet you. He wants us to suffer more when we separate.”

“Yes.”

“It’s clever.”

He tried to hide his excitement when she bent down and slipped into black panties and a pair of black leggings, pulling them over her knees. He could see her ass as her shirt no longer covered her. Though it would have been respectful, he couldn’t look away. He couldn’t not admire her. She didn’t seem to mind as she pulled the tight fabric all the way up to her waist.

His heart skipped a beat when she took off the shirt and replaced it with a sports bra. Her skin was smooth, muscles rippling over her back and shoulders. Though she looked as if she had a regular workout schedule, she wasn’t bulky. Before he could drink in his fill, she pulled the shirt back over her head and tied it by her waist to make it fit better.

“How about food?” she asked as she slipped into a pair of flip-flops.

He held open the door for her and led her outside into the bright morning sun. He pointed at the building that hosted the warriors’ private rooms. “Right over there.”

“I’ll have to leave way before sundown. I need to get back home by this evening.”

“How come they aren’t looking for you?”

“My parents probably think I’m with friends and my friends probably think I’m at home.”

“Why weren’t you with them when you shifted?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I’ve been irritated by everyone and everything for days. Socializing with the whole pack only made it worse, so I decided to get some space before I picked a fight with someone.”

Her eyes studied her surroundings. She didn’t seem to be bothered by everyone’s stares. If she was, she hid it well.

“You seem to have pissed off a lot of people too.”

He chuckled, loving her confidence. “I have.”

“Sorry.”

“I guess we both have to learn to control our wolves.”

He opened the door and let her step into the common area of the dorms. She curiously looked around, eyes falling on a group of men sitting on the couches to her right.

“When did you shift for the first time?” she asked.