Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

The car ride to the Council headquarters was wrapped in complete silence. Not the comfortable kind, not even the awkward kind... just a void silence that seemed to pull at my thoughts like gravity.

River didn't glance at me once after I got in. He sat there, angled just so that his sharp profile caught the glimmer of morning light, scrolling through his tablet like I didn't exist.

I sat upright, one leg crossed over the other, and hands tightly clutching my office bag on my lap like it might anchor me from the whirlwind of tension that hung between us. After a moment, I slowly pulled out my phone and turned the screen brightness down so he couldn't catch even the smallest glow.

I quickly texted Mr. Wood.

Good morning, Mr. Wood.

I'm so sorry that I failed to inform about change in my plans. I'll be staying at the Thorne estate during the holidays. I'm heading to the Council now with Alpha River. Please pick me up from the headquarters after my shift ends this evening. Thanks.

I paused.

Then typed another message. This time to Draven.

Sorry about earlier…

His reply came instantly.

Why are you apologizing, sweetheart? You didn't do anything wrong. Have a good day at work. And don't forget to take care of yourself.

I stared at the message for a second too long. My heart clenched at the term of endearment. "Sweetheart." The word seemed to melt into me, fighting the frosty atmosphere in the car. A soft smile tugged at the corner of my lips, but I forced it down, careful not to draw River's attention.

When we finally arrived at the headquarters, he surprised me again when he didn't get out.

I blinked. "You are not coming in?"

"No," he said, still not looking at me. "I'm heading to the company."

He had driven all this way… just to drop me off? That wasn't like him. At all.

Before the car rolled away, he said in that same clipped tone, "Once you are done with the meeting prep, go through the Nightshade Pack updates again. Make sure you are ready before next Sunday."

"Got it," I replied, even though the car window was already up and his silhouette already fading behind the tinted glass.

I walked inside, trying not to let the interaction sit too heavily on me. There was work to do.

Inside the Council building, the mood was brisk and efficient. I joined four other assistants in the main conference room, all of us armed with our individual checklists and agendas. We spent the next few hours checking everything - from the documents for meeting, to the table arrangement, to the updated Alpha Council seat assignments.

By the time we were done, it was past one, and my stomach growled loud enough to make the woman next to me chuckle.

Lunch was a brief but pleasant affair. I sat with some of the assistants I had grown familiar with over the past couple of months. The conversation floated between work updates, council politics, and the ridiculous new herbal tea craze that one of the senior members had gotten obsessed with.

It was easy, grounding. Normal.

Back at my desk, I pulled up the email from River's secretary and opened the PDF report on the Nightshade Pack. I dove in with full focus.

By the time I looked up again, the office was dim, and the digital clock on my screen blinked 5:54 PM.

Forty minutes later, Mr. Wood dropped me back at the Thorne estate.

As I stepped inside, warmth enveloped me - not just from the carefully controlled interior temperature, but something deeper. Familiar. Inviting.

But I wasn't prepared for the next thing I saw.

Standing near the giant Christmas tree was a small figure in a peach-colored sweater dress, holding a pack of sour candies in one hand and a hopeful smile on her face.

"Lily?" I breathed out.

The eight-year-old girl blinked up at me and her eyes widened with recognition.

"I was waiting for you!" she said, her voice bright with excitement as she ran toward me.

My heart felt like it had cracked open.

Last time we met, I was a prisoner here- a filthy, tired, and terrified maid. I still remembered the day she offered me the apple, her tiny hands holding out the fruit like it was a treasure. She didn't ask questions. She didn't care that I was labeled as an enemy.

She was just kind.

I knelt and opened my arms. She barreled into them, hugging me tight.

"You look… different!" she said, pulling back to examine me with her wise little eyes. "You look happier."

I laughed softly. "Do I?"

She nodded. "Last time, your eyes were really sad. I remember. But now… they are not."

I stared at her, surprised by how easily a child could say what most adults couldn't even guess.

"Did you really wait just to meet me?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm. Daddy said you were staying for the holidays. I have been asking the maids since morning if you were back yet."

I blinked. "Does your father know you are talking to me?"

She tilted her head. "Why wouldn't he? He told me himself that you were staying."

Right. Of course. I wasn't a maid anymore. I wasn't a prisoner either. No one could stop her from alking to me now.

We sat on the edge of the couch in the living room while she told me all about her new painting hobby, her favorite books, and how she wanted to learn how to braid hair. I listened with a full heart, my eyes barely straying from her bright little face.

Eventually, she paused and looked at me seriously. "Are you going to stay forever?"

I smiled, but didn't answer. What could I even say? Forever wasn't a luxury I could promise...not yet.

Instead, I touched her cheek gently. "I'll be around. For a while."

"That's good," she whispered. "Because you are my favorite."

My throat closed up. I swallowed hard and pressed a kiss to her forehead which made her beam at me.

Somewhere behind us, I heard footsteps approaching, and I stood just as one of the servants came in.

"Miss Lily, your tutor is ready," he announced.

She groaned but didn't argue, and as she left, she waved back at me with both arms like I was some sort of hero she was cheering for.

For a few seconds after she was gone, I just stood there in the hallway, staring after her.

Then I turned around and headed upstairs to my room with a smile playing on my lips.