New Alpha – New Rules(40)

“I…um…” Harper took a breath.

“You do want to mate him right?” Harper nodded and grinned. “Good.” Cindy let out a pent up breath. “It will do both of you a lot of good and the pack will settle too. A pack is always more at ease and stronger if the Alpha is mated.

Harper had almost confided in her about this morning. How she’d offered herself and how he’d shut her down but thought better of it. That wasn’t her concern and Harper wasn’t sure that she wanted everyone to know that perhaps he wasn’t as interested as everyone thought he was. She wasn’t sure. His actions said differently during the day with everyone watching but when they were alone…not so much. She squirted mustard across the sandwiches then grabbed the mayo to do the same. The men started piling into the kitchen soon after and waited anxiously around the table.

“What are they doing?” She asked Cindy.

“Waiting for us of course.” She took a plate with a small sandwich in one hand and a normal looking one in the other. “Get yours and Ryder’s.” Cindy pointed with her chin at the food. Harper took them then went to the table. When she turned she gasped. They were crowded around the counter like ants after a piece of candy. She giggled and arms came around her silencing her.

“They are hungry.” He murmured against her ear. “They should be, they are almost finished with our room. The floor is in, the walls and ceilings are done except paint and the bathroom is roughed in. We should probably thank them.” She nodded. “Eat.” Harper sat and he sat beside her.





Chapter 15


The crowd around her ate and joked with each other. She wondered where Nicole and her pups were but was glad at the same time she wasn’t here. She was one nasty piece of work. Nicole breezed in then like a queen. The queen of lazy, Cindy called her. She watched Nicole survey the lunch offerings. Justin, Jasper, and Kelly wandered in as well. They all looked as if they’d just woken up. Each of them grabbed a plate and a soda then sat at the counter. Nicole was still looking. She stuck a chip in her mouth and scowled. Harper felt Ryder tense beside her. Nicole wasn’t eating and it was making him anxious. She felt him growl low in his belly and glanced around at the others. No one heard it but her.

“Ryder?” She said quietly and he gazed down at her. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say to him but she needed to distract him from Nicole. It was clear to her what the manipulative wolf was doing because she’d looked over at him twice now purposely not eating. “After lunch, can we take a walk?” His brow dipped for a second then nodded. He looked back over at Nicole. Lucy squirmed around next to her on the bench then tugged on Harpers sleeve. “What’s wrong Lucy?” Harper asked looking down into her angelic face that was smeared on one side with mustard.

“She’s doing that on purpose.” Lucy murmured.

“I know. It’s rude don’t you think?”

“I think she should go to her room since she’s only making Ryder mad.” Harper pressed her lips together into a hard white line. Ryder was watching them when she turned back around. Harper shifted closer to him so her leg touched his from hip to knee. Another growl rumbled through him, this one much different from the last. Nicole turned and left the kitchen without food.

“Good thing she has their room stockpiled with groceries. She’s eating better than the rest of us.” Cindy said to no one in particular.

“What do you mean?” Ryder asked.

“The kids told me. She sneaks in here at night and steals from the pack.” Harper’s mouth gaped open with disbelief.

“True that Ry.” Jasper turned his stool around. “She’s probably having an all you can eat buffet right now.”

“Yeah, she only comes out here to see what we’re eating. She never had any intention of eating lunch with the pack.” Kelly said. Ryder nodded and finished his sandwich and his soda then carried his trash to the bin.

“She thinks she’s better than the pack. She says the pack is dirt under her feet.” Justin finished quietly. “Don’t hold it against us,” he pointed at himself and his siblings. Ryder clamped a big hand on the young wolf’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You guys are pack as long as you want. Right?” Ryder looked over his shoulder at everyone eating at the massive table and got the confirmation from the group. “Meantime, you all should incorporate yourselves into the pack and what it is trying to accomplish instead of holing up in your room with that game. Come out, have some fresh air, get some exercise, and help with the house. You might have fun and you may learn something.” They all nodded and smiled up at him. Harper wondered what he would do about Nicole.