By morning, dark circles rimmed her eyes as she waited by the packhouse entrance, clutching her school bag and the plastic bag of clothes. The early morning air nipped at her skin, but she barely noticed.
When Kael's sleek black SUV pulled up, Belle swallowed hard. This was it—whatever "it" was.
She tried to ignore the stares from other pack members peeking through windows. Their whispers reached her sensitive ears anyway.
"Why's the Alpha King himself coming for that runt?"
"Bet he's finally getting rid of her."
Belle straightened her shoulders. Whatever happened next, she'd face it with the little dignity she had left.
Kael stepped out of his SUV, his tall frame unfolding gracefully. He wore dark jeans and a simple gray henley that hugged his broad shoulders. Belle couldn't help but notice how different he looked outside the formal pack meetings—more approachable, almost.
His eyes fell on her plastic bag and worn backpack. A frown crossed his face.
"This is everything?" he asked, gesturing to her bags.
Belle nodded, suddenly self-conscious. "This is all I own."
Something flashed across his face—anger? Pity? She couldn't tell. He ran a hand through his dark hair, making it stick up in places.
"Well, that's about to change," he said, taking her plastic bag from her hands. Their fingers brushed, and Belle felt that same jolt of electricity she'd experienced yesterday.
He opened the passenger door for her. "Hop in."
Belle hesitated. No one had ever opened a door for her before.
"Where are we going?" she asked, clutching her backpack to her chest like a shield.
Kael's lips quirked up at one corner. "To get you some decent clothes, for starters. Then to your new place."
"New place?" The words came out as a squeak.
"Unless you'd prefer to keep sleeping in a glorified broom closet?" There was something almost teasing in his tone.
Belle slid into the passenger seat, the leather cool against her legs. It smelled like pine and something distinctly Kael.
As he started the engine, she caught several pack members watching from windows, mouths hanging open.
Kael noticed too. "Let them talk," he said with a shrug. "They'll have plenty more to gossip about soon enough."
The shopping spree was overwhelming. Kael pulled her from store to store, barely blinking at price tags as he piled clothes, shoes, and makeup into his guards' arms. When she tried to protest, he'd simply raise an eyebrow and add another item to the growing collection.
"You need books for school, too," he said, steering her into a bookstore.
By afternoon, Kael's guards were loaded down with shopping bags. Belle felt dizzy, partly from the shopping, but something else too. Her back throbbed where the lashings were healing, and her skin felt too hot.
"Are you alright?" Kael asked, his brow furrowed as they walked back to the car.
"I'm fine," she mumbled, but the world tilted sideways.
Kael's cool hand pressed against her forehead. "You're too hot," he said, alarm in his voice.
Belle tried to respond, but darkness crept in from the edges of her vision. The last thing she felt was Kael's strong arms catching her as she fell.