Chapter 72: Settling In Anna POV

We were called to the main hall of the pack the following morning. We had been given tasks in the pack by Alpha Darius, and now was the time to start establishing our value.

"You’ll be working in the kitchens," Darius said, his voice calm but demanding. "You will learn the ropes from Meredith."

I looked at the woman standing next to him and nodded. Meredith was older, her auburn hair streaked with gray, and her face was as serious as a hawk examining its prey.

Without waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and stated curtly, "Follow me."

I was following her when I noticed Lucas. I rolled my eyes, and his lips quirked in a silent "good luck."

There was a lot of bustle in the kitchen. With practiced speed, Omegas scuttled veggies and carried trays as they darted back and forth. The scent of stew cooking and bread baking filled the air, but I couldn’t help but notice the tension that was there.

Meredith got me to work right away. "You will begin by cutting and peeling. If you can do it without creating a mess, we’ll consider granting you extra responsibility."

I nodded, resisting the urge to yell at her patronizing tone. "Understood."

Her piercing eyes lingered for a time before she looked away as she gave me a basket of potatoes and a knife.

The work was familiar but tedious. I tried to piece together the dynamics of the pack by listening to the talk around me while I cut and peeled. Most of the Omegas ignored me, but a few threw interested glances in my way.

"New girl, huh?" one of them said as she walked by. She was young, with a naughty spark in her eye and freckles all over her nose.

"Yes," I said warily.

"Don’t worry about Meredith," she smiled. "At first, she treats everyone badly. By the way, my name is Clara."

"Anna," I whispered, grinning a little.

Clara winked and commented, "Well, Anna, welcome to the madness," before vanishing into the throng.

When my shift was over, I found Lucas sparring with some teenage fighters in the training yard. I was stopped in my tracks by the sight.

He moved with a smooth elegance that defied his size, and each kick and punch was controlled and accurate. The pair of wiry boys who were his opponents surged at him together, but he sidestepped them with ease, grabbing one by the wrist and twisting until the lad dropped his weapon...

Lucas replied, "Again," in a firm but compassionate voice.

With his cheeks flushed with effort, the child clambered to his feet.

Leaning against the fence, I watched Lucas gently and patiently correcting the boy’s posture. I had never seen that side of him before—a protector, a guide.

"Loving the performance?"

The words startled me, and as I spun around, I saw Gareth leaning casually against the fence next to me.

"I wasn’t—"

He laughed and answered, "Calm down. He's doing well, isn't he? If I'm being honest, better than the majority of our seasoned fighters."

I looked back at Lucas as I nodded. "He's... talented."

Gareth’s eyebrow went up. "Are you skilled? You only have that? You know, you two don’t act like siblings."

A beat skipped in my chest. "What do you mean?"

He gave a shrug. "Just a quick note. Most brothers argue, make fun of one another, and so on. The two of you are... different."

In the hopes that it wouldn’t come across as tight, I forced a laugh. "We’ve lived a lot. I guess it makes a difference."

Before he nodded, Gareth's eyes stayed on me for a while. "All right."

I was thinking a lot about the day’s events as we sat by the fire in our cabin that evening.

I broke the silence and noted, "You were good with them."

Lucas’s mood was reserved as he looked up from the fire. "What?"

"The fighters," I stated. "You showed them patience. Motivating."

He gave a snort. "Avoid growing accustomed to it."

His words stayed, but I smiled. Lucas had a fierce protective streak despite his rough appearance. Even though I would never openly acknowledge it, it was one of the qualities I found admirable in him.

"How long do you think we’ll be here?" I asked quietly.

He stared at the flickering flames for a moment before replying. At last, he said, "I don’t know. However, we must practice caution. Trust is an expensive luxury."

His remarks served as a clear reminder of how unstable our situations were, so I nodded.

I lay awake, looking at the ceiling as the fire burned low. I had a hunch that the Crescent Grove Pack was too good to be true, but they looked friendly and hospitable.

Even though I really wanted to think we had found a secure place, a voice in the back of my head told me it wouldn't last.

Because it never did.