Chapter 179 One Day as His Girlfriend 2

By the time they entered the house with their arms linked, Luna Seraphina and Lila were waiting with matching, knowing smiles.

The staff kept their heads down, though they still sneaked glances at the couple. No one wanted to make Eira uncomfortable. If they did, the young Alpha might stay single for the rest of his life.

Alpha Julian was the only one who looked completely unfazed. He was sprawled across the sofa.

"You’re back."

"Alpha Julian. Luna Seraphina." Eira dipped her head.

Alpha Julian stood and smiled. "Welcome home."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you," Alpha Julian said. "You’re taking this menace off my hands. He’s all yours now. No returns."

He nodded toward Alpha Killian.

Lila burst out laughing. Eira tried to hold it in, but a smile tugged at her lips. She glanced at Alpha Killian.

"Go ahead and laugh," he said. "I can take it."

His family teased him freely, but no one questioned his authority as Alpha.

Luna Seraphina reached for Eira’s hand and led her to the sofa.

"Have some fruit. Take whatever you like. Dinner won’t be ready for a little while. We’re still waiting for a guest."

"Thank you, Luna Seraphina."

Eira relaxed as soon as she sat beside her. A small smile appeared before she could stop it.

Alpha Julian pulled Alpha Killian a few steps away from the others. Once they were out of earshot, he lowered his voice.

"Lila says you only convinced Eira to be your girlfriend for one day."

"Don’t start."

Alpha Julian gave him an amused look. Alpha Killian clearly wanted more than one day.

If Eira had offered to stay longer, he would have asked her. Pushing for even one extra day, however, would probably have made her walk away from the whole arrangement.

Alpha Julian’s expression said he knew exactly what his son was thinking.

Before he could say anything else, the butler entered.

"Alpha Julian, the guest has arrived."

Lainey swept into the room with two arms full of gift bags.

"Seraphina. Julian. Lila. Killian." She greeted everyone with a bright smile before setting the bags down.

Eira stood and froze.

It was the woman she had bumped into at the coffee shop earlier that day.

Lainey’s smile faltered when she saw Eira. What was this woman doing here, in the Sterling home?

"Seraphina," Lainey said, quickly recovering, "who’s your guest?"

Alpha Killian moved to Eira’s side.

"This is my girlfriend, Eira. Eira, this is Lainey, Vincent’s sister. Her family has had ties to my mother’s Pack for years."

Eira gave Lainey a small nod. So the woman from the coffee shop was Vincent’s sister. She never would have guessed. The siblings looked nothing alike.

Lainey’s gaze shifted to Alpha Killian. He stood beside Eira with easy familiarity, as if he belonged there. Lainey’s smile tightened.

Eira returned her greeting with a polite smile.

Lainey looked Eira over from head to toe.

[So this was the woman Vincent kept talking about? The woman who had stolen Serena Winthrop’s man? The woman the most untouchable Alpha in the region had just called his girlfriend?]

Alpha Killian caught the unfriendly look in Lainey’s eyes and stepped in front of Eira, blocking her view.

"Get a good look?"

Lainey looked away. "I was just surprised."

She had to admit it. Eira was beautiful, but not in a way that demanded attention. Her beauty was quiet and understated. Calm eyes, delicate features, and an expression that gave almost nothing away.

Everyone in the region had expected Alpha Killian to fall for someone loud, fiery, and impossible to ignore. Instead, he had chosen someone as reserved as he was.

And from this angle, Eira did not really look like Lainey’s father. The resemblance only appeared from one particular angle.

Lainey felt relieved, but she still could not decide whether she was disappointed.

Luna Seraphina stepped in before the silence turned awkward.

"Lainey, you must be starving. Come on. Dinner’s ready."

"Sounds perfect."

Lainey reached automatically for Luna Seraphina’s arm, just as she did whenever she visited. But Luna Seraphina had already turned toward Eira.

"Eira, come sit with us."

Before Eira could move, Alpha Killian gently caught her by the wrist and guided her toward the dining table.

Luna Seraphina blinked."Is he seriously protecting her from me? I’m his mother."

Lila suddenly burst out laughing."Mom, that’s nothing. He gets annoyed whenever I stand too close to Eira. He’s been working all day to ruin my reputation with her."

For a second, Eira wondered if Alpha Killian’s behavior meant something more.

Then she remembered they were only pretending to be together. He was simply making the act convincing.

"Lila," Alpha Killian warned.

"What? I can’t even stand next to Eira without you giving me that look."

Luna Seraphina shook her head.

"Lila, take Lainey to the table. We had the kitchen prepare all her favorite dishes."

Lila linked arms with Lainey and led her toward the dining room.

Alpha Killian pulled out a chair for Eira. It was his usual seat.

"Sit here."

Eira glanced at him, then sat down.

The staff began bringing out the food.

Three dishes caught Eira’s attention right away. They were all comfort foods she had grown up eating at the orphanage.

Her eyes lit up before she could stop them. She started to look toward Lila, but Alpha Killian gently lifted her chin with two fingers and turned her face back toward him.

"I picked those," he said. "I told the kitchen exactly what to make."

Eira’s eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"You looked at the plates, then looked at Lila. It wasn’t hard to figure out."

"Thank you," she said softly. "Killian."

"Mm."

Lila nearly melted into her chair."How did you even know what she liked?"

"Pay attention to someone long enough, and you learn."

Alpha Killian said it so naturally that Eira almost believed they had been together for years. Lainey seemed to believe it too.

They did not need to hold hands or steal kisses. The way Alpha Killian looked at Eira said enough.

Once Alpha Killian fell quiet, dinner settled into a warm and comfortable rhythm.

Lainey raised her glass toward Eira.

"I owe you an apology for earlier. I’m a photographer. When I saw you at the coffee shop, I thought you’d look great in front of a camera. I wanted your name and a way to reach you."

Eira waited.

Lainey tilted her head. "Especially your eyes. They say a lot. You look like you’ve got a whole story behind them."

So that was what the coffee shop had been about.

Eira lifted her glass but shook her head. "I’m sorry, but I don’t like having my picture taken."

"No problem. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

Lainey let it go without pushing.

Eira understood what Kate had meant. Lainey knew how to read a room. She knew when to back off, and she never made anyone feel trapped.

Even so, something about the way Lainey looked at her felt strange. Eira just could not put her finger on it.