Chapter 227 The Substitute

Chapter 227: Chapter 227 The Substitute

Lainey slipped into a quiet corner of the courtyard and called Serena.

After a few polite words, she lowered her voice.

"I’m out in the border territory filming. Guess who showed up?"

Serena went quiet.

"Eira," Lainey said. "She’s back at the Omega House, nowhere near Palo Alto. That means she can’t keep an eye on you and Sebastian. You two get a little more breathing room."

Lainey had a talent for making every suggestion sound like a favor. She never pushed outright. She simply offered a tempting detail, then waited for someone to reach for it.

Serena took the bait.

"Eira went back to the Omega House?"

So that was why Alpha Sebastian had said Eira probably would not move forward with the lawsuit anytime soon.

"Is something wrong?" Lainey asked, her voice full of concern.

"Something came up," Serena said. "She was pressuring us hard, then suddenly backed off. She must have something more important to deal with."

"Well, at least she’s off your back for now. As long as you’re okay."

"Thanks, Lainey."

"Of course." Lainey let a few seconds pass before adding, "Still, what could be so important that she’d fly all the way out to the border?"

Serena hesitated. "I don’t know."

Lainey’s fingers tightened around her phone.

Was Eira looking for her birth family? Had someone finally uncovered a lead?

Her pulse quickened. The elevation was already making her chest feel tight.

Lainey’s body had never handled the mountain air well.She forced herself to breathe slowly.

"Sorry," she said. "I’m losing signal out here. I need to go."

Before Serena could ask another question, Lainey ended the call.

--

Meanwhile, Eira waited near the main entrance of the Omega House for Alpha Killian.

Her phone rang. Lila was calling.

"Is my brother there yet?"

"Not yet." Eira glanced toward the gate. Cars passed along the highway, but none turned into the driveway.

"So what did you bribe him with?"

"Eight hundred a day."

Lila went quiet for a second.

Then Eira heard her choke on her drink.

"Hold on. Sorry." Lila coughed, then started laughing. "Eight hundred? That’s not even a serious consulting fee for a man like my brother."

"It was his number."

"Please. Killian doesn’t need eight hundred dollars. He probably spends more than that on coffee."

Eira glanced toward the empty driveway. "Are you done?"

"Not even close. With his face and that body, he could charge a fortune for a private appearance." ℯℯ𝘭.

"Lila."

"What? I’m being supportive."

"You’re being ridiculous."

"I’m being honest. If he walked into one of those celebrity charity events, someone would pay ten grand just to have him stand next to their table."

Eira had no idea how to respond to that.

A car horn sounded near the gate.

She turned as a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan rolled onto the property.

Alpha Killian stepped out, tall and composed in a dark wool coat. The guard straightened before waving him through.

"I have to go," Eira said.

"What? Why?"

"The escort is here."

Lila burst out laughing.

Eira ended the call before Lila could say anything worse and hurried toward the car.

"He’s with me," she told the guard.

Alpha Killian closed the driver’s door and walked toward her. The wind caught Eira’s hair and blew it across her face. She pushed it behind her ears, but the cold had already turned the tip of her nose pink.

Alpha Killian frowned and stepped in front of her, blocking the wind with his body.

"You should have worn a hat."

"I forgot."

"You forgot a hat in the middle of winter?"

"I had other things to worry about." She looked toward the main building. "Come on. Gwen wants me to bring someone I trust before I follow Sam’s lead."

"Then let’s go."

"You’re not tired?"

"No."

They started toward the building.

Eira lowered her voice. "Lainey is here."

Alpha Killian’s expression cooled.

"Then watch what you say."

"Because of our cover?"

"The married-couple story."

Eira glanced up at him. "Does the package include a warranty?"

Alpha Killian looked down at her.

She had no idea where she had picked up that phrase, and he decided not to ask.

"Yes," he said. "It does."

For eight hundred dollars a day, Eira thought, that seemed fair.

Alpha Killian had wanted to inspect the property before they left. The Omega House sat near the edge of Pack territory, where city services were limited and patrol routes mattered. He wanted to see the security system, the fence line, and how the border Pack protected the children.

Eira was already pulling him toward Gwen’s office.

He knew Gwen’s background. She was fifty-one, had received a regional service award, and had run the Omega House for most of Eira’s life.

She was not just the director.

She was Eira’s family.

Eira knocked once and opened the door.

"Miss Gwen, he’s here." She stepped aside. "This is Killian Sterling."

Gwen stood and reached for her reading glasses.

"Mr. Sterling."

"Killian is fine." He shook her hand. "Eira calls me that."

Gwen studied him for a moment. He was young, powerful, and clearly accustomed to being obeyed. Still, he had come all the way out here because Eira had asked.

That counted for something.

"You’re prepared to protect her?"

Alpha Killian took a business card from his wallet and set it on the desk.

"If anything happens, call that number. If Eira is hurt because of me, the Sterling family will take responsibility."

His voice was quiet, but there was nothing casual about the promise.

Gwen picked up the card and looked at him more carefully.

"Thank you," she said.

Alpha Killian nodded.

Gwen had seen men promise to take care of Eira before. Most of them had offered words and nothing else. Alpha Killian had come with a plan, transportation, and a way to reach him directly.

She walked them outside.

"The county is rougher than Palo Alto," she warned Eira. "Stay together, keep your phones charged, and call me if anything feels wrong."

"I will."

They were almost at the gate when Lainey stepped out of the dining hall with her camera hanging from one shoulder.

"Killian," Lainey called, bright and friendly. "What brings you all the way out here?"

He kept walking.

"Not your concern."

Her smile tightened, but she turned to Eira instead.

"You two seem pretty close."

"Glad you can tell," Alpha Killian said without looking back.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Lainey’s face.

"So where are you headed now?"

"Back to Palo Alto," Eira said.

"Already? You just got here."

Before the question could turn into an interrogation, Gwen stepped in.

"That was my doing," she said easily. "I asked Eira to come back because something urgent came up. It’s taken care of now, so she needs to get going."

Lainey’s eyes moved from Gwen to Eira, then settled on Alpha Killian.

Urgent.

So Alpha Killian was covering for Eira. And now Gwen was covering for her too.

Lainey gave a small nod, as if she accepted the explanation.

"Of course," she said. "I hope everything worked out."

"Thanks," Eira replied.

Lainey’s smile stayed polite, but her mind was already working.

Whatever had brought Eira here, it was more important than Lainey had expected.