Rina looked around the pack house, the last time she had been here was at Rita's mating ceremony three years ago.
What was she going to do? According to Rita, Rafaele woke up by six am to do the morning rounds with the pack sentries and from there he went to his office.
Maybe she should prepare breakfast and his lunch, she thought to herself.
She went to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. Rina loved cooking, it always calmed her down and right now she needed to calm down. She didn't want to give anyone room to suspect her.
"What are you doing?" she heard someone ask.
She startled as she spun around only to be caught by someone.
Rina looked up, it was Rafaele.
"Hi, good morning" she said nervously.
"What are you doing?" he asked her again.
She freed herself of his arms and went back to her cooking.
"preparing breakfast, what does it look like?" she asked him.
"since when do you prepare breakfast?" he asked.
Rina felt her heart drop, didn't Rita prepare breakfast.
"I don't prepare breakfast?" she asked him.
"No, you have never entered the kitchen to cook since the day I brought you home. I am surprised you know where the ingredients and utensils are." he replied.
"well it's not rocket science to know where the utensils are. Anyone could have known that." Rina retorted.
"so why are you preparing breakfast?"
"well I learnt a new recipe I want to try out." Rina replied defensively.
"well I hope it's edible." he said with a wink as he sat down at the table.
"what's going on here? I heard voices" Rafaele's mother, Luna Rosa walked into the kitchen.
Rina groaned inwardly. Great! More people.
"Rita made breakfast" Rafaele announced grandly.
"You! You entered the kitchen to cook?" Luna Rosa asked.
"Yes, mother. I learnt a new recipe" Rina answered.
"You called me mother?"
What the hell! What kind of relationship did Rita have with them that everything shocked them, Rina thought to herself.
"Yes, mother! What else am I supposed to call you?"
"You usually call her Luna Rosa" Rafaele helpfully chimed in.
"oh! Would you prefer if I called you that."
"No, no dear. Mother is fine."
"Please sit down mother, breakfast is ready."
"oh! You made breakfast for me. Today must be a very special day." Luna Rosa remarked as she sat down.
Rina groaned inwardly, it wasn't even up to an hour yet and she already made them suspicious.
When Rita came back, hopefully she would be able to explain everything as a personality change or something.
She served the breakfast for them and sat down to join them.
"This food is so delicious Rita, you cook so well, why have you been hiding your talent, my dear?" Luna Rosa complimented her.
"well I just learnt how to do this." Rina replied, she hoped her answer sounded convincing enough.
"Well we look forward to see more of what you have learnt," Rafaele told her, a smile on his face.
Rina could only nod half heartedly. That would be Rita's problem to take care of. All she had to was avoid any further action that would lead to suspicion.
"Whats all the noise for?" a gangly young man on the verge of adulthood asked as he sauntered into the kitchen.
"well, Rita made breakfast." Rafaele willingly supplied the answer.
"and Y'all ate it? What if she poisoned it?" he asked.
This was Rain, Rafaele younger's brother. The last time Rina had seen him, he was an adorable fifteen year old with a bubbling personality.
What had happened to make him look this sullen?
"Rain, manners. Rita here took the time to make breakfast for all of us today after learning a recipe. Why would you accuse her of poisoning?" Luna Rosa scolded him.
"Maybe, because she has never bothered to enter the kitchen since she came here." Rain pointed out.
Once again, Rina cursed Rita inwardly. Couldn't she have been bothered to tell her that she had never stepped a day in the kitchen.
"who poisoned who?" a new person asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Great! More people. She was so going to wrangle Rita's neck when she came back.
"Rain thinks Rita poisoned the breakfast she prepared." Rafaele answered.
"Rita cooked?" the new comer asked. This was Jax, Rafaele's Beta.
"You all don't need to act surprised okay, I cooked, it's not a big deal. And I didn't poison it." Rina defended herself.
"well, let's have a taste of the food, since you are eating it, it's definitely not poisoned." Jax said as he sat down at the table as well.
Rain grabbed a plate and served himself.
"I thought you said it was poisoned?" Rafaele asked in a teasing tone.
"well, you are all eating it, I don't want to be left alone when you guys die." he answered with a shrug.
Jax choked on his laughter.
Rain turned around to leave with his plate.
"Are you leaving little one?" Jax asked.
Rain glared at him. "don't call me that."
"sorry, force of habit" Jax apologized.
Rain rolled his eyes and walked out.
Rina looked at Jax in confusion. When she had come here for Rita's mating ceremony, Rain had been very clingy to Jax, even declaring Jax his favorite brother. What had happened?
She would ask Rita when she came back.
Breakfast ended and Rafaele stood up.
"well thanks for the breakfast Rita, I should be heading to work now."
Rina nodded. She had packed him lunch before, but now, in light of what she had just witnessed, if her sister had never entered the kitchen, then it was of a certainty that she had never packed lunch for Rafaele.
"what's this?" Rafaele asked as he picked up the food container.
Rina's heart sank, he had seen it.
"uhm, ehm, it's....uhm" Rina stuttered as she tried to come up with a response.
"You made me lunch Rita?" he sounded so excited.
"Yes I did."
"wow! Whatever has come over you today Rita, I hope it stays for a long time." Rafaele told her.
Rina could only smile nervously in return.