Jealous?

Samantha continued to caress Rider's hair while he inhaled her scent or rubbed her back. His way of looking for comfort was weird: he would prefer touching her than being caressed. Still, she was there because he wasn't feeling well. She let him do as he wanted.

While sitting on his lap and listening to his worries, sometimes telling about her own experience, she realised that she was an open book for him. She wasn't good at keeping secrets, and she would eventually confess anything if Rider asked with an expression docile enough.

She also understood something else, but she didn't know whether to inquire. In the end, she didn't want to take advantage of Rider. Especially now while he was feeling down.

«That brat is your Alpha's family, right?» she asked in the end. «That's why her disappearance was a great deal.»