Page 1 of Pack Kasen: Part 3

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AREN

Blood soaks into the grass beside the creek.

Kat’sblood.

The howl that erupts from my mouth isn’t close to human. It’s pure wolf.

A bottle of champagne shatters at my feet, alongside the flowers meant to show Kat I was sorry. I charge toward the dark liquid pooling on the grass as the music behind me cuts out.

A door slams open.

Footsteps pound toward me as I tear the clothes from my body.

My wolf bursts free, and I drag in a deep breath. Kat’s blood and pain almost overshadow her scent of honeysuckle and fresh fall leaves.

Kat isours.

She’s hurt.

Someonetookher.

Two scents mingle with hers as I sniff around the blood pool, the moonlight illuminating the spill.

One scent is familiar, but the juniper sage is not. And it goes… nowhere.

???

“Aren?”

I ignore Finan’s shout behind me as I sniff more deeply, tracking the unfamiliar smell.

My beta’s footsteps aren’t the only ones pounding down the deck stairs now. The rest of my pack and six enforcers are quickly approaching.

On my left, the bunkhouse door creaks open, and I tilt my head toward the familiar scent.

Jasper.

The auburn-haired, brown-eyed new prospect arrived from Indiana a few days ago, looking for a new pack to start over after leaving his.

He was here with Kat. Now her blood soaks the grass, and she’s gone.

A menacing snarl drips from my lips as I turn fully to face him.

He freezes just outside the bunkhouse double doors.

"Aren..." A warning deepens Finan’s typically calm voice.

I charge.

Jasper is backing up as Finan plants himself directly in front of me.

I like my beta.

Fin isn’t just a friend and an adviser. He’s family. Not blood. There is no one I trust more. Going through him isn’t an option.

I dart around him.

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