Page 49 of Pack Kasen: Part 3
He chuckles. “I walked right into that, didn’t I?”
My mouth curves in a reluctant smile. “Yup.”
He’s silent for the rest of the short walk to another smaller pool of water. It’s upstream of the creek, missing the views of the pines in the distance or the flat rock to lie on. This area is a little more private, still peaceful, but not as pretty.
“I sometimes come here,” he says, dropping my hand.
Annoyingly, I immediately miss his touch.
“Why not the creek?” I thrust my hands in my pockets so he won’t grab it again, or I won’t be tempted to grab his hand.
“After what happened with my parents, I avoided the bunkhouse and the creek. It hurt too much. It took a long time for the pain to fade. That’s why I came here.”
He starts to walk away.
“Thanks,” I call after him, knowing what he’s doing and why.
Cristofer tarnished a peaceful place, and Aren is giving me a new one.
He nods. “The run is at six.”
“Is it safe to take the pups on a run?”
“We won’t be near the borders, and everyone needs a distraction.” He adds, “We’ve been doing more regular patrols. There’s no sign of Cristofer.”
So I’m safe at least for now.
“I could go on patrols with you,” I suggest. I’d wanted to suggest it before, but I’d worried that whoever I went on a patrol with would be on the firing line. Cristofer wants me. He’s taken out all of my exes. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.
“No need, Kitty cat. We have the high ground. We’re in the stronger position. Going to him or exposing you to him means giving him a window to hurt you.”
I nod, understanding. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt defending me.”
He smiles slightly. “You want me to bring you food?”
I shake my head. “I’m good.”
He inches closer, eyes dipping to my mouth. “And you don’t want me to stay?”
I poke him in the chest. “Don’t push it, Wolf King.”
“You know how I feel about that name,” he says, voice husky and eyes hooded.
“Go eat; I want to be alone.”
He grasps my hips and draws me closer, kissing me. “Shout if you need anything. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He keeps hold of me, serious. “I mean it. Call if you hear, smell, or seeanything.”
I tilt my head. “And what will you do?”
He bends his head, eyes ferocious as he growls, “Kill it.”
I ask myself why I let him kiss me. But I know. I am a shifter, and no matter that I’ve spent the last few years of my life living among humans, there is a part of me that will always be a little more predatory, more vengeful, and more appreciative of killing the things that hurt us than the average human.
And it has everything to do with the wolf inside me.
