Page 83 of Pack Kasen: Part 3
“Go find Wes. Tell him you’re watching the house together.”
She walks away, pulling off her apron as I peek into the kitchen, wanting to confirm she hadn’t been causing them trouble.
“How’d she do?” I ask Lorna.
Lorna, the head cook, meets my gaze. She’s in her sixties now, grayer each year than the last, a sturdy woman with serious brown eyes. “She caused no trouble, but that girl likes to talk. I know you sent her in here as punishment, but next time she does something wrong, send her to the bunkhouse. We like aquietkitchen.”
The other two women nod their heads, busy with their tasks in their corner of the kitchen.
Chuckling, I salute the best damn cook in Montana, and the woman who’s been cooking in this kitchen longer than I’ve been alive. “Yes, ma’am.”
The kitchen is her domain, and only a fool would get on the wrong side of the person who cooks all their meals.
She snorts a laugh and waves a dish towel at me. “Go.”
21
KAT
Aknock sounds on the schoolroom door.
I was already twisting around in my seat before the knock came.
I always know it’s Aren before I see him.
Not because of a scent or the sound of his footsteps. Some internal alarm flares to life in a way it never has for anyone else before. Maybe it's because we’re fated mates? I’m not sure, but it’s surprisingly comforting to know I’m no longer alone.
He aims a faint smile at the pups and focuses on me. “Can I talk to you, Kitty cat?”
“Sure.” I stand up and follow him outside.
“Why does he call her Kitty cat when she’s a wolf?” Leo is asking Gregor as I pull the door closed behind me.
“Because she is fierce, and she likes to play.” Aren kisses my knuckles and smiles at Leo. “Even though she tries to hide it.”
I glare at him. “That is absolutelynottrue.”
Aren laces his fingers with mine, guiding me away from the schoolroom, then halts near the bunkhouse to look down at me.
I take in his furrowed brow. “Something has happened.”
“Joy and Emilio picked up fresh tracks. They’re following them, but they believe it’s Cristofer. So do I.”
I study him. “Here for me?”
He nods once. “Probably. Which is why I need you to stay here, where it’s safe.”
“Okay.”
He blinks at my easy agreement. “Okay?”
My lip twitches. “You were expecting me to argue?”
“Yes.”
I glance at the schoolroom and lower my voice in case any of the pups are listening in. “This is important. Yes, I want to be the one who takes down Cristofer, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me. If you can rip his head off quickly, then I won’t turn down your offer.”
He cradles the nape of my neck with a large hand, staring down at me.
