Page 13 of Challenged Mate
Fifteen minutes later, Chase steered towards town. We arrived at a gravel lot between two buildings—the first we saw as we entered the town.
He parked and killed the engine.
I swung my leg off the four-wheeler and tugged on the bottom of my hoodie, eyeing the other four-wheelers and motorbikes in the lot. Clearly, cars weren’t popular within the Wilds Pack community.
“About time you got here,” Kayla hollered.
I turned and saw Asher’s sister standing on the sidewalk adjacent to the paved street. She grinned widely, practically bouncing up and down on her toes.
Unease replaced my earlier levity as I braced myself to come face to face with more Wilds Pack shifters.
I knew everyone would not share Kayla’s welcoming enthusiasm, and I needed to be prepared for any kind of interaction. I couldn’t let anyone get under my skin.
Chase removed his jacket and placed it over the four-wheeler. I guessed he wasn’t worried about anyone stealing it.
“What would you like to see first?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “Anything is fine.”
With a nod, Chase walked over to Kayla. When he got close, he tried to wrap her in a headlock, but Kayla ducked out of his hold with impressive agility.
“Nice try, old man,” she taunted with a smirk.
“Whoa! Who are you calling old man?”
“You, Cuz. I think your time away from training has made you soft.”
“You’re cousins?” I joined them on the sidewalk.
Kayla slapped Chase’s bicep . “You didn’t tell her we’re related? I’m hurt!”
“Oh, please.” Chase rolled his eyes. Then, he looked at me to explain, “Kayla is my cousin on my mother’s side. Her mom was my mother’s sister.”
“Oh.” I tried, but failed, to see any similarity between the dark-haired beauty and the blond shifter.
“I can’t believe you and Asher didn’t tell her that in Montana,” Kayla said.
“The subject never came up,” Chase replied, then quickly changed the conversation. “How about we go to the grocery store? Kayla stocked the apartment with basic foods, but if there’s anything specific you want, you can get it there.”
“Sure.”
Chase led the way down the sidewalk. He stayed two steps ahead, leaving Kayla and I to walk side by side.
“I really hope you like it here, Blair,” she told me.
A quick glance revealed the sincerity in her gaze.
How much did Kayla know about the circumstances that led me here?
Did her brother confess how he was forced to win the games despite promising me he wouldn’t?
I doubted it.
“Thanks,” I murmured, unsure what else to say.
Thankfully, Kayla didn’t seem bothered by my short reply. She spent the rest of our walk to the grocery store pointing out different buildings we passed, explaining what they were and who ran the business.
I was amazed at the variety of stores found in the town. I mean, a grocery store and drug store were necessary. But a records store and an art gallery? I never would have expected the rurally located community to have such niche stores.
