Page 29 of Challenged Mate
“Just wait until you see inside.” She walked across the stone pathway and climbed the wood stairs leading to the front door.
We walked into a living room. It was decorated in a style similar to my guest apartment. Cream furniture filled the space and beautiful landscapes hung from the walls.
“I love it,” I told her.
“Thank you.” She continued to smile, making her way to the kitchen. “I’m not the best cook, but I can make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. I also have peanut butter or turkey meat if either of those sound better to you.”
“Grilled cheese sounds great.”
“Awesome.” She opened the fridge and retrieved a pack of sliced cheese and a loaf of bread.
I settled onto the cushioned bench tucked under the kitchen bar.
We fell into small talk as Kayla assembled ingredients and cooked the sandwiches.
I learned Kayla had a job. She trained children and adolescents in magic. All pack children attended a traditional school during the day, but afterwards they trained with different pack members to master their magic and shifter abilities.
I wondered if I could help with the latter.
As a future alpha, I’d been trained by some of the best shifters in North America. It would be nice to use my knowledge for something good—and not feel like it hadn’t been a complete waste…
I shook away the negative thought.
I told Kayla more about Stephanie, sharing silly stories from when we were kids. I even told her about the night I met Asher and Chase.
“No way,” she said as she flipped the buttered bread in the skillet. “Asher and Chase really masked their scents when you met?”
“Yes. We had no idea they were shifters.”
“And they didn’t come clean when they realized you two were shifters?”
“Nope.”
She scoffed. “Of course, not. Idiots.”
I huffed a laugh.
Kayla turned the stove-top dials off. Then, she grabbed the pan and walked to the island. “I mean, what were the chances of you guys running into each other that night?” She slid one grilled cheese onto each of the plates she’d set out. “It was like fate or something.”
“Or something,” I mumbled.
Kayla pushed one plate towards me and said, “Bon appétit.”
“Thank you.” I picked up the toasted bread and sank my teeth into the sandwich. I hadn’t had much of an appetite this past week, but today’s training had drained me, piquing it for the first time in a while.
“So,” Kayla began after swallowing a bite of her sandwich. “Talk to your dad or Stephanie yet?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You know why.”
I’d given Kayla a brief explanation of my father’s betrayal, and I’d told her how I couldn’t stomach lying to Stephanie about how I felt about the whole thing.
Still, Kayla had taken it upon herself to hassle me about speaking to them almost daily. Funny enough, I didn’t find her intrusion bothersome. Her concern for me seemed genuine.
Kayla took another bite, watching me with a contemplative expression. “You know, you and Asher have a lot in common.”
