Page 57 of Fetch Me A Mate
Whatever challenges came next, she'd face them from a position of strength.
28
ROWAN
Diana deserved to bask in the afternoon's success without worrying about dinner. The soft reopening had been a masterclass in community relations, turning skeptics into supporters with nothing more than good tea and transparent competence. Rowan wanted to give her space to savor the victory while he handled the mundane details.
"Stay put," he'd told her as she started clearing the last of the teacups. "Relax. Enjoy being right about everything."
"I'm not right about everything."
"You're right about the things that matter. Let me get us some dinner from Twyla's. You've earned the right to be waited on."
He'd kissed her temple and headed out into the crisp evening air, Twyla's forgotten serving tray tucked under his arm. The square was quiet, most of the townspeople probably home discussing the inn's impressive afternoon over their own dinners.
Rowan was halfway across the cobblestones when the scent hit him. Wolf. Pack. Familiar.
His steps slowed as his senses sharpened, cataloguing threats and escape routes with automatic precision. The scent was fresh, close. Whoever it was had been waiting for him to emerge.
Griddle & Grind's windows glowed warmly in the gathering darkness, but Rowan's wolf was on high alert now, hackles raised beneath his human skin. He approached the café's entrance with calculated caution.
"Evening, brother."
Kael stepped out of the shadows beside the café's front door, his smile sharp as broken glass in the lamplight. He looked exactly the same as he had at the lake confrontation, all predatory confidence and expensive clothes that didn't belong in a small town.
"Kael." Rowan didn't stop walking, forcing the other wolf to fall into step beside him. "Thought you'd given up on Hollow Oak."
"Not even close. Just giving you time to think about our offer."
"I've thought about it."
"And?"
"And I'm not interested." Rowan paused at the café entrance, his hand on the door handle. "Find another solution to your problem."
"Our problem," Kael corrected smoothly. "The problem you created when you decided pack law didn't apply to you."
"Ancient history."
"Is it? Because it looks like you're about to make the same mistake again." Kael's gaze flicked toward the inn's glowing windows across the square. "Getting attached to a human who doesn't understand what she's gotten herself into."
Rowan's grip tightened on the door handle.
"See, she's become part of the equation whether you like it or not." Kael leaned against the café's brick wall with casualarrogance. "Pretty little thing. Smart, too. That afternoon's performance was impressive. Very professional."
"You were watching."
"Course I was watching. Had to see what kind of woman could make the great Rowan Baneville forget his responsibilities." Kael's smile widened. "She's got spine, I'll give her that. Takes real confidence to open your books to public scrutiny."
"She's got nothing to hide."
"No? What about her association with a rogue wolf? What about the kind of turmoil that follows pack outcasts around?" Kael pushed off from the wall, moving closer. "Accidents happen to humans who get too close to supernatural politics. Especially humans who think they belong in places they don't."
Rowan's wolf surged, silver bleeding into his vision. His voice dropped to a growl that rattled the café's front windows.
"Are you threatening her?"
"I'm stating facts. Humans are fragile. They break easily when they're in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kael's tone remained conversational, but his eyes held predatory interest. "Take that lovely afternoon she just hosted. So many people, so many opportunities for things to go wrong. A gas leak, a kitchen fire, a structural failure during peak occupancy."
