Page 15 of Pack Kasen, Part 3 (Caught #3)

KAT

“ A pack run?” I repeat.

“We try to have one a couple of times a week,” Aren explains. “It’s good for bonding.”

He’s currently blocking my only route out of the dining room, where I had slipped in, hoping to grab myself a plate and slip back out without having to talk to him.

I could go out of the window, but that seems extreme to avoid an awkward conversation.

Every time I look at him, I’m reminded of us sleeping together, and I want to again. He went out, hunted a feral, and killed them. If he hadn’t, he’d have brought the feral back here and stuck them in the same silver cage where I nearly died.

He’s apologized, and that’s what I wanted, but how can I be with him if every couple of days, he’s out there doing the same thing to someone as he did to me?

“Kat?” he prompts.

Behind me, the dining room is silent. The rest of the pack are listening, the way they always seem to when we’re together.

And for some reason, my dad seems to no longer be actively considering killing Aren. My mom is being close-mouthed, and Carlie keeps smirking, but no one will tell me what’s going on.

I bite my lip. “I’m not sure I need to be there for it. I’m not pack.”

“You are.” His eyes linger on my mouth, and I’m reminded all over again how good it felt when he kissed me.

Because I’m his mate. That automatically makes me Pack Kasen if I want to be.

“When is it?” I ask so I know when to avoid it.

“Tonight. We usually meet by the creek.”

“Sure.” I step around him. At least, I try to.

He still isn’t moving. With his 6-foot-plus height, wide shoulders, and the fact he’s literally standing in the middle of the doorway, there’s no slipping around him.

“Was there something else?” There’s a bite to my voice that he couldn’t miss.

The silence behind me sharpens. Everyone in the room is hanging on our words. I wish they would focus on their lunch, just as I wish Aren hadn’t chosen now to ambush me with a pack run that feels like he’s asking me out on a date.

But it’s been two days of successful avoidance.

I guess he thinks this is the only way to catch me off guard.

“I’m not?—”

“Leo is looking forward to his first pack run. I know he’s excited to see you there,” he interrupts.

His expression doesn’t change, but he’s not above using manipulation to get what he wants, and as far as manipulative tricks go, this is a good one.

I’m not about to disappoint Leo on what sounds like a pretty significant event for him.

“I’ll be there.” I glare at him so he knows I’m aware of his manipulation, and I’m not about to forgive him for it in a hurry.

The corners of his eyes crease in a smile, though no amusement makes it to his gaze. “Good. It’ll be fun.”

He steps aside, and I walk out of the room.

I nod at Troy, who smiles at me, until a low growl just behind me convinces Troy to turn around and very quickly walk away.

It wasn’t that long ago that I pretended to be interested in the handsome, blond-haired and honey-brown eyed enforcer to antagonize Aren when he was keeping me in his cage. It looks like Aren hasn’t forgotten that and isn’t about to in a hurry.

I peer over my shoulder.

Aren meets my gaze. “Problem?”

“I heard that.”

“Heard what?” he asks, his expression is innocence personified.

Shaking my head, I continue outside.

I’m on my way to the creek when I stop feet away, my eyes lingering on the forest across from it.

The forest where Cristofer hid behind a tree and shot me in the gut with a crossbow.

My fingers skim my belly. I’m one hundred percent healed now, with not even a hint of a scar to remind me of what happened.

But the memory of that bolt ripping into my skin hasn’t faded.

I’m back in the old mine, my hands slicked with blood, terrified I won’t be strong enough to fight Cristofer off me when he comes back to bite me.

My breath catches in my throat, and my heart races.

I force it to slow.

Bad things have happened to me in the past, and more will happen to me in the future, but I refuse to let this scar me.

I take a breath and release it, repeating the process until my breathing has steadied.

It’s not like me to let something scare me, and I’m not scared. Not truly. But every time I pass by that spot beside the creek, I hesitate to go any closer, and I can’t force myself to sit there to prove I’m not afraid anymore.

Because I was lying to myself when I said I wasn’t scared.

I am.

“Kat?” A hand lands on my shoulder.

I spin and hit out, pulling my punch two inches away from Aren’s face.

He doesn’t do a thing to protect himself, just looks at me. “There’s another place.”

Dropping my arm, I scowl at him. “I thought you were eating.”

“I was, but I wanted to show you something first.” He snags my hand and pulls while I’m not paying attention.

Annoyed by his refusal to leave me alone but more curious about what this place is, I trail him past the creek and into the forest.

“This won’t end in sex,” I tell him in case he starts getting ideas. “And I didn’t give you permission to hold my hand.”

“This isn’t about sex.” He peers over his shoulder. “And I don’t need permission to hold your hand. You’re my mate, and we’ve done a lot more than hold hands.”

And I honest to god blush , though I have no clue why.

He grins.

I glare at him, which, as usual, has no effect on him. He just squeezes my hand and treats my glares like I’m flirting with him. “Were you really going to let me punch you in the face if I hadn’t pulled it?”

“Do you want to punch me in the face?”

“Sometimes.”

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 see anything .”

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.

He moves back, dropping his hand. “Don’t forget about the run later.”

“I won’t.”

Aren goes to the house, and I walk to the water's edge, drop to the grassy edge, and cross my legs as I stare into the water, letting it soothe me.

I don’t mean to doze off.

My eyes fly open when something bumps my shoulder. It’s darker now than it was before. Not quite evening yet, but close.

Another bump on the back of my shoulder rocks me. If I’d been expecting a small, fluffy gray wolf, Leo come to say hello, I’d have been disappointed.

This wolf is enormous, with blond-brown fur and amber-gold eyes.

Aren.

“You really need to learn how to respect personal space.” I yelp when a rough tongue swipes my cheek.

Swiping the moisture away, I glare at Aren, who doesn’t look the least bit sorry. “Do that again and I’ll push you in the creek,” I warn him.

He takes a step back, sits on his haunches, and looks at me.

I yawn wide, my jaw cracking as I get to my feet. “You didn’t have to come get me for the run. This isn’t a date.”

“It could be.”

Startled at the deep male voice, I turn.

He shifts so fast and so silently; I hadn’t heard a thing. He’s on his feet now, and it takes everything I have not to lower my gaze from his face.

“You can look.” A hint of amusement softens his voice, as if he knows just how much effort it’s costing me to keep my eyes above chin level.

“No, thanks.” Knowing he’s not a patient person, I eye him curiously. “How long were you there?”

He shrugs. “A while. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t fall in.”

“The creek?”

He nods.

“And did I?”

“I saved you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then don’t. But if you find teeth marks at the back of your shirt, it wasn’t from me pulling you back to safety.”

Disbelieving, I twist around, grip the bottom of my shirt, and look down. I don’t know why I’m surprised to find bite marks there.

When I drop my shirt, Aren is studying me expectantly.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m waiting for my kiss of gratitude,” he says.

Of course he is.

Rolling my eyes, I move to step around him.

He circles my wrist, halting me. “I’ve had years of trying to do it on my own. I thought that if I killed enough ferals, no one would have to go through what I did.”

Why is he telling me this?

“So?”

He shakes his head, confusion and frustration bleeding out of him. “I don’t know how to fix this problem any other way.”

“Other than to kill it?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

I figure he isn’t just saying this to provoke me. This conversation has to have a point, right?

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because my way isn’t working.”

I study him for a beat. “What do you want me to do about it?”

He rakes a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. This feels like something I need to tell you.”

“Because Finan told you that you were shit at communicating?”

He scowls at me. “He said what ?”

Oops.

I clear my throat. “I have a life back in the city.”

And a job I should be starting any day now that I keep telling myself I’ll get back to eventually, but instead, I keep finding reasons—and excuses—to avoid thinking about it.

“You could have a life here with me.”

“And my family?”

“They could visit, and we could go see them.”

I arch my eyebrow. “ We ?”

“You’re mine, Kitty cat. One look and all the guys in your dad’s pack will want you. I’m coming with you.”

My eyes widen. “You’re jealous.”

“Damn right I’m jealous.” He dips his head, claiming a quick kiss and retreating before I can knock him back. In a blink of an eye, he’s a wolf again, head tipped to the side as if wondering why I’m still human.

The pack run.

“If I told you to turn around?”

He doesn’t even blink.

“You annoy me ninety percent of the time,” I grumble, but I drop into a crouch, grip his fur, and pull him close, kissing the top of his head. “Thanks for saving me from falling into the creek. That would not have been fun to wake up from.”

He licks my cheek. I give him a look of annoyance as I swipe the moisture away, but I liked his wolf kiss. So did my wolf.

Grumbling, I quickly undress, avoiding his gaze as I sink into a crouch and shift. It’s not as fast as his, but I don’t know anyone who can change into a wolf as fluidly as he can.

I sprint away from him, leaving him to follow, knowing he’s only a step behind me.

The rest of the pack is waiting beside the creek, including my family. I thought my dad would try to gut Aren, but he sticks beside my mom and Carlie and seems content to curl his lip at Aren. When my dad snarls at Aren, my mom growls at him.

Which is… interesting.

When a small gray wolf bumps into me, distracting me, I let Leo’s excitement trigger my own, because it’s my first run too, and I’m determined to enjoy it.