Page 16 of Pack Kasen, Part 3 (Caught #3)

AREN

K at is laughing with Troy as the sun sets in the distance, and it’s taking everything I have not to pass my beer off to Emilio, walk over there, and gut him.

Kat is beautiful, and Troy is…

My eyes narrow. Not as ugly as I want him to be.

She’s enjoying herself at the BBQ after our run, and I don’t want to spoil her mood and chase her away.

Everyone is having a good time, spread out across the grassy clearing outside our home. Someone had the bright idea of bringing out a Bluetooth speaker and setting up a playlist to play off their phone. It’s been a mix of jazz, pop, and soft rock. Easy music to listen to.

Two large wooden tables are laden with salads, burger sides, and drinks. Most of the pack sit on the grass, while the older members prefer the foldable wooden chairs they brought out from the bunkhouse. The savory smell of roasting meat wafts from the grill. We’ll be eating pretty soon.

It’s a mild evening, perfect for a meal outdoors. Or it would be perfect if Troy were nowhere near my mate.

“The run was a good call,” Emilio says. “Everyone was wound up way too tight.”

Has Troy moved an inch closer to Kat, or is it just in my head?

“Hmmm.” I lift my bottle to my lips, trying to work out the distance between them.

When was the last time Troy laughed at a woman that long? He’s a good enforcer, but maybe I can do with five instead of six?

My wolf has no problem with our gutting him. He’s eager to show Troy that Kat belongs to us. That's the only reason I’m still here with Emilio and not currently pushing Troy into the creek.

Possessiveness is in my wolf’s nature. As Alpha, leader of the pack, I have to control myself.

And I’m going to have to get used to Kat talking to other guys. She’s Luna now. The female head of the pack. Or she will be when I bite her and fully claim her as my mate. As much as I want to kill every man who goes near her, I can’t.

“It gets easier,” Emilio says, amused.

I drag my eyes from Kat. “Huh?”

“The need to kill anyone who goes near your girl,” Emilio explains.

Joy is with another group, building herself a burger.

Emilio smiles at her as I lift my beer to my mouth.

“How long did it take you?” I ask.

“About a year,” he admits, “then I stopped viewing any guy who came near her as a threat.”

My eyes return to Kat. After the run, everyone went inside to dress, and the pack members who work in the kitchens started bringing out the food they’d prepared before the run.

Kat is wearing a blue sundress that skims her knees.

Her hair is down, and she has a glossy lipstick that smells like strawberries; I want to taste it.

I don’t know where the dress came from, but she looks beautiful in it.

Out of it too, but I try not to have thoughts like that when people are around.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt, not bothering with shoes.

Now I wonder if I shouldn’t have made more of an effort for Kat.

It doesn’t help that her dad keeps glaring at me, and Carlie, Kat’s sister is back to flipping her dagger between her fingers, all while staring at me.

I don’t know what I’ve done to her, but I have a feeling I know exactly where she wants to stick that dagger.

In me.

“I haven’t felt this out of control since I was a pup.”

“Women have that effect on a guy,” he says. “Joy hasn’t even started showing yet, and I want to lock her in a nice, safe, padded room for the next nine months to keep her and our pup safe.”

Joy’s scent only just changed, hinting at her pregnancy. She hates sitting out a fight, which means the next nine months are going to be fun having her as an enforcer, and by fun, I mean hell.

I snort, turning to face him. “She’d gut you if you tried.”

“Don’t I know it. Ask her to dance.”

I raise my eyebrow. “Ask her to do what ?”

“Dance.” He lowers his voice. “Look, an apology is all well and good. You fucked up. You owned it. That’s stage one. Now you have to romance her. Prove that you can look after her in all the ways.”

I scowl at him. “Are you seriously giving me romance advice? Me ?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, all the women want you ‘cause you’re Alpha. This isn’t a woman you fuck and move on to the next. Which is what you’re used to doing. What are you doing to romance Kat?”

I stare at him. “I was taking her flowers and champagne when Cristofer abducted her.”

He shakes his head. “Not good enough. Anyone can give her those things. You need to up your game.”

“We went for a pack run,” I say.

“And, like I said, the pack needed it. Not just Kat. She needs more.”

The pack run and a BBQ to follow had been a spontaneous decision that I hadn’t realized was so necessary until I went to the women who work in the kitchens. I’d expected them to grumble about a last-minute meal they hadn’t planned for. They were excited about it. Everyone was.

Ever since I brought Kat to Burning Wood, she’s barely seen any of the good that comes with pack life. I’d been determined to show her, but things kept getting in the way.

Now, the biggest obstacle isn’t Cristofer. It’s her parents.

I need to start showing Kat what it is to belong to a pack, how good it can be, and how much our wolves crave it.

She glances my way, catches me looking at her, and her eyes flick from me to Troy. “Problem?”

Given the last time I growled at him when he smiled at her, she’s probably expecting me to charge over there and launch Troy into the creek.

The music on the Bluetooth speaker isn’t loud enough for dancing. It’s just background music for everyone to relax. That’s all.

“Dance?” I call out across the six feet that separate us.

She blinks at me.

I straighten, hoping I’m not making a fool of myself in front of my pack—and more importantly, in front of Kat.

“Do you want to dance, Kitty cat? Or am I going to get shoved in the creek if I walk over there and dance with you?”

She chews her lip as she considers.

My pack mates smile as their gazes bounce between us.

“Why?” she calls back.

“I’d like to introduce you to the idea of romance with me.”

On my left, I spot Kat’s parents watching. Leonore is smiling with one arm around Patric. He’s not glaring at me, which is something considering how much the guy hates me.

“What does romance with you look like?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No clue. I’m figuring it out as I go.”

“If you step on my foot, you’re going in the creek,” she warns.

She’s barefoot after our run. So am I. “I deserve nothing less.”

Hesitating for a beat, she passes her beer to Troy. “Do you mind?”

He takes it. I give Emilio my beer, ignore his smug smile, and walk over to Kat.

I slide my arm around her, draw her against my chest, and inhale the fragrance of her hair.

The last time we danced was at Joy and Emilio’s party, and I remember how it led to an argument that drove Kat outside to the creek, where she nearly died.

“You’re crushing me,” she says mildly.

I loosen my hold on her. “I was thinking about the last time we danced.”

“And?”

Around us, the rest of the pack are pairing up to dance.

Wes and Silas are out patrolling. They’ll be back soon to enjoy some of the BBQ and relax while Joy and Troy go out to patrol next.

“If I’d apologized to you, then you wouldn’t have gone outside, Cristofer wouldn’t have shot you, and you wouldn’t have almost died.”

Our steps stop, and we study each other.

Her hands are flat on my lower back.

“There’s a lot I’m angry at you for,” she says quietly. “But that isn’t one of them. Lose the guilt, Kasen.”

I feel myself relax. Lips twitching, I resume our dance. “No one calls me Kasen.”

“I figure you like Wolf King a little too much. I’m testing out other options.”

She’s right. I do like Wolf King a little too much, but only when she calls me it. She can probably feel how much I like it with how close we’re dancing.

I tuck her closer. “Stick with Wolf King.”

“You are very overbearing.” She tilts her chin.

“But no one will love you the way I do.”

She arches her brow. “I don’t like orders.”

I put my mouth to her ear. “Orders can be so much fun, Kitty cat. How’d you like the run?”

I’d have liked it more if I were with her, but an Alpha leads the run. When I’d caught glimpses of her, she was with Leo or her sister. We’ll have other runs together. Some with pack and others just us.

“The run was fun,” she says, smiling. “My favorite part was the end when Leo launched himself into the creek.”

We’d taken our eyes off him near the creek, which is always a mistake. He’s proving to be a wolf that loves water too damn much.

Finan had waded in and fished the soggy pup out. Dania had just sighed and followed Finan into the bunkhouse as he carried a grinning Leo. He’s dry now, playing with the other pups.

Finan is talking quietly with Dania, and now that I’m relaxed and content, I remember his reluctance to leave Dania with Jasper, the new prospect.

I’m also wondering about the lack of attention he pays to any woman.

Any woman except Dania, whom he helped resettle in the bunkhouse after her mate abandoned her and Leo.

Jasper, I was relieved to see, was at the run. He’s talking with a few others near the grill, and it looks like I convinced him to stay.

“You’re a good dancer,” Kat says.

“I used to watch my parents dance just like this.” I’d forgotten about it until now. At the time, I couldn’t understand why he had a stupid smile on his face.

Now I get it.

He had the woman he loved in his arms, and his pack safe and happy around him.

Everything was right with the world.

The jazz we’re dancing to comes to an end too soon, and Kat pulls away. I reluctantly let her go. “You want a drink, or are you ready to eat, Kitty cat?”

“What food is?—”

A shot rings out in the distance, and I glance toward the sound, not alarmed. It’s still spring, early for hunting season, but it’s not unusual for out-of-towners to practice shooting in some of the hunting cabins deeper in the mountains.

The next shot is louder, and Kat jerks.

“Kat?” I move closer, concerned now.

She’s staring at me, but she doesn’t see me.

I’m asking her what’s wrong when her eyes roll back, and as I’m reaching for her, she’s shifting. Olive skin giving way to medium brown fur. It’s the only reason I don’t touch her.

Touching someone when they’re shifting can cause complications.

One moment she’s human. The next, she’s a wolf, unconscious and twitching on the ground.