Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 38003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“Are you enjoying the tour of the town?” Poppy asked, attempting to keep the conversation light.
She inhaled deeply as Klaus approached, and she scented him. His masculine scent with a twinge of the alpha attached to it.
Poppy couldn’t ever recall him smelling so good. This wasn’t fair.
She detected his nostrils had flared as well. Did she smell good to him? What was happening to them?
“Yes, Klaus is being very thorough in showing me everything. I can’t wait until tonight.”
“Tonight?” Poppy asked.
“The celebration, or have you two forgotten?”
“Oh, yes, of course, the celebration.” She started to chuckle. “No, I haven’t forgotten. My mom and I have been baking up a storm.”
“I can’t wait to taste it,” Greg said. “I think everything your hands touch will feel like heaven.”
That was direct flirting.
Klaus growled deep in his throat, and to try to hide it, Poppy started to cough, bending over as she made some ugly sounds.
****
“That’s pretty much all there is to see,” Klaus said. He was not going to kill Greg.
The bastard had been flirting with his woman, but he wasn’t going to do anything. It wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
His father was impressed with him that he’d decided to take Greg on a trip that would show him the ropes. Learn the town. The last thing his father would want him to do was … kill their guests. Guaranteed war right there.
He couldn’t help his feelings. His wolf was becoming irritated, especially when Greg flirted with Poppy.
“It’s beautiful.”
They were deep in the forest, where he was showing him some of the beauty of the land that surrounded them.
Klaus had no doubt they were a lucky pack. He’d heard some packs were near the city, or lived within the city walls, and that didn’t sound appealing. Trapped without anywhere to run. He couldn’t do that.
Wolves adapted to their surroundings though. He doubted he’d be able to live anywhere but here. This place was home. It was his life. He would be alpha someday, and that was the way it was going to stay.
“Yeah, it really is.” He knew Greg didn’t have quite the majestic home as he did. He’d visited Lionel’s pack a few times. There weren’t many women within that pack either.
“So, er, what’s Poppy’s deal?” Greg asked.
“Her deal?”
“Yeah, is she seeing someone? Attached?”
Klaus didn’t like this. “Why, er, why would you want to know?”
“Come on, man. Look at her, she’s beautiful. Damn, I would do anything to have that smile directed at me.”
He’d noticed her smile, and it kind of pissed him off that someone else had.
“I … I have no idea if she’s seeing someone.”
“You don’t?” Greg frowned. “You’re the alpha’s son.”
“And you know everyone’s secrets within the pack?”
“Of course. It’s my job to. Just like it was my dad’s.” Greg shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, man. I just wanted to know if I might be a chance with her.”
“You’re not mated. You don’t have a bond,” Klaus said.
“I know that, but it doesn’t mean we can’t form something. Not all wolves are lucky to find their soul mate, Klaus.” Greg glanced around the forest. “Some of us can be just lucky to find love.”
“That’s why you’re here. To find mates.”
“To see if we can find mates, and then, possibly, connections. It’s the next best thing.”
Klaus thought about Poppy.
They were together. Truly mated. There was no doubt between either of them.
“That, er, that must suck,” Klaus said. “I know, after witnessing some of the couples within the pack, a mate is everything.”
“Yeah, it is. My dad had it, you know. I get it, but we’re not all lucky. No woman in my pack is my mate, but Poppy, I know she’d make a good alpha’s mate. There is something about her. She’s kind and patient. A little nervous around the edges.”
“She’s beautiful,” Klaus said, agreeing, but he hadn’t thought of Poppy as being a good alpha’s mate.
He figured it never truly mattered with them who mated the alpha, just so long as someone actually did.
“Do you and her … have a thing?” Greg asked.
“What? No. We don’t.” They totally had a thing. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
Klaus couldn’t believe he was asking this. “I have this friend, and, er, it turns out that he was kind of mean to this girl for a long time. Not anything too bad. Name-calling, potential charges of hair-pulling. But it wasn’t meant in a bad way, you know? Just that he liked her hair, and well…”
Greg started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Dude, it sounds to me your friend has problems, but just tell him to tell this girl how he feels.”
“He feels?” Klaus asked.
“Yeah. The hair-pulling, the name-calling. Sounds like a classic case of him trying to get her attention. He has a crush. Does he like this girl?” Greg asked.
“That has got to be the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard.”