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)
“They won’t be living there. He or she will be staying for a couple of days. For as long as our guest pack is with us. This isn’t a big deal.”
“Oh no? It isn’t a big deal? Then how about I have a single female living in my house?” he asked.
Poppy hated the feeling that filled her. There was a spark of jealousy and she didn’t like that.
“Knock yourself out. Maybe it would be good for both of us. You finally finding someone else to be with.” The lies kept on coming. This just made her hate him even more.
Couldn’t he see that?
“You complain that I’m a pain in your ass. You’re a pain in mine.”
She pulled her arm out of his hold, and she refused to acknowledge that it actually felt good with him touching her.
“Do you think this is easy for me? Trust me, Klaus, it’s not. I’m not going to be a freaking doormat to you. I’m not going to put years of you being a prick behind me just because our wolves like each other. Not going to happen, and I certainly wouldn’t have you near my mother.”
They had gotten to the store. She stormed up to the cart bay, put a coin in the slot, pulled it out, and headed inside. She figured Klaus wouldn’t follow, but he did. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“We’re going shopping. I’m coming with you. You’re a newly transitioned wolf. This is normal.”
She tilted her head back and growled. “Leave me alone, please. You don’t do this with other wolves. Let me have some peace.”
“Not happening. We’re taking this at your pace. We’re not telling the world what we are. Fine. I’ll live with that, but compromise is all part of life. You’ve got to give me a chance to prove myself to you.”
“Why?”
“There are a lot of people in this pack, Poppy, who would give anything to have a mate. Do you think if people found out about us, they would like what we’re doing?” he asked.
She hadn’t thought about that. Finding a mate was one of the biggest goals in any wolf’s life. Pack was also important, but a mate, that was the jackpot.
She ran a hand down her face. Before the transition, she used to wear glasses, but not anymore.
“Fine. Fine.” The pack would be pissed with her if they didn’t give this a chance. Even if they were to ever make their mating official, which she was so not going to do, the pack would ask questions.
No one would be stupid enough to assume they didn’t know they were mated. People would be pissed, possibly even angry.
“Would your dad … punish you?” Poppy asked.
“I have no idea. I don’t think he’d be happy that I kept this secret,” Klaus said. “A mate for an alpha is important.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” He took a deep breath.
“I’m … sorry.”
Klaus stopped. His hand gripped the cart. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Poppy. I get it.”
“You do?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly get it, but it would seem my treatment of you over the years didn’t exactly go unnoticed.”
She frowned. “Who noticed?” This was news to her.
“A little ten-year-old pain in my ass who thinks she can be a better alpha than me. The one you stopped from nearly getting her leg caught in a bear trap. You know. The one.”
Poppy laughed. “Bethany.” She was aware of Bethany.
The young girl was a menace. She had energy for days. The diner and the pack were banned from giving her carbonated drinks as well as candy. On Halloween, they were only allowed to give her fruit and vegetables. Not that it stopped Bethany in any way. She was just this ball of fun. Of course, it got her in a lot of messes.
A couple of years ago, the pack had been attacked by a random bear. Not a bear shifter, just a straight-up bear.
It had attacked a young child, and so the hunt had been on. Bethany, convinced that she spoke bear, went on the hunt. Poppy had also been out, mainly to keep watch, and that was how she stopped Bethany from nearly getting attacked by a bear, as well as being caught up in one of the traps.
“You like Bethany?” Klaus asked.
“She’s a good kid.”
****
“I need you to do a big, big, favor for me,” Klaus said.
Bethany bounced her ball one more time, stopped, and turned to him. “It’s going to cost you.”
“What do you want? I can give you money.” He reached into his back pocket, about to take out his wallet.
She snorted. “I don’t want your money. All I’ve got to do is ask Mom or Dad, and I can have what I want.”
Klaus growled. “Fine. What do you want?”
“To come with you on a run.”
“Not happening. You know I can’t break the rules, even for you.” He held his hand up to stop her from arguing. “Pack law, Bethany. Even I wasn’t allowed until my eighteenth birthday. I’m not going to break those rules for you. They’re there for a reason.”