Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33372 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33372 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Rose growled. “Come on, sis, you’re no fair. People are going to come to me and want the whole update and stuff, and what do I have to show them? Zip, nada, nothing.”
“I’m not going to be the topic of gossip.”
“I hate to break this to you, but you’ve been the topic of gossip for a long time.”
Karina didn’t need reminding. They had all been curious about what would happen when she came of age. Nothing. That was what happened. A big, fat load of nothing. She was not important enough to be spoken about. Not important enough through any means. At least, that was what she tried to tell herself.
It didn’t help that just this morning alone, she had seen people from the pack pointing in her direction, whispering. If she had those pesky wolf superpowers, she’d know exactly what they were saying and whispering, but she didn’t have a clue. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. The last thing she needed today was for someone to be talking about her, or at least, to hear them talking about her. She felt way too on edge already to deal with that kind of stress.
Keeping a smile on her face, she cleared away all the used plates, taking them through to the kitchen, then carried a bucket and cloth to wipe everything down afterward. She brushed her hair back, and she didn’t know why she felt a sudden tension rush through her body, but it was there. Glancing up, she noticed the pack was looking toward her, but not quite at her, behind her.
She stood up and turned to find … Rage, the alpha from last night, less than a foot away from her.
Karina had no choice but to tilt her head back a little. The sun was shining as she’d been outside of the diner, cleaning the tables. During the summer, the diner got very busy, and most of the pack loved eating outside. Some preferred inside, as even though they were wolves, bugs still irritated them as they ate.
“Hello,” she said.
Her parents had always taught her to be courteous and nice. She smiled at him, even though a small part of her was incredibly nervous.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
He looked at the cloth in her hand. She frowned and held it up. “Cleaning, working, you know, what people do.” She went to turn back to the table but Rage grabbed her arm.
Tensing up, she looked at where he gripped her arm, then gave him her full attention. It was strange, no one within the pack ever touched her. Was that why she was a little taken aback by his attention? Only her father touched her.
She had never thought about the reason why no one touched her. Nibbling her bottom lip, she couldn’t help but tilt her head back and look at him. Rage was a good-looking man. No, not good-looking, he was sexy, and gave off a little dangerous edge, which was intoxicating.
This was insane. He scared her. That was it.
This had nothing to do with his thick black hair, blue eyes that seemed to be a little darker blue than her own. And it certainly didn’t have anything to do with the thick heavily muscled body he was sporting. She didn’t think anyone in the pack could even touch him when it came to sexiness, or muscle. Why was she even thinking about this now? It made no sense, because last night he had freaked her out.
“You work by cleaning tables and serving the pack?”
“I also do laundry, and take care of kids, and help at the florist, pack orders.” She glanced across the town square at the many different shops. Most of the pack were online, and she also helped to package most orders, and drive them out to the local sorting office to get posted. “There are a lot of jobs I do.”
She never stayed in one place. In a few hours, she’d move on to the afternoon story time for the kids, which she loved. The kids always picked a different story, and she sat for a couple of hours while they calmed down, ready for their parents to come and collect them.
Then after that, she sometimes went to the DIY store, or helped at the florist, or even just went out to cook for some of the older pack members. She did whatever job presented itself, and in doing so, she tried to make her father proud.
“And you accept this?” Rage asked.
She held the cloth in her hand and then frowned at him. “What kind of work do you do?”
“I take care of my pack.”
“And as you know, every single member has a place, and this is mine.”
“And what is your job exactly?” he asked.
“Doing everything…” She couldn’t quite finish.