Page 79 of Wolf's Endgame

Yeah, we’d see about that.

CHAPTER 21

Cannon

My pack was one to be proud of. I knew it, and I knew I probably shouldn’t be as boastful about it, but they were my pack.

Mine.

Not the leftovers of my father’s pack, but wolves that belonged to this pack who were strong and had a sense of justice. Luna knows they had seen too much injustice in my father’s days.

I walked among them with pride, and I saw that pride reflected back at me. It was an honor to be their alpha, and I knew I would spend every day of my life making sure I was the best alpha I could be.

Which is why the white-haired firecracker in front of me was causing me heartburn. Kezia was ignoring me.

It had been three or four hours since the meeting with the pack, and for reasons only my mate could tell me, she had hitched onto Ned and was following him around as he got ready to fight.

She was so obvious it was painful.

After catching a few knowing looks from Willy and Vic, I decided that enough was enough.

“Kezia?” I called out as I approached and watched her pretend not to hear me. “Kezia, you’re fooling no one.”

Bright blue eyes glanced my way before she stubbornly turned her back on me. Ned looked my way and turned his head quickly but not before I saw his shit-eating grin.

“Ned?” He turned back to me, and I saw the amusement in his eyes and fought the urge to grab her and throw her over my shoulder. “Can you give me a minute with her?”

“Sure thing.”

I ignored his laughter as he walked away. Kezia was folding blankets, badly, that were to be put into packs.

“You’ve never folded a blanket in your life, have you?” Taking the blanket off her, I redid it, making it a tight, military square. “Did you see what I did there?”

“I’m not talking to you.”

I snorted. No shit, babe. “I got that.” I tried to keep my voice reasonable. “Do you need me to show you again how to fold these so they take less room in a pack?”

She nodded once and I hid my grin. Stubborn she may be, but she was always willing to be taught. “You take this corner here.” I demonstrated slowly. “Then this one.” I took the opposite corner diagonally across from it. “You then take this corner and fold it like this, see?” She nodded once more, stepping closer to watch. “Then go back to this corner and bring it to meet this one.” I held up the corner I meant. “Place them together and then bring this corner over, and…” The blanket folded in on itself. “See?”

“Again.”

I repeated the demonstration with another two blankets before she tried it herself and then shook that out and did it again. When she had it, the two of us folded blankets in silence.

“How long before you think you’ll speak to me?” I asked as we neared the end of the blanket pile.

Silence.

“I thought you were very brave to be so open to the pack earlier.” I didn’t look at her as I spoke, but I felt her interest as she pretended I wasn’t there. “No one can ever doubt your bravery, Kezia. But you are my mate. He’s targeted you before, and I won’t let the fucker get you again.”

“It’s not your decision.”

“Yes, it is.” I packed the last blanket. “And if you’re hurt or in danger, then we have a whole other threat to face, and I can’t fight two wars at once, Kezia. Tell me you understand that?” Her hands stilled and I saw her turn her head away. “Kezia?”

“Why don’t you call me Zia?”

It was such an unexpected turn that I didn’t have an immediate answer. “What?”

“I prefer Zia.”

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