Page 2 of Hunted

Until I met my abusive fated mate, Shane Dacre.

That… did not end well. Months later, I’m on the path to healing from the mate I rejected.

I fit in Winter Lake better than I ever have anywhere, and to be the one reassuring, comforting, and making my pack—my new family—feel like they’re worth all the love, success, and happiness they deserve is a feeling I will never get tired of.

I smile and grip my shopping cart. “Come on. Grab your cart and let’s check out those empty shelves.”

On the way, we smile and nod at the locals. I haven’t met everyone yet, and I don’t know all of their names, but I’m getting to know more with every trip I make into town.

We’re turning toward the freshly baked goods section of the store when a white door swings open and a man in a dark gray suit bursts out. He points at Penny.

“You!”

Other customers halt their shopping, lingering in the aisle to find out what this is all about.

Penny just freezes, her hands tightening around her shopping cart. “Me?”

“What did you put in your cakes?” Mr. Costa, the grocery store manager, demands.

I smile because I can see where this is going.

“Uh—” Penny darts a nervous glance at him, then at me, “—a lot of ingredients it would take me too long to list out. Why?”

The door slams shut behind him as he approaches, his severe expression melting away and a smile taking its place. “My wife ordered me not to come home until I have the recipe. Or at least another of those lemon chiffon cakes I surprised her with. Jessica’s birthday is coming up, and she said it was the best cake she ever tasted.”

Penny beams. “Really? That’s amazing.”

“The best cake tasting part,” I say with a smile. “Not the part where you’re now homeless.”

The manager laughs. “Of course. I’ve been speaking to corporate. They’ve seen how fast your cakes have been flying out, and they want to know if you have the resources to scale up.”

I look at the three shelves in the baked goods section of the store.

Theemptyshelves. So does Penny.

“Scale up?” she asks, her voice rising.

“Maybe a hundred cakes at first, and then potentially more. We have stores across the country.”

Penny’s breathing is speeding up and her eyes are widening. “The entire country?” she squeaks.

“Is it possible?” he asks. “Can you make it happen, Penny?”

I take in Penny’s glazed eyes and smile at the manager. “How about you give her some time to think about it? This might be a little too much excitement for her to process right now.”

I never thought I’d see the day Penny would be the overwhelmed one. She’s usually the one doing the overwhelming.

The manager must see what I see, which is Penny rapidly descending into shock, because he nods as he retreats a step, giving her room to breathe. “Of course. Take your time.”

He returns to the room beyond the white door as Penny and I study the empty cake stand.

“That was full yesterday,” she says quietly. “I know because I helped put them out.”

“Yep. Which means you owe me a chocolate milkshake.”

Minutes later, we’ve checked out, loaded up our cars, and have settled into our usual booth in the diner across the road from the grocery store.

Penny is still pink cheeked, her green eyes bright, and I think she’s going to be this happy for the rest of the week. I hope so.

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