Page 58 of Pack Kasen: Part 2

But it depends.

His eyes dip to the knife and fork in my hands and I understand why he doesn’t believe me.

I’m gripping them like weapons and as if I mean to do him harm.

I loosen my grip, and he returns to his conversation with Finan.

I do not return to my delicious steak dinner. My wolf is unhappy about that, but her unhappiness can wait.

For the first time, I have serious boy problems and I need to talk about them with someone, but who?

Finan? He’s loyal first to Aren. Would he tell me the unvarnished truth?

A woman grumbles something, and I glance over at her.

Leo’s mom is trying to keep Leo in his seat and he’s squirming like sitting still to eat for ten minutes requires a patience he doesn’t possess.

She might tell me something I need to know, but this is hardly the time to do it.

My eyes move on.

Joy and Emilio are sitting opposite each other, leaning toward each other as they eat.

Joy might tell me what I need to know, but she’s Aren’s enforcer, which means she’s loyal to him. If he didn’t want me to know something, he’d tell his enforcers not to say a word, and no matter how much they might like me, they wouldn’t tell me a thing.

An Alpha’s word is law.

Gregor might tell me, but he’s too much like my teacher to ask him the things I need to know. I need someone who will be blunt. Someone who has no reason to lie.

Then it hits me.

The perfect person.

I put my cutlery down and get to my feet.

Aren’s eyes snap to me as he abandons his conversation with Finan. “Where are you going?”

“The bathroom.”

I walk out, but even as I cross the room, I feel his eyes boring a hole into my back.

* * *

The kitchen is easy to find. All I have to do is follow the smells down a short hallway until a partially open door comes into view. I push the door open and it reveals a large, rustic and stainless steel kitchen that any cook would love.

I don’t cook, but even I can appreciate that everything a cook would ever need is right there.

Only a handful of people are in the kitchen, busy working in different sections.

I walk across the room to reach the person I was looking for.

“Aren said we’re fated mates. Is that true?”

The woman currently scrubbing pots in the kitchen twists around to glare at me. “Excuse me?”

I cross my arms and lean toward her, lowering my voice so the rest of the women in the kitchen won’t hear so much of our conversation. “I need to know if Aren is lying about whether we’re mates.”

She stares at me. “As if today hasn’t been long enough.” She returns to scrubbing. “Why me?”

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