Page 66 of Pack Kasen: Part 2

“I want you to trust me, and to like me as well. Maybe we could learn to be friends first.”

“You don’t know anything about me and I don’t know anything about you.”

“So I’ll tell you,” he says simply. “Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you. My favorite color is blue and my favorite food is steak.”

“Knowing those things doesn’t mean I know you.”

“They are pieces of me. Small and maybe insignificant, but theyareme. You’ve seen the worst parts of me.” His expression is searching. “I need you to know there are other parts too. Not just the stupid part that refuses to see what’s right in front of him, you know?”

“Did you just call yourself ignorant?” I raise my eyebrow.

“I did.” He stretches his hand a little closer to me, and ignoring the warning blaring in my head, I give it a quick squeeze.

“Mint green and fried chicken.” His hand feels nice. Soft, slightly calloused and warm. Strong.

One corner of his mouth lifts. “Why don’t you like normal green?”

“Because I like the mintier version better.”

My wolf growls at me and I breathe out a frustrated sigh, “My wolf is desperate for you to know she will never turn down a bunny rabbit and she hates that I like sushi.”

His one-corner smile kicks into a grin. “My wolf likes deer. The bloodier the better.”

“This doesn’t mean we’re friends,” I warn him.

“Yet,” he says with intensity. “But we will be.”

I pull my hand from his or I will hold it forever. “I should go back inside.”

“Even Finan howls occasionally,” he says before I can make my escape.

I recall the serious beta, and I shake my head. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Finan!”

I flinch away from Aren’s yell, which threatens to puncture my eardrums.

Finan sticks his head out of a bunkhouse window as I’m glaring at Aren, light brown hair stuck up every which way. “You realize it’s six a.m. I was sleeping.”

Aren points at me. “Tell her you howl.”

I bite the inside of my cheek as Finan stares at him as if he can’t believe he has Aren for a boss. Then he turns to me and sighs. He doesn’t just look like he rolled out of bed. He looks like he fell out of it. Poor Finan.

“I howl,” he admits, and pulls his head back inside and closes the window.

I shake my head at Aren. “I can’t believe you yelled at him just to confirm that.”

“He doesn’t mind.”

“You’re high maintenance.”

His chest puffs up in outrage, like a pissed off cat.

I dip my head, biting my lip so he won’t see my smile.

“I amnothigh…” His voice trails off, his tone changing as his fingers grip my chin and lift. “Are yousmiling? Withme?”

He sounds… surprised.

---