Page 77 of Pack Kasen: Part 2

“No, thanks.” I turn a page when I haven’t read a single word on this one. I’ll have to go back to re-read this book eventually.

He drops into a crouch in front of me. “It’s a run, Kitty cat.”

It is truly alarming to me how quickly I have gotten used to that nickname. “I said I’m good.”

“A race, then.”

“No.” I tell him firmly, looking him in the eye so he knows I mean it.

He shrugs. Then he springs to his feet, toes off his sneakers, and reaches for the hem of his T-shirt.

“What are you doing?” I tighten my hold on my book, ordering myself to keep my eyes on his face, not on the expanse of tanned skin he’s unveiling.

“Stripping. I’m going to shift, run over to that tree over there.” He nods at a gigantic oak about five feet away and tosses his shirt to the ground. “Then I would have won our race and I will crow about it to the rest of the pack.”

I scowl at him. “I don’t care about winning a race, Aren. So go ahead, race yourself if you feel the need to.”

My wolf is raging at me.

Literallyraging.

She does not lose races.

She cares about whether everyone will think she’s slow.

My wolf is snarling at me to throw away the stupid, meaningless book of paper that means we lose a race we would have won.

The tips of my fingers prickle, nearly shredding my textbook as I fight back my shift.

Stop it.I snarl at her.

Aren is baiting my wolf and as baits go, this is pure fucking torture.

If I let her out, this book will be ribbons and Iwillbe racing Aren.

“Kitty cat?”

My eyes fly upward, clashing with Aren’s amused gaze.

Does he know how badly my wolf wants to race?

Then my gaze slips and I see far more than I wanted to.

The amusement in his gaze grows. “It’s a run.Fun. And my wolf is curious about your wolf. Isn’t yours curious about me?”

Looking away, I turn another page as my wolf howls and howls at me to run. “Nope.”

“You’re a fast reader,” he says with a smile in his voice.

Atauntingtone.

I lift my head to narrow my eyes at him. “Are you hinting at something?”

Like the fact that I might not be reading at all?

“What could I possibly be suggesting?” His grin all but confirms he knows I’m not reading this book at all.

My eyes narrow further.

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