Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Caden’s POV

I enter the pack house to see Lucy running towards me like she always does.

“Hey sweetie.” I greet as she jumps into my open arms. I set her on my hip and wiped the flour stain on her check. “What did you do today?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“We made biscuits,” she replies excitedly.

“I can see that,” I say, dusting a speck of flour from her hair. She’s going to be needing a very long bath to get all this from her body and hair.

“Alessia helped us,” she announces just as the subject of our talk steps out of the kitchen.

She walks over and stops in front of me. “How did the training go?” She asks.

I can’t help but notice how domesticated this is. It looks like I came home from work to be greeted by my wife and sister at the front door. It leaves me feeling uneasy.

“It was ok.” I set Lucy down on the ground and she flies into the kitchen, leaving Alessia and I in a bubble of awkwardness.

Alessia clears her throat and shifts on her foot as she looks around her.

I take a good look at her and notice that just like the other night, the shirt she has on is falling off her shoulders.

I made a men t a l note to remedy that and now seems like the time for it.

“Follow me,” I order, taking hold of her hand and dragging her towards the door.

“Where are you taking me to?” Alessia asks but that’s the only objection she makes. She doesn’t try to pull her hand out of my hold or dig her foot into the ground.

I smile at that. It seems my little brat is learning quickly. My thoughts halt as I register that I just referred to Alessia as mine. When did I start thinking of her in that way?

“Answer me.” Her whining pulls me away from my thoughts.

Stopping in front of a Toyota Camry that was hardly ever in use, I gesture for her to get in but she just stands there and keeps staring at me.

I huff, walking around the car to the passenger’s side and pulling open the door for her. Then I dramatically bow down and gesture a hand into the car. “Would you please do me the honor of getting into the car?” I ask, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Not until you tell me where you’re taking me to. You could be driving

Chapter 16

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me out to the woods to bury me in a ditch for all I know.”

*UIN

967 11:23

With a groan, I consider actually following through with that idea. Why was this girl so insufferable

“I’m taking you to get a new set of clothes,” I admit, already regretting the kind act.

Maybe I should have given this task to someone else. If only she didn’t tend to try and run away at every chance she got.

“Oh,” she mumbles dumbly. “You could have simply told me that.” With an eyes roll, she walks to my side and slides into the car.

Rolling my eyes as well, I shut the door and round the car to the driver’s seat where I slide in and insert the keys into the ignition.

The car was so out of use that 1 silently prayed for it to still be working when I turn it on.

on

Thankfully, the car roars to life and I shift it into gear, peeling out of the driveway where it was parked.

I continue driving without a word from Alessia and I appreciate the peace and quiet for however will last. When we get into town, it changes.

“Why did we have to go into town to get me clothes?”

I don’t have to look at her to know that her nose is scrunched up in confusion.

long it

“The mall in our territory isn’t much.” In fact, a lot of us had to go into town when we needed certain things. It wasn’t that we didn’t have good malls or stores in the pack territory, but they were just some things that you will find at a better quality outside the pack territory. Clothes happen to be one of them.

I pull up in front of a two-story building called Fortmate Gorcery and Mall. It was a place that my pack members regularly frequented and a place that I’ve visited myself.

Turning off the engine, I shift my torso sideways to face Alessia. “Behave well when we get inside. You can’t let anyone know you’re a werewolf. That means no funny business,” I warn sternly.

Alessia nods and I grab the keys out of the ignition and get out of the car. I’m rounding the car to get to Alessia’s side when she slides out of the car.

“Follow me,” I tell her, walking in front of her and leading her to the entrance?

We get in and I immediately head in the direction of the mall. Alessia follows closely behind me but I don’t let my guards down just yet. This was exactly the kind of scene in the woods before she hightailed it when I wasn’t looking.

I push open a pair of glass doors and hold them open for Alessia to pass through.

The mall we’re standing in isn’t overly fancy. They had the basic wears that someone would need and each item was in various sizes and different shades. The variety was one of the reasons why this mall was well known.

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DZN 965 11:23

“Pick out whatever you need,” I tell Alessia who is simply staring at the mall with a neutral expression on her face. “I’ll pay for whatever you pick out,” I add, in case her thoughts were leading her down that path.

“Ok,” she mumbles, still staring at the space and rack of clothes around us.

“I’ll be over there.” I point over to a chair pushed to the wall where I could be able to have an unobstructed view of the entire store and Alessia.

Walking over to it, I settle down and get ready for what I know is going to be an unbearably long time.