AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I followed him into the kitchen, coming to a sudden stop when I spotted someone I didn’t know sitting across from Laina.
I’d never paid attention to what women looked like before, but I couldn’t help but notice her curves and that I towered over her by a foot. Her dark blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and my fingers oddly itched to pull those long locks down so I could feel how soft they were.
Head tilted to the side, her blue eyes were curious as she looked up at me. “You must be Booker.”
“Nope.” My brows drew together as I wondered why she assumed I was my former packmate. “Aaron Kemp.”
“Oh, sorry.” She ducked her head, but I didn’t miss how her pale cheeks filled with a pretty pink color. “I’m Cressida Crawford. Ramsey only mentioned one other wolf besides Rome who was part of Keane’s pack, so I assumed you were him.”
“That makes sense.” I shot a glance at Keane. “If she was only telling you about members of the pack, then she wouldn’t have brought me up since I’m just staying here for a while.”
“Unless you pull your head outta your ass and take me up on my offer to join the pack,” Keane grumbled.
Laina rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you asked nicer, he’d actually consider it. Nobody wants a bossy grump for their alpha.”
Keane’s eyes heated as he smirked down at his mate. “You love how bossy I am.”
“Momma,” a little voice cried out.
Keane and Laina jumped to their feet. He placed his hand on her lower back and murmured, “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll get him.”
“Except he’s calling me,” she said, following him out of the room.
“They’re probably going to be busy for longer than they think,” I warned Cressida. “Their cub is a handful.”
She stood and gathered the empty bowl and spoon in front of the spot where Laina had been sitting. “I guess I’ll just clean this up and see if I can figure out which cabin Keane was talking about.”
“Cabin?” I echoed.
“Yes…um…the alpha is letting me stay here for a little bit,” Cressida explained as she rinsed off the bowl and spoon before putting them in the dishwasher along with a couple of plates, forks, and three mugs that were in the sink.
“Did he mention which one you’ll be using?” I asked, wondering what had brought her to The Wilderness Pack.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s supposed to be next to Booker’s cabin.”
I figured that was where he’d put her if she was going to be here for a while but didn’t want to assume. “I can show you where it is.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” She tugged on the end of her ponytail, wrapping the hair around her index finger.
“No bother at all,” I assured her with a smile.
Her lips curved into an answering grin. “Only if you’re sure that you don’t have somewhere else you need to be.”
The laugh I huffed out held no humor. “My time has been my own since I became a loner years ago after being rejected.”
“Rejected?” she gasped, pressing trembling fingers to her lips.
Although I had been able to speak about my rejection without feeling the usual sorrow only a few days ago, I struggled with telling this beautiful woman about how I hadn’t been good enough for the woman fate had paired me with. Especially since I found myself wishing that Cressida was the woman I’d been destined to spend the rest of my life with instead. “Yeah.”
I didn’t understand the hope that suddenly shone from her bright blue orbs. “And there’s zero chance that she’ll come back into your life?”
“None.” I raked my fingers through my hair, shaking my head. “Even if she did, neither I nor my wolf would accept her as our mate. That bridge wasn’t just burned, it was blown to smithereens.”
She stood and rounded the table, stopping at my side. “You’re absolutely, one hundred percent sure about that?”
“Yes,” I bit out with a nod.
Her animal swirled in her eyes, a mixture of colors unlike anything I had ever seen before. As though he sensed her, my wolf’s fur stroked against my arms, and his howl rang out inside my head.
