I dug out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt from the dresser; neither were mine or even Aren’s, but they fit me, so I wore them. Then I came downstairs after showering and brushing my teeth, searching for food to quiet my rumbling belly.
There’s no sign of my parents or Carlie.
Finan must still be busy helping my family settle in. After my dad's comments about me leaving and Aren being undeserving of a mate, the situation has the potential to escalate if I don’t keep them apart.
Aren is the only one not smiling at me.
He’s sitting with a half-empty plate of food in front of him, and he doesn’t seem the least bit interested in eating anymore. He’s laser-focused on me, and there’s an empty seat beside him.
I can pretty much guess exactly where he intends me to sit.
He’s pushing himself up when I grunt as something smacks into my legs.
I stagger back a step, looking down as a woman calls out, “Leo! She is still healing.”
Arms wind around my legs, and I can’t help but smile at the seven-year-old shifter I saved from a rampaging deer.
“Hi, Kat!” He grins up at me, light brown eyes sparkling.
“Hi, Leo.” I look up at Dania, his mom, who called out a warning. “I’m a lot better now. He didn’t hurt me.”
Leo snags my hand and pulls me toward the serving table loaded down with dishes of food. “You’re sitting with me. I told Mom I was glad someone didn’t kill you, and now that you’re awake, we can eat and go for a run and…” He stops rambling to pass me an empty plate. “Here. Or do you want me to do it?”
Smiling, I take the plate from him. “That’s okay. I can do it.”
There’s a lot to choose from. Almost too much.
I hesitate over the sliced meats and cheeses and decide not to make myself a sandwich, opting instead for two chili dogs, potato salad, and two pieces of fried chicken.
My wolf growls in my head, and I quietly sigh in annoyance as I pick up two more pieces of chicken. Now that I’m healed, she likes to make her needs known, and my wolf is endlessly hungry.
If it’s not still-kicking bunny, then it’s chicken or some other kind of meat.
Anything but sushi.
A small hand grasps mine and tugs. “Come sit with me. I have water for you, and there’s a fork on the table already.”
I could almost laugh at the look on Aren’s face when Leo leads me right past him and to our own table. As I sit down, I peek over my shoulder.
Aren isn’t happy that Leo got to me before he could, but short of growling or snarling at a seven-year-old boy, there’s not much he can do.
“Did you rip his throat out?” Leo asks hopefully, eyes glittering with bloodthirsty intensity.
If I didn’t know he was a shifter, a comment like that would have confirmed it.
“Um, no,” I say after weighing up how much I should tell him.
He sags in disappointment. “Oh, maybe you will next time.”
“Maybe,” I concede with a smile, picking up my chili dog.
I must have been hungrier than I realized. As Leo chats away, telling me about all the runs he’s gone on and Joy and Emilio’s party, I dig into my lunch. It’s good, and there’s not a hint of anything green, which my wolf appreciates.
“Mom says I can’t run on my own, but it’s nice today. Can you run with me?” Leo asks.
“I—”
I feel Aren’s presence before he speaks. “She’s healing, pup. That means no runs for a while.”
