Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack #1)(33)

“Here’s the store,” Stella said. She was either oblivious to my sudden turmoil or was doing her best to counteract it. “I’ll get us some food, and I know you need some toiletries. Feel free to grab whatever you need, and meet me at the checkout.” She motioned me over to the ‘personal care’ section and flounced off with a cart.

The guards stayed with me as I picked out what I needed, and I observed them out of the corners of my eyes. Even when Stella was nearby, they never seemed to stray far behind. In fact, the only time they weren’t within eyesight seemed to be inside of Kaden and Stella’s house. What did they think I’d try to do? Run? As I glanced back at them once again, the shorter one—Jack—stared at me intently. I whipped back around and picked up a random tube of toothpaste.

I met Stella back at the checkout and she handed me some cold compress packs. "Here, you'll need these for tomorrow."

I took the packs and eyed them. They were the kind you threw in the freezer and used on injuries. "For what?"

"You’re going to start your training tomorrow,” Stella said. "Trust me, you'll need those for all your sore muscles. Even shifter healing won't help with that."

"Right, Kaden mentioning some training..."

Stella paid for our items at the checkout with a warm smile to the clerk working there, then turned back to me. "It's part of your trials to see if you can join the pack. You'll have both combat training and wolf training."

My heart rate quickened as I thought about being in wolf form again. This time I wouldn’t be in mortal danger, and I could bask in the strength it gave me and learn how to use my new abilities. And combat training? I'd never been allowed to partake in that before with my pack. Dad hadn't wanted me to know how to fight back. “That sounds...fun."

Stella snorted. “Tell me that again tomorrow when you’re done.”

We headed outside with our groceries and my two guards followed us, close enough that it was just this side of uncomfortable. I lowered my voice, though I knew they'd still hear me. “Why did your brother assign these guards to me? I’m not going to run. Even if I wanted to, there's nowhere for me to go. I don’t even know what part of the country we’re in—or which country, for that matter. Are they just waiting for me to slip up and make a mistake so they can kill me?"

“Of course not. Kaden wouldn’t have let you out of that cell if he wanted you dead.” She looked over at me with a smile. “Kaden just wants to make sure you're not a threat to the pack. He's been burned too many times in his life to trust easily.”

"I can understand that," I muttered as we kept walking. "But he captured me and brought me here against my will, to live with a pack I didn't even know was real a few days ago, then told me I can't leave and set guards to watch my every move. It's hard not to feel like a prisoner."

“I don’t know what horrible things you’ve heard about our pack,” Stella said. “But they're all wrong. Kaden wants to trust you. He brought you here, yes, but he also healed you. He hopes you’ll pass the tests and join our pack. That's why he asked me to look out for you and help you with whatever you needed.”

I frowned as we made our way back to the house. Stella's words seemed at odds with how Kaden had acted toward me. But then again, this pack wasn't anything like I'd expected. I was having all my assumptions challenged today. Maybe there was more to the sexy alpha than I’d originally thought too.





Chapter Fourteen





Kaden woke me at the crack of dawn with a harsh knock on the door. "Time to get up, little wolf."

By the time I’d crawled out of bed and opened my door, he was nowhere in sight. It was hard to believe I was living in the same house as him, as I had yet to see him. Not when I'd gotten back with Stella with our groceries and helped put them away, nor when she and I had shared dinner that evening.

That changed quickly enough though. After I got ready and went down to the kitchen, he stood at the counter, arms crossed like he’d been waiting for me to come down. His dark hair was a bit rumpled from sleep, and the top button on his shirt was open, showing a tiny glimpse of all that hard muscle underneath. I tried not to let my eyes linger too long, even though they very much wanted to linger.

“Good morning,” I said, mostly to see the scowl on his face deepen.

“Get something to eat, and then you can start cleaning,” he said. “You’re going to begin with my house. Every room except for my bedroom and bathroom. Don’t go in there. Understand?”

“Loud and clear,” I said, trying my best to not let the sarcasm show in my voice, but I must have done a pretty poor job because his frown became borderline murderous. I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying something else stupid.

“Cleaning supplies are under the sink,” he threw over his shoulder as he left.

I sighed as I looked over the house. It wasn’t filthy, so at least it wouldn’t take a long time, but it was still much bigger than any house I’d cleaned before. It had been my duty to clean Dad's house, and Jackie always made sure to leave things around for me to do. In case you get bored, she’d say, tossing me unfolded laundry. At least here Kaden would likely ignore me, and I couldn’t see Stella being petty like that.