Bitten (Once Bitten, Twice Shy #1)(88)

“If that’s true, then what was going on when I walked in?” he demanded.

Katherine licked her suddenly dry lips. Of course. This is how he had to find out about her secret fighting lessons. “Uh, well. You know how I ask you to teach me how to fight a few weeks ago and you said no.”

Bastian frowned. “Yes.”

It was now or never. “Well,” she paused, glancing once at Markus and then at Zane before finally allowing her eyes to land on Bastian’s. The admission spilled out, so fast the words nearly blended together. “I asked Markus to teach me afterwards and he said yes.”

It took a moment for him to digest the words. To Katherine’s surprise, he remained calm – deceptively so. “And that’s what I walked in on? Some secret rendezvous where Markus and Zane were teaching you how to fight.”

Katherine took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“And how long has this been going on?”

“A couple weeks,” she admitted.

To be honest, Bastian’s non-reaction to the entire situation was beginning to freak her out. She couldn’t stop herself from babbling nervously. “I just wanted to learn how to defend myself. I know that you’re the protector of the pack and all, but I just felt it was important that I learned a few techniques, you know? I mean, it just makes sense that-”

Bastian stopped her rambling with a raised hand before bringing it to the bridge of his nose, which he pinched between his thumb and fore finger. “No, Katherine, it’s okay.”

Katherine almost didn’t believe it. Apparently, she’d been worried about Bastian finding out about her lessons for nothing. “Really? That’s great. Because Markus promised to let me pick what I wanted to learn next since I totally kicked his-”

“No. You misunderstand.” He turned to look at her. “I’m not mad, but these little meetings you three have been having? They have to stop.”

Katherine gapped. “But why? As much as it pains me to admit it, Markus and Zane are actually pretty good teachers. I’ve learned so much already.”

Bastian leveled his gaze at the two men. “Of that, I have little doubt,” he muttered before turning his eyes back on her. “But the fact that you feel the need to learn how to defend yourself? It’s infuriating – downright insulting to me. I am the protector of this pack – the protector of you – and you need to learn to accept that. Now, the lessons stop.”

She probably shouldn’t have been, but Katherine was amazed at the man’s nerve. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You can’t tell me what to do,” she argued, glancing at Markus and Zane, a little annoyed that they weren’t backing her up. “Them either.”

“Actually,” he quipped, “I can.”

She looked to the other two men in the room again, hoping they’d speak up. Neither would meet her eyes. She turned back to Bastian, disgusted at their apparent cowardice. “But that’s not fair!”

“I don’t care if you don’t think it’s fair,” he roared, the first sign of his temper making itself known, “I’m the alpha and I make the decisions for this pack – for you – based on what I think is best. And I said no more lessons.”

Katherine was well aware of the heat spreading across her cheeks. She struggled to find the words to display how she was feeling. What she came up with was this: “You’re a real asshole, Bastian Prince.”

Then, without further ado, she ran, heading straight for her bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

She heard him follow her, evidenced by three sharp raps on her door. “I wasn’t done talking to you.”

“Well, unless you’ve changed your mind about letting me learn how to fight, then I am done talking to you!”

For a long moment he didn’t respond. Then she heard the tell-tale sound of feet shuffling across the carpet floor and knew he’d retreated.

Unfortunately, his absence didn’t make her feel any better. She just couldn’t believe how completely chauvinistic he was acting. She had perfectly valid reasons for wanting to learn how to fight and Bastian wasn’t even willing to listen to them. The man had more ego than common sense.

And Markus and Zane – they hadn’t even stuck up for her!

She was just so… mad! Who did Bastian think he was anyway? He couldn’t dictate her life.

Katherine stewed. She paced the hardwood floor of her room.

It was then that – quite suddenly – an idea came to her.

She’d show him. She was perfectly capable of making decisions for herself. She didn’t need his permission for anything.

He wasn’t her keeper.

Katherine yanked open the doors to her closet, raiding through her clothes until she found what she was looking for buried in the very back – a flimsy, black dress that she’d nearly forgotten about.





#


She didn’t wait long the next day to approach Melanie. The girl was digging in her locker – she was notoriously unorganized and no doubt looking for a misplaced textbook or stack of notecards – when Katherine tapped on her shoulder.

“Yeah?” she asked, obviously distracted.

Katherine took in a deep breath. “I’m in.”

Looking up from the black abyss that was her locker, Melanie raised an inquiring eyebrow. “In… what exactly? Trouble?”