Chapter 34

KATHERINE.

“Here it is.” He propped the painting on another easel and I made my way over to him to see it.

The painting was completed now and apart from the sun setting over the lake which I’d seen then, it now had a boat in the lake which two people were sitting in and the details were…

“Wow…” I muttered, lightly touching the side of the canvas. “Is this from observation or imagination?”

“The latter.”

“It’s so vivid… It’s beautiful,” I said before turning to face him and I paused because of how close we were to each other. His green eyes glowed like the earthy green that revived the grass after a cruel, unforgiving winter while his coppery brown hair tempted me to run my hands through them to see if they were as soft as they looked. ‘So beautiful.’

Hunter’s eyes widened a fraction as he turned crimson and it took me a moment to realize I’d said that out loud.

“Ah! I– The painting, I mean…” I tried to backtrack but the smile that swept across his face and the way his eyes glinted told me he didn’t believe it.

“Thank you, my lady.”

I blushed even harder at that and he let out a laugh before the sound of a phone ringing filled the room. He walked over to where the device lay on a table and picked it up before returning his attention to me.

“Have you had lunch?” he asked and I shook my head sideways before he held his ringing phone up. “I ordered lunch. Do you want to eat with me?”

I bobbed my head. “Sure.”

He seemed pleased with that answer. “I’ll be right back.” He headed out of the studio and I took the time to look around at all the paintings in progress before he came back with takeout bags. “I’m back.”

“Is it going to be enough for two?” I asked as I followed him over to a table with stools next to it and he set the bags on the table.

“Yeah. Theo and I were meant to have lunch together but he decided to do that with Lenore so there’s extra.”

“Oh…” The mention of Theo’s name once again reminded me of Friday and I pressed my lips together. He always seemed cold but that handkerchief he’d tossed to me made him warm. “What did you order?” I asked while he moved a stool to me and I sat on it before he began to move the art supplies on the table to create space for our lunch.

“Monte cristo and chicken satay.” When he was done bringing the food out of the bags, he moved his stool next to me and flashed me a smile as he sat on it. “Please eat.”

“Thank you,” I replied before complying and we ate in silence for a couple of moments before he spoke again.

“So, how are you finding Blackwood?”

“With a map,” I said, my lips curving with a smile, and he snorted. The last time he asked me this was when we met and I hadn’t been in Blackwood that long to know how I felt about it but now I did. “The hierarchy thing is weird.”

“Ah, that…” he muttered and pursed his lips before I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Do you do it too?”

His mouth twitched with a small smile. “I’m not that small.”

I was glad to hear that. I took another bite of my sandwich and through a mouthful, I asked, “What position do you have in your pack?”

“A member?” he replied with slightly furrowed brows, visibly confused, and I tipped my head to the side. “Oh, you mean who am I known as?” he added and I nodded. “The Beta’s my mom.”

I paused chewing at that. ‘Ah…’ The fact that his mum supported Silver Bow bounced around in my mind while Hunter ate his food, oblivious to my dilemma, and I had to remind myself that he most likely didn’t hold the same views. Then I remembered he or Blake could be my mate and I wondered how their parents would react to that. I also wondered how my pack’s council would react if I got mated to either of them because their pack was the second most powerful one with Dark Moon being the first.

“You haven’t told me the pack you’re from,” he said and I swallowed before drinking some water to calm my nerves because I was worried about finding out his views on the issue between Silver Bow and River Ash. Blake and my friends didn’t care and I hoped he wouldn’t too.

“You haven’t asked.”

“I’m asking now,” he stated with a smile and I tried and failed to return it before responding.

“...River Ash.”

His expression instantly changed to one of surprise. “Ah, Poppy’s… That’s why you… Damn,” he said while I kept my gaze pinned on him, waiting to see if that was a dealbreaker for him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“That.” He pointed the chicken skewer he was holding at my face and my gaze darted to it for a moment.

“Get that out of my face.”

“It’s not in your face. It’s in my hand.”

“Get what’s in your hand out of my face,” I replied, a smile slowly making its way onto my face, and he reluctantly complied while grinning.

“Sorry about my pack… Well it’s not my pack, it’s Blake’s. Technically, it’s his father’s– Anyway, I’m sorry about them. They’re bullies, I know.”

“Oh…” I muttered absent-mindedly and he slightly raised his brows, grabbing another skewer. His answer told me he didn’t support his pack’s support of Silver Bow and that made warmth wash over me.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I took a huge bite of my sandwich before he could ask me anything else and the corner of his mouth quirked up just as a loud noise came from the room he’d grabbed his completed painting from, drawing our attention.

“I should check that out.”

Hunter got up and walked over to it and while waiting for him to get back, my phone began to ring with a call from Aunt Vivian. I hadn’t talked to her and Uncle Lander since the day he went off on me, but Kit constantly called me with her phone so I answered it to know if it was him.

“Kit?”

“Kathy, are you coming home tomorrow?” my brother asked.

“Ah.” From our recent conversations, it was clear that he was growing impatient with my absence and it wouldn’t be long till he couldn’t handle it anymore, and that made my heart tighten in my chest. “I can’t come home tomorrow, Kit.”

“Why? When are you coming home then?” He sounded even more sad now and my shoulders sagged. I missed him a lot.

“I don’t know when that is Kit, but it’s going to be soon and when I’m back, we’ll do everything you want to do.”

“...Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Mmkay.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school now?”

“Mr Carlson is taking us out so we were allowed to stay home.”

We kept talking for a little while after that and though I didn’t want to stop, I had to because he had to give Aunt Vivian her phone back so we said our goodbyes.

“I love you, Kathy.”

I smiled. “I love you too, Kit.”