Chapter 253
Kasen growled and slammed the axe into a tree stump behind his house. No, it wasn’t making the anger go away, but it sure as hell let him take out his frustration on something.
“Yo, bro,” Spike yelled from the back door. “You got something you need to talk about?”
He snarled and slammed the axe harder. Women. Who the fuck understood them anyway? He’d not only saved her, but he’d made it his business to show her he could stand up and fight for her. That she wouldn’t need to do all that alone if he was her mate.
“Come on, Kasen. What’s crawled up your asshole and made a home there?” Spike laughed and hopped down the steps toward where he stood, shirtless and soaked in sweat, chopping down chunks of wood into bite-sized pieces.
Kasen dropped the axe and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He needed a shower and a beer.
“It’s hot out here, let’s go inside.”
Once in the kitchen, Kasen wiped himself down with a towel he left on a chair and opened the fridge. The cool air calmed some of the heat in his veins. He took out a beer and handed it to Spike.
“I’m gonna take a quick shower and be right back.”
He was back ten minutes later to catch Spike opening up another beer and pulling stuff to make sandwiches out of his fridge.
“You know, you could cook every once in a while.”
Kasen laughed and grabbed the sweaty beer Spike handed him. “I could, but I don’t want to.”
Spike sniffed. “What are you going to do if your mate doesn’t like cooking?”
Good question. He had no idea if Miranda liked cooking. He’d seen Naya handling the food when he’d been at her house. Did that mean she preferred to be served? That could be a problem. He didn’t have time to learn to cook. His pack needed him.
“By the way, how was the meeting yesterday?” Spike asked as he placed layers of ham, turkey and swiss on thick sliced multi-grain bread. Man, he could go for a steak right about now. “Was the future Mrs. Steel everything you thought she’d be?”
“No. Not even close.” Miranda was strong, determined, commanding, assertive and so fucking sexy he was left hard as a rock every time he thought of her. Until he’d decided he needed a mate, his desire for women had been purely physical. He only wanted to fuck. So for the tables to be turned on him with Andi, he wasn’t sure what the fuck was going on anymore, but he didn’t like it.
“I told you Gerri doesn’t really give people what they think they want. She matches you with whomever she feels is the right person for you.”
“Great. Except she matched me with the wrong fucking species.”
Spike raised his brows and slapped the top bread on one of the sandwiches. “What do you mean?”
“She sent me to pride, and my supposed mate is Prima.”
“Get the fuck out!” Spike choked on the first bite of his sandwich with laughter. He grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down, trying to stop the sputtering of food with each chuckle. “You and a cat? This shit just gets better and better.”
“Want the rest?” he drawled out, unamused. “Hit me.”
“She’s just as alpha as I am.”
Spike started laughing again. Kasen wasn’t amused by his friend’s humor.
“I’m sensing you were not overly upset with any of that?”
He sighed, took his own food and put it on a plate before sitting to eat.
“No, I was happy to give it a chance. I mean, Gerri’s a professional.”
Spike made a face like Kasen had lost his fucking mind. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He came clean. “She was so fucking hot. My wolf wanted her from the first sniff. You should have seen her. She was fighting four guys at the same time. I’ve never been so turned on to see a woman kick ass in my life.”
Spike shook his head and drank from his beer. “Now that sounds more like you. So what’s the problem?”
“Miranda says I’m all wrong for what she needs. That she’s not what I need either.”
“She’s right. You know if she’s as alpha as you say and a feline at that, she’ll probably kill a few of your women if they get mouthy with her.”
And yet the idea of watching her be strong and stand up for her people only made her hotter in his mind. She was exactly what he thought he didn’t want, but somehow, now that he’d seen her in action, he realized she’d be perfect for him. Maybe not in every single way—someone would have to watch the kids and he had serious doubts she’d want to stop being a leader to do that. But there were ways to compromise.
“She’s a feline, bro. You said it yourself. We both know felines and canines don’t mix.”
He couldn’t give two flying fucks about what most people believed. It was what he and his wolf wanted. Miranda.
“No!”
The sound from the entryway leading from the kitchen to the living area made him turn to see his mother. Fucking hell.
“Mother.”
“Tell me it isn’t so, son.” Her blue eyes went wide with alarm. “You’re not actually considering a…a cat!” She spat the words as if they were filthy. “And not as a mate!”
“Fine,” he picked up his beer. “I won’t tell you. So what do you want to hear instead?”
“Kasen Steel!” his mother screeched and came around to face him. “This is a very cruel way to joke around. You know very well we’ve been having alphas’ daughters from other packs throw themselves your way. Our own females have been harassing myself and your father to get a chance with you.”
“I don’t know why they’re bothering you. I’m the one making the decision.”
“Kasen, son…” She used the word son when she wanted something from him. Like he was still a little kid seeking his mother’s love. He wasn’t a kid, and he couldn’t care less about her lack of love for him. He’d never had it in over thirty years. No way was he worrying about it now.
“What did you come for, Mother?”
She exhaled loudly and pursed her lips. Her navy pencil skirt and black top were as casual as she got. He glanced down at her feet and winced. Jesus. Those fuckers had to hurt. They were at least five inches high.
“I came to tell you we’re having dinner with a couple of single women and their fathers. You’re the guest of honor.” She gave him the look. The one that said ‘go ahead, tell me you’re not coming. See what happens.’
“Fine. Anything else?”
She blinked, shock clear in her gaze. “Uh, no. You’re okay with this?”
“I’ll be there. When is it?” He might not be there alone if he could help it, but what better way to start teaching Miranda he’s serious than to show everyone she’s the one he wants?
“Next weekend. Saturday.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
She opened and shut her mouth a few times before finally turning on her heel and leaving. He was surprised she’d left without mentioning the whole feline thing again.
“I think you need to pay Gerri Wilder a visit,” Spike said as he ate the last of his sandwich. “And will you please pick up some real food on your way home? A steak or two won’t kill you.”
“You could pick up some food, too, you know.” He stood, ready to change for his visit to Mrs. Wilder.
“I pick up food all the time. You eat it, and it’s your turn. Maybe you should learn to make something in case you need to feed Miranda at some point. Like bringing her home for dinner.” Spike grinned unapologetically. “What are you gonna do? Sandwich her to death?”
“Fucktard, I’m pretty sure I can figure something out if I need to feed her.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you could burn a lot of food, thinking you could ‘figure it out.’”
Kasen shrugged. “It’s going to take a lot more than food to get her to agree to be my mate.”
“You know what, bro? You will be fine. I bet Gerri will help. She’s great like that.”
He hoped so. He’d seen the determination in Miranda’s eyes. She was not going to go for cute words and a sexy smile. Hell, not even hot sex had done it. He needed a professional at that point.