He complained about the cleanliness of the kitchen as he’d heard she liked things to look just right.
“I don’t like peanut butter. Tell her she cannot cook that crap in my house.”
Each person would give him that horrible look, but he didn’t give a shit. It was his job to make the bad decisions, to push his pack so that they were better. Cassie was … impressive.
In over a week, she hadn’t snapped.
On Sunday, he’d demanded lunch, and that his pack was to visit so there were more people to see.
The scent of chicken was amazing. From the orders he’d been sent, there were ten chickens being roasted for the pack to enjoy a nice, long Sunday lunch. His mouth was watering, and it hadn’t stopped since Cassie went into the kitchen.
His morning toast wasn’t even burned.
Sitting at the table, he watched as, one by one, his pack joined him.
They sensed something was going to happen today. He hadn’t told them what he was doing, and they didn’t understand his sudden acts of cruelty toward the new woman in the pack. He didn’t give a shit what they thought right now.
Cassie had been poked all of her life. She’d been hurt, and not once had she allowed that rage, that anger, to explode within her.
He wanted to break her, to see her snap, and once it was done, he intended to help her, to draw her closer to him, so that he could show her he meant her no harm. All he wanted to do was to help her, to give her confidence within herself. He hated seeing this negativity or the fear.
Every day he found himself drawn to her file, and he wanted to know as much about her as possible. Not a moment went by that he didn’t think about her. When he went to sleep, she was there in his thoughts and the same when he woke up. There was no break.
She’d even starred in many of his fantasies. His need for her was constant within him, and he couldn’t turn it off, not that he wanted to.
He’d taken many a cold shower, which had resulted in him taking his cock in hand and dealing with his arousal. She was the first woman to ever intrigue him like this or to capture his attention so surely.
Jessica sat at the opposite end of the table. Her gaze was on him even as three men were watching her. She still thought there was an opportunity for them to be together. He’d been mean, blunt, and if she wasn’t careful, he’d be cruel to get his point across.
One by one the pack arrived at the table just as some of the volunteers came out of the kitchen. Down the plates went, and he smiled. The food looked amazing. The pile of roasted potatoes was golden, crisp, and steam rose from them.
She’d also done some leafy greens, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, and then the chickens came out. He noticed they were all carved and displayed on the plates for everyone to enjoy.
Cassie was the last one to enter the main dining room, carrying two pots of gravy.
The only seat available was the one near him, and he’d done it on purpose so that he could be near, to watch her reactions to him.
Not all of the pack was present today, but that was okay.
She nibbled her lip as she sat down.
He was the one that made everyone say grace before they started to dive in. Holding out his plate in front of her, he saw her lip twitch, but she didn’t say anything as she began to put the food into his plate.
Her hand shook a little.
“Is it all cooked?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“What about the chicken? I know we’re wolves, but even we can get stomachache from food.”
Her hand was white as she clenched her knife, and he saw that it had also bent just a little.
“Do you have a problem with my food?” she asked.
“I’m just making sure you’re not serving substandard stuff to my pack.”
“I would never do that.”
“I don’t know that, do I?” he asked. “I don’t even know you, and you are a newbie here.”
He saw the pain flash in her eyes, and he hated himself for his words, but it had to be done. This had to be done.
Taking a bite, he wrinkled his nose even as his mouth watered. “Too much rosemary.”
She didn’t say or do anything, just took a bite.
He was aware of the pack watching his every move. Pushing some of his food around his plate, he took a bite of carrot. “That’s too sweet.”
It was fucking heavenly.
This woman could cook, and he felt spoiled for choice on what to eat.
Again, she just took a deep breath and kept on eating. Her hands were shaking though at this point.