Ryan worked his jaw, and I could see the comment irritated him. Mike always talked about how he wished Ryanwould take more interest in the animals. “I heard about your relationship. When did that happen?”
Kaleb chuckled. “A couple of weeks ago. We’ve been stepping around the idea, but finally gave in. We just couldn’t resist it anymore. “
Ryan grunted. “Not a lot of people know that it seems. Little weird to me.”
“Not everyone knows my business, Ryan,” Kaleb said, moving his hand from my hip to my shoulder. He leaned forward a little cocking his head to the side. “Everyone has things they don’t share. Just as you do, Ryan.”
Ryan shrugged. “I just figured people would know. Your father didn’t even know you were together. Seemed a little odd.”
“My father doesn’t know everything about my life. I’m a busy person. Just because I’m Beta doesn’t mean everyone knows everything about me. And I like to keep it that way.”
The space fell quiet for a moment before Ryan looked at me, and I knew it wasn’t over yet. He didn’t say anything more as he turned, heading back inside the shelter. I swallowed, feeling angry. Kaleb hadn’t made this better. He’d only poked the already pissed-off bear.
I heard the door shut, and I stepped away from Kaleb and turned to him. I pulled the poop scooper up, being sure to use it to force space between us. “What the hell!”
“He’s the reason you agreed, isn’t he?” Kaleb asked, not even seeming to care about the scooper. “I thought maybe at the farmers’ market, but I could see it in his eyes. He’s determined to get into your pants.”
I worked my jaw, grinding my teeth together as I looked away from him. I spotted Charlie walking the line of the gate,seeming happy in his own little world, unaware of the disaster that was unfolding.
I looked back at Kaleb. Perfect, put together, Kaleb. “You can’t just show up at my work.”
“I’m your boyfriend, remember, I should. Besides, how else am I to get your attention?”
“Even if that were true, I would expect a warning. Not just showing up when you want to.”
“Maybe if we talked about the rules before, I would know that.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, which just pissed me off even more.
“I gave you the list.”
He nodded. “You did, and it’s shit. You do realize things are going to happen. You can’t just write rules down and expect them all to be followed.” I hated how calm he was being, which made me question if he was even being serious about this entire thing. Did he think this was a joke?
“I don’t have time for this. I have an extremely busy day, and I can’t have you just showing up here. I need a warning.”
“Are you going to answer my questions?”
“What questions?”
“Is Ryan the reason you agreed?”
He glanced over toward the building. “I heard him threatening to have his dad take your job. Kind of an ass.”
I felt my fingers curl in tightly, rage building up. “And you’re what my white knight?”
Kaleb chuckled. “Is that how you view me, Nora?”
I hated the way he was teasing me like my entire world wasn’t being shaken. He was no better than Ryan. Ryan might be threatening to ruin me, but Kaleb had. Kaleb had acted like he wanted to be with me and then ripped it apart.
“You’re not even close to a white knight, Kaleb. You’re just as big of an asshole as Ryan is.”
Kaleb frowned, looking insulted. He crossed his arms. “I beg to differ.”
“You’re both wanting to use me. He wants to use me to get laid, while you want to use me as ammo against the war you’re waging with your father.”
Chapter 6 - Kaleb
I ground my teeth together, hating that she was comparing me to Ryan, the biggest asshole I knew. After the farmers’ market, I did some digging into him, and I knew a thing or two. He liked to act like he was all that, but the dude could hardly hold down a job. He treated women well until they made it point-blank that they weren’t interested, and then he showed his true colors.
I’d heard he was interested in Nora a week ago. A few of his friends and he were chatting about it when I walked by. He was determined to catch Nora’s attention. A witch was a big deal, and the fact that Nora was friends with Jade, who was married to the Alpha, was an even bigger deal.
