Ashton watched attentively as Caleb coordinated the training in the open arena on the side of the packhouse. His warriors fought excellently. There were about fifty of them training now, the rest were on guard or patrol duty.
His nostrils caught Cassandra's scent again and he looked around, she was nowhere in sight. Ashton wondered why her scent always stirred him. Her scent was very much like Caleb's, only that it was more feminine. What is it about my Beta's sister?
“Yo, warriors!" They all turned to see Cassandra coming through the wooden doors pushing a cart that held a large box. “Time for that needed sugar break!" She opened the box and the lovely scent of doughnuts filled the place. Caleb nodded his consent and the warriors surrounded the cart, taking doughnuts for themselves.
From where he stood, Ashton could see how yummy they were. She had covered the doughnuts with different flavors of cream and sugary sprinkles. Ashton smiled. He knew of the media heat she was currently under, her career was suffering. Caleb had told him that since her manager called with the news, she had thrown herself into every work she could find. She was either playing her violin, or helping out in the pack kitchen, or helping with pack documentation and filing (the secretariat was grateful). Today she'd woken early and turned Caleb's home into her bakery. Well, that's better than sulking around, he thought.
Cassandra opened the next layer in the box. There were three layers holding a hundred doughnuts each. She smiled as the warriors ate and complimented her baking. She let that fill her mind and suppress the pain gnawing at her. She also enjoyed the view of handsome werewolves, some shirtless, others still covered with their sweat-drenched shirts; it was a lovely view all the same. If Maia were here, her eyes would have had a good feast, Adèle said. Cassie agreed with her wolf on that one.
The warriors formed little clusters as they chatted and ate their doughnuts. They were thankful for the break she fetched them under the hot afternoon sun.
The four central leaders of the pack and the four hottest walked towards her. Delta Julian reached her first with a wide grin on his face. He had taken off his shirt and tied it on his head like a durag. “What are we celebrating, Baby Cassie?" Julian and many others in the pack had insisted on sticking to how they addressed her in childhood, she'd given up correcting them. “The downfall of Johann?"
Cassie laughed dryly, “I'm not celebrating anything. And how nice of you to remind me of what I'm trying to put out of my head." She poked his caramel-toned abs.
The other three got to them.
“Ouch." He feigned pain. “You know, I have a meeting out of town. How about I stop by your place and teach Johann one or two lessons?" He smiled mischievously and took a bite of his doughnut. “The kind a scumbag deserves, some good whacking and spanking."
Cassie laughed, for real this time. “No, no, Julian." She loved how easy relating with Julian was.
“Oh, we really should, Julian. The guy's shitty. He's gotta pay for messing with my family." Caleb's voice was steely. Cassandra contemplated him as he took a doughnut. Caleb was taking Julian's joke seriously. She noticed the Alpha just watched her silently as he ate.
“Caleb, we've been over this. The matter will blow over." Cassandra said.
Caleb glanced at her, “Is this how you were with him? Letting all of his shitty actions blow over until now that you are finally taking the blow for it?"
Cassandra took a deep breath. She had to calm herself. Her relationship with Johann had always been a rough topic with Caleb. And now with the matter on ground, she and Caleb had just become ticking bombs around each other. But she did not want to explode now. Or here. She had been struggling to keep it together for a week now.
