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“Callum sent me to help out, I’m a probationary pack member now,” I explained. Her eyebrows raised but she just made a little hmm noise, taking advantage of the help.
“Perfect. I need to get pack dinner started. You can finish out here then meet me inside. I’ve already done these,” she said, gesturing to a single row of tables, meaning I had a good five or six rows left.
“On it,” I promised with a quick smile, ready to have some mind-numbing work to focus on instead of my irritation. I’d literally just been passing through, and now here I was getting pawned off on Callum’s warrior after getting threatened, stalked, warned with a dead body. If I thought too hard about it, I might snap. And that would end up with me exiled from this pack before I even fucking joined. Yup, much better to focus on work.
She walked away as I dipped my hand into the soapy bucket and grabbed the sponge, starting in on the dirt coated table. It took a whole lot more elbow grease than I assumed, clearly they hadn’t had a meeting since the last few rainfalls. By the time I finished the first row, I was sweating and my arms were sore.
It took nearly an hour to get through all of them, but I was pleasantly distracted and that was all I cared about. Pushing the cart back to the dining hall, I went in the same door Emma disappeared through earlier.
“Cleaning closet is there,” she called out and pointed to a door at the back of the room. “Empty and rinse, then meet me out here.”
“Thanks,” I said as I turned and followed her instructions easily. She clearly ran a tight ship here, which had me wondering why she was doing this alone. With a pack land this size, there had to be hundreds of pack members. Yet here one woman was feeding them all? I didn’t buy it. There was either more to Emma than met the eye, or Callum was a bigger asshole than I gave him credit for. And I was well versed in asshole wolves. At this point, I was a fucking expert.
“Done?” she asked as I came back in.
“Yes,” I answered, glancing around the giant kitchen. There were rows of stainless-steel counters and equipment. She kept it as pristine as the rest of the place.
“Good. My brothers will be along soon to handle the meat, we need to get it seasoned up for them. Grab me at least six trays right there,” she gestured to a huge stack, and I counted out six, until I saw her grab out enough packages of meat to feed an army and grabbed a few extra for good measure.
She dropped them between us on the counter and started ripping them open and laying them out. I followed suit, my stomach already growling.
She chuckled at the sound. “Just wait until it’s cooked, we have some of the best cooks around here.” Her voice held so much pride that I couldn’t help but be a bit jealous. I’d never seen the cracks in my old pack’s structure until now, the flaws standing out starkly against this shiny new community before me.
We silently fell into step, her seasoning one layer, me the next, then alternating until we worked our way through. She washed her hands and shifted to another counter, laying out ingredients for a salad before moving onto something else. I stepped up and started mixing the ingredients together in the ridiculously sized salad bowl she’d sat down. The methodical cutting of cucumbers and tomatoes was cathartic and I worked through them in what felt like seconds.
“Nice work,” she noted. “We’ve got dressing in the pantry, I’ve got the bread and other sides going already, so…” Her words cut off as two men came barreling in, laughing at a joke we obviously missed. Their eyes landed on me and they fell silent. “Brace yourself, new girl. They’re insufferable.”
“It’s Vanya, and I can handle it.” I laughed.
“Well, well, well, Antonio wasn’t lying for once,” the younger one joked. He was easily in his early twenties, the youth on his face still shining through. He had a dimple on one cheek, I mentally noted it was the opposite cheek of Callum’s. His blue eyes sparkled excitedly. I was almost jealous that he had obviously lived a life without trauma, without a pack that fought to control. His entire demeanor told me there was a lot more to Callum and his leadership than I realized. Which didn’t come as much of a surprise, I knew very little of him and I was just as snarky when I met him.
“Welcome to the pack,” the older one offered. “I’m Brent and this is Waylen.” Brent was obviously his brother, their features and hair similar, though he held himself with much less enthusiasm than his brother.
“Vanya,” I said with a quick smile.
“Our dear sister hasn’t run you off yet?” Waylen questioned as he threw an arm around his older sister. She gave him an irritated smile, like she couldn’t help but love him even when he was insufferable. A pang of grief hit me at the sight of them, but I took a breath and shoved it away. If I didn’t focus on it, it couldn’t hurt me… right?
“She’s actually been great,” Emma said begrudgingly. Though she did throw me a smile afterward. From the look on her brother’s faces, it was a compliment.
“I’m shocked. You getting soft on us, Ems?” Waylen joked as he grabbed two of the trays. Brent followed his lead, and Emma and I grabbed the rest, following them outside. Emma and I dropped our trays off before going back inside. I went for the cleaning closet to grab something to wipe down the counters with. By the time we cleaned up, got the sides outside to the buffet table, and had a moment to breathe, the rest of the pack was starting to wander in and fill up the tables.
“You look like you’re about to puke,” Brent noted. “I promise they won’t eat you alive. It’s just curiosity. That and Emma never allows anyone to help her for long. Seems you’re shaking things up.”
“Do you get new members often?” I asked as I eyed the camaraderie around the pavilion. Everyone seemed to know each other, smiling and greeting nearly everyone they passed.
“No. Callum rejects most; we don’t get many that get through probation. The last one was three years ago, in fact, when the Rivera twins joined us, it was just like this. Though they didn’t get kitchen duty,” he explained.
“I’ll take this over manning a gate, I’d go mad.” I laughed. My amusement cut off as Callum walked in, stalking to the front of the line with his warrior in step behind him.
“Emma, how did it go?” Callum said to her even though his eyes never left mine. The fact he always came at me with a challenge hit me wrong, but I refused to give in, to let him intimidate me. Spite and stubbornness were my armor and I’d wear them well.
“She’ll do,” she said. There was a brief flash of surprise on both men, apparently that was the theme today. How shocking that I could handle working in a fucking kitchen, apparently. Taking a few deep breaths, I swallowed back down my attitude.
Callum nodded once before turning and facing the pack. “We have a probationary member. This is Vanya, she’ll be helping Emma around the kitchens and likely a few other jobs around the Bluffs. She’s under Leven’s care. You know the drill. Report transgressions but treat her as your own.” There was a roar of chatter that took off and I had to fight to keep my head held high under the pressure of their curious stares.
“Let’s eat,” Emma said, cutting through the gossip. That was all it took for everyone to turn to Callum. He grabbed a plate and everyone was on their feet, getting in line. These wolves took their meals seriously, but at the moment, I couldn’t complain.
“Oh no,” Brent cut in, holding a hand up to the forming line. “Cooks go first, but nice try.” There were a few groans of protest, but Emma took my arm and guided me to the table, handing me a plate.
