I should have known better than to talk to anyone when Alpha Zach was near. But I had let my guard down. Just for a moment. The sun was high, casting warm light over the training yard where some of the younger wolves practiced their stances. I had been passing through, clutching a small basket with herbs I'd gathered for the kitchen, when one of them a tall, sandy-haired wolf with kind eyes approached me.
"Ellie, right?" he asked, offering me a tentative smile. "I… I just wanted to say your cooking earlier was incredible. That mac and cheese? I don't think I've ever tasted anything like it."
I froze, the basket pressing against my hip. "How did you know about it? I asked looking suprised because I was very sure that the crazy Alpha eat everything and he made me eat the last plate before we left the kitchen.
"Oh, I scrapped the pot, he said laughing. But he looked so earnest, so harmless, that I couldn't help mumbling a quiet, "T-thank you."
