The Pack's Daughter (Aysel and Magnus) novel Chapter 17

**Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe**
**Chapter 17**

**Aysel’s POV**

I observed him as he flicked through the takeout menu, a subtle grimace etched on his face. It was a fleeting expression, but it set my mind racing with possibilities. “What if I hired a personal chef?” I mused internally. “I could pay them twenty thousand a month and still pocket a nice little commission for myself as the intermediary. It would be a breeze.”

“Not interested,” Magnus interjected, his tone devoid of warmth, cutting through my thoughts like a knife. “I don’t like strangers invading my space.”

I blinked in surprise. Well, there you have it—Magnus Sanchez in a nutshell. The Alpha of Shadowbane, as cold as a winter night and as precise as a wolf stalking its prey. Yet, somehow, his presence made my modest kitchen feel even more cramped.

We sat in silence on the sofa, the air thick with unspoken tension, our gazes locked like two wolves sizing up their territory. After what felt like an eternity, Magnus let out a heavy sigh, his large hand reaching across to cover my wide, bright eyes, a gesture that felt both possessive and final. “Order takeout. Buy groceries. I’ll manage,” he commanded.

Half an hour later, I leaned against the counter, my sleeves rolled up, watching him navigate the limited space of my kitchen. To my astonishment, he was actually cooking. A mix of disbelief and pride swelled within me. The Alpha of the Shadowbane Pack, preparing dinner in my tiny apartment—it felt strangely domestic, almost wolfish in its warmth.

But a flicker of worry gnawed at me. Just yesterday, he had lost so much blood. Now, as I watched him move effortlessly between the counters and chopping boards, I couldn’t shake the feeling that disaster was lurking just around the corner. One wrong move, and my dinner could easily turn into a feast for a one-headed wolf.

Magnus must have sensed my hesitation because, with a smirk, he thrust a freshly washed tomato into my hands. “Try it. Let’s see if I can handle this,” he teased, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“Try what?” My mind momentarily faltered, caught off guard by his playful challenge.

As the realization of his playful intent dawned on me, I rolled my eyes and sauntered off to the living room, leaving him to his culinary antics. I could hear the Alpha’s chuckle follow me, a sound that somehow felt both comforting and unnerving.

The kitchen was open, and without thinking, I reached for my phone. Magnus glanced over, a hint of mischief in his expression as he recalled something he had “forgotten” because of dinner. “Your phone was ringing while you were asleep. I answered it.”

I blinked, taken aback. “You… answered my phone? Without my permission?”

He didn’t seem the least bit fazed, expertly flipping a pan as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Your phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and it was disturbing my rest. Someone refused to wake up, so I took matters into my own hands.”

“Besides,” he added with a feigned innocence that made me want to laugh, “I took a few verbal hits for you.”

I scrolled through the call log, my expression neutral. It wasn’t surprising, really. My mother hadn’t yelled enough at me that morning, so the family had decided to take turns calling me in rapid succession. Even Knox Draven, Celestine’s little lapdog, had joined in. News of me sending Celestine to the emergency room had clearly spread like wildfire.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify