18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 478

Jasper's smirk twitched at Stella's words. "You're saying I'm not as good as Cooper?"

Memories flooded back—when he'd first met her and fallen for her, it was like being under a spell, his heart completely out of his control. Cooper was in the same boat now, a decade's worth of good behavior shot to hell in a day.

Stella couldn't help but laugh. Pot calling the kettle black. They were in the same mess; neither had the right to point fingers.

After all the hullabaloo, night had fallen. Stella's stomach growled, so she pulled out a feast fit for a king: braised pork shanks, river trout, stir-fried steak, chicken stewed with porcini mushrooms, vibrant green veggies, and steaming hot rice.

She sat down to dig in, conspicuously without a portion for Cooper. Cooper's stomach rumbled, and he sheepishly inched closer...

Thinking about the blizzard that had attacked their home, Stella had half a mind to knock him silly. But Cooper was a smooth operator. He kept nudging his head against her, playing every trick in the book to win her over. In the end, he conned his way into a big bowl of dog food.

Sensing Stella's displeasure, he didn't share with Snowflake this time, instead eating slowly beside her. Snowflake was initially resistant but couldn't resist the temptation, cautiously inching forward from the corner. One step, two steps, very carefully. It took several minutes to reach Cooper's side. The scoundrel dog gave up his food to Snowflake.

Rosie couldn't help but chuckle. Cooper was clearly banking on Stella's reluctance to let him starve, sure that she would sneak him some food later. Stella turned a blind eye, letting Snowflake eat the dog food.

After polishing off a bowl of rice, she stood to get more, but Snowflake mistook her intentions, thinking she was competing for food. Wolves are protective eaters, and in an instant, Snowflake was baring teeth. Cooper slapped him with a paw, "Behave!"

After disciplining his mate, he wagged his tail at his human. Snowflake took the bowl away, quietly eating. What could Stella do against a double-crossing scoundrel of a dog? She'd taken plenty of food, and there was a lot left over.

Stella got a new dog bowl from Arcadia, split the food evenly into two, added some rice, mixed it well, and pushed it towards them. "Eat up, don't accuse me of playing favorites."

She might be from a posh background, but she was no wicked stepmother; as long as the pups in Snowflake's belly were Cooper's, they wouldn't want for food and drink. Pregnancy quickened Snowflake's hunger, and she ate without reservation. This was the first time she'd filled her belly.

Cooper hadn't lied; sticking with him meant never going hungry. Rosie cleaned up the dishes while Stella found a lock to secure the door from the inside, to keep the crafty dog from unlocking it in the middle of the night. Owing to someone meant eating out of their hand.

After feeding from Stella's table a few times, Snowflake's guard was lowered, and she dozed off in front of the stove. Stella, having never lived with wolves before, wasn't fond of those eyes. She bolted her bedroom door, still wary of the wolf outside.

Seeing Jasper as carefree as ever, Stella couldn't resist jabbing at him, "You don't seem to care about Cooper at all."

"How can you say that?" If he defended Cooper, it was said he hadn't trained him well. If he didn't, it was said he didn't care. It's tough being a man, tougher still to be a good one.

Stella had many virtues, but she was prone to worry. Natural disasters were unpredictable, and she always wanted to control everything, to provide absolute safety for herself and her family.

Cooper having a companion actually made Stella happiest. She was angry at his loss of control, worried he might be led astray or into danger. But who doesn't act rashly in love?