The Wolf’s Whisper: The Complete Series

45. Emily

“ S hit!”

I froze, all my senses on high alert as Caleb jerked to a stop. His eyes were locked on something across the parking lot. A tall man was leaning against the truck.

I stiffened, expecting a threat, but then I recognized the scent—he was from the Lincoln Hills Pack. Hadn’t he been in the group that came to pick me up?

After a second or two, it was clear the man knew we’d spotted him, and he straightened, taking a single step towards us. Caleb let out a sigh and started walking again, albeit with more tension in his posture.

Okay, so this was a fellow pack member, but it wasn’t good news to see him?

“How’d you find us?” Caleb asked the guy once we were closer. Normally, even at this distance, we wouldn’t be able to hear each other, but none of us were human.

Yikes, Caleb hadn’t been kidding when he said there was no privacy at the campground.

“Tracker in the truck,” the man answered. “We put it there in case any of the Black Hawk Pack tried anything funny with Keller. Looks like it had some alternate uses.”

I was far too old to be worried about sneaking out.

“Looks like,” Caleb said before attempting to move past the fellow pack member and open my door for me. But the man caught his arm, and the air around him smelled bitter and sour. Those pheromones were rancid.

“Um, if you’d excuse us, Carl, we have a couple things to finish up,” Caleb said. “As you can see, both of us are safe and sound. No new wolf massacres.”

“Zach wants you back at Maplewood. Immediately. ”

I knew I was an outsider on a lot of things, but I knew we were in trouble. Things were going so well with my integration into the pack! Had we inadvertently ruined it?

Even so, I thought they could shove it up their asses. I was a grown woman, and while I realized I needed a little extra supervision, it didn’t mean they could keep me as a prisoner, or some furry Rapunzel.

It’s possible they were only worried about me, though. If that was the case, I couldn’t entirely blame them. I didn’t have my phone, and whoever had tried to sabotage my first shift and keep me out of Caleb’s reach was still out there.

Thus, I chose to shut my mouth and take cues from Caleb.

“Alright, we’ll head there,” Caleb said after a moment.

“Head straight there,” Carl said sharply, but Caleb’s eyes flashed, and I was surprised to hear a small rumble issue from my own chest.

“That’s what I said,” Caleb said through gritted teeth.

“Right.” Carl stalked off after that as the two of us got into the truck.

“Sorry about that,” Caleb said, no doubt trying to save the mood. “Carl’s always been a tightwad. I’m sure everything will be fine once they all know we’re safe.”

“Yeah,” was all I could say. “I’m sure, too.”

We still chatted on the ride over, but it wasn’t nearly as easygoing as before. I knew it was reckless to go on a random date with a man I wasn’t supposed to be in love with, and more so to galivant around soon after my first shift. But all the risks we’d taken seemed calculated and appropriate. We hadn’t hurt anybody, much less had the opportunity to do so.

I worried I was missing a whole chunk of context, because as we reached Zach’s house, he came storming out.

“I like to think I’m a good judge of character, but I’m questioning that right now. The two of you disappeared without a word of caution! Ever hear of leaving a note? For all we knew, whoever set both of you up managed to snatch Kai—I mean Emily all over again!”

Oh. I figured they might be worried about me, but I hadn’t put two and two together about reminding them of the horrors they’d gone through before. It was rude to vanish on them twice.

“I’m sor—” I began, but Zach held up his hand. I stopped in surprise. The man had only been polite to me so far.

“Look, you don’t understand the implications or consequences. I’m upset with you, but we can talk about it later. But you ,” he said, turning his head to glower at Caleb. “Man, I keep giving you chance after chance because I see the good in you, but you just can’t stop yourself from spitting in my face!”

I wanted to jump in and somehow defend Caleb. My wolf wanted to as well. I felt her slamming at her confines until she was baring her teeth.

Just like that, Zach’s gaze was on me. “ Inside.”

He said it firmly, but in a whisper, a faint breath of a word. Suddenly, I was standing in his front doorway and facing away from the street I’d just been on.

“Hey, Zach, come on,” Caleb snapped. “You don’t have to use the alpha influence on her like that. You can just ask her.”

“ You do not give me any critique on my manners with the shit you pulled!”

“I can when it comes to her, ” Caleb said, jerking his head in my direction. “Look, I know we were irresponsible. We should’ve found a way to tell you we were leaving. But I know you, Zach. I know you’d have hemmed and hawed and, in the end, not let Emily go.”

“There are reasons for that! We haven’t had any feral incidents in a decade because of how stringent I am with new shifters leaving Maplewood. You’re too young to remember, but literally every other month, there was some horrible event. Then, when smartphones exploded, the risk of a viral video was greater and greater with each passing incident. I know you don’t like rules, but they’re in place to keep us safe!”

“Everyone is safe!” Caleb shot back. “I know you’re a careful person, and you like to ensure that nothing can go wrong, but Emily wasn’t raised within the pack. You’re asking a stranger, essentially, to become a prisoner, surrounded by a bunch of lovely but ultimately unknown people who can hear everything she says, smell everything she’s feeling. Surely you understand how claustrophobic that is and why she’d want to get away for just one night? One supervised night, I might add. She was never alone the entire time.”

A lot of the tension slowly wound down at that, and Zach didn’t say anything for a long time. I was still standing in the door, watching, unsure how to feel. Everything Caleb said was true. Although I liked the pack and saw a strong future with them, it was intimidating that they all knew so much more than me: how to be a wolf, how to use their enhanced senses. It was nice to get away for a single overnight trip. I needed the recharge, especially with my low social battery.

“You’re right,” Zach conceded. “You should’ve told us, but also, I know I’d have said no… at least at first. But Caleb, you’ve just come back to the pack after years away. You can’t just up and decide things on your own anymore. You’re not the head alpha. Please do not put me in a position where we have some hierarchical struggle. I don’t want that, because when the chips are down, I’ll always protect the pack over any aberration.”

“I know,” Caleb said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. But when it comes to Emily, as her guardian, I’ll always choose her.”

“Is it only as her guardian?”

Something about Zach’s tone made me tilt my head to the side in confusion, but Caleb apparently understood because his face grew even stormier.

“What do you mean?” he growled.

“Never mind, I… no. I have a few things I’d like to discuss with you, but in private, wolf to wolf. You’re right that it’d be nice to have a talk where no one can overhear us. Come on a run with me?”

At that, everyone suddenly smelled the shock around me, including Daphne, who I hadn’t realized was standing a few feet away, staring out the window.

“What about Emily?” Caleb asked.

“Daphne will watch her, and I’ll have Carl stationed outside the house just in case. She’ll be fine for an hour or two, and we won’t be far. Alpha to alpha, we have some things to discuss.”

“Alright, then,” Caleb said with one last look my way. “You gonna be alright?”

“Yes,” I said with an eager nod. I’d rather have avoided this whole interaction, but I was happy it was diffusing quickly. “I’ll be fine.”

That was enough for him, and he turned to Zach with determination written all over his handsome features. “If you’re ready, lead the way.”

Zach didn’t say anything, just shifted instead. It was fascinating to watch from my position, and it was the first time I’d seen someone other than Caleb take wolf form. Fur crawled up his face, then down his arms as they grew in mass. From there, steam pooled out of his shirt collar and the bottom of his pants, obstructing him as his limbs elongated, and he eventually fell forward.

Caleb was a beat behind, and soon the entire street was obscured by thick, heavy steam. Before it’d even faded, two massive wolves leapt out of the cloud and raced off into the woods.

My heart ached to see Caleb go, but I was glad this was happening on civil terms. There were a lot of old wounds in the pack, and it seemed that finally, there was a chance for healing.

I only hoped everything worked out alright.

With Caleb and Zach gone, all I could do was head in and close the door behind me. “That was a whirlwind,” I said with a light chuckle to Daphne, but she didn’t return my smile. In fact, she looked pissed. “I’m so sorry,” I blurted out automatically.

The woman just let out a sigh, her hand resting on her stomach. “I know you are. It’s just… I was so worried about you. I thought that…” She cut herself off and pressed a hand to her eye as if staving off tears. I was surprised to see such a visceral emotional response, but I also felt intensely guilty for startling her so badly.

“You thought I’d been taken again,” I said.

“Yes. And though we knew it was unlikely, it was still in the back of everyone’s mind. I know this isn’t fair, but finding you is like a second chance for our pack. For years, we’ve had this terrible gap in our community, and no reason why. But now we know, and you’re back.” A couple tears welled out of her hazel eyes as I plunged myself further into guilt. “Please don’t lose us again.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, and I truly meant it. We really should’ve left a note. I was so caught up in Caleb and getting a moment away that I hadn’t thought about the long-term implications. It was selfish of me, and while I wouldn’t have given up the time with Caleb for anything, I could have done this so much better in hindsight.

“I appreciate your apology.” Daphne took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “These hormones will be the death of me.”

Hormones? I assumed she meant her cycle because I often grew teary and frustrated on my own. But then I’d smell blood. It could be menopause, but Daphne seemed far too young for that, so that left…

“You’re pregnant?” I whispered, aware of just how easy it was to overhear in Lincoln Hills.

“I… I think so. It’s too early to tell. Technically, I haven’t even missed my period yet, but all my usual PMS symptoms haven’t rolled in, so I’ve got a strong feeling.”

“Congratulations?” I offered, not sure whether this was a good thing or not. Simon was eleven, so she and Zach could’ve been trying for a whole decade or were one and done, and this was a fluke. I had no way of knowing. When someone my age fell pregnant, it sparked a very different conversation.

Daphne chuckled. “Yes, this child is wanted, and we weren’t planning it, but we’ve never been against having a bigger family. I just wish... the timing were better. There’s so much going on right now, and I worry what I’m bringing my baby into.”

“What do you mean? The negotiation with the Black Hawk Pack? I thought the worst that could happen was everything would stay the same. Is there a risk with them coming here?”

I knew a fight could break out, yet that seemed unlikely in the heart of the pack’s territory. They’d be vastly outnumbered and wouldn’t know the lay of the land.

“I wish that was the worst-case scenario,” Daphne said wistfully. “There’s a small chance that Tayen, if pushed, issues an alpha challenge to Zach. If he does, my husband needs a second to fight with him. Another alpha who’ll rise to the challenge.”

“Caleb,” I whispered.

“Exactly. That’s what they’re talking about now. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. From what I’ve been told, the Black Hawk Pack have been incredibly cooperative with the investigation so far, even if it’s just beginning. Tayen may want peace just as much as we do.”

“Let’s hope,” I said, my mind spinning as I quickly absorbed all this new information and plugged it into any missing gaps. “For now, how about you get some rest and let me wash the dishes?”

“That’s sweet of you, and I think I’ll take you up on it. Thank you, Emily.” She walked towards the stairs, but she paused before disappearing up to the second floor. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad your path led you back to us.”

“I am, too,” I said, and I meant it.