49. Caleb
“ I ’m not going,” Emily said firmly.
I paused while loading up a truck with clothes for Wakwi and her family. They were going on a “camping trip” in the mountains up with some of their far-removed cousins in Pennsylvania. Wakwi had invited a dozen other people, as her family had “land.” If we had a mole in our group, they’d be hard-pressed to recognize the deception.
Unless the mole was Wakwi herself—but I doubted it, based on how pale she turned when I subtly warned her to get herself out and as many underage pack members as she could.
Part of me was in shock. Soon we’d be embroiled in a war with the man who’d haunted me for so many years. Was it my fault for stealing that stupid car in the first place? No—I’d fucked up in life, but this wasn’t my fault. The Lincoln Hills Pack was the largest in a three-state area. If Gray wanted power, he’d have targeted it one way or another.
Still, I never imagined in a million years that he’d try using Kaia as his way to weasel into the pack.
“What do you mean, you’re not going?” I said tersely to Emily, stepping around the position she’d obviously taken to block my path. I wasn’t upset, exactly, but I didn’t have the emotional energy to argue about it. It was dangerous for us to be separate, since she was such a new wolf, but even worse was putting Emily in reach of a madman who’d tried to kidnap her, twice.
I knew Gray did a lot of shady things, but I had no idea he was trafficking our own kind. While stuck in his employ, I’d met two girls who’d gotten caught up with him. They’d gotten hooked on the drugs he’d given them for free until they’d ended up addicted and in debt. Now I wondered if the rumors about Zach’s men absconding new shifters in their trunks were all Gray’s doing. I was far enough removed from the pack at the time that I didn’t see the truth.
“Exactly what I said,” Emily challenged. “I’m not going. I know you’ll send me away, and I’m telling you right now it won’t work.”
“Emily…” I half-groaned. I loved her, I did, and the magic we’d felt earlier that day could never be erased, but this was serious business. This was war , and my job was to protect her. I wished she could stay at my side, yet a newfound shifter around a potential knockdown, drag-out fight was irresponsible.
“No!” she shot back. “Don’t ‘Emily’ me. I’m serious. If you try to send me away, I’ll run back here and even get lost—or intercepted.”
“Emily, I know it’s difficult, but I need you to be practical.”
“I am being practical!” She was shouting, and it did give me pause. I closed the gap between us and put a finger to my lips, looking around furtively to remind her we didn’t want any potential moles overhearing.
“Sorry,” she whispered before regaining her composure. “Look, I’m not doing this to be difficult, or as a grand romantic gesture. I know my inner wolf and I haven’t spent a lot of time together, but I can already feel right now that… if someone forces us to separate again, she won’t allow it. I know without a doubt she’ll override any logic I give her.”
As if to emphasize the point, even though she kept her voice down, I could hear the way Emily sounded increasingly clumsy around newly sharpened teeth. I knew for a fact that she was still too new to shifting to purposely do any partial shift. This meant that even talking about leaving me was causing her inner wolf to react. I’d never known Emily to lie, and this was solid proof she wasn’t exaggerating.
I slowly breathed in through my nose, then out my mouth. This wasn’t ideal, but I respected that, as always, Emily was one hundred percent honest.
“We’ll talk with Zach once we finish helping Wakwi pack for camping.”
As if right on cue, the woman came out onto the porch, her arms full of rolled-up sleeping bags. “I can’t thank the two of you enough for helping me out!” she chirped. “My cousins are always so last-minute with things, but I don’t want to miss my niece’s first birthday for the world, and my kids just love their property there.” She was speaking at her normal, slightly loud volume, sounding so natural with it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this whole trip was born out of a surprise birthday party. I wondered if Wakwi was a former theater kid. She’d never been particularly close with my family, so I didn’t know her backstory.
Once everything calmed down, that would change.
“Oh, it’s no problem!” Emily said with saccharine sweetness. She sounded pretty convincing. “Next time, I hope I can swing by!”
“For sure! The more the merrier!”
The conversation died afterward, and my mind kept busy working out how to keep Emily safe if she wouldn’t leave. I had to admit, I’d been spoiled by how well her wolf had behaved so far. She was impulsive, tried to run off, and didn’t always listen, but that was far removed from any of the horror stories I’d heard in passing, as well as seen growing up. Some new shifters had such an insane hunger and bloodlust that even multiple relatives couldn’t keep them contained. Cages, chains, and even low doses of silver and wolfsbane were used. I always felt sorry for them because it looked awful, but was far beyond their control.
Emily was such a downright delight that I’d forgotten how messy new wolves could be. If she felt we were mated, her wolf would refuse to be parted and even get violent with anyone who tried to separate us. I shuddered at the thought of her forcibly shifting somewhere on the road halfway to Pennsylvania, causing either a fight on the interstate or killing multiple people. I knew she’d never forgive herself for that.
So, if I couldn’t send my mate away to safety, I needed to adapt.
I just hoped Zach agreed, because if he wanted to fight me on it, I’d choose Emily’s side.
Every. Single. Time.
The thing about having such a huge pack was that there was no way to mobilize quickly, and especially not subtly. Still, the longer we kept up the ruse without our mole figuring things out, the more of our people were out of danger.
There was no way we’d get everyone out, but by the end of the afternoon, I knew there were seven hundred children, elders, and those unable to fight who were scattered this way and that. Some were staying with pack members who lived off the grounds, some off visiting relatives, some booked last-minute flights for vacation, and some were in hotels in the heart of the city. It wasn’t perfect, but still better than getting caught completely by surprise.
We truly owed Tayen, though it felt strange that we were working together. I’d been raised to view the Black Hawks as enemy number one. Ultimately, Zach was right—far too many of our resources were wasted being at each other’s throats for centuries.
“Status update?” Zach asked the moment my foot was in the door. It’d been an exhausting day, but with the sun about to set, it was time to shift focus from helping our pack members to fortifying the area and setting traps for Gray and his men.
“We got a lot out on our end,” I said. “I think at least fifty between Wakwi, Dodson, and the Hendersons.”
Zach nodded and didn’t look up from his desk until I cleared my throat. He glanced up, his eyes immediately going back to his papers until he realized I wasn’t standing there alone.
“What’s she doing here?” he asked with a sigh.
“She can’t leave.”
“Caleb, while I admire your tenacity, this isn’t the time?—”
“No, I mean literally,” I said in haste. I figured he’d appreciate not wasting his breath on a moot point. “Her wolf nearly forced a shift on her when we were just talking about her leaving. I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly comfortable with a new wolf being stuck in a van with nine children.”
“Dammit,” Zach cursed, setting his papers down and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I should’ve thought of that. Young shifters don’t like change. If she’d grown up with others?—”
“Her wolf would be okay with others watching her,” I finished. “But no, it has to be me or no one.”
“I’m sorry,” Emily said, her first words since she’d entered.
My heart squeezed as Zach stood in greeting. “No need to apologize, Emily. None of this is your fault. I am worried about keeping you safe, but I’m not upset with you.”
At that, I saw Emily visibly relax. She was so incredibly brave. It took a lot to stand up to an alpha, even one as kind and understanding as Zach, but she was willing to do it anyway so we wouldn’t be separated, and so she wouldn’t be a threat to innocents in the pack.
Once everything was settled and her inner wolf under control, I’d take her somewhere special. That’d be incredible. A spot of peace with no drama, no worries, just the two of us enjoying our time together.
But we had to get there first.
“Where’s the family?” I asked, realizing I didn’t hear any other footsteps in the house.
“Lucas took Daphne and Simon to visit her parents’ grave back in her ancestral lands.”
“What about Lavender and her baby?” That was Emily, who truly sounded worried, and I spotted the slight smile Zach flashed her way. She hadn’t been in the pack long, but she was already looking out for others.
“Her husband decided to take her to a spa a city over,” Zach replied. “He wanted to spend some one-on-one time with his baby while she gets pampered. It’s a long drive, though, so they decided to get a hotel and take it easy.”
Emily let out a relieved sigh, and I swore I loved her that much more. “That’s good.”
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked. “What else do you need me to do?”
“I need both of you to feed yourselves and make a plan for what to do if and when Gray ambushes us. Emily, I know your wolf won’t like it, but you’ll need to hide. Caleb, I want you by my side once shit hits the fan.”
“Understood,” I said with a nod. “Emily, you hungry?”
She nodded, already on her way to the fridge. She was much more comfortable in Zach’s place than I was. After all, she’d been staying there for multiple days while I had my own cabin.
“How do you guys feel about grilled cheese?” she asked.
I grinned from ear to ear. “Throw any protein on it, and I’m a happy camper.”
Emily opened the fridge and ducked her head in. “Looks like you’ve got your choice between ham, turkey, and grilled chicken.”
“I’ll take two of each, if you’re offering,” Zach cut in, also sounding relieved. It was such a small thing, but it hit me just how much pack relied on each other. Zach was likely overwhelmed, not to mention separated from the partner he loved dearly, so cooking a meal took a huge mental load off him and saved precious time. Grilled cheese sandwiches weren’t exactly demanding, but the gesture meant something.
“Six sammies coming up,” Emily said. “Caleb, you the same?”
“Yeah,” I said, stomach rumbling. “I’m the same.”
“Alright,” Emily said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this bread.”
I smiled and went into the kitchen to kiss her. Terrible puns or not, I was incredibly grateful for her.