Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Sash, Logan, and Adam return to the room. We get straight to business.
“We were originally planning to infiltrate the facility where you and Adam were being kept,” Sash starts.
She glances at Caleb before continuing. He nods, giving her permission to share whatever it is she has to say.
“We have four shifters working there. We were going to use them to pull you and Adam out.”
It takes me several moments to absorb that information.
They have shifters within HPAW? Inside the facilities?
How? Every employee, even the cleaning crew and caterers, is carefully vetted.
The interview process is intensive, and thorough background checks must be conducted before anyone can access the facility.
There’s no way a shifter, let alone multiple, would slip through the cracks.
“If that’s true,” I start, “then how did you not know I was working for HPAW?”
My existence wasn’t exactly a secret within the facility.
“We aren’t sure,” Caleb admits. “None of our men knew who you were. We suspect your existence was kept under lock and key, maybe more so than you realized.”
I suppose, looking back, that makes sense. Leadership never intended for me to survive. Either I died at the hands of the shifters or at the hands of HPAW. It didn’t matter to them.
My microchip ensured they had all the information they needed without my having to return to them.
“Why didn’t they kill me right away?” I ask. “Why put me in that cell with Adam?”
Everybody in the room exchanges glances. They know something I don’t.
“What?” I ask.
Caleb is the one who answers. “Daniel contacted us after learning that leadership was contemplating putting you into their breeding program. It’s…
They… Well, they were waiting to see if you were pregnant with my child.
They knew we were intimate recently, and they wanted to see if anything would implant. ”
A breeding program? What? I’ve never heard of that. And they were going to put me in it if I had been pregnant? Bile rises up my throat. What would they have done to my child?
I place a hand over my mouth. How many women have they done this to? Human women? Shifter women? Are they doing it now? Where? My gaze cuts toward Adam.
He looks away, his throat bobbing. What were they doing to Adam?
“Anyway,” Sash says, nervously changing the subject. “Our plans changed when Daniel reached out.”
I’m not ready to change topics.
“A breeding program?” I repeat, needing to clarify.
Caleb nods. “We don’t have much information, only what Daniel told us. They’ve been collecting and forcibly breeding marked human women.”
Oh, God.
“And we’re going to do something about it, right?”
“Yes.” Caleb grabs my hand. “Yes. We are.”
“The human news cycle is exploding with reports on Knox’s death,” Logan says, chiming in. “Edited video footage of his death is being shared amongst the humans. They believe our pack is in shambles.”
I’m sure HPAW didn’t hesitate to share the video of Caleb getting shot. I wonder if I’m in it, and I nervously pick at my shirt as I recall how I sobbed over his body and tried to fight Logan when he pulled me away. Leadership probably ate that up.
“Why pretend you’re dead?” I ask.
Caleb answers. “People get lazy when they think they’ve already won. The other alphas will be here tomorrow—Maverick, Everett, and King. Their visit is discreet, and we intend to have a plan in place by the end of the week.”
I haven’t asked how the other alphas fared during HPAW’s attack, but I’m happy to hear they’re alive. I’m sure several strong shifters were lost that day.
Caleb plants a hand on my thigh. His sweatpants are soft against my skin, and I’m practically drowning in the fabric. Caleb loves it when I wear his things.
“Do the shifters know you’re alive?” I ask.
Caleb nods. “Most of them do. Some smaller packs might not be aware, but word travels fast among the wolves.”
Logan clears his throat. “We should let the humans know that you’re alive sooner rather than later. When they realize that HPAW was wrong, they’ll lose credibility.”
Sash shakes her head. “That won’t change anything. Caleb’s perceived death will have a bigger impact. The humans hate us. They won’t care that HPAW made a mistake. It’s better for them to think Caleb is dead and to underestimate us.”
“I agree with Sash,” Caleb says. “Infiltrating an HPAW facility is not an easy task, and they don’t know that we’re aware of their breeding program.
If we want any hope of getting those humans out alive, it needs to be done when HPAW is unsuspecting.
” He turns toward me. “Have you heard anything about them keeping marked humans?”
I shake my head. I used to think I was relatively knowledgeable about the inner workings of HPAW’s facilities, but I’ve since learned that I know next to nothing. Leadership did an excellent job of keeping me in the dark.
“The humans might fight to stay,” I warn.
HPAW will have taught them to hate the shifters—even fear them. They’ll fight tooth and nail to remain in the facility.
Caleb nods. “We’re prepared for that. We—”
There’s a sharp knock on the front door.
Caleb is across the room a moment later, and he doesn’t bother hiding his frustration as he pulls it open to reveal a nervous-looking shifter.
It’s a man I haven’t seen before, and he takes a large step back as he finds himself the sole receiver of Caleb’s attention.
“Yes?” Caleb asks. He steps outside, looking around. “Is everything okay?”
The man nods. “I’m here for Adam.”
The man glances over Caleb’s shoulder as Adam sinks into his seat. He looks exhausted.
“Your mate is trying to climb out of your apartment window,” the man says. “We’re concerned she’s going to injure herself.”
Adam drops his head into his hands, his chest expanding as he sucks in a deep breath. I feel bad for him, but I don’t let my pity show as he heads outside.
Caleb shuts the door just as Adam begins to strip. Then he turns, addressing Sash and Logan. “You two should leave, too. Evelyn needs to rest.”
“I’m fine,” I say. “It’s important that we—”
Caleb’s gaze shifts toward me, his eyes softening. “Let me take care of you. Please.”
I work my jaw from side to side, not entirely comfortable with this. Caleb has always insisted on taking care of me, but this is the first time I’m accepting it without an ulterior motive. I’m not trying to get closer to him in an attempt to learn his secrets or earn his trust.
I’m accepting it because he loves me and I want to make him happy. Taking care of me makes him happy.
Caleb’s shoulders relax when I give a tentative nod. A little rest won’t kill me. Besides, these conversations need to be had with the other alphas. We’re waiting for them. My resting doesn’t impede our planning.
I nudge Caleb with my toes, capturing his attention. He glances at me, a weak smile teetering at the corners of his lips, before turning back to his laptop.
“Take a break,” I suggest.
Caleb hums, slamming his finger against the delete button. “In a minute.”
He’s been working since Sash and Logan left. He retrieved his laptop from his upstairs home office, took a seat on the couch, and got to work. He hasn’t moved since.
It’s been hours.
Caleb scratches at his jaw, his lips pursing as his eyes dart over his screen. He adjusts slightly, shifting his laptop further down his lap, before flexing his fingers and resuming typing.
He should be at the office. I quietly suggested we go there an hour ago and was met with a sharp glare, so I haven’t brought it up again.
Selfishly, I don’t want to. I feel like I’ve just spent the past several months trapped in a vortex, and I need this day of quiet.
It’s just one day, but it means so much.
I feel safe inside this house with Caleb. I never want to leave it, even if I know that isn’t a realistic option.
Caleb lets out a low sigh before shutting his computer.
He looks handsome, and he’s fully healed from his injuries.
I found a handful of black, nylon-looking strings sitting on the bathroom counter earlier, which I’m pretty sure were his stitches.
I cringe at the thought of him ripping them out of his head.
Still, I can tell he’s exhausted. The signs are subtle, but they’re there. His eyes are drooping, and he’s making a lot of typing errors. It’s been a long day.
“What do you think is going to happen with Adam and Bells?” I ask.
It’s been on my mind all day. I loathe Adam, but I also think he’s my best friend. He deserves a loving mate, and he seemed so upset when he heard that Bells was trying to escape out his window. I knew she would be combative, but I genuinely believed the mate bond would take hold of her.
It did for me. One look at Caleb and I was putty in his hands.
Except for the time I tried to kill him, I suppose.
“I’m not sure,” Caleb admits. He sets his laptop aside, then pulls my legs over his lap. “His situation is unique, but Adam is persistent. I’m sure things will work out in the end.” He squeezes my ankles. “It has for us.”
I hum. “Do you think I should talk to her?”
It might be helpful for her to hear from another marked human—especially since I was once a member of HPAW. I don’t want to risk making things worse for Adam, though. Bells probably sees me as a traitor. She probably blames me for her almost-execution.
“Maybe we could try to get her a job at the hospital,” I continue, eager to brainstorm. “She’s a nurse, and she might enjoy getting back to work. A sense of normalcy. A purpose.”
Caleb buries his thumbs into the soles of my feet, gently massaging. My feet are crusty from my time in the cell, and I grimace as I pull them out of his grasp. Caleb doesn’t mind my calluses and blisters, but I do.
Mates share everything, but I’d like to keep the state of my feet to myself.
“I fear you’re getting ahead of yourself, my love,” Caleb says. He frowns as I tuck my feet underneath his thigh. “There’s a lot of trouble for an angry human to get into at the hospital. She’ll be more than welcome to work there once she’s adjusted, but not now.”
I suppose that makes sense.
Caleb shifts so his head rests in my lap. I run my fingers through his hair, working loose the knots. His hair isn’t exceptionally long, but there are several knots. He wasn’t taking care of himself while I was gone.
“I was so scared,” he whispers. I pause, my fingers curling against his head.
“When you were taken, I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you.
I felt like such a fool for going after the wrong vehicle.
I’ll never forgive myself for that mistake.
If I hadn’t…” Caleb pauses, clearing his throat.
“HPAW will never get their hands on you again. I promise.”
I press my lips together. The truth is I’m scared, too. I’m fucking terrified.
“I’m going to kill them,” Caleb continues, his voice low. “I’m going to kill every single one of them.”