Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Americans don’t put up nearly as much of a fight as Caleb anticipated, but they also haven’t reached out to make a deal. Caleb believes they’re scrambling, but I thought they’d be quick to jump on this.
The news stations are demanding answers, and the American government is running out of time to control the narrative.
There’s been some light aggression at the border, a few bullets here and there, but no grand attacks. I barely see Caleb. He spends almost all his time at the border, working closely with Adam and Maverick. I spend my time in the hospital, assisting however I can.
Nurse June puts me to work.
The infants are doing well, particularly Chunk, but it’s almost two days until they’re cleared for travel. Caleb and I are leaving with them. Many shifters are remaining, lingering in case things with the Americans take a turn for the worse, but Caleb’s presence is no longer needed.
I’m beyond ready to go home. The room Caleb and I have been staying in is small, and the bed is uncomfortable. My hips hurt.
The marked humans left earlier today. They weren’t excited to leave the hospital without the babies, but all should be on their way to the converted warehouse Sash picked out for them. Their apartments should be ready by now.
I still haven’t spoken to the humans, but I intend to change that.
Sash says they’re adjusting better than expected.
They don’t trust the shifters and are putting up a hell of a fight, but they’re all in agreement that HPAW, and by extension the American government, has been lying to them. From what I’ve heard, they’ve rallied around the women who were forced into the breeding program.
The babies, too. They demand to be brought to the nursery to see them multiple times a day.
I finish packing Caleb’s and my bags. We didn’t come with much, so it’s quick to do. Caleb has a last-minute meeting, but he said it wouldn’t be long. It’s been almost an hour.
He’s probably gotten into another argument with the unmated wolves. They’re angry that they aren’t allowed to visit the humans, and they insist on pleading their case whenever they lay eyes on Caleb.
It doesn’t help that the blonde human woman who was discovered and grabbed by her mate asked to see him shortly after the incident. Antonio was all too happy to fulfill her request, beyond excited by the possibility of his mate accepting him.
I would’ve told him it was a mistake.
It took less than ten minutes for the blonde to juice every bit of information she could from her frightening shifter mate, and even less for her to run back to the humans and share it all.
Caleb almost burst a blood vessel when he learned what Antonio had done, but he hasn’t reprimanded him. He refuses to involve himself in mate business, even if it inconveniences him. Which it does. Greatly.
Antonio now meets with the small blonde multiple times a day, eager to tell her what’s happening if it means he can spend time with his mate. She thinks herself a martyr, giving herself up for the sake of the humans.
The door to our room opens, and Caleb steps inside.
“Everything settled?” I ask.
Caleb nods. “Half our warriors will remain here as a precaution. Maverick has chosen to keep a significant number of his men at the border as well.”
“And Everett?”
“He’s gone into hiding.” Caleb shakes his head. “He was irrational, and I suspect it’s dawned on him just how badly he fucked up. I don’t suspect he’ll show his face for several months.”
“What are you going to do when he does?” I ask.
“Me?” Caleb chuckles. “Nothing. Maverick and King will surely rip him a new one. I’m going to sit back and watch, and when he comes to me begging for help, I’ll take great pleasure in turning him away.”
I’m sure he will.
Somebody knocks on the door, and Caleb pulls it open. He blocks the door, so I can’t see what’s happening until he spins back around with Chunk in his arms. The little baby is squealing, his legs kicking as Caleb holds him facing outward.
I raise a brow. “What’s this?”
“Sash has agreed to foster Chunk until we find a suitable home,” Caleb says. I’m well aware of this, but it doesn’t explain why he’s currently in Caleb’s arms. “Sash is eager to get home. She misses Logan, and she asked if we could drive Chunk so she could shift and run.”
Is that so?
“I don’t understand,” I admit. “Why couldn’t he go with the other infants?”
It took some effort, but Caleb managed to secure safe transportation for the infants. There was a spot for Chunk within the vehicle.
Caleb looks guilty as he bounces Chunk.
I cross my arms over my chest, my gaze flickering between Caleb and Chunk. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the infants, but Chunk is by far my favorite. He cries for everybody but me.
I’m not great with babies, but Chunk doesn’t seem to care.
He’s obsessed with me.
“He was in a meeting with me when the other infants left,” Caleb finally admits. “I wasn’t expecting my meeting to run long, and I wasn’t paying attention to the time.”
Caleb is bringing Chunk to meetings? I bite my lip, trying and failing to stop myself from smiling at the mental image of Caleb leading meetings with a baby bouncing on his lap.
Caleb wants to adopt Chunk. It’s obvious by the way he clings to the baby, constantly stealing him from the nursery. He hasn’t brought up the subject with me, probably because he knows I’m not ready, but I’m certain the question is coming.
Caleb holds up Chunk. “He looks mighty handsome in his onesie, doesn’t he?”
The fleece is covered in tiny wolves, naturally, and it is pretty cute. Several outfits have been donated by the shifters, and more than half of them sport some sort of wolf pattern.
“He’s not ours,” I say.
Caleb frowns. “I’m aware.” Is he? He props Chunk up on his hip, then grabs our bag. “We should get going. It’s a long drive home.”
I follow him outside, unsurprised to see that a car seat and diaper bag have already been set up in the back of the car.
Chunk fusses as Caleb buckles him in, his happy grin shifting into an angry whine as he’s strapped in.
His face grows red, a telltale sign that he’s about to start crying, but Caleb sticks a pacifier in his mouth before it begins.
Chunk immediately settles.
“Should we give him a proper name?” I ask. “I feel bad calling him Chunk.”
Caleb hesitates. “I think it’s for the best that we don’t name him.”
Because he’ll get too attached.
We should talk about this.
Chunk’s big, brown eyes shift between Caleb and me as his car seat straps are adjusted, and I wonder how he feels when he sees us. We’re complete strangers. It must be frightening.
HPAW employees aren’t known to be the most affectionate, and I doubt any of the babies were receiving love and attention beyond what’s critical for physical and mental development.
“I’m sorry, Ev,” Caleb says, shutting the car door. His fingers brush against the back of my now-scarred hand. “I know he’s not our baby.”
It’s impossible to stay angry with Caleb when he speaks in his soft voice, the one I’m certain is reserved for me. Sighing, I push his hair out of his face. It’s getting long, the wavy strands falling into his eyes and covering his ears.
Caleb shuts his eyes as I run my fingers through his hair.
“It’s okay,” I say. “Let’s go home.”
The first half of our drive is spent in silence, minus Chunk’s continuous babbling.
“I plan to introduce myself to the humans once we return,” I say, filling the quiet. “Sash says they’ve calmed considerably, and she doesn’t believe they’re a risk to me. I want to get to know them.”
Caleb taps his fingers against the steering wheel. “They’ve stopped attacking the shifters because they understand nothing will come of it. You, my mate…” He spares me a glance. “You are a human. An easier target.”
“I don’t believe they’re going to hurt me.”
“They hate me, and you’re my mate.”
“I understand.” I lick my lips. “That’s why I intend to meet them without you. I’ll bring Sash with me. They’ve grown comfortable with her.”
I’m making an effort not to phrase this as a question. I want to be Caleb’s equal, and that means making decisions for myself. Enough decisions have been made on my behalf in my lifetime.
Besides, this is relatively low stakes. The humans don’t like me, but I’m not planning to go alone. Sash is more than capable of protecting me, as are the several shifters I’m sure Caleb will order to come along with me.
“This makes me nervous,” Caleb finally admits.
“I know.” I reach across the car console and grab his hand, practically prying it off the wheel. “I’m nervous, too.”
We fall silent. I bask in my quiet victory, feeling so damned proud of myself. Caleb isn’t like Daniel, or the other men who made decisions on my behalf while I was growing up. He’s protective, but he isn’t stifling. He trusts my opinion.
When his phone begins to ring, he wordlessly removes it from his pocket and hands it to me. It’s Sash.
I answer the phone and bring it to my ear. “What’s up?”
Caleb doesn’t react, but I’m sure he’s listening.
“I just got home,” Sash starts. She sounds faintly out of breath. “I rushed so I wouldn’t be late to pick up Chunk, but imagine my surprise when he wasn’t in the van with the others. I’ve been told that Caleb stole him from the nursery and hid until everybody left. Please tell me he’s with you.”
I shut my eyes in a slow blink. Caleb has the decency to look guilty, avoiding eye contact as he tucks his neck into his shoulders.
“Yeah…” I clear my throat and shoot Caleb a frosty glare. “Chunk is with us. We’re on our way back now, but it’ll be a few hours still.”
Sash breathes heavily into the phone. “I’ll be waiting.”
I hang up the phone, take a deep breath, and turn toward Caleb.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Why are you acting like this?”
Caleb shrugs, trying to brush off my question, before letting out a quiet sigh when he realizes I’m not going to drop it. His behavior isn’t normal, and I’m officially concerned. Something is clearly wrong.
“My wolf likes him,” Caleb quietly admits. Of course he does. “He’s… I don’t know. He’s excited by Chunk, and it’s hard to focus when he isn’t around.”
I turn, peering at Chunk through the mirror strapped to the backseat headrest. Chunk’s pacifier sits on his lap, and he somehow managed to kick off his right sock. His bare foot is tiny, and he grabs his toes with his equally small fingers.
His movements are slow and cautious, as if it takes every bit of concentration he has to touch his foot. It probably does.
“You asked me the other day if I was angry about that night,” Caleb starts.
He’s referring to the first night I asked him to finish inside me.
“You told me you were embarrassed,” I say.
Caleb clears his throat. “I am… Well, my wolf is. We both are, I guess. We were so excited, and my wolf is having a hard time accepting that it wasn’t the truth.
I want to have children with you, Ev. Badly.
More than I should. My wolf likes Chunk, and he’s eager to prove to you that I can be a good father. ”
I look down at my hands. I’m not sure what to say.
“It’s easy to ignore the urge when it’s just us,” Caleb continues. “But then I saw you feeding Chunk… It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you with a child, and my wolf knows that Chunk doesn’t have a parent. He got attached. He believes the baby is his. Ours.”
I sink into my seat, the seatbelt pressing into my throat.
“We can’t keep him, Caleb,” I whisper. “It’s not the right time.”
Caleb nods. “I understand.”
Chunk makes a noise, a mixture between a whine and a grunt. I look back. His nose is scrunched and his face is red, and he holds eye contact as another quiet grunt slips from his throat.
“He’s pooping, isn’t he?” I ask.
I’m sure Caleb can hear precisely what’s happening in Chunk’s diaper. For once, I’m grateful not to have enhanced hearing, and I crack a small smile as Caleb grimaces.
He pulls the car aside just as the smell of poop begins to spread. I stare ahead, lost in thought as Caleb attends to Chunk. Within minutes, the infant is returned to his seat with a clean diaper and both socks secured on his feet.
I glance back at Chunk.
Would I be open to adopting him if things were different? I really like him, even if the thought of caring for him is terrifying. I definitely love watching him and Caleb. I do want children someday.
I think I’d be a good mother. Maybe. I’m not really sure, I guess.
Caleb resumes driving. I open my mouth, feeling like I should resume our earlier conversation, but I have no idea what to say. I shut my mouth with a quiet click.
The remainder of the drive is spent in silence, and Caleb white-knuckles the steering wheel as we turn down Sash’s street. He doesn’t want to return Chunk, but it’s for the best. Despite what Caleb’s wolf feels, Chunk isn’t our baby.
Sash storms out of her house the second we pull into her driveway, and Caleb turns red as she rips open the back door.
“If you wanted to spend more time with him, that’s fine,” she starts, “but you can’t just go around stealing infants, Caleb. You caused a panic, and if you weren’t my brother and the alpha of this pack, I’d kill you.”
Caleb remains quiet, letting Sash scold him.
“Even Logan said you were out of line,” she continues, jerking her head toward the house. Logan stands in the doorway, and he presses his lips into a flat line as Sash brings him up. He clearly doesn’t want to get involved in this sibling argument. I don’t blame him.
The tension between Sash and Caleb is palpable.
Sash says nothing further as she slams the car door shut, leaving with Chunk. Logan follows her inside their home.
Caleb lingers in the driveway.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
Caleb shakes out of it. “Of course,” he says. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes.