Chapter 2 - Kaleb
I sighed heavily as I pinched at my eyes, looking away from the paperwork that Brandon sent me.
But my mind traveled back to the last conversation I had with Nora.
I knew I had been a little harsh, but I could see just how hopeful she was when she spoke.
If I weren’t abrupt and rude, I knew she wouldn’t let me go.
I lied when she said she was sure I felt the same, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. Since returning home and seeing the shape of the pack, I knew I would never take a mate.
Growing up as the son of Dale, my life had always been a balancing act.
I wanted to please my father but also stand up for Jade.
But it was enough, so I figured maybe if I left, things would be okay.
Nora was supposed to go off to school, and if I were out of the house, maybe our father would change.
I’d been wrong. Coming back, I listened to the way he spoke about Jade and being a single mother.
I always hated how he spoke about our mother and just how deeply his viewpoints were embedded.
I saw it when we came back. I knew if I wanted to help the pack and be a good part of it, I wouldn’t be able to balance it all like I had before.
I never wanted to be like my father. I didn’t want to grow up and focus so much on the job that I neglected my wife. I didn’t want to view one child as more important than the other. I never wanted to follow in his footsteps.
And a way to make sure that never happened was to never settle down. I could find happiness in being the best brother for my sister and being the fun uncle for Ilsa. I didn’t need to look for anything more.
“What are you doing?” I looked up from my papers as my father stepped into the kitchen. He walked to the coffee maker, starting it up. I pulled my papers into a neat stack. I made sure he never saw what I was working on. “Just some stuff for Brandon.”
I never gave my father details about what was going on. I knew better than to give him ammunition for whatever war he was trying to wage. Ever since his big blowout with Brandon, it seemed my father was extremely interested in what we were doing.
My father’s eyes looked at the papers before looking back up at me. “What are your plans today?”
“I have a meeting with Brandon and the guys in an hour. Jade and I are going to the farmers’ market later today.” I glanced at my phone, knowing I needed to shower before I left. I grabbed my papers and pulled myself up. “What are your plans today?”
“Lunch with a friend.”
I gave my father a nod before heading down the hallway. I took a quick shower and headed to City Hall, where Brandon’s office was. I found him flipping through some statistics that were on his desk, and I threw myself into a chair.
“Welcome in,” he said without looking up from his papers. “The door is always open,” he added sarcastically.
I gave half a laugh as I rolled my neck. “Where are the others? I thought the meeting was for now.”
Before Brandon could answer, Asher and Westley stepped inside. They both looked tired, and I knew it was because they were doing scouting for over nights. Brandon had a schedule where at least one of us had to be awake at all times. Just in case.
“Can we make this quick? I’m exhausted,” Westley said as he sank into a chair next to me. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his black hair looked wet like he’d just showered.
“Long night?” I asked.
The guys nodded. Asher rubbed at his neck. “We had a hybrid that came close to the border, so we went hunting. We lost it. Westley went to bed for a couple of hours, and I stayed up. We’re both going to sleep after this.”
“Was it just one?” Brandon asked.
They both nodded. “Yeah, just the one. We haven’t seen one in a couple of weeks, so it caught us all off guard.”
Brandon rubbed at his head. “This is getting frustrating, not knowing what the full picture is. Wasn’t this supposed to take us a max of three months?”
We all nodded in agreement. We were under the impression that the hybrids were coming to our town to make a base, but it wasn’t that simple.
They were going to the surrounding areas, taking out the small places, and we were their final destination.
But we had no idea who was next. We didn’t know when they were going to strike or how to prepare ourselves.
Everyone was able to protect themselves, but I wasn’t sure if they could handle hybrids if several of them came at us all at once.
It was clear from when Brandon and Jade came back with the other pack that the hybrid had numbers, and they were slaughtering us.
That little town didn’t stand a chance against them.
“Did you get any responses back from the surrounding areas?”
Brandon shook his head. “No, I’ve sent several emails hoping to have a discussion, but only a few have responded. The only one that took my threat seriously was Luke, and only because he encountered one in the forest.”
“No one is taking you seriously?”
Brandon shook his head. “They think we are making it up, which I understand. It’s hard to believe something is out there that could be more powerful than us.”
I rubbed my hand over my jaw, working it. I wished people believed us more. We should be trying to figure this out together, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“How is Jade’s training with her magic going?”
“She’s getting better. We think she can sense out about five miles. She has moments still when she can feel one is getting near. It’s useful, but I know it’s also bothering her that she can’t be more helpful.”
“It’s new still,” I added. “Her body is still adjusting.” I was still adjusting to the information that my sister was a witch. It wasn’t just in her blood, but she was a full one. She was powerful with magic we didn’t even know was in her.
“She’s been working on using her fire ability more, but she gets tired. She then gets frustrated because she can feel it, but she has a hard time controlling it. It’s a work in process.”
“Is there any other witches she can work with?”
“She’s looking into talking with a few, but she hasn’t done any training with them. She’s mentioned it.”
“Might be helpful,” Asher said. “They would be able to guide her more than any of us would.”
I could see that Brandon looked hurt, and I knew it was because he wanted to help Jade. He wanted to be able to guide her and train her like he had with building up her muscles and basic training, but this was different. We couldn’t help her with magic.
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “I just know we don’t have a lot of time. None of us does.”
The meeting ended quickly, and Asher and Westley left eager to get back to bed.
I leaned back in my chair, watching Brandon, seeing the weight that was bearing down on him.
Being the Alpha was a responsibility I knew he could handle, but he was taking over from someone who seemed to care very little, and I knew the workload he was taking on.
“Do you need any help with anything?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
“You sure? I can help you if you need it.”
Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to go with Jade to the farmers’ market?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but if you need me here.”
He shook his head. “No, you go and have fun at the farmers’ market.”
I snorted. “Have you been there? Fun isn’t the word I would use to describe it.”
He laughed. “You’re saying a day with your sister and niece isn’t fun?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m saying that the market isn’t my cup of tea.”
Brandon leaned back. “You have fun with that.”
I groaned as I pulled myself up and headed out. I headed over to the market that they had set up at a park that was across from city hall. I found Jade and Ilsa looking at the flowers at a stand with a big market bag.
“Uncle Kaleb!” Ilsa yelled as she moved past Jade, running toward me. I smiled as she threw herself into my arms, and I hugged her tightly.
“Hey! Did you guys start without me?”
“Someone couldn’t wait to get flowers,” Jade said as she walked toward us with a bouquet of yellow daisies.
“Those are nice.”
“She likes to keep some in her room. A habit she picked up since we moved in.”
Ilsa giggled as she nodded her head. “Flowers are pretty.”
I took my gaze toward the market, and my eyes froze when I spotted Nora a few stands away. She was wearing a sweater dress with long black boots. Her hair was under a sun hat, and she looked stunning as the sun shone on her. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at her, taking her in.
She’d been avoiding me since her proclamation. She hadn’t come over to Jade’s house when I was there, and anytime I ran into her, she somehow slipped away before I could even catch her to talk.
“Who are you staring at?” Jade asked as she hit me with her elbow. Her eyes froze as she spotted Nora. “I didn’t realize she was here.” Jade looked at me. “Did something go on between you two? You guys seem off.”
“No,” I told her, shaking my head and quickly putting on a smile. “Nothing. Let’s get shopping.”
Jade narrowed her eyes at me, not believing me, but she didn’t press the issue. Her eyes traveled past my head, and they widened. “Oh, come on. I asked for one day, Kaleb. You had to bring him?”
I frowned, confused at her. “What?” I turned, and my body stiffened as I spotted our father walking across the yard toward us, but he wasn’t alone. He had a young, blonde gal walking with him.
“You invited Dad to join us for this? I didn’t want the farmers’ market to be a family event, Kaleb.”
“I didn’t invite dad, I don’t even know how he knows…” I paused, remembering that I had told him I was going to be here today.
Jade threw a glare my way before our father stopped. “Jade, Kaleb. This is Elizabeth.”
Jade nodded. “I know who she is. She’s Dr. Laurence’s eldest daughter.” Jade offered a tight smile, but I could see it didn’t reach her eyes.
Elizabeth gave a smile in return. “It’s lovely to meet you both.”
“As much as I would like to stay and chat, Ilsa and I are here to get stuff, and we only have so much time before all the good produce is gone.” Jade gave another forced smile. “It was lovely to meet you, Elizabeth.”
Jade took Ilsa and turned, leaving me with them. I was half ready to run away with my sister, but I knew better. My father was here for a reason, and I didn’t know what it was.
“What brings you two here?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at my father.
“I ran into Elizabeth while I was on my way to get a coffee, and I figured I could bring her down to meet you.”
“Yeah, I’m actually newly back in Belrose. I just finished college and decided it was time to come back to my roots and settle down.”
My eyebrows went up, and I glanced at my father, who held a smug smile. It then clicked in. This wasn’t just a meeting. My father was trying to set me up.
I ground my teeth together. “Is that so?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I actually start working with my father in a month. Gave myself a little wiggle room to get comfortable again. I have a few houses I’m looking at.”
“Kaleb is in the middle of purchasing a house,” my father added.
Elizabeth’s eyes seem to twinkle. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve looked at some. Having a hard time narrowing it down.”
“Isn’t that just the truth?” Elizabeth chuckled softly. “I was just about to go grab myself some of their pumpkin spice coffee. Do you want one?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m good. I’ll take a black coffee, though.”
Elizabeth nodded as she walked away, heading for the coffee stand. I turned to my father and growled. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m helping you meet, Elizabeth. She’s wonderful.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to settle down, Kaleb. You’ve been in town long enough and your Beta. There is no need to drag your feet.”
“You do not need to butt your nose into my business and certainly not my relationships.”
“I’m trying to set you up with someone who will be a good mate. Someone powerful and strong. Elizabeth is smart and the daughter of a beloved doctor, so you know she’s respectful.”
“I, again, do not need your help.”
“Here you go,” I turned as Elizabeth walked back toward us.
My eyes went past her, where I spotted Nora.
She was standing near the flower stand with a guy next to her.
I could see that Nora was uncomfortable.
I could see it in the way she was standing, slightly leaning away.
She was nodding as she stepped back, trying to break away, but the guy only walked closer to her.
“So, have there been any houses you were looking at putting an offer in on?”
I looked at Elizabeth as she batted her eyelashes. I could tell she was interested in me and not just because of what my father may have told her. But I wasn’t interested.
I looked past her again, looking at Nora.
The guy was still with her, and I could tell I was getting jealous.
I shouldn’t because I was the one who turned her down.
It wasn’t logical for me to be upset, but I was.
I had no reason to do anything. But as I watched them, I knew I couldn’t just stand by.