10. Fiona
10
FIONA
T he next morning, Fiona watched Caleb prowl around the community center like a caged animal, snapping at anyone who dared approach him. His dark mood cast a shadow over the normally bustling atmosphere, making volunteers scatter whenever he came near. When he barked at sweet old Emmett for dropping a box of decorations, she'd had enough.
"Okay, that's it." She marched over and grabbed his arm, the heat from her fingers seeping through his shirt sleeve. "You're coming with me."
"I don't have time for-"
"Now." She dragged him toward her office, ignoring his protests. The muscles in his arm tensed under her grip but he didn't pull away.
Once inside, she shut the door and crossed her arms in front of him. "What's eating at you? And don't say nothing because you're acting like someone replaced your coffee with motor oil this morning."
"There's another traitor in my pack." He paced the small space. "Victor knew about the festival. Someone told him."
"And?"
His blue eyes narrowed. "And for all I know, it could be anyone. Even you."
Heat flared in her chest, matching the anger bubbling up inside her. "Excuse me? I've spent every minute of the last day organizing this thing for you. I've called forty-seven suppliers, coordinated with fifteen different pack members, and filled out enough paperwork to wallpaper this entire building." She poked at his chest. "Why would I do all that just to sabotage it?"
"To gain our trust-"
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to sabotage you, I'd just do a terrible job managing this place. It would be a lot less work than orchestrating some elaborate betrayal."
Caleb stopped pacing. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly. "That... actually makes sense."
"Of course it does.”
Fiona perched on the edge of her desk, watching Caleb's brooding form by the window. The morning sun caught his dark hair, highlighting strands of midnight blue she hadn't noticed before. She shook her head, focusing on the problem at hand rather than how unfairly attractive he looked when he was sulking.
"You know what's not going to help find your traitor? Terrorizing everyone who walks through those doors."
"I'm not-"
"You made Jenny cry. She's been volunteering here for six years."
His shoulders slumped. "I'll apologize."
"And what about Mrs. Chen? She brought those amazing dumplings for the volunteers, and you barely grunted at her."
"Those were good dumplings," he admitted.
An idea sparked in her mind, making her straighten. "What if we fed false information to flush out the spy?"
His blue eyes locked onto hers. "Go on."
"We tell different volunteers different pieces of fake intel about having our own spy in Nightfang. See which version makes it back to Victor." She tapped her chin. "Like how we know his favorite breakfast spot, or what time he goes running."
"That... could work." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're devious."
"I prefer strategically minded." Heat crept up her neck at his appreciative look. "Besides, wedding planning taught me how to manage drama. You wouldn't believe the schemes I've uncovered between warring mother-in-laws."
He stepped closer, close enough that she caught the woodsy scent of his cologne. "Tell me more about these schemes."
"Well, there was this one time-" She stopped, narrowing her eyes. "Nice try, but we're not done discussing your attitude problem."
"I thought we solved that with your spy plan."
"The plan helps find the traitor. Your growling at everyone like a rabid chihuahua is a separate issue."
He blinked. "Did you just compare me to a chihuahua?"
"Would you prefer pomeranian?"
The laugh that burst from him transformed his entire face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. Fiona's breath caught in her throat. She'd never seen him look like that before.
"Anyone ever tell you you're a pain in the ass?" he asked.
"Frequently. Usually right before they thank me for being right."
Fiona watched the volunteers file into the community center's main hall, their excited chatter echoing off the walls. The late afternoon sun streamed through the windows. She stood next to Caleb, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from him, as they waited for everyone to settle.
"Alright everyone," Caleb's deep voice cut through the noise. "Let's go over the festival plans."
Fiona stepped forward with her clipboard. "We've got the food trucks lined up, face painting for the kids, and live music from local bands." She glanced at her notes. "Oh, and thanks to Mrs. Chen's connection, we scored those amazing paper lanterns at half price."
"And speaking of connections," Caleb added, his tone casual but his eyes sharp, "we've got someone on the inside of Nightfang feeding us information."
The room burst into whispers. Fiona scanned the crowd, noting reactions. Most seemed surprised or excited, but Kyle, one of the newer volunteers, shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
After the meeting wrapped up, Caleb caught her eye and nodded. They split up, mingling with different groups. Fiona chatted with Jenny about balloon arrangements while keeping Kyle in her peripheral vision.
"So, about those centerpieces-" Fiona started, but stopped when she saw Kyle slip out the side door, phone in hand.
"Sorry, Jenny, rain check?" She hurried after him, her boots clicking against the floor.
Outside, the crisp autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves and... was that cigarette smoke? She followed it around the corner, staying close to the building's brick wall. Kyle's footsteps crunched ahead of her on the gravel path leading to the woods.
"Oh, you sneaky little..." she muttered, creeping closer. Her heart pounded with the thrill of the chase, though a small voice in her head questioned the wisdom of following a wolf shifter into the woods alone. Then again, no one had ever accused her of having an abundance of common sense.
A twig snapped under her foot, and she froze. Kyle's footsteps quickened, heading deeper into the tree line. The setting sun painted everything in shades of orange and red, making it harder to keep him in sight between the trees.
"Great idea, Fiona," she whispered to herself. "Chase the potentially dangerous shifter into the dark woods. This definitely won't end up like every horror movie ever made."
Fiona crept closer, keeping to the shadows of the trees. Kyle's voice carried through the crisp evening air.
"Yeah, they've got someone in your pack. That's what Rivers just told everyone." Kyle paused, listening. "No, I don't know who... Yeah, I'll keep digging."
A wicked smile curved Fiona's lips. Caught you, you sneaky little rat. Fire danced at her fingertips, warming her palms with familiar comfort. She stepped out from behind a thick oak tree.
"Hey Kyle, making a phone call?"
He spun around, nearly dropping his phone. "I was just-"
"Save it." Fiona thrust her hands forward. Fire erupted from the ground in a circle around Kyle, the flames reaching above his head. The heat made his face glisten with sweat as he backed away from the walls of fire.
"Caleb!" She projected her voice toward the community center, knowing his enhanced hearing would pick it up. "Got something you might want to see!"
Kyle's phone clattered to the ground as he raised his hands. "This isn't what it looks like."
"Really? Because it looks like you're calling Victor to tell him about our supposed spy." Fiona kept her focus on maintaining the fire cage, even as leaves crunched behind her. "By the way, how's the reception out here? Must be great for all that tattling you've been doing."
"I wasn't-" Kyle started, but cut off as Caleb emerged from the trees.
"Nice work," Caleb said, eyeing the fire cage with appreciation. "Though you could have waited for backup before confronting him."
"Where's the fun in that?" Fiona smirked, though her arms were starting to tire from holding the flames steady. "Besides, I had it handled. Fire witch, remember?"
Caleb's nostrils flared as he turned to Kyle. "Want to tell me who you were just talking to?"
"My girlfriend," Kyle squeaked.
"Try again." Caleb's voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "I can smell the lie on you."
Kyle's shoulders slumped. "Victor's going to kill me."
"Victor's the least of your problems right now," Caleb said. "Wade!"
Wade materialized from the shadows, making Fiona jump. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to enjoy the show." Wade grabbed Kyle's arm through a gap in the flames. "Should I take out the trash, boss?"
"Please do." Caleb nodded, and Wade dragged the protesting traitor away.
Fiona lowered her arms, letting the fire cage dissipate into wisps of smoke that curled through the autumn air. Her muscles ached from maintaining the flames, but the satisfaction of catching Kyle made it worth it. Dried leaves crunched under her boots as she turned to face Caleb.
"That fire cage was impressive," he said, his blue eyes reflecting the last glowing embers floating between them. "And the spy trap idea? Brilliant."
Her cheeks flushed, and for once it had nothing to do with her magic. "Just doing my job. You know, keeping the riffraff out of your community center."
"Our community center," he corrected, stepping closer. The woodsy scent of his cologne mixed with the smoky aftermath of her magic, making her head spin slightly. "And you did more than that. You protected the pack."
Her heart did a strange little flip at the word 'our.' Since when did his approval matter so much? Yet here she was, practically glowing from his praise like a teenager who'd just been noticed by her crush.
The last rays of sunlight filtered through the trees, catching the midnight blue highlights in his hair. Fiona found herself wanting to reach out and touch them, to see if they felt as soft as they looked. She quickly shoved that thought away. This was Caleb - grumpy, overprotective, surprisingly sweet when he wasn't being a pain in the neck Caleb. She absolutely was not developing feelings for him.
Was she?