Chapter 30
Rissa
The pack house buzzed with anxious energy as we gathered around the sturdy wooden table, trying to figure out our next move.
Nathan stood at the head, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Gavin paced near the windows, casting worried glances outside at the darkening sky.
The enforcers, Marcus, Caleb, and Kendrick, huddled together, speaking in low, urgent tones.
Ula sat perched on a stool, her keen eyes studying each of us intently.
Krystal bounced her leg restlessly while Elle tried to distract Bryce with a video game in the corner.
From the looks of it, Bryce was sufficiently distracted, but Elle needed some help.
"We need to do another sweep of the town," Nathan said firmly, breaking the tense silence. "After dark, in our wolf forms. We'll cover more ground that way."
I exchanged a glance with Krystal. We both wanted to go, to help protect our pack. I cleared my throat.
"Krystal and I are good trackers, too," I pointed out. "Maybe not as good as Ula, but better than some." I looked pointedly at Nathan and Gavin.
Krystal nodded vigorously. "We want to help. We should go with you."
Nathan shook his head. "It's too dangerous. If we come across this guy, Gavin and I are the better fighters."
Gavin nodded in agreement. "You two should stay here, where it's safe. Help watch over the little ones."
I bit back a retort. They meant well, but it still stung. We weren't helpless.
The enforcers approached the table. "We can't all go," Marcus said gruffly. "One of us needs to stay behind and guard the pack house."
"Let's settle this the old-fashioned way," Kendrick suggested with a grin. "Rock, paper, scissors. Loser stays behind."
Caleb rolled his eyes but stuck out his fist. The three of them bobbed their hands in unison, then revealed their choices. Kendrick and Marcus both chose rock. Caleb had picked scissors.
"Looks like you're on guard duty," Kendrick said, clapping Caleb on the shoulder. Caleb scowled but didn't argue.
I suppressed a sigh. Once again, Krystal and I were being left behind while the men went off to play hero. It came from a place of love and protection but didn't make it any easier to swallow.
Nathan caught my arm as the others filed out of the room. "Rissa, wait."
I turned to face him, noting the concern etched into his rugged features. "What's up?"
He took a deep breath. "I need you to know that leaving you behind isn't about a lack of faith in your abilities."
"Could've fooled me," I muttered, unable to keep the bitterness from my tone.
"Riss, listen." His grip on my arm tightened. "The people in this room, you, Elle, Krystal, Bryce- are some of the most precious in the world to me. I need you here to protect them, to protect yourself."
His words gave me pause. I searched his face, seeing the sincerity shining in his brown eyes. "I get it. I do. It's just hard, feeling like I'm not doing enough."
"You are." He pulled me into a tight hug. "More than you know."
We held each other for a long moment, drawing strength from the embrace. When we finally parted, Nathan's gaze was fierce. "Be careful, okay? Stay alert."
"You too," I whispered, watching as he turned to join the others. The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving Krystal, Elle, Bryce, Caleb, and me alone in the pack house.
"Well, then." Krystal clapped her hands together. "Who's up for a rousing game of Monopoly?"
Elle and Bryce cheered, scrambling to set up the board. I glanced at Caleb, who stood stiffly by the window. "Are you joining us, Calloway?"
He shook his head. "I'll keep watch. You all play."
I shrugged, settling onto the floor beside Krystal. As we began to divvy up the colorful money, I couldn't help but notice Caleb's restless energy. He paced the perimeter of the room, constantly scanning the windows and doors.
"He's taking this guard thing pretty seriously," I murmured to Krystal as I rolled the dice.
She nodded, moving her token across the board. "That's Caleb for you. Always on high alert."
I tried to focus on the game, but my mind kept wandering to the others out there in the darkness. Were they safe? Had they found any sign of the threat?
Half an hour passed, and the only sounds were the clatter of dice and the occasional triumphant cry as someone acquired a new property. Caleb's pacing had grown more agitated, his movements jerky and tense.
Suddenly, Elle pulled out her phone, her fingers flying over the screen. I frowned, wondering who she could be texting at a time like this. A sense of unease prickled the back of my neck as I watched Caleb's gaze zero in on Elle's phone.
Something wasn't right. I could feel it in my bones. But what? What was I missing?
My phone vibrated in my pocket, startling me from my thoughts. I pulled it out, glancing down at the screen. A text from Elle lit up the display.
I didn't want to say anything where he could hear me, but Caleb is normally someone I can't get a read on. Tonight he's projecting his emotions really loud.
My stomach clenched with dread.
Okay, how is he feeling?
The reply came swiftly. She’d already been typing it.
I don't really know the right word. It's like he's got a bomb in his chest that's about to explode. Sometimes I feel that way when I have a lot of anxiety. Also, he's really, really, REALLY angry.
I stared at the words, a cold knot forming in my stomach. What could have gotten Caleb so riled up? I glanced at him, considering asking if he was okay, but something held me back.
And then it hit me like a freight train.
Caleb had no scent. Nobody had ever been able to scent him.
As far as I knew, he didn't have anybody he was really close to.
He was acting beyond weird now, and every time he'd sat in on a meeting where we tried to make a plan to go after our hidden enemy, it hadn't worked out.
It was as though we were being sabotaged from within.
The realization crashed over me with icy clarity. Caleb was either in on it, or he was the sole problem. He was the one targeting us or feeding information to whoever was.
My fingers shook as I quickly texted Krystal under the table.
It's Caleb. Don't ask how I know. Be ready to fight.
I watched Krystal from the corner of my eye and saw the moment she read the message. Her shoulders tensed, her jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.
I sent one more text, this time to Nathan. Just three numbers:
911.
My heart raced as I lifted my gaze to meet Caleb's across the room. His hazel eyes bored into mine, sharp and predatory. The bomb in his chest was about to blow. And we were right in the blast zone.
Suddenly, Elle's face paled, her eyes widening in panic. Caleb tensed, coiling like a snake ready to strike.
I leaped to my feet. "Elle, take Bryce and run!"
In the same breath, I launched myself across the table, shifting in midair. Fur rippled across my skin, bones, and sinew, realigning in a heartbeat as my clothes ripped off of my body.
Krystal moved with me, a blur of silver beside my black. We hit Caleb as one, but he was ready for us. He must have seen our silent exchange and realized his cover was blown.
He shifted with unnatural speed, but I managed to lock my jaws around his forearm before it fully transformed. I bit down hard, feeling my teeth grate against bone. He snarled, wrenching free and completing his shift.
We clashed in a whirlwind of fur and fury. Claws raked, teeth snapped. Caleb was bigger and stronger, his gray-and-white bulk dwarfing Krystal and me. But we had speed and desperation on our side.
The pack house dissolved into chaos around us. Furniture splintered, glassware shattered. Bryce's terrified cries echoed from somewhere far away.
Krystal yelped as Caleb's claws scored across her flank, sending her crashing into the wall. I lunged for his throat, but he twisted at the last second, his teeth sinking into my shoulder.
Pain exploded through me, hot and blinding. I thrashed, my skin tearing as I ripped free.
We circled each other, hackles raised, blood matting our fur. Caleb's eyes gleamed with a wild, fractured light. This wasn't just a fight for dominance. It was a fight to the death.
He came at me again, jaws wide. I feinted left, then dove low, seeking to hamstring him. But he anticipated the move, leaping clear and whirling to catch Krystal as she tried to flank him.
Time lost meaning as we traded blows. The coppery tang of blood filled my nose, my mouth. Every breath seared my lungs. My vision tunneled until there was nothing but the battlefield of the ruined great room and the enemy before me.
Krystal was limping now, one front paw dangling at an awkward angle. Caleb loomed over her, victory flashing in his gaze.
With a surge of desperate strength, I launched myself at him, aiming for the soft underside of his throat. My teeth met fur and flesh, sinking deep.
Caleb thrashed, trying to buck me off, but I held fast. I squeezed, his windpipe compressing beneath my jaws.
Something stirred in the depths of my being, a well of power I'd never touched before. It rose, fierce and bright, flooding through me like molten sunlight.
"Submit," I commanded through the pack bond, my mental voice ringing with the weight of an alpha’s authority. "Submit now."
Caleb's will clashed with mine, straining against the compulsion. But I pushed harder, exerting the dominance that was my birthright.
Slowly, painfully, he crumpled beneath me, the fight leaching from his body. His legs buckled, and he collapsed onto his side, exposing his belly in reluctant surrender.
I held him there a moment longer, my teeth still locked around his throat. Ensuring he knew, beyond doubt, who was in charge.
Only then did I release him, stepping back on shaky legs. Krystal limped to my side, her breaths coming harsh and fast.
The world swam back into focus around us. The pack house was in ruins, furniture overturned, walls gouged and bloodied. But we were alive. Elle and Bryce were safe.
"Shift," I ordered Caleb through the pack bond. "Now."
He whined, a low, pained sound. But slowly, his body began to ripple and change, fur receding, limbs elongating.
Krystal and I shifted as well, our human forms strange and vulnerable after the visceral intensity of the fight.
Elle and Bryce emerged from hiding, their eyes wide and frightened. "Is it over?" Elle whispered.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Bryce darted off and returned a moment later with a coil of rope. Together, we bound Caleb's wrists and ankles, ensuring he couldn't escape or attack again.
Krystal tossed a blanket over his naked form, her lip curling in disgust. "Traitor," she spat.
I opened my mouth to respond, but a sudden commotion at the door made me whirl around.
Nathan burst into the room, still in wolf form, a snarling mass of fangs and fury. Gavin and the others were right behind him, everyone growling and snapping.
I couldn't help it. A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. "You guys missed the party," I managed, gesturing to the destruction around us.
Krystal snorted, wincing as the motion pulled at her injuries. "Yeah, about time you got here."