Chapter 16 - Caleb
Something about this whole thing irks my inner wolf, even if it feels irrational.
Letting Lila work again feels more like ungluing her from my side and giving up that instinctive hold I have over her. Even letting her anywhere outside of my reach puts me on edge.
Such a loud voice in my mind is screaming at me to keep her stowed away at home, where I know she’s safe, and where nobody can look at her wrong, where no Wraith Peak bastards can even get close. I know I shouldn’t, but that urge is so demanding that I almost can’t drown it out.
But if I cage her, she’ll retreat within herself, and she’ll hate me all over again, throwing our progress right out.
Lila survived years of relying only on herself, not me. She doesn’t forgive easily, and half the time, I’m not sure she forgives at all.
I want her trust, and to gain even a sliver of her respect, I have to earn it.
Doing that requires making sacrifices, which also means swallowing back the need to hover and to snarl at any male who even glances in her direction.
My inner wolf never used to be this trigger-happy over the most minute things, but I have the bond to blame, along with all the unresolved issues between us.
Just keeping her locked up in the house until things cool down with Wraith Peak is tempting, but I can’t.
It’s terribly humbling. Infuriating, even, but I’m trying.
“Earth to Caleb,” Jack says, waving a hand in front of my face. “Are you still with us?”
I’m not, but I grunt back a response anyway. I glance between him and the few guys nearby, surveying the woods around us. “Yeah, I am.”
He gives me a pointed look as if he doesn’t fully believe me, but he moves on. “We were going over the reports from last night. There was more activity from Wraith Peak on the Northern border.”
“Not surprising,” I mutter, willing myself to stay present in the moment regardless of how difficult it is not to drift back to Lila. “They haven’t exactly been trying to keep a low profile.”
The forest is quiet around us, almost to the point of eeriness. Light filters through the trees and the fog, making the air look thick. I listen for every rustle, every snapping twig, and I pull in every shifting scent on the wind.
Nothing is out of the ordinary here, away from the general public, but even knowing the northern pack has grown braver makes my jaw clench anyway.
Luke, Hunter, Zane, and Dominic are around, some patrolling deeper into the woods while the others linger around, growing curious about the pack for their own reasons. If need be, they might have information to relay back to their own packs when they decide to head back.
“Hayes made it very clear that they want someone… or something. If they’re persisting still, then obviously they aren’t over it.”
My teeth clench together at the implication. He doesn’t even need to say her name for us to both know.
Instead of touching that topic, I keep walking.
For as well as he usually reads me, Jack continues anyway. “Speaking of someone…”
“No.”
He huffs out a breath and follows along. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Yes, I do. And no.”
“Fine, but I’m saying it anyway.”
I glance at him then, gaze thoroughly unimpressed. “Jack.”
“Caleb,” he returns with a grin. “You’re already in deep. I know you’ve been thinking about her all morning. You may know how to block the rest of us out of your head, but I can still feel how active your thoughts are.”
My glare only deepens, but he doesn’t look repentant in the slightest. “I didn’t ask for your observations on my personal life.”
“And I’m calling it as I see it.”
I inhale slowly, trying to maintain as much patience as I can. “What does it matter? She’s my mate—of course I think about her.”
That seems to stir a hint of amusement in him, but he eases up on the teasing. “I’m just saying, you let her go back to work, and you’re letting her walk around like she isn’t presumably a target. Obviously, it’s doing something to you.”
My inner wolf reacts immediately to that, burning with violence beneath my skin.
Even mentioning her vulnerability is enough to set me off.
Out of everyone, Jack is the last person I should be losing my cool to, given how loyal he has been to me since the very beginning, but in this state, anyone is a target.
“Look, I’m not judging. I’m just concerned,” he says with placating hands. “You’ve been acting differently, and it won’t take long for the others to notice.”
“Good,” I snap, barely keeping the tension hidden beneath the surface. “I need to be different for her.”
“Why?”
“Because of everything,” I say with an exhale, running a frustrated hand down my face. “Because of the pack, this transition, and everything that happened between Lila and me before. I’m trying not to screw everything up.”
“Caleb Graves… capable of screwing up? I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
Annoyed by his relentlessness, especially now, I give him a warning look. “Hilarious.”
Jack grins to himself, but nudges me as we continue walking through the trees. “You know what I’m getting at. People are still talking, and some of them think you chose wrong.”
“Don’t remind me,” I bite back.
“Some are saying you should’ve picked someone more familiar with the role. Someone—”
“Enough,” I utter, voice dropping lower before I can stop it.
He sighs. “I’m just saying what they’re too scared to say to your face. I don’t want them thinking like this either.”
“They can think whatever they want. I don’t care.”
As harsh and dismissive as it sounds, it’s the truth.
I don’t care what they think of her, and I don’t care what they think of me as a result.
I need their loyalty, yes, but this is one decision they can’t shake me out of. They’ll fall in line eventually, or I’ll force them to.
When it comes to Lila and Astrid, I’m not playing games.
Jack studies me for a beat, and the humor in his expression fades into something more serious. “You really mean it, don’t you? The bond and the claim.”
“Yes, I do,” I tell him, throat tightening. “As I said, it isn’t some random thing.”
His brows lift slightly. “Even after everything before?”
Something in me aches as I swallow, and the memories flicker in my mind.
I can see my younger self so clearly in all of my stupidity, haunted by the way Lila had looked at me, and how she confirmed my own suspicions that day, how I refused to acknowledge that connection because it contradicted every plan I had for myself, and since she had been forbidden fruit from the very beginning.
But maybe that made her even more tempting to me, and forced the bond to bring us back together.
“I made my decision. The ceremony has been done, and I’m not breaking the bond.”
With some of his understanding creeping in, Jack nods. “Then you should be ready for whatever comes next.”
“… Which means?”
“Even if the others eventually accept Lila, that doesn’t mean Wraith Peak will stop until they get what they want,” he says, tone grave.
I sit with that fact, well aware that he’s right. I have more than one issue to contend with, and above all else, I have to keep Lila safe. I just can’t keep her stashed away to accomplish it.
We both pause, letting whatever else we wanted to say die on our tongues as the wind shifts again.
An unfamiliar scent hits me all over again. It’s all wrong.
It sure as hell isn’t one of mine.
“Do you smell that?” Jack asks, glancing at me with controlled alarm.
Breathing in slow, there’s no mistaking it. It isn’t local. I’d know if it was.
And they’re not alone.
“We’ve got movement,” Luke says, voice carrying through the trees. He glances back to where Zane is concealed deeper in the woods. He signals something, then Luke adds, “Two… maybe three.”
My lethal instincts sharpen at once, aligning with one singular objective.
Protect and eliminate any threats to my pack or to my mate.
“You think it’s them?” Jack asks, moving with me carefully through the space to draw closer.
“It has to be,” I murmur, keeping my eyes peeled for any movement that doesn’t belong to us. “No other packs have any reason to move through the area without warning. I’d be informed as soon as possible if that were the case.”
He nods, going quiet again to not bring us any attention.
If they are infiltrating, then they’ll be watching for us, and if we can gain some sort of upper hand over them, then it would be worth it.
My pulse thrums from the cold, honed readiness I’ve mastered over the years.
Beneath it, something else stirs. That thread… the whisper of our connection at a distance tugs deep in my chest.
Lila.
I pull back, brushing against that invisible cord in silent question. In return, I feel a subtle reaction. It’s nothing big, just a light nudge confirming that she’s okay.
There’s no panic, and no spike of fear, and it’s enough to soothe me out of rampaging.
Still, my stomach is in knots. When anyone is somewhere they shouldn’t be around here, I know it, and it’s my job to handle it.
Wraith Peaks are encroaching again in broad daylight, where anyone could see them, human or otherwise. They’re pushing deeper and deeper, and every time they do, their intentions become abundantly clear.
But this is why I left home, trained, and pushed back, becoming the Alpha for as long as I could. This discipline can’t be learned in the woods without unbiased authority.
I knew the day would come when my pack and my mate would need a leader who could handle more than ceremony and tradition.
And if today is that day, then I’ll be ready.
Either way, nobody pushes into my territory without being warned. Nobody touches Lila, and nobody threatens what’s mine.