Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Irecognize the first woman immediately. Her freckles are distinct. She’s Logan’s mate. I don’t recognize the second woman. She looks no different from the typical shifter—tall and muscular, with dark hair and eyes, as well as a friendly smile.
Her gaze trails over me before sliding to Caleb and lingering. The hairs on my arm immediately stand on edge. Something isn’t right here. I push back my shoulders, mentally preparing.
Caleb stands. “I should’ve known you’d be the first to stop by.”
He rounds his desk and pulls Sash into a quick hug, but he doesn’t acknowledge the second woman. He turns to me. “I wish you two had met under better circumstances, but this is Sash, my sister.”
Sash is his sister? Caleb briefly mentioned having one, but I would’ve never guessed Sash. That makes Logan his brother-in-law. Is that why he has such an esteemed position within the pack? It makes sense.
Sash brings her hands to her mouth, trying and failing to hide her absurd smile. Why is she looking at me like this? She refused to look me in the eye after finding me in the cabin. She seemed petrified, on the verge of vomiting.
I try not to let my budding fear show as she approaches, her movements quick and steady. She cups my cheeks once she’s within reach. My lips smoosh together, and I glance between her and Caleb in horror. What the fuck is she doing?
“I’m so excited to formally meet you,” she says. “Caleb banished me from visiting the house, but the second I saw his car outside, I just knew you were here. There’s no other reason for him to drive.”
Sash leans in, pressing her cheek against mine.
HPAW is filled with large personalities. It isn’t anything new to me, and if Sash weren’t a shifter, I suspect I’d like her. She is a shifter, though, and she’s currently smooshing her face against mine. I’m not a fan.
When she releases me and steps back, I relax. Caleb is the only wolf I’m at ease around, and that’s only because of our damned bond.
Caleb finally gestures to the second woman. “And this is Grace.”
He gives her no other introduction, and after an awkward second, she steps forward and presses her cheek to mine just as Sash did.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Evelyn,” she says, her voice quiet. “I thought it would be best to wait to meet you, but Sash can be quite persuasive when she wants to be. She practically pulled my arm out of its socket when she saw Knox’s car.”
Sash presses her lips together with a poorly concealed smile. That smile drops as Caleb leans in and whispers something in her ear. I can’t hear his words, but even Grace seems unnerved. She straightens up and steps away from me—as if I were an infectious disease.
Both females look pissed, their eyes narrowed and posture stiff. What’s happening?
Sash is pulling Grace out of the room a second later. She slams against Caleb’s shoulder as she does so. Caleb doesn’t react to the aggressive move, but I imagine it would knock me on my ass.
“What’d you say?” I ask the second they’re gone.
Caleb drags his hand through his hair, then drops to his knees at my feet.
What. The. Fuck. Is. Happening?
“I’ve made a mistake,” Caleb admits, placing his hands on my knees. His touch sears me, even through my thick sweatpants.
He draws in a deep breath before leaning forward and pressing his cheek against mine.
“What is this?” I ask. “The cheek thing?”
Caleb hums, his facial hair tickling my skin. “It’s a sign of respect to bring your cheek to another. My sister and Grace were placing you above them. Between mates, it’s an apology.”
I don’t like the sound of this. “…And why are you apologizing?”
“When I turned twenty-five and still didn’t have a mate, I was expected to pick a female to marry at thirty,” he says.
My blood grows hot. I know where this is going.
“Grace and my sister have been friends since childhood. Grace’s mate died many years ago, and since she’s kind and already close to my family, I chose her. ”
Caleb is twenty-nine. He’s only months away from his thirtieth birthday. He’s been engaged to Grace for almost five years. I can’t breathe. Pure, unfiltered jealousy courses through me. I don’t want it, but there’s no controlling the emotion.
It’s beyond my control. It’s instinctual. It’s the bond.
“For you to meet her without knowing…” Caleb rubs his cheek against mine. I resist the urge to push him away. “It puts you at a disadvantage. I should have told you before we left the house today.”
My skin burns with emotion. I hate that Caleb was in a relationship before me, that Grace has stolen that experience from us. I grind my teeth. There isn’t an us. Caleb and I aren’t anything. I’m not a shifter, and I don’t believe in the mate bond. He’s nothing to me.
I have no reason to be upset. I refuse to be. I’m better than that.
“How have you two prepared for marriage?” I ask. Has he touched her? He claims to be a virgin, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been with her in other ways. “What have you two done together?”
Caleb opens his mouth to respond, but he’s stopped as his office door bursts open and three giant men come storming inside. They look surprised to see me, and they awkwardly slam to a stop before lining up beside the door and bowing their heads.
Caleb makes no effort to move. Doesn’t it bother him that other shifters are seeing him on his knees before a human? We don’t know much about shifter culture, but we do know their hierarchy is everything. Alphas are at the top.
The man on the right is the first to speak. “Alpha.”
Caleb frowns. “What?”
His voice is stern. Unflinching. I’m not familiar with this side of him.
The man on the right continues. “We found them.”
Found who? Caleb is already on his feet. I don’t miss how he places himself between the men and me, blocking my view. I lean to the side and peer around his waist. The three wolves are large, with bulging muscles and scarred skin. Soldiers?
They’re trying to look at Caleb, but their gazes keep darting toward me. I’m expecting to be met with hostility, but instead, I’m met with raised eyebrows and smirking lips.
“Where are they?” Caleb asks.
He practically growls the words. I curl my hands into fists as the low timbre vibrates through me. I like his voice. I want him to speak to me like this. I want him to ask me hard questions and order me around while he touches me.
The three wolves stiffen, their curious glances at me immediately vanishing. They’re looking at Caleb and only Caleb.
“In the square,” the one on the right says. “Logan is with them. They’re military, an HPAW unit. We haven’t gotten any information out of them yet, but they smell of your mate.”
HPAW? No. There’s no way they found the unit that brought me to the woods. Our plan was foolproof. They would’ve left hours before Sash and her mate reached me. They had more than enough time to escape.
Caleb is shaking, his arms quivering. Is he holding back a transformation?
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“We’ve found the men who attacked you.” Caleb peers at me over his shoulder. “Do you think you can identify them?”
I pause, pretending to think it over. I need to see these men. If Caleb’s shifters found the soldiers who brought me here, this has all been for nothing. The shifters will torture them, and somebody will crack. He’ll tell them who I really am. He will ruin everything.
“I don’t want to talk to them,” I say. I attempt to sound scared, and I know I’ve succeeded as Caleb places himself closer to me. He’s protective, and I plan to use that to my advantage. I’m just not quite sure how.
“I would never ask that of you,” he promises.
I clear my throat. “Then yes. I can identify them.”
My heart is pounding, blood rushing through my veins as Caleb lifts me into his arms and carries me downstairs. He’s gentle with me despite his mood, and I try and fail to steady my breathing.
“It’s okay,” Caleb whispers. He brings his lips to my temple, letting them graze against my clammy skin. “I won’t let anybody hurt you. Never again.”
He doesn’t bother forcing me into the ugly, orange coat as he carries me outside and down the street, but his arms keep me warm enough.
The men from his office follow, their hands clasped behind their backs as they walk in a single-file line behind Caleb. When we reach the busy street three blocks away from Caleb’s office, my heart drops. Fuck me.
They had more than enough time to reach their vehicles. What went wrong?
Caleb continues kissing my temple, distracting me with his touch. He’s trying to comfort me, not realizing the real reason for my anxiety.
Wolves crowd the square. There must be hundreds of them, and they part as we approach. Almost all bow their heads as Caleb walks past, but their focus is on me. Am I really that much of a wonder?
I scan the faces of the HPAW soldiers. The men are worse for wear, their faces bloody and their clothing half torn off. It appears they were dragged, and I notice several frostbitten, blackened fingers.
Shit. This wasn’t part of the plan.
Caleb tightens his grip, holding me closer.
A low, grumbling noise is pouring from his chest, causing mild vibrations.
The sound is frightening, but it’s nothing compared to my panic as I lock eyes with the HPAW soldiers before me.
It only takes one to ruin this entire operation.
I bury my face into Caleb’s neck, my breathing harsh.
He needs to believe I’m terrified of them.
“It’s okay, my mate,” he whispers. He shifts to the side, removing the men from my line of sight. “Are these the men who hurt you?”
I take a moment to respond. My answer won’t change their outcome. These men are going to die either way. They’re HPAW soldiers, and that alone is a death sentence. Perhaps their deaths will be quick if I say I don’t recognize them, but their scents are on me. I’ll be expected to explain why.
Caleb will know I’m lying.
My bottom lip trembles as I sink my teeth into it. I hate this.