9. James/ Rafael
James/ Rafael
JAMES
I was restocking the front pastry case, head down, trying to line the last tray of lemon bars just right. My fingers worked automatically, but my thoughts were miles away.
On overdue bills, on Rafael’s mouth on mine, on how long I could keep pretending I was fine. That’s when it hit me. That electric prickle at the back of my neck.
It was like a warning. Like the air had thickened around me and was pressing in, slow and heavy. Like I was being watched. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, hackles up, tail tucked. Uneasy.
He didn’t growl, didn’t bare his teeth. He curled low, alert and wary, ears flicking toward the front windows. I straightened, slow. My heart thumped once, hard. Then again. Louder.
I wiped my hands on my apron and glanced up, telling myself it was nothing. Just my nerves acting up again. Just the echo of too many sleepless nights. But I knew better.
Sugarpaw Springs was usually calm this time of day. A few pedestrians. The occasional couple or dog walker. But when I looked out, I didn’t see calm.
I saw the delivery van parked across the street. Idle. Too idle. I saw the squirrel scrambling up the tree like it was trying to escape something.
I also saw a man, mid-thirties, dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie zipped halfway up, big and broad, with an ugly scar cutting through one brow.
He was standing near the corner, just out of reach of direct sunlight, half-hidden in shadow.
Pretending to scroll on his phone like he had nothing better to do. But he wasn’t reading. He wasn’t texting. His eyes kept flicking up. Watching the bakery. Watching me.
I recognized him. Not by name, but by presence. I’d seen him before. A few weeks back, loitering near my apartment building, same hoodie, same dead-eyed stare.
He’d leaned against a fencepost then, flicked a cigarette onto the pavement when I walked by. He hadn’t said anything. He didn’t need to.
The mesSean had been clear. My blood went cold. Avery. How dare he? How dare he send someone here?
This wasn’t some back alley. This was Wolf and Whisk. This was my safe space. My haven. The one place that hadn’t yet been tainted by Joel’s debt, by the suffocating mess I inherited the day my brother died.
I ducked behind the counter, nerves buzzing so loud I could barely hear myself think.
Was this it? Was today the day everything unraveled? I could feel it, like the tension in a storm cloud ready to burst. Callum would see. Rowan. Cyrus. Everyone.
The secret I’d worked so hard to bury was clawing its way to the surface. I reached for my phone, hands shaking. Thought about texting Rafael. No. I couldn’t keep dragging him into this.
He’d already done more than enough. Instead, I took a deep breath and tried to pretend everything was normal. Just a guy with a phone. Just a weird coincidence.
Until I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Callum.
He was behind the counter, wiping his hands on a towel, eyes narrowing as he caught the same vibe I had. Of course he did. Callum missed nothing.
His entire posture shifted in a blink. From relaxed alpha to deadly calm protector.
“James,” Callum’s voice came from behind the counter. “You okay?”
I blinked and plastered on a fake smile. “Yeah. Just zoning out.”
Callum looked unconvinced, and worse, alert. He turned his head just slightly and looked out the window. The way his body tensed told me everything. Oh no.
Without a word, Callum wiped his hands on a towel, untied his apron, and headed for the door.
“Callum, wait—” I started, tossing my apron off and scrambling after him.
The bell above the door jingled as he stepped outside, and I cursed under my breath and followed. The sun was too bright, the street too quiet, like the whole world was holding its breath.
The goon straightened the second he spotted Callum coming for him. He looked like he was debating whether to bolt right then.
“Callum, stop!” I yelled.
The man across the street straightened, clearly recognizing Callum as trouble.
Callum crossed with deliberate steps and called out, “You got business here?”
The shifter didn’t respond. Just slipped his phone in his pocket and squared his stance like a challenge.
I felt sick. “Please, don’t escalate—”
“Because if you’re watching one of mine,” Callum continued, still calm but sharp as glass, “I’d like to know why.”
The goon’s lips curved in a faint, mocking smile. “Just waiting for someone. Relax.”
Callum took a single step forward, menace in every line of his body. “Try again.”
And the guy caved. He turned and ran. Bolted down the sidewalk like he’d been lit on fire. I didn’t even feel relief, just a sick, twisting dread that settled low in my gut.
I turned toward Callum. He was still staring down the street, shoulders rigid, mouth tight.
Then he looked at me.
His disappointment hit like a punch to the chest.
“Inside,” he said, voice low.
I followed like I was walking to my own execution. My feet felt like bricks. My lungs barely worked. I felt like a glass cup balancing on the edge of a high shelf. One wrong breath and I’d shatter.
I’d worked so hard to keep this secret from them. From Callum. And now it was all falling apart, right here, in the open. Because Avery had crossed the line.
He hadn’t just sent warnings to my door, or creepy voicemails in the dead of night. He’d invaded my place. My pack’s place.
We went back into the kitchen, where Rowan and Cyrus were finishing prep. One look at our faces, and they cleared out fast, promising to take their lunch early.
Callum folded his arms and leaned against the stainless steel counter. “Talk.”
I hesitated.
He raised a brow. “Now, James.”
I felt sick. “It’s… not what you think.”
“Then tell me what it is.”
I swallowed hard. “That shifter… he’s one of Avery’s. The loan shark. I’ve been paying off a debt. It’s not mine, not really. It was my brother’s.”
Callum’s jaw tightened. “Joel?”
I nodded.
“I didn’t know Joel owed that kind of money.”
“Yeah, well,” I said bitterly, “neither did I. Not until after he died and one of Avery’s guys showed up at the apartment with a contract. Apparently Joel forged my name.”
Callum blinked. “He what?”
“I’ve been paying it off every month,” I said quickly. “I didn’t want to drag the pack into it. I thought… I could handle it.”
His brows drew together. “You’ve been dealing with this alone?”
“I didn’t want to be a burden.” The words felt like glass in my throat. “You already took me in. You gave me a job. A home. I didn’t want you to think I was using you.”
Callum looked at me like I’d just kicked his dog. “James, you’re part of this pack.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t,” he said, voice firm. “Because if you did, you’d know keeping something like this from me isn’t just foolish. It’s dangerous. What if that guy had done something to you?”
“He didn’t. Rafael—” I broke off too late.
Callum’s gaze sharpened. “Rafael?”
Just then, the bell jingled again. Of course. Rafael walked in, eyebrows rising at the silence and tension hanging like a storm cloud in the kitchen.
His eyes landed on me. “You okay?”
I nodded, but Callum turned his attention to Rafael. “So you knew?”
Rafael’s stance shifted. Guarded. “I didn’t know everything.”
“But you knew enough,” Callum said, voice tight. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“That’s not my call,” Rafael said quietly. “James trusted me with it. I wasn’t going to betray that.”
A beat of silence passed. Tense. Loaded.
Callum exhaled, long and slow. “I’m not angry. But I’m disappointed.”
That hurt more than I thought it would.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“I’m not asking you to be sorry, James,” Callum said. “I’m asking you to let us help you. You don’t carry this alone anymore. That’s what a pack is for.”
I couldn’t hold his gaze. I felt like a kid again. Like I’d let down a teacher or a parent. Not just because I’d hidden the truth, but because I’d believed, deep down, that if Callum knew, he’d push me away.
But he hadn’t. He’d stepped in.
“I’ll take care of it,” I whispered.
Callum looked at me for a long moment. “No. We will.”
Then he turned and walked out, leaving Rafael and me alone in the suddenly too-quiet kitchen.
I didn’t speak. Rafael leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching me.
“You okay?” he asked again, softer this time.
“No,” I admitted. “But I think I will be.”
He nodded. “You should’ve told him sooner.”
“I was scared,” I said.
“I know.”
We stood in silence, and I couldn’t stop myself from stepping closer. “You came into the bakery that day because you knew something was wrong, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“You were watching over me,” I said.
“Still am.”
That did something to me. I felt it all the way to my bones.
“I didn’t mean for you to get dragged into all this,” I said.
“You didn’t drag me,” Rafael said. “I walked in. Eyes open.”
I reached for his hand. He let me take it.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
His fingers tightened around mine. “You never have to thank me for protecting you.”
And just like that, some of the pressure in my chest eased. Maybe this was the start of something better. Not just surviving. Not just paying off Joel’s mistakes, but actually living.
* * *
RAFAEL
James was laughing again.
I’d only meant to drop off the extra bag of cinnamon sticks Wolf and Whisk had requested last week. Beau had gotten a deal through one of our vendors, but I lingered a little too long in front of the window.
Inside, James stood with Callum, Rowan, and Cyrus, the trio of wolves taking turns making each other crack up while they prepped dough.
James tossed back his head and laughed at something Callum said, full-bodied and bright. I should’ve felt happy for him. That was the whole point of coming here.
Making sure he was okay, especially after what happened yesterday. He looked okay. Good, even. So I turned to leave.
But I’d barely made it a block before I felt that unmistakable hum of power, like a live wire in the air. A quiet tension that tightened everything inside me. Callum.
The wolf alpha fell into step beside me, silent for a few paces. I didn’t need to look at him to feel the weight of his stare.
His energy, while contained, pressed against my skin. It wasn’t a challenge, not exactly, but my grizzly bristled anyway, ever ready to square up to an alpha out of instinct.
I kept my steps even. “Let me guess,” I muttered. “You want to talk about James.”
“You were going to walk off without saying a word,” Callum observed.
“Didn’t think he needed me right now.” I flicked a glance his way. “Seemed like he had his people.”
Callum exhaled slowly. “How long have you known?”
“About the debt?” I nodded. “Not long. A couple weeks, maybe. I only found out because I followed him one night. Something felt off.”
Callum’s jaw ticked. “You followed him?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Not proud of it, but something didn’t sit right. That’s when I saw one of Avery’s guys waiting near James’ building. The same shifter from yesterday. The mesSean was clear.”
“And James?” Callum asked. “What did he say?”
I paused. “He didn’t want me involved. Said he was handling it. But… he’s not.”
I could still remember the look in James’ eyes. He looked panicked, exhausted, brittle at the edges, and the tension that rolled off him in waves when he thought no one was watching.
“He’s barely scraping by,” I went on. “He told me he’s been living on cupcakes and instant ramen half the week. He eats like crap and smiles through it.”
Callum’s hands curled into fists at his sides.
“He hasn’t been joining us for drinks after work,” he muttered. “I thought… I thought maybe he just needed space.”
“He’s good at hiding the worst of it.” I looked down. “But the interest rates Avery slapped on him are absurd. I don’t think he can make it another few months without something giving out.”
The alpha’s eyes flashed gold, just for a second. I didn’t blame him. I’d felt the same fury boil up in me when I saw that goon corner James. When I tasted the fear on him and wanted to break something.
“You should’ve come to me sooner,” Callum said, voice low.
I shook my head. “It wasn’t my place. James didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t want to be a burden.”
Callum’s silence was louder than any shout.
“He sees you,” I added quietly, “and the rest of the pack, as family. You know that, right? After Joel… after everything, James thought he was doing the right thing by not dragging you all into this.”
Callum looked away, jaw still clenched. “And what do you know about Avery?”
“I’ve been asking around. Quietly,” I said.
“Some of the other shifters and paranormals in town have heard whispers. Avery and his crew showed up maybe two months ago. Kept low at first. But lately, he’s been working more aggressively.
He’s targeting desperate folks. Debt offers, fast money, off-the-books deals. ”
“Of course,” Callum muttered. “The rats always know where to scurry.”
“He’s careful, though,” I added. “He knows about you. About Beau. He’s not dumb enough to confront either of you head-on.”
Callum nodded slowly. “Because he knows he’ll lose.”
I didn’t respond. He was right. If Avery tried to go toe-to-toe with either of the two local alphas, he’d be flattened. But Avery was a bottom-feeder. He didn’t need to win a fight.
He only needed to avoid one long enough to worm his way into people’s lives and make it hard to pull him out.
“This town…” Callum rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not officially claimed by either me or Beau. We’ve made it work. Balanced it. But that means we’ve also been limited in how much territory-wide law we can lay down. We’re not the enforcers. We’re just… the ones people trust to keep the peace.”
“Which Avery’s trying to test,” I said with a nod.
Callum’s eyes narrowed. “And now James is caught in the middle.”
I hesitated, then said, “Will you talk to Beau? I think we need to coordinate. Quietly. Before this spreads.”
Callum’s lips thinned. But he nodded. “Yeah. This needs to be nipped in the bud. If Avery thinks he can use this town like his own personal ATM, we’ll make sure he thinks twice.”
We both stood there for a moment, the early afternoon wind gusting down the street, ruffling our jackets.
Then Callum turned to me. “And Rafael?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For watching out for him. Even if I wish it had gone differently,” Callum said.
I gave a stiff nod. “He means something to me.”
Callum’s eyes softened just slightly. “Then don’t let this ruin him.”
He didn’t say more. Didn’t need to. He turned and headed back toward the bakery. And I… I stood there, stuck in place, heart pounding.
James meant something to me. Hell, that wasn’t even the whole of it. He mattered.
And now that everything was out in the open- his debt, his struggle, the way Avery had slithered into his life like a poison vine- I wanted to shield him even more.
But I also had to ask myself: was I doing this for James? Or was I trying to rewrite a chapter of my own life I still regretted?
Maybe both. I dragged a hand over my face and let out a breath. No matter the reason, one thing was clear, James had me. He had Callum and the other wolves.