16. Callum
CALLUM
The call comes in the early hours.
I come awake between one second and the next, my arm slung around Ash’s waist. He stirs beside me but doesn’t fully wake. I kiss his head and ease out of bed, already reaching for my phone: Lynx’s name on the screen.
“Hey.” I keep my voice barely above a whisper.
There’s a second’s hesitation while it registers where I am and why I’m whispering. “It’s Birch.”
I stiffen, then slide the phone between my ear and shoulder and start pulling clothes on. “Where?”
“Jet and Mal saw him in the forest close to Morgan’s old house.”
“They get him?”
“No. He was gone before they could get near.”
“Fuck.” I pull my boots on and deftly tie the laces while my mind scrambles to work out what this means. “They’re sure it was him?”
“Jet’s sure.”
Good enough for me.
I look at Ash, fast asleep again in a bed that smells like sex, like us, like ho—
Regret hits hard and sharp.
I should’ve told him.
Should’ve let him see the real me before we took this further. My gaze drops to the bite on his neck. I didn’t break the skin, but I bruised him. I marked him.
And I had no right.
Not yet.
Probably not ever.
Such a fucking mess.
“Cal?”
“Fuck, sorry.”
“We need you back. Now,” he adds, and there’s a trace of guilt in his voice.
Because he knows.
“Leaving in a sec.”
We end the call, and I close my eyes, taking a moment to fill my lungs with the scents surrounding us. Holding onto that breath for as long as I can, in case I don’t get to have this again.
It’s bittersweet.
But I made my bed. There’s no one else to blame.
No part of me wants to leave this room.
Leave him.
Not after what we did last night. But I have to. That’s non-negotiable.
But so is making sure he knows I didn’t sneak out without telling him.
The bed dips as I sit down. I stroke a strand of hair from Ash’s forehead. “Hey. Ash?”
His eyelids flutter, but it takes a gentle shoulder shake for them to open fully. “Hey.”
He frowns, nose scrunching slightly as he struggles to get his bearings.
“I have to go.”
He pushes himself up onto his elbows. “Why? What time is it?”
“Just after four. Lynx called. Club emergency.”
He sits bolt upright. Wide awake now. “Is Morgan—”
“He’s fine. Everyone’s fine. There’s a situation I need to help deal with.”
I can see the questions forming on his tongue, and the effort it takes to swallow them back down. “Okay.”
We stare at each other, the words left unspoken are loud between us. I cradle his jaw, thumb scraping over the dark stubble coming through. It gives him a rough edge.
I sigh because the clock’s ticking. I don’t have time for this, yet I can’t make myself get up. “I don’t want to go.”
I wanted to talk.
I wanted to tell you everything.
He doesn’t ask me to stay. Knows I can’t.
It still hurts when I push myself off his bed and grab my keys.
Still feels like it’s the last time he’ll look at me all soft and warm and say, “See you tonight?”
Still sounds like a lie when I smile back and whisper, “Yeah.”
I torture myself with one last look at the mark on his throat, the bone-deep ache for something I’ll never get.
I walk out of his room and don’t look back, lock the front door with the keys I stole and kept, and jog to where I stashed my bike what seems like a lifetime ago. As much as I love the throaty rumble as I start her up, love the smell of the leather and chrome, it’s not what I want tonight.
I want to feel the wind on my fur, the rough ground under my feet. I want to shift and run and let my wolf take over for a few fucking hours.
But that’s not an option.
Fucking Birch.
I head back towards the compound, leaving part of myself behind in Ash’s bed. A part I’ll never get back, because it’s his now.
Even if he ends up not wanting it.
Lynx greets me in the yard.
I’ve barely turned the engine off before he’s in front of me, the look on his face not one I want to fucking see. “Don’t.”
“Cal . . .”
He can smell it on me, can scent what I did with Ash last night. Even if I’d showered, he’d still know. They all would. “Not now, okay?”
He doesn’t like it.
Lynx is a fixer.
Alpha or club president, it makes no difference which hat he wears. We’re his responsibility, and being asked to let it go, to not help right now, goes against every instinct he’s got.
But he’s also my best friend.
And he’s been where I am, or as close as anyone here has.
He understands.
It’s that part of him that sighs but steps back instead of crowding in. That says okay instead of pushing. But instinct can only be suppressed for so long, and it’s the wolf in his eyes that promises we’ll revisit this later.
I can live with that.
“Where is everyone?”
“Church.”
Inside then.
I was hoping we’d be out by the tree, in the clearing, surrounded by fresh air. “Have I got time to shower?”
He’s about to say no—I can feel it—but he inhales again, realises exactly how hard it’ll be for me in a confined room covered in Ash’s scent and sex. It won’t be pleasant for the others either, but I’m feeling selfish right now.
“Hurry.”
I flash him a grateful smile. “Meet you there.”
I take the quickest shower I can manage. The scent is still there, but it’s subtle now rather than overwhelming. I can think clearly without the vivid reminder every time I breathe in.
Lynx, Flint, Morgan, and Jet sit waiting for me when I step into the soundproofed room at the back of the house. There are a few raised eyebrows, but no one comments. “Where’s Mal?”
“Watching Morgan’s old house, with Ren.” Lynx gestures to the sheet of paper in the middle of the table. “New rules. No one rides or runs alone.”
“Since when?”
“Since Birch.” He taps the paper and I lean forward to get a better look.
It’s a rota of sorts. Lists of tasks with pack/club member names alongside. They’ve been busy while I’ve been gone.
Lynx reads me easily. “We had time to kill.”
Fair enough.
I sit back in my chair. “Tell me about Birch.”
Lynx gestures for Jet to explain.
He scowls. “We saw him just before three this morning. Mal and I were watching the house. We shifted to get closer and burn off some energy—”
Lynx growls. “Both of you?”
Jet rolls his eyes. “It was dark, no one saw us.”
I get why Lynx’s concerned. Mal’s shifted form can be explained away, but Jet’s not so much. “And then what?” I prompt before this escalates.
“I caught his scent.” His lip curls.
I glance at Lynx, but it’s Morgan who lets out the growl this time. Low, menacing, full of a carefully banked rage. I don’t blame him.
“Then what?”
“We skirted around the forest.” He looks at Lynx. “Made sure to stay downwind of him. Or where we thought he might be,” he mumbles. “Took about fifteen minutes, but then he was there, skulking around the back of the house, just inside the tree line. Shifted.”
“Did he see you?”
“Don’t think so. One of the men came out back for a smoke, and he took off.”
“What d’you reckon he was after?”
Jet shrugs. “We know he was working with Fox. Maybe he’s trying to reconnect?”
“Maybe.” I rub a hand over my jaw, thinking. “Have you let the FBs know?”
“No.”
Lynx taps the table. “Maybe it’s time for another meeting.”
Flint scoffs. “They weren’t interested in talking last time. What makes you think they’ll have changed their minds?”
I think I know where Lynx’s head is at. “That was before. Birch is back in surrounding territory, but he isn’t back with his pack yet.”
“As far as we know.”
“Fine, as far as we know. But if we tell them that Birch is working with members of Fox’s old hunter group, I reckon they might be a bit more cooperative.”
Jet looks unimpressed.
Morgan too. “They knew what Birch was up to,” he spits. “At least some of them. They helped him ambush and kidnap me, Beth, Flint, and Mal.”
“I’ve not forgotten,” I say, keeping my voice soft. It’s a delicate topic, and tempers are already frayed. “I still think it’d be worthwhile meeting with them.”
“Maybe,” Lynx interjects. “But I think a meeting with Grey would be more beneficial.” He glances at me. “Any luck getting him to come here?”
Shit.
I haven’t checked since I sent the text yesterday. Too preoccupied with a certain dark-haired human. I pull my phone out. The screen is blank at first, and then a text comes through, from Grey. “It’s like he heard us talking about him.”
Grey: I’m in Leicester day after tomorrow. On my own. Could swing by after if I finish early enough.
I relay the message to the others.
Lynx glances around the table. “Let’s put it to a vote. Do we risk Grey coming here? If he gets discovered, the council will have questions, maybe send more hunters. If those at Morgan’s house see him, that might raise a whole other set of problems.”
“I think it’s a risk we have to take. We need answers and I think Grey can give them.”
“All in favour, raise your hand.”
Me, Lynx, Morgan, and Flint all raise our hands. Jet scowls for a second, then begrudgingly raises his.
Lynx looks at me. “Send the text.”
I fire off a reply to Grey, then pocket my phone. “Now what?”
Before anyone can answer, Morgan’s phone vibrates on the table. “Sorry,” he offers, looking at the screen. “It’s Ash.” He swipes open the message and his face cycles through a range of expressions: surprise, fear, before finally settling on resignation.
I already know what’s coming.
“He wants me to come get him and bring him here.” He looks up, eyes meeting mine.
“He wants me to tell him. Today.” It’s not pity I see in his gaze; it’s a shared realisation that this is it.
Depending on how this goes, we both stand to lose someone important.
Morgan could lose his best friend, his brother.
And me?
I’m not ready to name what Ash could be for me, but I’m terrified of losing it. I don’t have Morgan’s years of trust and friendship to fall back on.
No, I have weeks of building something between us that was based on a lie.
He thought I was human.
Pretty sure there’s no coming back from that.
Silence settles around the table, three pairs of eyes flicking between me and Morgan, until Lynx clears his throat. “We carry on as normal. Morgan can go fetch Ash. Everyone else, do what you were already doing.”
“Do you want us all here for when Morgan tells him?” Flint asks. “I was going to talk to Nico and Luke, see if we can get a clearer description of the house they were kept at, but I’ll be around.”
“I’m not due back at Morgan’s old place until tonight,” Jet offers.
Morgan sighs, fingers tapping on the table. “He’s not dangerous. It’s likely he’s going to be scared enough when I tell him. Let alone being surrounded by all of us.” He’s nervous—we can all smell it.
I am too.
Lynx grasps his shoulder and squeezes. Doesn’t offer any words of comfort though. There’s nothing he can say to make this better.
Flint stands, so does Jet. When Flint raises an eyebrow, Jet smirks.
“Thought I’d come with you.”
Flint rolls his eyes. “Of course you did.”
They leave the room, and it’s just the three of us.
Morgan’s gaze rakes over me and I catch his not-so-subtle inhale. “It’s serious between you two?”
I know what he can probably smell. We’ve been in here long enough for it to have reached him. “I—”
The lie is on the tip of my tongue.
The denial.
What’s the point, though? They’d both know, and scent never lies.
I blow out a breath, not wanting to admit what I’ve known for a few days now.
“I think for me, yeah.” I glance down at my hands, not wanting to see whatever’s on their faces right now.
“Maybe for him. Or it was headed that way . . .” I trail off, unable to finish that sentence.
Because that’ll all change when Morgan tells him what we are.
“I’ll take my bike,” Morgan says, voice soft, like I’m fragile. “Bring him back in his car.”
I can see a major flaw with that plan, but Morgan’s seen it too. “Whatever happens, I’ll have to drive him home, so it’ll give me time on my own to talk to him.”
I don’t like it.
Forcing Ash to be in close proximity with someone he might be scared of. It must show on my face because Morgan sighs. “He knows I’d never hurt him.”
“He knows human you wouldn’t.”
His face crumbles and I hate that I did that, but it’s the truth.
He slumps back in his chair, defeated. “If it’s that bad, I can always call his dad to come get him.”
Goddess, help us.
I share a look with Lynx.
He wraps his arm around Morgan. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Maybe you should just tell him at his house.” With Ash unable to drive himself away, it seems the logical choice now.
Morgan looks to Lynx.
Lynx shakes his head. “He won’t believe you without proof, and no fucking way are you shifting there alone.”
“No one else would be there. You could wait outside—”
“No.” There’s a growl to his voice, no alpha power, but I can feel the effort it took to refrain. “There are hunters in town.”
“Ex-hunters,” Morgan snaps, putting some space between them.
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll still put you down if they find out you shifted in someone’s fucking home.”
“How will they find out? You’re watching their every move.”
“Morgan,” Lynx lowers his voice, gentles it enough that I feel like I shouldn’t be here.
“Please. It’s too dangerous. You’re still new to this life.
Shifter emotions are heightened and unpredictable until you learn to control them.
I know you’re doing amazing so far,” he adds quickly when Morgan goes to speak.
“But do you really want to put it to the test alone with Ash?”
That knocks the wind out of his sails.
Morgan opens his mouth, then closes it. I watch the realisation sink in, and it’s not pretty. I know what he’s remembering. Lynx told me.
Morgan lost control when he killed Fox.
Granted, he’d only just been turned and it was a life-or-death situation, but Lynx is right—Morgan doesn’t have years of control under his belt. If he accidentally hurt Ash, he’d never recover.
And neither would the pack, because I’m not sure how I’d react to that.
I keep my emotions as locked down as I can, but Lynx looks my way while Morgan has his eyes closed.
He sees everything I’m thinking.
It’s written all over his face, because it would be the worst possible scenario for him, caught in the middle.
“It needs to be here,” he urges, and finally Morgan nods.
“Yeah. Okay.”
The three of us walk out together.
I stand with Lynx as we watch Morgan get on his Dyna. All lovingly restored by Beth after Birch’s kidnap attempt. Two others follow him out. Ash won’t see them, but they’ll be there, guarding.
My phone buzzes with an incoming text.
Ash: Morgan’s bringing me to the compound
Cal: Yeah, I know
Ash: I need to know the truth. I should’ve let you tell me last night. I’m sorry I didn’t
Cal: It’s ok
Ash: Will you be there?
Cal: Do you want me to be?
Ash: Yeah
Cal: Then I will be
“Fuck.” I suck in a shaky breath and tilt my screen so Lynx can read the messages.
His hand lands on my shoulder, grip firm. “Whatever happens, I’m here for you.”
“I know.”
Alpha, President, best friend.
I’m probably going to need all three versions by the time this is over.