There was another long silence, this one rife with tension, which immediately made me suspicious. Finally, Darrell spoke. “Well, you come on back to Prater, darlin’. We’ll take good care of you.”
“Thank you so much, Uncle Darrell,” I said softly. “It means so much to me.”
“When can we expect you?” he asked, his own voice growing affectionate.
“Is tomorrow too soon?” I asked.
He laughed a little. “Not at all, darlin’. I’ll see you then and we’ll find you a place to stay.” He paused for a second. “I’m not trying to pry here, Chloe, but why are you coming to us instead of your grandmother, Sophia?”
I had my answer ready. “She’s furious that I’m leaving a third pack. She didn’t want me to leave Mom and Dad to begin with, but she said that this is the last straw.” I sniffled. “She said she’s done with me.” It was all a lie of course, but Darrell wouldn’t know that.
While Gram didn’t understand my wanderlust, she loved me enough to let me go my own way. Mostly because she knew I was too much of her granddaughter to be dissuaded. When Sophia MacArthur wanted something, she found a way to get it. I was just like her in that respect.
“Oh, my poor Chloe. Well, you come up here tomorrow. If you don’t mind something a little old and run down, I have a small cabin outside of town that you can use. That way you’ll have a little privacy while you get your head together.”
“That sounds perfect, Darrell. Thank you so much.”
“Call me when you get into town, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
“See you tomorrow, Chloe.”
“Tomorrow, Darrell.”
I disconnected the call and set the phone on the table in front of me. Then I smiled.
It wouldn’t be long before I had the truth.
Chapter Four
Lachlan
Igroaned asI pushed the bar away from my chest, trembling from the effort. I settled the weights back on the rack with a clang and lay there panting. Fuck, how had I let myself spiral so far down that I could barely lift such a light amount?
Moving slowly, I rolled up into a sitting position and grabbed the bottle of water by my feet. Nine hundred pounds might be more than a normal human could bench press but it was the weight I used to load on the bar for a light workout.
I looked down at my shirtless torso and noticed that at least my ribs weren’t quite so pronounced any longer. Over the last week, my appetite had returned and I’d gained weight. My muscles were still leaner than they used to be, but the bulk was returning.
I heard the door slam overhead and Calder’s light step across my kitchen.
“Lach?” he called.
“In the basement,” I answered.
He came down the steps, stopping on the bottom to study me. “You still look like shit,” he commented, “But I’m glad to see that you’re putting on weight.”
It seemed like he said that every time he saw me these days. I laughed, the sound rusty and harsh. God, when was the last time I’d laughed? More than eighteen months ago, that was for sure.
“Fuck, Calder, if I’d known you were coming, I would have put on some make-up for you.”
He grinned, his green eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’ll be sure to call ahead next time and bring my camera.”
I flipped him off as I lifted the water bottle to my mouth to take another huge gulp. “What’s up?” I said after I drained the last of the liquid.
The smirk on his face faded as he came further into the makeshift gym I’d set up in my basement, settling his ass on another weight bench. “I just got a call from Brian Kirkpatrick.”
My brows lifted. “The alpha down in Houston?”
