“We’ll follow you there, boss,” one of the guys says, grinning with a knowing gleam in his eyes.
Caleb’s expression doesn’t budge. “Don’t call me that.”
“Fine. Alpha-to-be, then,” he teases.
From the way Caleb lets go of an almost exasperated sigh, it’s obvious they aren’t just acquaintances or coworkers. Something vaguely fond exists there, only heightened by how the others chuckle.
As the guys pile into the other vehicle, his attention shifts to me. “You two are riding with me. Get in.”
Biting my tongue, I pick Astrid up, feeling her arms instantly wrap around my neck, and I carry her to the back seats. In whatever act of defiance I can find, I get in the back with her, carefully buckling her in and keeping her close, given the lack of a car seat.
Caleb gets in and starts the engine up, glancing back at us in the rearview mirror before he starts driving.
Being in the vehicle with him makes it feel all too small and warm despite the subtle distance between us. I try to keep my attention on Astrid through the silence stretching between us.
Then, after a while, I feel his eyes on me again. “Are you going to tell me why the Wraith Peak wolves were after you?”
There’s nothing gentle about his tone now. It’s more assessing and calculating, making him sound more like a soldier than a man concerned for us. It isn’t surprising, really.
“I don’t know,” I mumble, despite the faint spark of hesitation lingering in the back of my mind. “They just were.”
His voice reaches me coolly, “I find it hard to believe they’d randomly target a mother and child unprovoked.”
“Then maybe you should try to believe it.”
A quiet huff escapes him, not quite amused, but not irritated either. “I suppose they can be unpredictable. Still… if you know something that puts the girl in danger—”
“Don’t,” I interject, voice sharper than intended. “Don’t pretend like you have any right to care about my daughter’s safety.”
Caleb’s grip on the steering wheel just barely tightens. “You think I don’t care if children get hurt? What do you take me for?”
“Someone who never thought twice about hurting me,” I mutter under my breath, bitterness front and centre. “So forgive me if I don’t trust your concern.”
Of course, he hears it all with his sharp senses, and silence surrounds us at once. He doesn’t look back at me, and he doesn’t attempt to defend himself.
After a beat, Caleb finally speaks, and there’s no lack of control in his words. “This isn’t about us.”
A part of me knows he’s right, but the other is well aware of the scars he left behind.
When I don’t say anything, he reiterates, “What did they want, Lila?”
“I told you. I don’t know,” I say again, knowing it’s a lie.
I do know. At least, I have a very good idea of what they wanted, and it wasn’t me.
But even with Astrid’s magic in mind, I can’t tell Caleb the truth. Not yet, and maybe not ever.
Not when he rejected the idea of any kind of bond between us after I was honest about how I felt about him, andwhat I sensed along with it. He ran from me like he couldn’t get over the embarrassment of us being together.
And I know his views on the use of magic. It wouldn’t end well.
“I know you’re lying,” Caleb says quietly, but he keeps his eyes on the road and focuses on driving. At the very least, he doesn’t press the matter.
When I feel Astrid tuck into my side a bit more, I rest my arm around her, bringing my opposite hand up to gently run my fingers through her hair.
I can still feel her apprehension, unsure of what’s happening or where we’re going, but she stays quiet regardless.
Her eyes dart over to Caleb, who glances at her in the rearview mirror in return, and something unexpectedly soft flits across his features.
