Glancing over my shoulder, I watch as shapes emerge from the trees. Two wolves jump out in a blur of dark fur, both flanking either side of me and forcing the others back. One slams another wolf down, eliciting a yelp before it squirms and darts back.
The leader braces himself, taking stock of the situation just as three others appear, but they haven’t shifted.
All three figures move with precision and unwavering conviction, almost like they’re unshakable. There’s something disciplined in how they keep the Wraith Peak wolves at bay.
Then, one of their faces registers, and I freeze.
No. There’s no way.
Caleb steps out, overwhelming me with his scent as he comes up beside me. His eyes land on me, unyielding and immediately assessing. His attention drops down to Astrid, expression unreadable.
For a moment, my heart clenches, wondering if he senses either her magic or the fact that she is his daughter… but he keeps going until we’re behind him. The sight of him alone steals the breath from my lungs.
He’s bigger than I remember. Broader and harder, as if shaped by his time away and sculpted into his prime. His dark hair is cropped and just barely growing longer on the top. The confidence in his form screams that he’s every ounce the leader he set out to become.
Four years. Four years of nothing but silence and the pain he left behind.
And now he’s standing there like a nightmare I thought I managed to shake.
“Caleb Graves,” the temporary leader says, schooling his expression with a smirk as if he hadn’t just been shaken by the sight of him. “Alpha-to-be. Long time no see.”
“Hayes Voss,” Caleb mutters, giving him a near-scathing look. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why not? We’re close to our border, are we not?” Hayes, apparently, says, sounding far too smug. “Surely you don’t mind us taking the weak one off your hands. You and all the others have forgotten her all the way out here.”
I feel the shift in Caleb’s demeanor, and the aura coming off him is frigid. “You aren’t taking anyone.”
Hayes laughs, but he’s lacking the same confidence he once had. He’s maintaining it as well as he can in Caleb’s presence. “And you think you can stop us? You’re surrounded.”
Caleb squares his shoulders, voice leaving him in a low, murderous tone. “Touch either of them and your father will find your remains on his doorstep.”
That makes him pause, if only for a moment. “You’re threatening an Alpha’s son.”
“An Alpha I don’t answer to,” Caleb returns, completely firm in his stance. “But you will answer for trespassing and threatening a child.”
The air is so thick with tension that the weight of it is far more oppressive than I thought possible, and more than anything, I just want it to be over. I want to get my daughter away from there.
Hayes lifts his chin. “If you suddenly care about them, then why are they living on the outskirts of your pack’s territory?”
“It doesn’t matter. You are on Briarwood grounds, and you’ve threatened members of my pack. I don’t take that lightly.”
“Your pack?” Hayes questions with a stifled laugh. “You’re not the Alpha yet.”
“No, but I will be soon enough. That’s why I’m here,” Caleb utters, taking a step closer and forcing Hayes back. His jaw clenches. “Lay a hand on my bride, and you won’t walk away from this.”
The world tilts immediately, and brutal silence falls over the clearing.
Bride?
I feel everyone’s eyes on me at once, all sharing in that same confusion.
Then Hayes scoffs, glancing at me briefly. “You’re claiming her?”
“I am,” Caleb says. “So step back.”
My mouth opens to speak, but no sound comes out.
He’s talking about me. Me, of all people.
