“I wouldn’t know.” Jude lifts his chin a little. He holds Caleb’s gaze without flinching, which I respect. A lot of wolves can’t do that with an alpha, especially one from a pack they don’t belong to. “Haven’t been back there in years.”
“No?” A line appears between Caleb’s brows.
Evan steps forward, arms crossed, positioning himself at Caleb’s shoulder. He doesn’t offer his hand. “Are you saying you’re not affiliated with any pack?” I suspect he knows the answer already. Evan does his homework on new wolves that come to Golden Peak. Plus, he’d have known from Jude’s scent. An unaffiliated wolf smells different. No layered pack markers. Just his own.
Jude meets Evan’s stare without blinking. “That’s right.”
“By choice?” Evan presses.
“Does it matter?”
Evan’s jaw tightens, but before he can respond, Caleb raises one hand slightly — barely a gesture, but Evan backs off.
“It doesn’t matter,” Caleb says simply. He picks up the whiskey Jim has placed on the bar for him. “Liam trusts you. That tells me enough for now.”
I smile, proud that Caleb values my judgment. Jude registers the remark too and some tension leaves his shoulders. He trusts I have his back which makes me feel even more protective of him than I already am.
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Jude says. “I just want to do my job and live a peaceful life.”
Caleb nods slowly. “Then we won’t have any problems.” He takes a drink of his whiskey, and when he lowers the glass, there’s something almost warm in his expression. “Sara told me how you two handled things at the drugstore.”
“She told you about that?” I widen my eyes, then immediately feel guilty.
Caleb laughs. “Were you going to keep it from me, Liam?”
My face warms. “Well, if it were something serious, I wouldn’t have. But she’s a good kid who slipped up and gave into peer pressure. The drug store owner didn’t want us to do anything but give her a warning. I don’t think she’ll do anything like that again. She looked mortified. She’s learned her lesson.”
He nods. “I’m glad she came to me and told me. I know it’s hard because I’m her dadandthe pack leader. But I don’t wanther to be afraid to come to me when she’s in trouble, just because of my position.”
“She respects you, she doesn’t fear you,” Jude says.
Caleb considers this. “I hope that’s true.”
“She wouldn’t have told you what happened if it wasn’t.” Jude shrugs. “To be honest, she didn’t want you to find out, so the fact she volunteered what happened is a good thing. She’s a teenager, so she’s going through some things, but it’s obvious your respect is what matters most to her.” Jude hesitates. “By the way, I’m… I’m sorry about your loss.”
Caleb drops his head and sighs. “Yeah, losing my wife has been the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s been rough, but I have my kids and the pack to protect, so I have to keep going.”
Evan frowns. “You’d better keep going. We don’t want any other alpha but you.”
Caleb laughs gruffly, looking at his enforcer. “Don’t worry. I’m not stepping down anytime soon.”
Evan doesn’t speak, but he looks relieved as he throws back his shot of whiskey.
“Anyway,” Caleb says. “I appreciate you boys giving Sara a break. You two enjoy the rest of your evening.” Caleb smiles and turns to walk to a table in the back.
Evan hesitates, his measured gaze still on Jude. But then he turns and follows Caleb to the back table.
Once they’re out of earshot, Jude lets out a slow breath. “That wasn’t stressful at all.”
I grin. “Caleb liked you, I could tell.”
Jude laughs dryly. “I don’t think Evan liked me much.”
I glance back toward where Evan is settling into his chair next to Caleb. “Evan’s protective. It’s his job to be suspicious of outsiders. Don’t take it personally.”
“I don’t.” Jude picks up his beer. “I’d expect no less from a good second.”
“Caleb accepted you so Evan will follow his lead.”
