It wasn’t exactly the way it had went, but it was close enough. Cal had a weakness for Ali, and he didn’t want anyone else to know that. They didn’t need to know about it because he was trying hard not to have any weaknesses that were so visible. It was hard to be vulnerable when he was the Alpha. If Cal looked weak, everyone that he loved and protected would be in danger. They still ran by the old rules, and anyone could try and take his pack at any time. It was the way of their people, guaranteeing that the strong would always be in the lead.
“So, what is she doing here now?”
Caleb was asking the question and Calum just shrugged. Cal had never liked having to explain himself to anyone. “He will come for her, and we’ll be ready for them. Maybe we can even end this once and for all.”
“What about when this is all over? The woman can’t know where we are and have no ties to us. That wouldn’t be safe for the clan. You have to think of something else to do with her.”
Cal didn’t like them arguing with him, but it was an elder that asked him what his plans were after it was all over. Calum had to answer Michael, not only because he was his uncle, but because he was one of the council. He may be the alpha, but the wisdom of the previous generations had been in the pack for generations and reverence was always paid to them, even by Calum.
“It was a quick decision to bring her here, and I will be the first to say that I haven’t thought it all the way through. I just know that he will come for her and we will end him. This will finally end the feud that has been going on all these years. After that, what will one human be to worry about?”
“She could be the one that gets us seen.”
“We were seen by many tonight when we took out the vampires. We take measured risk all the time, and I think Ali is one of those risks. She is worth it for what she can provide for us.”
Michael nodded his head. “You already know her first name.”
Cal didn’t comment because he was trying hard not to show anything beyond how he was feeling now. He didn’t want them to see the draw that he had to the human or worse, the error of his ways. He could have ended the night if he’d chosen differently. Now Cal knew he had to make it work. He’d gone through a lot to make this happen.
“We will revisit this next time we meet. I want to make sure everyone is on high alert tonight and on. No one is to leave alone. Everyone needs to be with someone if they are going to leave the village. We will have a couple of guards stay up around the clock, keeping up with the perimeter. This is going to be the last time we must worry about this coven. I know there are more out there, but this one is in our backyard, and we can’t stand for it any longer.”
There were cheers of agreement and Cal was happy that it hadn’t gotten into more of a discussion about Ali. He didn’t want them to know that she was there, but it was hard to keep anything from his brothers, especially when there was so much that was at stake. Cal didn’t know why, but he knew that the girl was going to play a major role in all of this. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew that there was a reason that they had met each other. There had to be. He didn’t believe in everything mystical, but Cal knew that some things weren’t just coincidences either.
