by Anya Nowlan
“Then what is the point, huh? I know it’s a lot. You think I don’t realize that? But she is important to me, and I can’t keep her safe on my own. You guys are my family. Who else was I going to turn to?”
“Oh, now we’re your family?” Caleb laughed, a hollow, humorless sound. “How convenient. At least your father knew the pack always came first.”
Now that was a low blow, and Caleb knew it. The gloves were officially off.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” Tate scoffed, narrowing his eyes him. “I’m not committed enough, not dedicated enough, just because I want a life outside of the pack? Thinking about what I want doesn’t make me a bad person, Caleb.”
“No. It just makes you a bad leader,” he replied.
Tate threw up his hands in frustration, shaking his head at the man he used to consider one of his closest friends. This was a new level of stubborn, even for him. There was a time to respect tradition and to honor the rules of their kind, sure. But there was also a time when a man had to make his own choices.
“I never wanted to be a leader, and I definitely don’t want to turn into my father,” Tate growled. “There are larger things at stake here than just our pack, and we need to do the right thing. I’m not saying this just because I care about Tessa. This goes beyond her and me, beyond all of us. This is about stopping an evil son of a bitch from getting his hands on…”
Caleb held up a hand, cutting him off.
“My first and only concern is this pack, and I am not dragging our brothers into a fight we don’t even understand,” he said, running a hand down the back of his neck. “Out of the question.”
“You think it doesn’t eat me up inside, just asking this of you? Of my brothers?” Tate asked, taking a step closer to Caleb. “But you have to see the bigger picture here. And you have to let our brothers make this decision for themselves.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” Caleb replied.
Frustration boiled within him but thinking of Tessa and what would happen if he couldn’t make this work made him take a breath and focus, instead.
“Will you just listen to me for once in your life? We have an opportunity to do something important, to help people. How are you going to walk away from that? How can you stand aside in this little bubble you’ve created for yourself and watch innocent people suffer?” Tate asked, doing his best not to raise his voice.
“My only responsibility is to my brothers, and their families. Everyone else is on their own,” Caleb stated, turning away from him. “I have nothing else to say.”
Twenty-Five
Tessa
Tessa watched Caleb stomp away, looking more like a pissed off bear than a wolf. He didn’t even look her way before slamming the front door shut behind him. Tate followed soon enough, throwing her a look that didn’t exactly fill her with confidence.
“He doesn’t believe us?”
“It’s not as much that as it is he doesn’t want to put the pack in danger,” he replied, coming to sit down next to her. “Word is going to spread quickly about what was said here. We don’t have secrets in the pack. Everyone will have their own opinion, but at the end of the day, it’s Caleb’s call. He can’t kick me out of my own pack, but he might insist you leave.”
“I don’t want to cause trouble for you here,” Tessa said as she shook her head.
Clearly, Tate had a lot more on his plate than just a demon chasing after them. More and more, she was beginning to regret he ever got sucked into all this. But then again, it wasn’t like she was to blame that damn amulet fell into her lap.
Neither of them had asked for this to happen to them. But they couldn’t turn back time. And they certainly couldn’t let Loch get his hands on the necklace.
“You’re not the one causing trouble,” he replied, taking her hands in his. “I left this mess behind, and I’m the one that has to deal with it. And there is no way I’m letting Caleb decide for the whole pack. Everyone should have a voice when it comes to something as important as a demon creating a portal into our world.”
“Sounds like something a leader might say,” Tessa remarked, letting the warmth of his skin seep into her.
She didn’t yet quite know what to make of Pinedale, or the wolf pack. Sean had definitely seemed nice, while Caleb had kept glaring at her when Tate was telling their story. The other council members, two older men named Reeve and Collins, had mostly kept their thoughts to themselves.
But for some unknown reason, she did feel safe there. Maybe it was being surrounded by shifters that had her breathing a little more easy, or the out of the way location of the pack lands, but excluding worrying about Tate and his relationship with his shifter family, there was a weight lifted off her shoulders.
“Caleb would probably disagree with you,” Tate chuckled. “He basically told me I’m selfish and have no business being Alpha.”
“Right,” Tessa raised a brow, feeling her temper flare. “And it wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact he wants your spot? He’s already taken over as council leader.”
The man’s constant glaring and frowning aside, Tessa was finding it hard to see Caleb in a kind light. Tate might think of all his fellow wolves as brothers, but to her, Caleb didn’t seem like someone to be trusted. Not particularly brotherly, at any rate.
Then again, she was going to be suspicious of anyone who was being a jerk to Tate. That was just a knee-jerk reaction at that point. Tate was the best man she’d ever met. How dare anyone even imply anything to the contrary?
Oh boy. I’m in way over my head, aren’t I? she thought, looking into his cool gray eyes.
“Caleb’s not a bad man,” Tate sighed. “He cares about the pack, and about our traditions very deeply. But he’s also stubborn as all hell. He doesn’t think this is the pack’s fight, and chances are, he won’t ever change his mind on that. I get it, he wants to keep our brothers safe. But he’s ignoring the bigger picture.”
“No one will be safe if Loch gets the amulet.”
“Exactly,” Tate replied. “But this discussion isn’t over. I haven’t given up my claim on Alpha just yet, so I still have some pull around here. I don’t need Caleb to reconsider if I have enough of the pack on my side.”
Tessa was about to ask how much was enough, when the front door swung open. A woman with brown hair and a bright smile walked inside, followed by a little girl. She couldn’t have been more than eight years old, her hair in neat pigtails and her pink overalls just a little too long for her feet.
The woman stopped in her tracks when she spotted Tessa and Tate on the couch.
“Uncle Tate,” the little girl squealed, running straight for them. “Daddy said you were on a trip,” she chirped, climbing onto Tate’s lap and throwing a curious glance Tessa’s way. “Did you make a friend?”
“Hey, Shelly,” Tate laughed. “Yes, I did. This is Tessa,” he explained, looking over to her. “Hey, June,” he added with a grin, looking up at the woman who Tessa guessed was the little girl’s mom.
“I heard you were back,” June replied, leaning on the doorway leading to the living room. “Didn’t really believe it until now.”
Dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a white t-shirt, she looked effortless yet put together, her short brown hair sleeked into a bob with small golden earrings dangling from her ears.
“Here I am,” Tate replied, earning a small smile from the woman.
“I got a new doll,” Shelly interjected. “You can play with it, you and Tessa.”
“Not right now, Michelle,” June said, waving her daughter over. “Go play in your room, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“But mommy,” Michelle started to argue, but one stern look from June made her climb off Tate’s lap.
“Later,” Tate promised, earning a smile from the little girl, if only for a moment.
Pouting to herself, she walked away, stomping her little feet in a way that was eerily similar to how Caleb had stormed out not long ago. Crossing her ar
ms, she set her sights on the same hallway Tate and Caleb had disappeared to earlier.
Tessa felt like the odd man out, intruding on lives she didn’t belong in. But Tate grabbed hold of her hand again, anchoring her at his side.
“The council is done already?” June asked, walking over and sitting down in a chair opposite them.
“I told my story,” Tate shrugged. “We didn’t get too much of a discussion before your husband insisted we talk in private.”
June leaned back, studying both Tessa and Tate with her sharp, hazel gaze.
“I’m thinking that didn’t go so well.”
“It’s complicated. Anyway, you should talk to him yourself.”
“You know I love that man,” June tilted her head at Tate. “He is my mate, after all, it’s kind of a given.” She smiled to herself, a private emotion Tessa felt privy to whenever she looked at Tate. “But I also know him better than anyone. And I can tell you, no matter what he said, he still considers you his brother.”
Mate, Tessa thought, rolling the word around in her head.
She knew it meant something to shifters, beyond just reproduction. Something important… She vaguely recalled reading some article or another about shifter culture, but it wasn’t clicking for her right at that moment.
It had something to do with commitment. And June is both Caleb’s wife and mate. Maybe you’re someone’s mate once you have kids with them?
Anyway, it wasn’t really that important. She could ask Tate about it later. They had more pressing concerns. Like what if the pack decided they didn’t want her here? She knew Tate wouldn’t let her leave alone.
I can’t tear him away from his family, not when he’s just gotten back to them.
Yet she also knew she stood no chance against Loch on her own. That man would tear her apart in a second.
Twenty-Six
Tate
“He didn’t treat me like a brother,” Tate remarked, looking at June and holding Tessa’s hand in his.
She was sitting quietly at his side, studying everything around her. He knew bringing her to Pinedale would be an adjustment, but he hadn’t counted on just how alien his home might seem to her.
This was supposed to be his family, like he had already told her, yet she had seen little of that side since they had arrived. Mostly, everyone was either on edge, unsure of the future, or just pissed off.
What a great first impression.
Well, at least Sean was still his usual self. Nothing short of the goddamn apocalypse could sour that man’s mood.
“You think he’s angry,” June sighed. “He’s just hurt. You taking off took everyone by surprise, but him especially. He didn’t know how much you were struggling with becoming Alpha. I think that’s what bothered him the most – that you didn’t come to him to talk things out.”
“Maybe I should let you talk in private,” Tessa spoke up, looking from June to him, and giving his hand a quick squeeze. “I can wait outside, or in the truck or…”
“You don’t have to go,” Tate replied. “I have no secrets, and anything June wants to say she can say in front of you.”
A slight blush came over Tessa’s cheeks and she gave him a smile, but still shook her head.
“No, really, I should let you two catch up,” she argued, and Tate realized he had put her in a very awkward situation.
To him, having her here was totally natural, and June certainly didn’t seem to mind. She was the type of woman to say so, if it did. But Tessa must have felt like a stranger, eavesdropping on two friends, talking about things entirely unfamiliar to her.
She had enough on her plate without having to worry about Tate’s family drama.
“Sean could show her your house,” June offered, shrugging one shoulder.
“I think I should be the one showing her the house,” Tate replied, feeling that possessiveness raise its head inside him.
“I don’t mind,” Tessa interjected. “You can give me the tour later.”
“You sure?” he prodded, turning toward her.
“Of course. I’m a big girl, I can manage without you,” she grinned.
June gave them both a nod before walking to the door, and yelling out “Sean!” at the top of her lungs.
The man came loping over soon enough, popping his head inside the house.
“What’s the emergency?” he asked.
“No emergency,” June said lightly. “Just wondering if you were free to take Tessa to Tate’s house.”
“You still have the key?” Tate asked, standing up from the couch along with Tessa.
“Been keeping it safe for you,” Sean nodded. “And I’ve got nothing else going on right now. It’d be my pleasure.”
“All right, then lead the way,” Tessa smiled, walking toward the door.
Tate almost grabbed her and pulled her in for a goodbye kiss, but held himself back. This was not the time. Things were complicated enough, without people making conclusions about what his relationship with Tessa was or wasn’t.
“I’ll meet you there,” he said instead, earning a nod from her.
Sean was already regaling her with some story about how he helped Tate furbish the house as the two of them disappeared outside, and June closed the door behind them.
Yeah, right, Tate rolled his eyes at Sean, despite the man already being gone. If drinking my beer while I work counts as help, then you’re a real lifesaver, buddy.
“So,” June said, sitting back down on her chair while Tate plopped back down on the couch. “You back for good or what?”
“Straightforward as always,” Tate chuckled.
“I save the coddling for Michelle,” she replied, a smile hovering on her lips.
“Ouch,” he laughed. “About staying… It’s not just up to me. Tessa is in trouble, and I promised to keep her safe. I can’t stay if Caleb says she has to leave.”
“And why would Caleb do that?” June asked, brow furrowing.
“Tessa… Well, the both of us actually, are being chased down by a demon,” Tate said, watching June’s reaction.
There was no point in beating around the bush. That’s what the reality of the situation was, and he was going to have to get used to saying those words aloud. Time would tell if the pack thought him crazy or not.
Surprisingly, June didn’t even look that shocked.
“A demon,” she muttered to herself. Tate felt like uttering ‘demon’ should get him at least a cocked eyebrow but June was cool as ice. “And what does this demon look like?”
“Like a man, mostly,” Tate replied. “He calls himself Loch. There’s something off about him, something you instinctively know to be wrong, but he can pass as human. Tessa has seen another side of him, though. She called it his real face. It’s more like what you would expect a demon to look like, apparently. But I haven’t seen it for myself.”
June nodded, brow furrowed, her eyes fixed on her hands in her lap.
“I think you should talk to Roman,” she said quietly, taking him off guard.
“Your uncle?” he asked, raising a brow at her – guess he got that cocked brow after all, just not where he thought he would. “What’s he got to do with this?”
“Maybe nothing,” she replied. “But he used to tell stories about people like you described. I was just a kid when I overheard him talking about people visiting us from hell, with fake faces and a smell that made his wolf howl and snarl. I wasn’t allowed over there a lot, if you can believe it,” she said with a small laugh.
“I thought they were ghost stories, or that he had a couple of screws loose… But unless you’ve gone crazy, too…”
“Then it must be contagious, because Tessa has seen the same things I have,” Tate replied.
Could it be there was actually someone in Pinedale who knew about demons? Well, not exactly in Pinedale. Roman was more reclusive than the average shifter, living in a cabin away from town, buried in the thickest part of the forest.
Tate had always
thought the man a grumpy hermit, but could it be he was simply in hiding? There was only one way to find out.
“Well, then you might be the only two people Uncle Roman actually wants to see,” June said. “I can draw you a map to his cabin. I still go there once a year, over Christmas.”
“Thank you, June,” he replied. “Any lead I get is helpful at this point. I’ll go see him first thing tomorrow.”
“You better bring Caleb with you,” June warned. “Roman knows him, I’ve brought him along a couple of times. He doesn’t know you or Tessa, and he keeps a shotgun at his side at all times. Things could get real out of hand, real fast.”
“This wouldn’t be some convoluted plan to get me and Caleb in the same car for hours in the hopes we’ll work things out, would it?”
“Why, of course not,” June huffed, laying the indignation on thick. “It would be nice if you two got back on the same page, but either way, what I said about Uncle Roman is true. I do believe he knows something.”
“Caleb is not going to be happy about being stuck with me,” Tate said as he shook his head.
“You let me worry about that,” June waved a hand, getting up from her chair. “Now you get in the kitchen and take that chair with you. Look at you, scruffy like a mutt. How you got Tessa on the hook looking like that, I’ll never know,” she scoffed.
“She’s not on my hook,” Tate rolled his eyes. “She had a demon on her trail and I happened to be there to help her.”
“Right,” June drew out, rummaging around in the kitchen drawers. “Next you’ll try and tell me she isn’t your mate.”
Tate stopped in his tracks, staring at June. Damn if that woman didn’t pick up on things she had no business picking up on. He opened his mouth to argue, but then reconsidered. What was the point? The way he was glued to her side, everyone with half a brain would figure it out eventually.
And despite not letting himself admit it, he had known it for a while now – Tessa was his. Without even meaning to, he had stumbled upon his soul mate. Question was, what would Tessa have to say about that?