by Anya Nowlan
Tessa looked at him, wide-eyed, while Caleb just huffed in the back, his arms crossed in front of him.
Caleb could be as rude to him as he wanted, hell, he probably deserved it. But acting like a pissy teenager with Tessa? No, that was not going to fly. Maybe Caleb needed a little reminder about who the Alpha was in this car.
“Get out,” Tate demanded, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“What?” Caleb scoffed. “You’re not serious.”
Tate was already pushing his door open, squinting at the sun high above them.
“Stay in the truck, it’s all right,” he said to Tessa, before turning back to Caleb. “I said, get out of the truck,” he ground out, tossing commands left and right.
Narrowing his eyes at him, Caleb got out, slamming the door behind him.
“What? You wanna go, right here, on the side of the road?” he asked, spreading his arms out to his sides.
“If that’s what it takes,” Tate replied, staring him down. “I’ve tried reasoning with you. I’ve tried not talking to you. You want to be mad at me? That’s fine, I get it. I’m angry at myself, most of the time. But you do not talk to Tessa like that.”
“Oh, I see,” Caleb clucked his tongue. “You care more about your little girlfriend than your own fucking pack!” he shot back, a vein popping out on his temple.
“How many times are we going to have the same goddamn conversation?” Tate asked, hands curling into fists at his sides. “This is about more than us, or the pack. You really want demons crossing over into our world, purely evil creatures, with powers we barely understand?”
“Demons, right,” Caleb replied, dust swirling around his feet. “And how do I know that’s not just some story you cooked up so no one asked too many questions when you dragged a girl you’re fucking onto our sacred lands?”
That was the last straw for Tate. In that moment, all of his frustrations with Caleb boiled over into a blind rage. Before he could calm down or stop himself, he had already swung his hand back, and brought his fist crashing into his friend’s face.
Caleb went flying back, landing on his ass in the dirt. The truck door opened and shut behind Tate, footsteps thudding on the gravel until Tessa was at his side. Caleb was already getting to his feet, but Tate’s anger was gone as soon as Tessa grabbed his hand.
“Don’t,” she said quietly.
To Tate’s surprise, Caleb just stood there, staring at them. Even the frown between his eyes was gone. His wolf still growling softly, Tate still kept a close eye on his friend, especially now that Tessa was there.
“I was out of line,” Caleb finally said, and Tate had to keep his mouth from gaping open.
“No,” Tate shook his head. “I was out of line. I don’t solve arguments with friends, no matter how stubborn, with my fists. I am not my father.”
Tessa squeezed his hand even tighter.
Brushing the dust off his jeans, Caleb sighed, looking up at the sun before turning back to Tate.
“I know,” he sighed. “I didn’t need to be so rude to Tessa. I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was your mate, or I wouldn’t have said what I said.”
Tate blinked at him, not knowing what to say. Clearly June hadn’t told Caleb, or the man would have been more respectful from the start. Somehow, without even meaning to, Tate had let slip something he hadn’t even discussed with Tessa yet.
He knew he should have. There just never seemed to be time to discuss anything but their next move in making sure Loch didn’t get his hands on that amulet. And what free time they had, he would rather spend kissing her, than explaining things he wasn’t even sure he knew how to articulate.
“Excuse me?” Tessa spoke up, frowning at Caleb. “We’re not married,” she said, shaking her head.
“She doesn’t know?”
Caleb arched a brow at Tate, who was now seriously considering punching him again, just to get the man to shut up.
“We haven’t had a chance to discuss it,” Tate replied from behind gritted teeth. “How did you even know?”
“I know you, man,” Caleb replied. “I’m not your favorite person right now, and I’ve made it very clear I’m pissed off at you, and don’t agree with what you’re doing here. But knocking me on my ass? That’s not you. Unless it’s your wolf doing the talking. Or punching, in this case.”
Caleb’s lip was starting to swell up, a purplish bruise forming near his jawline. It would fade quickly, but not quickly enough for everyone in Pinedale not to see just what kind of a disagreement they had gotten into on their way to Roman’s.
Many would take it was a show of dominance from Tate. And at the end of the day, wasn’t that what it was? His wolf had demanded he put Caleb in his place after the man’s comments about his mate. Tate couldn’t deny there was also a growing part of him that wanted Caleb to know he was the one born to lead the pack.
“I’m sorry,” Tessa interjected, holding up her hands and glaring at them. “But would anyone care to explain exactly what’s going on here?”
Tate sighed to himself. This wasn’t where or how he had wanted to broach the subject with her, but it looked like that wasn’t his call anymore.
Here goes nothing.
Thirty
Tessa
With Caleb agreeing to wait in the pickup, Tessa and Tate walked along the side of the road, away from Caleb’s prying ears.
“Is it true?” Tessa asked. “I’m your mate?”
“Yes,” Tate simply replied.
“Well, what does that mean?” she followed up, coming to a stop and looking up at him.
There weren’t supposed to be any secrets between them. They were a team, weren’t they? So how could they be an effective team if Tate was keeping things from her? It seemed that Caleb knew more than she did, which definitely did not make Tessa happy.
“It’s complicated, and I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you without spooking you,” Tate admitted, looking like he’d swallowed a month’s worth of uncertainty. “The thing is, shifter relationships are a little… Different from what you’re used to.”
“How so?”
The wind blew strands of hair around her face. She was faintly aware that her limbs were surging with energy, a nervous kind of vibe.
“We have soul mates. And not just in the romantic way. There is actually only one person out there that completes us, both the man and the wolf. When a shifter finds his or her mate, they make each other stronger, and the pull between them is immediate. It’s like instant chemistry,” he explained, carefully studying her reactions.
“Soul mates,” Tessa muttered to herself. “So it doesn’t have anything to do with marriage or kids.”
There was a lump in her stomach she didn’t know what to do with.
Damn. There’s really so much I don’t know.
“There is usually some sort of ceremony,” Tate interjected. “What that looks like is up to the couple. And it does have something to do with kids. A shifter can only have children with their true mate.”
The sun suddenly seemed a little brighter and the wind a little stronger as Tessa tried to absorb everything Tate was saying. This was a whole other world she was now in, and she wasn’t used to this kind of certainty.
Someone meant just for you? How does that even work?
“And out of all the people in the world, you think I’m the one? I mean, what are the odds…”
But in her heart, she had the feeling that the odds were in their favor right then and there. She couldn’t explain it, but there it was. Looking at Tate… well, who else could she ever imagine herself with?
“I know you’re the one,” he replied, taking a step closer, until they were almost nose to nose. “I know it with every part of me. I’ve never put much stock in fate, or serendipity, or whatever… But it couldn’t have been a coincidence we met that day. It was meant to be. I didn’t even know I was looking for you, but here you are…”
He trailed off, reaching up and brushing her flyaw
ay hair away from her face and snatching it into a ponytail in his palm, holding her unruly locks against the nape of her neck.
Thinking back on everything they had been through, Tessa couldn’t argue the fact that she had been immediately drawn to Tate, and the way she implicitly trusted him from the very start wasn’t exactly rational.
But soul mates? She hadn’t even considered such a thing being a reality. Maybe only when she was sitting on her couch with a pint of ice cream, watching Notting Hill for the hundredth time.
But that’s a movie, she reminded herself.
And her story with Tate wasn’t exactly sappy romantic comedy material, running from and then over demons and all that. Then again, it was a unique start to their relationship, wasn’t it? And something that had brought them closer than she could have even imagined being with someone.
“Can I ask what you’re smiling about?” Tate asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
I’m smiling? Yup, I’m totally grinning like an idiot.
“Just the fact that I wouldn’t want to be on this crazy ride with anyone but you.”
“So you’re not freaked?” he prodded.
“This week started with me being chased out of my store by a demon, and it’s only gotten stranger. At this point, it’s going to take a lot to shock me. You punching Caleb might have done it, though.”
“Yeah,” Tate grimaced. “That wasn’t exactly planned, but I can’t say I regret it. He had it coming.”
“Now is that just you saying that, or is that Tate, the Alpha, saying that?” Tessa couldn’t help but ask. “Because to me, that looked like a power struggle finally coming to a conclusion.”
Tate blinked at her, that assessment clearly taking him a little off guard. But to Tessa, it seemed clear that deep down, Tate knew what he really wanted, and that was to lead the pack he was always meant to lead.
“I guess I have more to think about than I thought,” he finally said, hand still tangled in her hair, gray eyes fixed on her face.
“Me, too,” she smiled. “But right now, don’t we have a certain possibly crazy wolf to visit? Besides, I don’t think Caleb likes waiting in the truck that much.”
“It’s all right,” Tate shrugged. “I cracked a window for him.”
Tessa gasped, slapping him on the shoulder while suppressing a laugh.
“He’s not a dog,” she chided. “You’ve already punched him, no need to be rude.”
“He can wait a minute longer,” was all Tate said before pulling her in for a kiss that left her gasping for breath once it was over.
Head spinning and lips raw, Tessa could only smile at Tate, her mind filling with images of his hot, naked body. There was instant chemistry between them, all right, and it seemed to only be getting stronger.
“You two done making out over there?” Caleb yelled out, breaking her and Tate out of their bubble.
Tessa couldn’t help but laugh when she looked back at the truck and saw Caleb’s head hanging out of the window, with a hand over his eyes to block out the sun.
“We’re coming, hold your horses,” Tate waved a hand at him as he and Tessa started walking back toward the truck.
With excitement and maybe even optimism in her heart, Tessa held on to Tate’s hand, reluctant to let go even when they got to the pickup. Maybe fate did have a hand in her meeting Tate, and if that was the case, maybe it was also fate that she stumbled onto that amulet?
Maybe the two of them were supposed to be the ones keeping it safe and away from Loch.
But another thought popped into her head. Pinedale was Tate’s home. It was where he belonged. But did she belong here?
I made a promise to myself to keep mom’s store open…
Was she ready to break that promise?
Thirty-One
Tate
“We have to walk the rest of the way,” Caleb announced as they came to a stop at the edge of a narrow road leading deep into a thick pine forest.
The wall of dark green in front of them was almost impenetrable, sunlight poking through the gaps in the branches but barely hitting the ground. Tate’s wolf was anxious to get going, hoping to be let loose and growling when Tate yanked the animal back.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Tessa said, pulling up the backpack on the floor at her feet and swinging the truck door open.
“What’s with the huge bag?” Caleb asked, as he and Tate followed suit.
“Just some water and stuff,” Tate shrugged, reaching out and snatching it from Tessa’s hand. “And of course a magic book,” he added, slinging it over onto his back.
“I could have carried it,” Tessa protested.
“You’re going into the woods with two wolves and you want to carry the bag?” Tate arched a brow at her. “How would we ever live that down?”
“Never mind that, you brought a magic book with you?” Caleb asked, as they started down the trail.
“We thought it might come in handy,” Tate replied. “Roman might be more inclined to talk to us if we have something to show him.”
“You haven’t even shown it to me yet,” Caleb huffed.
“Did you ask to see it?”
Caleb snapped his mouth shut.
With Caleb leading the way, Tate and Tessa trailed behind. She was looking around, glancing at the fallen trunks on each side, while keeping her eyes on the roots poking out all over the path.
Tate’s senses were on high alert. He knew these woods pretty well, but not as well as the ones in Pinedale. That was his home turf, where he recognized every tree and meadow. Here, he was a visitor, and an unwelcome one at that.
He had never met Roman, but he had heard the name mentioned before. If he recalled correctly, his dad used to be friends with the man when they were children, but that was a lifetime ago.
He didn’t even know June still kept in touch with the man.
“Shouldn’t we have brought something along besides the book? Like a peace offering or something?” Tessa spoke up.
“Roman isn’t one to be swayed by gifts,” Caleb chuckled. “I went along with June for a couple of visits. He wouldn’t even open the gift she gave him, or look at the card Michelle had drawn for her great uncle. All Roman cared about was getting us out of there as quickly as possible.”
“June did give me a tip, though,” Tate replied, reaching around to pat his backpack. “Blue label Johnnie Walker. Roman’s drink of choice.”
“Should we really be getting him drunk?” Tessa questioned.
“He’s always drunk,” Caleb scoffed, pushing aside branches as they delved deeper into the woods. “A little more won’t do him any harm. A wolf so detached from his kind? You know he needs something to fill the void.”
There was a furtive glance from Caleb to Tate but everyone present seemed to agree to ignore it for the most part.
It took the three of them about an hour of hiking before the trees began to clear. Tessa was wiping sweat off her brow when Tate’s wolf perked up, smelling the familiar scent of wolf in the air.
“It’s not much further now,” Caleb confirmed.
In an odd turn of events, Caleb seemed to be in a much better mood ever since Tate had punched him. It was as if the tension between them had snapped, and there just wasn’t enough in either of them anymore to carry on fighting.
But Tate still saw plenty of disagreements in their future.
Grabbing Tessa’s hand, Tate gently pulled her backward, so she would stay behind him.
“Let’s be careful, all right?” he said, earning a nod from her. “Let me and Caleb talk to him first.”
“No objections here,” she replied, staying at his back as they marched on.
A small cabin started peeking through the woods not long after, with a small porch and what looked like a vegetable garden behind it. Caleb signaled for them to stay back as he stepped forward, keeping his hands up where Roman could easily see them.
“Roman,” he called out, coming to stand in front of
the cabin’s door. “It’s me, Caleb. June’s mate, remember?”
The only answer was silence, as they all stood around, waiting for a reply. Tessa was still hidden in the tree line behind Tate, her hand in his, and her heart beating fast. Tate wanted to tell her there was nothing to worry about, but he really didn’t know enough about Roman to make that kind of assessment.
June did warn me about him…
Perking up his ears, Tate focused on the house, instead of Tessa’s breathing and heartbeat. It took some doing, as he had gotten so used to being attuned to her every reaction.
Footsteps echoed inside, the wood floors creaking under someone’s heavy boots. The door swung open a moment later, with a gray-haired man standing in the middle of it and aiming a shotgun straight at Caleb’s head.
“Whoa, Roman,” Caleb said, raising his hands even higher. “You know me. Caleb. I was here with June last Christmas?” he asked, throwing a glance Tate’s way.
“Stay back,” Tate whispered to Tessa, before pulling his hand away.
She tried to argue, but he was already stepping forward, hands up and palms toward Roman.
“And I’m Tate Silver, Theo Silver’s son,” he said, making Roman aim the barrel of his gun at Tate instead.
“Hold on, and don’t you move,” Roman warned, keeping his gun trained at Tate and Caleb with one hand while he reached into his shirt pocket with the other, pursing his lips.
There were deep lines carved into his face, making him look a lot older than Tate’s father had been when he passed away, despite the men being the same age. Dressed in a faded plaid button-down and baggy blue jeans, Roman looked like any other retiree, spending his golden years hidden away in nature, chopping his own firewood.
But the way he carried himself, spine straight and head held high, still broad-shouldered with a sharpness in his gaze, told Tate the wolf inside the man was still strong, still ready for a fight.
Fishing out his glasses, Roman propped them on his nose, squinting at him and Caleb.
“Eh,” he half-grunted, pointing his chin at Caleb. “Yeah, I remember you. You brought me that fruitcake. Tasted like ass,” he said, and Tate had to stop himself from bursting out laughing.