Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

Callista

K ael led the way up the wooden steps to the front porch. The boards creaked under our weight, the sound echoing in the stillness. A single cracked porch light gleamed next to the door, allowing me to see that the exterior of the house was rugged. It had weathered wood siding and a shingled roof that had seen better days.

It was just past midnight, and yet Kael didn't knock. He simply turned the knob and walked in. My heart skipped a beat at the audacity of it, but I followed him over the threshold. He removed his boots and stalked across the room, switching on the lamp on the end table.

The interior was cozy but cluttered. An old leather couch sat against one wall, flanked by mismatched armchairs. A threadbare rug covered the worn hardwood floors, and a coffee table was piled high with hunting magazines and empty beer cans. The walls were adorned with hunting trophies, antlers, and black-and-white photographs of a man with a grizzled beard and kind eyes.

And there, in the corner of the room, was the face from the pictures. He was slumped in an easy chair, his head resting against the back, with his mouth slightly open as he snored softly. I should've been scared to be in a stranger's house, but Kael was so at ease I didn't think to panic.

The man's eyes snapped open as Kael's shadow fell over him. He snorted awake, his gaze darting around the room before landing on us. His face morphed from confusion to recognition and then to pure, unadulterated joy.

"Kael?" His voice cracked as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Is that you, boy?"

Kael nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, Bill."

Bill struggled to his feet, his limbs still clumsy with sleep. "Well, I'll be damned." He shuffled over and enveloped Kael in a bear hug, clapping him on the back. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Kael patted Bill's back, his expression softening. "You could've come up to visit."

Bill scoffed. "You wouldn't have been there anyway. I heard you were in the Ukraine? Egypt?" Kael's eyes flicked to mine as Bill finally pulled away. He looked at Kael like he was a ghost. "How long has it been? Five years? Six?"

Kael nodded. "Something like that."

Bill shook his head in disbelief. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in, sit down." He motioned to the couch, then his eyes narrowed as he took a proper look at me and Lana. "And who might these lovely lasses be?"

Kael's eyes darkened. "This is Callista and Lana."

My wolf stirred again, her ears perking up. She put me on high alert, hearing every creak of Bill's floorboards and the brush of Kael's shirt as he settled back into his chair. I breathed in the faint scent of pine oil and wood smoke.

My wolf wasn't going to make this easy, apparently. Every time Kael moved, she was right there, like I was dangling a raw steak.

I mentally ran a hand down the fur of her back. It's only the dagger. We'll get that sorted, and you won't have to worry about this.

She whined, but still, I felt more at peace than I had in weeks. It was like I'd been living my life in black and white and Lana, holding the dagger, had flipped the switch to high def. I could think again. Breathe again?—

"You're grinning like a crazy person," Lana muttered as we sat on the couch.

I couldn't help it. I felt incredible. "It's just such a good morning."

Bill glanced toward the window. "Not morning yet."

Kael watched me a moment, assessing, then turned to Lana. "Show him."

Lana leaned forward, holding the dagger out in front of her. It caught the light from the lamp on the end table, and Bill froze. "Where did you get that?" His voice was a strained whisper, his eyes wide. He looked up at Kael, and his face drained of color.

Kael folded his arms over his chest. "It's a long story. Do you know anything about it?"

Bill shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing. Just that it's dangerous, and I want nothing to do with it." He tried to push up again from his chair, but Kael touched the man's arm.

"Considering how much you talked about Shadow Pack growing up, I'm calling bullshit."

Bill's gaze was determinedly fixed on the floor. "I told you. I don't know anything."

Kael's jaw ticked. "Remember when you caught me eating your expensive bacon in the middle of the night?"

Bill sighed. "That was a long time ago, Kael. I've moved on from?—"

"And then I told you about my mother, and you let me sleep on your couch?"

Bill's eyes flicked to Kael's face. "I remember."

Kael's voice softened. "I trusted you with that, and you can trust me with this."

Bill's shoulders slumped, and he finally looked up. "Alright. But you have to promise me something, Kael. You have to promise me you won't use it."

Kael's eyes shuttered, but he nodded.

He was lying. He'd been about to use the dagger on me a few hours earlier, and he hadn't told us what the rest of his plans were. Did he have other shifters on his kill list?

Bill sighed. "Alright, then. I'll tell you what I know." He settled back down in his chair. "You know of the Shadow Pack?"

Lana nodded. "We've heard the stories. Some of them, at least."

Bill's eyes were fixed on the dagger in her hand. "Then you know about the relics. There were five of them in total, each with unique powers. The dagger you're holding is one of them. It was said to be the most dangerous of the lot."

Lana's eyes narrowed. "Dangerous, how?"

Bill leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "The dagger's power comes from its ability to absorb the life force of those it kills. With each life it takes, it grows stronger, and its wielder gains abilities beyond those of a normal wolf shifter."

A shiver ran down my spine. I'd known the dagger was powerful, but absorbing life force? That sounded like something out of a horror story. It also made sense of what I'd seen with Nathan. His strength. His ability to control.

Bill continued, "The dagger was created by Seraphina, the founder of the Shadow Pack. She forged it from the bones of her enemies and imbued it with dark magic. It was meant to be a tool of protection, ensuring that the Shadow Pack would always have the strength to shield the world from dark magic."

I frowned. "But it holds dark magic."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "There's a story that's been passed down through the generations, one that might provide some insight. It's said that Seraphina had to make a great sacrifice to imbue the dagger with its power. A sacrifice that cost her dearly."

"What kind of sacrifice?" Kael asked.

Bill hesitated, then looked Kael straight in the eye. "Her mate."

The room fell into a heavy silence. Lana's grip on the dagger tightened, the wheels visibly turning in her mind.

Bill sighed. "It's just a story, mind you. And of course there was the legend of Thorne."

I pursed my lips. For all his protestations, he seemed to be enjoying the drama of his storytelling. "Who's Thorne?" I humored him.

His eyes sparkled. "Thorne was a powerful alpha who settled here in Canada when the land was still wild. Driven by the dagger's insatiable hunger for blood, he began a campaign of conquest, attempting to unite all the packs under his rule."

Kael shifted in his seat, and my wolf noticed.

Bill continued, "This alpha, believed to be a descendant of Seraphina, nearly succeeded in creating an empire, but his ambitions ultimately led to his downfall. The relics, once united in his grasp, turned against him. Shattering his mind and scattering themselves across the world. With the loss of the relics, the Shadow Pack fell into obscurity, and their secrets were buried with them. The few who survived went into hiding, and over the centuries, the legends of the Shadow Pack became the myths you heard at bedtime."

Lana and I exchanged a glance. How was any of this helpful?

Bill leaned back in his chair, his eyes heavy with the weight of the story he'd just told. "That dagger is a double-edged sword. It can grant you power, but it can also demand a price."

Kael nodded, his expression grave. "Thank you, Bill."

Bill waved a hand. "Just promise me you'll keep your head on straight, Kael. I don't want to hear any more stories about you running off into the night with a death wish."

Kael's lips twitched. "No promises."

Bill rolled his eyes, then stood up and motioned to the door. "Alright, then. You lot best be off. It's past my bedtime, and I need my beauty sleep."

I nodded, but as I stood, the room seemed to wobble. I grabbed onto the back of the couch, my vision swimming.

"Callista?" Lana's voice was muffled like she was speaking to me through a wall of water.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just stood up too fast." I blinked, trying to clear the haze from my vision. When I glanced back at Kael, my whole body went tight. The room was too warm, and the air seemed to press in on me from all sides. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, and my skin felt like it was on fire.

I felt good. So good, I wanted to?—

Oh, shit. No, no, no. The musk of Kael's skin hit me at full force, and my wolf responded instantly, pushing to the forefront of my mind. She was desperate. I was desperate.

This could not happen now. I couldn't?—

"Callista, hey." Lana grabbed my shoulder.

I clenched my fists, trying to focus on anything other than the insistent pull I felt to cross the room and straddle Kael on the chair. My wolf was insatiable, and it was like she was trying to claw her way out of me to get to him.

I'd experienced plenty of heats before, but none of them had felt like this. It was as if my body was disconnected from my mind, and my flesh wanted to fuse with his. To touch him. Taste him. My wolf was howling, and I had to bite my lip to keep from doing the same.

"I have to get out of here," I groaned, spinning toward the door. My skin was too tight, my clothes too constricting. My wolf was pacing inside me, and I wanted to scream at her to settle the hell down.

I stumbled forward, knocking my shin on the coffee table. This was not how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to be in control, to be the one calling the shots. But with Kael in the room, I felt like a puppet with my strings being yanked.

Kael wasn't a match for me. Not a fated mate. He couldn't be. This was simple biology, and I just had to ride it out.

I bit the inside of my cheek. Poor use of metaphor. "I need a glass of water."

"Do you want me to get it for you?" Lana offered.

I probably looked like a drunk alpaca, but I shook my head. I had to get out of that room.

"The kitchen's that-a-way." Bill pointed to his right, and I stumbled into the hall. I walked toward the kitchen while my wolf surged inside me and caught the doorframe, forcing air into my lungs.

My thighs burned as I forced myself forward and grabbed a glass from the cupboard, then filled it with water from the tap. I drank, then splashed some of the water on my face. The cold was a shock, but it didn't do anything to cool the feverish sensation under my skin.

I set the glass down on the counter, then gripped the edge, my knuckles turning white. My wolf was pacing, her fur standing on end, and I had to fight the urge to rip off my damn clothes.

I needed to touch him. I needed to feel his skin against mine, to bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. The urge was almost unbearable, and I had to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out.

This wasn't me. It couldn't be. This was the dagger, or the moon, or something else. Anything else.

Lana appeared in the kitchen, her eyes narrowing at the sight of me gripping the counter for dear life. "What's going on?" she hissed.

"What the hell do you think is going on?"

She took in my labored breathing, the flush on my skin, the sweat on my brow.

Lana's eyes widened. "When was the last time you felt safe? Like, truly safe?"

I blinked. "What are you?—"

Lana strode past me and craned her neck to peer out the window. "Damn it." She spun to face me. "It's almost full."

"Mmhmm." I squeezed my legs together.

"You've been under an insane amount of stress, and with me holding this, your body feels more relaxed."

"Right," I gasped.

"And then there's Kael?—"

"This has nothing to do with him." I gritted my teeth.

She nodded once, her expression darkening. She knew what this meant as well as I did. Wolves were vulnerable in heat. Our hormones were all over the place. Back in Kitimat, I would've gone directly to the sweat house. I would've dropped into a hot tub with the other women and rested.

But I was currently in a shanty in the middle of shit nowhere, trying to keep myself from jumping the man who'd tried to kill me. "Lana, what do I do?"