Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

Kael

B ill shoved the plate of sandwiches across the table. "Eat."

"I already had one."

He raised an eyebrow. "Have another."

I grunted and took one from the plate.

"Remember the time we found that abandoned cabin up near the Skeena River?" Bill's voice rasped. "Thought we'd struck gold with that stash of canned goods."

I leaned back in my chair. "Until we realized half of them were expired."

Bill chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed off the walls. "Couldn't tell if it was the spices or the botulism that gave it that kick." He rapped his knuckles on the table. "I don't know why, but being out in the woods today got me thinking about that day."

"It was probably all the blood."

Bill guffawed and dropped his hands to his knees. He let out a long breath. "We may not have been a pack, but we were a family, weren't we?"

I nodded, my throat tightening. We were a family, but it was a family built on a foundation of survival and necessity. Not on the bonds of pack or blood. We were all unanchored.

Bill scratched his beard. "You ever think about it?"

"Think about what?"

"Joining a pack."

I scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

Bill shrugged. "Just a thought."

I gave him a skeptical look. I knew where this was going. "You know why I can't do that. Even if I wanted to."

Bill nodded slowly. "Just because you weren't accepted as a pup doesn't mean you wouldn't be now."

"Drop it, Bill."

His eyes narrowed. "You think you have nothing to offer a mate or a pack? That's a load of shit. You're?—"

I stood abruptly, the wooden chair scraping across the floor. "I said drop it, Bill." I took the last bite of my sandwich and walked to the sink to fill a glass with water.

I caught movement at the door and turned. Lana looked between the two of us, and Bill pointed to the plate. "Lunch."

She nodded gratefully and took a seat at the table.

"How's your friend?" Bill asked, and my stomach clenched. Callista had gone straight to her room after we returned to the house.

"She's sleeping." Lana shook her head. "She's dead. It's like she didn't get any sleep last night."

I choked on my water and leaned over the sink. I coughed, trying to clear my lungs. When I recovered, both of them were staring at me.

"Wrong tube?" Bill raised an eyebrow.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. My heart sank. Saved by the literal devil. "I need to take this."

I strode out the back door, pulling my leather jacket tighter around myself against the chill. The sun was out, but a cold front was blowing in. It would probably storm overnight.

I tensed as I raised the phone to my ear. "Hey."

"Kael."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Destin." The last time I'd gotten a call like this, it was from one of the alphas.

It was just a call. Destin was just checking in.

I shoved my free hand into the pocket of my jacket. The Alliance had been silent for weeks, and now they wanted an update. It was normal. They were just being cautious.

That didn't stop the worry from gnawing at my insides. I knew what they were asking of him. They wanted information, updates, proof that I was still under their thumbs. And if he couldn't provide that, there would be consequences.

"You haven't reported in a while." Destin's breath crackled the speaker.

I walked further into the trees and stopped in front of an oak. "I've had some complications."

Destin lowered his voice as if that would keep them from listening. "They're not patient, Kael. You know that."

I did. All too well. "I should be on to the next target in a couple of days. Let them know if they wanted things to run smoothly, they never should've given the dagger to Nathan Black."

"Right." Destin exhaled. "Okay. I'll pass that on."

The line went dead, and I lowered the phone, my pulse pounding in my ears. I stood there for a moment, staring at the trees, then started back toward the house.

After a couple of steps, I froze. There was a flicker of something through the trees.

I walked faster, my wolf pushing to the surface at the hint of danger, but as I reached Bill's backyard, I didn't catch another glimpse of anything unusual.

With a final look at the trees, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.