Chapter 31

Chapter

Thirty-One

Kael

I gripped the steering wheel, the leather cracked and worn beneath my palms. My truck rumbled like a beast beneath me down the gravel roads.

I couldn't lose another friend. Not after Bill. The thought of Destin alone in whatever hell hole the Alliance was holding him in twisted my insides. I had to save him.

I glanced at the dagger in the passenger seat. Would it still work? My jaw worked as I sorted through all the possibilities. I could take it back. Tell them what happened and explain about the Shadow Pack.

That would likely require me to give Lana's name. Possibly not. I could give them Bill's. He was gone so at least they couldn't hurt him like they could Lana. But would they release Destin for information? Or would they force me into a task that was worse?

My mind drifted to the price I'd have to pay. The things they could make me do to get him out of there. My grip tightened on the wheel. I wasn't a stranger to violence. To death. But now it was different.

If I didn't take the dagger back, I'd would have to kill two pack members to save Destin.

The thought settled like a stone in my gut. I'd have to rip their throats out. Two men who had probably done nothing but protect their pack. Two shifters who had mothers and fathers and possibly mates. Did they have pups? My stomach churned at the thought of them waiting for their fathers to come home, only to be told they never would.

I passed a small town, its wooden buildings weathered and worn. A couple of cars were parked outside a diner, and a few people walked along the sidewalk. It was a simple life, one that I'd never known. One that I'd never wanted. Until now.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, but my mind wandered back to holding Callista against my chest. To feeling her lips on my skin. To the sound of her quickened breathing as I touched her.

Then to hovering in Callista's tent. I could feel the fabric between my fingers as I pulled it aside. The way the moonlight had shifted, illuminating her sleeping face. She'd looked peaceful, oblivious to the world outside. Oblivious to me standing there, ready to take her life.

I skidded to a stop on the side of the road and threw open the door of my truck, then stumbled into the ditch and threw up in the grass. My heart beat in my throat. My hands were cold and clammy.

I was a different breed of monster, now. Try as I might, I couldn't get myself to that cold, dead place I used to go to. Not after holding Bill in my arms. Not after Callista said I made her feel safe.

I couldn't kill them. I couldn't do it, and that meant I couldn't save Destin. I let out a cry of rage that echoed through the trees and slammed my fist into the side panel of my truck.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

My wolf jumped to attention as a voice suddenly echoed in my head.

You don't have to do this alone.

My insides liquified as heat spread through me, warming my fingers and toes. I imagined Callista walking back into the clearing and finding me gone. Finding the dagger gone. I assumed she would've hated me. Just like my pack, she would've seen my weakness and abandoned me to my fate.

But Destin hadn't abandoned me. Bill had welcomed me in with open arms. And Callista…

Maybe your wolf is trying to teach you something.

I wiped my lips on my sleeve and grabbed my water bottle from the cupholder in my door. After rinsing my mouth, I jumped back onto my seat, threw the truck into reverse and whipped it around, heading in the opposite direction.

I'd been to Black Lake twice before. Once when I'd stalked Nathan Black and once when I'd stolen the dagger. The houses grew closer as I passed the "Welcome to Black Lake" sign, and I pushed down the nausea. Now that I knew what Nathan had done, how he'd hurt Callista, I wanted a do-over.

Rowan's house, where I'd found the dagger, was at the end of an unmarked cul-de-sac. I was almost at the turn off when I caught sight of him. He was standing outside a mechanic shop with Jasper. I turned off the road, my tires crunching the gravel until they hit concrete, and I parked.

I stared at the two men standing in the middle of the lot. The mechanic shop had a worn wooden sign above the garage door. My skin prickled. This could go one of two ways, and I didn't want to get into a public brawl.

I pushed open my door and stepped out.

Rowan's nostrils flared, and his eyes flicked down to my hand where I clutched the dagger. "Kael."

The tension was palpable, crackling in the air like static electricity. Rowan's nostrils flared as he shifted his weight. Jasper tensed, his body coiling like a spring, but a subtle shake of Rowan's head kept him in place.

I glanced around, a piece of me hoping I'd find Lana or Callista even though Lana's truck wasn't out front. I stopped a few feet from them and held up the dagger, the polished steel catching the light. "I've had a change of heart." I tossed it, and it clattered onto the concrete between us.

The autumn breeze rustled the leaves on the trees, and I breathed in the faint tang of oil and metal from the shop. When Rowan didn't speak, I continued. "A friend of mine is convinced the Shadow Pack is returning. I saw proof. In Lana."

Rowan considered this. "How is that supposed to help us? If the Alliance is after our packs?—"

"How do you know that?" My jaw tensed.

"Callista." Rowan folded his arms in front of him. "She told me I shouldn't blame you for taking the dagger. That they're holding a friend of yours."

My chest tightened. "I don't know anything that can help you. But I can't do what they've asked." I turned and started back toward my truck.

"Kael."

I stopped at Rowan's bark.

"Your friend. The one taken by the alphas. Callista wants to get a group together to find him."

I turned, frowning. "No. The Alliance is powerful?—"

"But that's what you're planning, isn't it?" Rowan walked toward me. I didn't answer him, but he knew he'd hit money.

Rowan stopped in front of me. "I'm sorry about Bill, Kael."

The words felt like a punch in the gut. I nodded once. I didn't want to talk about this, but the words slipped out anyway. "Is Callista okay?"

Rowan's jaw worked. "No."

My stomach twisted. "What happened?"

"What the hell do you think happened? She's safe, but she's not okay."

My heart started to race. I tried to turn, but Rowan put a hand on my shoulder. He stood on the concrete, which put us at eye level. "We're working on building our own alliance. I know you're not a fan of packs?—"

"I'm fine on my own."

Rowan nodded once. "Yeah. I'm aware." He dropped his arm and took a step back. "But maybe a pack needs you."