17. Caleb

SEVENTEEN

Caleb

I felt like crap leaving her alone. She looked like…well, she looked like she’d been bounced around a truck that rolled. Seeing her open her eyes hadn’t quelled the rage in my heart. Knowing she could breathe on her own hadn’t soothed my anger. Tasting her lips hadn’t tampered my fury.

She was in a fucking hospital bed.

They put her in a hospital, and they would know what retribution felt like before they took their final breath.

My pace was quick and sure as I exited the hospital, heading to the parking lot, but movement to the right caught my eye, and I stopped suddenly, my attention on the man who approached me.

My eyes narrowed as I recognized the dark hair and build. Cannon moved with a confidence that came from someone who knew his power—and wasn’t afraid to use it. His every step was deliberate. Calculated. The predator surveying his territory. I sensed no hesitation from him, dominance radiated from him, and I saw more than just me watch him as he crossed the lot.

It was hard not to admire his strong build, the kind that came from years of fighting. Surviving. The hard line of his jaw, the gleam in his eyes, he was an alpha through and through.

“Cannon?” My eyes darted around the parking lot. “Where’s Doc, and the other one?”

“Doc’s on his way back to the pack,” he told me, stopping as he reached me. “Pretty banged up, but he’ll heal. Ned is around.” He then jerked his head towards the hospital doors. “Willow?”

“Will be fine.” I looked past his shoulder. “Around where?”

“Hunting.”

We held each other’s stare. “He has their scent?” I asked eventually.

“You left a pretty bloody trail.”

I squinted at him as I considered his words. “You’re judging me?”

“Two bodies with their throats ripped out?” Cannon’s voice had been low, I thought so he wouldn’t be overheard. Now I realized it was anger that he was keeping a tight hold of. “Yes, I’m fucking judging you. Do you want the humans to take them to their morgues? Two shifters ?”

I felt myself straighten under his judgmental gaze. “I don’t give a fuck where they take them.”

“You…are a liability,” he seethed at me.

I stepped closer to him, ignoring the interested stares of passersby. “She’s in a hospital.” My jaw clenched. “She had a tube down her throat, to help her breathe . A tube , Cannon. I don’t care what happens to the ones I killed. I would quite happily kill them again.”

“Lower your voice.”

“Fuck you.” The tension between us built, and I knew if he made a move, I wouldn’t hold back.

“I am not your enemy.” Cannon watched me. Assessed me. I didn’t like it.

“No? You should try harder to convince me of that.”

Cannon let out a snort and I heard his frustration as he stepped back. “I’m here to make sure Willow, the human girl who is connected to you through our Goddess Luna , is okay.”

“Right.” I heard what he didn’t say. “The shaman sent you.”

“I would have come anyway,” he said with conviction, and I was surprised at myself when I believed him. “How is she?”

“In a hospital.” I saw his barely concealed irritation at my non-answer. “What happened?”

“She was followed. She thought she could shake them by getting a different bus, but she doesn’t realize how futile that is for people like us.”

“Why was she on a bus?” I asked in bewilderment and then remembered Willow couldn’t drive. “Where was she going?”

“To us.” Cannon motioned for me to move further from the hospital entrance, and I followed him. “The visions are changing. They are showing some…disturbing things.”

“Me?” I guessed.

“The longer you remain alone, Caleb, the quicker the darkness can consume you.”

Gritting my teeth, I shook my head in denial. “I’m not a rogue. ”

“Aren’t you?” His steady stare challenged me once more. “You sure about that, Caleb? Willow’s drawings say different.”

“Her sketches tell you that I’m a rogue?” Disdain dripped from my tone as I looked the alpha over. “Or maybe that’s what you want to believe. Huh?”

“What I want to believe is that someone whose father was such a strong alpha, a good alpha, who led a loyal pack, would never be so weak to fall to the blackness like you seem to be doing, Caleb. What I want to believe is that you are a stronger alpha than you’ve shown me so far.”

“Strong alpha like my father?” I asked him with a sneer. “You mean the one who was murdered by his loyal pack? That alpha?”

Cannon looked at me with sympathy, which made me want to wipe the look from his face. “You blame them,” he said with understanding.

I’d stepped forward, my finger in his chest, not even realizing my anger had made me move. “The fact that you don’t is why there’s no point talking to you about it.”

Cannon glanced down at my finger, an eyebrow quirked as he raised his head to meet my glare. “If you want to keep it, I suggest you remove it.”

With a scoff, I stepped back, not from his threat but because I was done with him. “Go back to your pack, Alpha . I’ll handle this.”

He was silent as he considered me. “The link that ties you together needs to be severed. It’s too dangerous for her, and the longer she is exposed to us, the danger to us increases. Willow is human, and you know Pack Law, though you don’t always adhere to it.” His tone was scathing. “The shaman believes the link can be severed?—”

“If you harm her, I will kill you all.”

Cannon’s look was one of contempt. “We are not suggesting anyone hurts her. For fuck’s sake, Caleb, are you so far gone in the madness you’ve forgotten what you are?”

“I am not mad.”

“Yet.”

We were in a stand-off and quite possibly heading to the place where neither of us cared who saw us. We were close to exchanging blows. Cannon obviously felt the same way as he moved away from me, because he was more level-headed than me, it seemed.

“I cannot help you if you refuse to help yourself,” he told me. “I cannot help Willow if you refuse to face the past. There are others of our kind out there who are not happy with her tie to you. To the packs.”

“You think this is why she’s targeted?” I asked incredulously. “There have been humans before who knew about us.”

He nodded. “I know that. Willow is…more.”

She was. I knew that, and I didn’t like him saying it.

“And…” He considered his next words. “There have been revelations over the last few months that we didn’t know, which put us all in danger.”

“Like what?”

“We aren’t as unknown to some as we thought.”

It was a diplomatic, careful way of saying humans knew about us. More than they should.

“How bad?”

Cannon looked away. “Very. ”

“I’m going to need more details,” I snapped at him, our frustrations bubbling once more.

“When I trust you, and you trust me, we’ll talk.” Cannon looked past me. “You shouldn’t leave her unprotected.”

“I need to know who is hunting her.” Running my fingers through my hair, I looked to the hospital entrance. “Once I know that, I’ll return.”

“Or, you stay where you are. You stay with her, and when she can, you take her to us.” Cannon’s voice was firm. “She can’t do this alone. Neither can you… I don’t think you’re in the right place to face this without…”

“Without pack ?” I almost growled at the suggestion, but I held it back. Cannon watched me control my temper, and I changed the subject back to Willow. “She’s stronger than you think,” I told him, though I knew that wasn’t good enough, not for this. Staying with her, I wanted to, I did, but I thought of the kiss I’d given her. I hadn’t meant to. She just pulled me in.

“I don’t think she’s weak,” Cannon responded calmly, interrupting my thoughts. “But strong willpower isn’t enough for what’s after her. You know that as well as I do.”

Feeling restless, I started to pace. My instinct was to move. Act. Chase. Waiting here? That went against everything in my nature. Yet, I didn’t know who my enemy was. Or what they wanted with Willow. While I wanted to act, I also wanted to know more.

I’d thought Cannon and his pack would know, and I was disappointed they didn’t. My fingers flexed at my sides, the fighter in me wanting me to do something other than just sit helplessly in a hospital room.

“Caleb?” Cannon was waiting patiently while I wrestled with the choice. “You’ve lost too much already. I think Willow means more to you than some human you need to protect. Doesn’t she?”

Tilting my head back, I looked at the sky, bright blue and hardly a cloud to be seen. The sun shone brightly so many thousands of miles away, as out of reach as perhaps my answer to that question. My gut churned. I wanted to run, hunt, and kill whoever came after her. But the image in my head of her body, practically lifeless, on the forest floor was seared into my mind.

She was all alone in that room. She had no one to call for help. Except me.

I should stay.

I didn’t have to like it. I didn’t have to be comfortable with the decision. It didn’t mean I was listening to Cannon. It didn’t mean I cared for her more than I should.

It just meant I was the best choice to protect her right now.

With a resigned exhale, I looked back at the alpha in front of me, the weight of my decision clear on my face as I saw Cannon give a nod of approval. “Fine,” I grunted. “But only because I’m the best choice. The minute I know who’s responsible for this…I take them down.”

“Agreed.” Cannon’s jaw tightened. “I’ll be right beside you.”

“I need a phone.” Wordlessly Cannon handed me one, and I took it with increased suspicion. “You knew I would stay?”

“It was a fifty-fifty chance.”

Ignoring him, I turned toward the hospital entrance. “I want updates,” I called over my shoulder .

“You’ll get them.” He was already walking back to wherever the hell he came from. “I want updates too.”

“If I don’t lose your number.”

I didn’t hear his reply; I was already inside. I took the stairs to Willow’s room. Pushing open the door to the hall, I paused. What was that smell? Shifter?

The door opened with more force than I intended, banging off the wall. My muscles tensed as I ran down the hall. The scent grew stronger as I neared Willow’s room. Too strong.

Someone had been here.

Pushing the door open, I looked around the room, the scent of the intruder one I wouldn’t forget. My nostrils flared, and my fists clenched in anger as I searched for anything out of place.

The room was empty.

Where was she? The bed was still unmade, the cup of water with the straw was overturned on the floor, and I focused on it longer as I forced myself to remain calm. Panic could come later. I didn’t have time for that right now.

I could still smell Willow, her vanilla scent faint but here. I couldn’t scent fear. Was that a good thing?

Crossing the room to the window, I brushed the short drapes aside. There was no sign that anyone had come through, which was a relief since she was four stories up. A shifter wouldn’t blink at the drop, but Willow would.

My attention switched to the bathroom door, and I opened it. My teeth ground together when I saw it was empty. The sound of footsteps caught my attention. They were coming closer.

Poised, ready to pounce, I waited. The door pushed open, and I caught myself from attacking as the nurse from before backed into the room, pulling Willow with her as she sat in a wheelchair. The nurse turned them around, jumping in fright when she saw me.

“Lord above, are you trying to kill me?” she berated me, her hand on her heart.

My gaze roved over Willow, checking her, avoiding her curious stare. “Where were you?”

“X-ray,” the nurse told me, recovered from her shock. “Your wife said you left for the afternoon.” She didn’t hold back the judgment from her tone. I didn’t answer, but I did help get Willow out of the chair by simply lifting her and placing her on the bed. The nurse looked at me. “You do that twenty more times for me today, I might forgive you,” she murmured.

Willow said nothing as the nurse fussed over her, telling her she’d be back soon. I got an almost nod as she left the room.

We both spoke at the same time.

“Who else has been here?”

“Why are you back?”

“ Willow , who else has been here since me?”

Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. “You and the nurse are the only two people I’ve seen since you woke me up.”

“No doctor?”

“No, the nurse said there’s been a huge pile up on the highway, and all doctors are in the ER or operating rooms.” Willow looked at me nervously. “Why? What do you know?”

“Someone’s been here.” I looked around the room. “I wasn’t gone that long. Where’s the X-ray?”

“She came for me a few minutes after you left. X-ray is just at the end of the corridor.” Willow licked her lips. “This hospital is more than my insurance will like. ”

“You feel okay?” I asked as I looked out the window again, searching the parking lot, looking to see if where Cannon and I had stood could be seen from this angle. Had they seen us, had that spooked them?

“Why are you back?”

Turning to her, I raised an eyebrow. “Want me to leave?”

“Seems to be what you do.” Willow’s voice was laced with a bitterness that hit harder than I expected.

So she was still feeling feisty. I got it. I hurt her earlier. She was physically hurt because of her involvement with me, but still…hearing it laid out so plainly, so unguarded, I fought the urge to look away. My jaw clenched as she watched me. Was she waiting for an apology?

She wouldn’t get one. I’d come back. For her.

Cannon made you come back.

I ignored the reminder. “I realized I was the best person to make sure you were safe.” Her sneer was ugly, and her body tensed. “What is it?”

“I hate that word. Safe . I never knew I could hate a word so much.”

I had nothing to say to that, so I let it drop. “How long were you gone?”

“How long were you gone?” she snapped at me.

“Is there a reason you’re being so unreasonable?” I asked her calmly, watching her eyes widen in surprise.

And here it comes .

“Are you serious? I mean, are you freaking serious right now?” Her eyes were full of anger, and I heard the barely controlled fury in her voice .

“I thought leaving would be best, but then I realized you needed me, and I had no choice but to come back.”

Willow scoffed, her arms crossing over her chest. “You always have a choice, Caleb .”

And my first choice had been to leave her , that’s what she wasn’t saying. She didn’t need to.

Silence hung thick between us, the air charged with unspoken tension. I stepped forward, the urgency to find who was in her room pushed to the side as I focused on her. Willow turned her head as I bent to look at her.

“Look at me,” I encouraged her. I didn’t touch her. We both knew what happened the last time I touched her.

Willow half turned her head back in my direction.

“You think I don’t know you’re pissed at me? For going? For coming back?” I asked her. “You think it is an easy choice for me to walk away from you?”

Her lip trembled, but she remained steadfast. “Then stop making really stupid decisions.” Finally, she made eye contact, her voice low. “Stop running away from me. We’re connected . Whoever is out for me, is out for you.”

Those pale green eyes saw past every defense I had. For a moment, I was spellbound, caught in her stare. I wasn’t used to this feeling of…vulnerability.

“I won’t do it again.” I didn’t mean to say that, but the words were heavy with promise. One I wasn’t sure I could keep. Reaching out, I brushed the stray lock of hair from her face. My fingers lingered on her cheek for a second longer than necessary, the connection between us tightening.

Willow swallowed hard, her gaze searching mine as she processed my words. She didn’t pull away, and for now, that was enough. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“I expect you will.”

Her smile was quick, and the faint flush of her cheeks made her look even more delicate. She was so fragile-looking, but I’d seen how strong she could be.

Maybe even stronger than me.

As I took a seat beside her, settling my body into the curve of the chair, ready for a long stay, I forced the wolf in me down. It wanted to hunt, find the shifter who had come into her room, and rip their throat out.

But I had told her I wasn’t going to leave again, and I was starting that promise tonight.

Let them come for her; I was waiting.