29. Willow

TWENTY-NINE

Willow

I realized what I had said and cursed my fool tongue when I saw Caleb react to my careless words.

“I scare you?”

“No!” I blurted. “I’m scared for you.”

“That’s not what you said.” He looked at me, suspicion and hurt written all over his face. “I never scared you before. What changed?”

How could he even ask me that? “ You changed!” I could feel my frustration bubbling over. “You became a completely different person once you got here. You’re not yourself, and all these shadowy things around you, it’s not right.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“No, I’m not . You’re in denial! Cannon and the shaman are here. Let them help you.”

I saw him look over at them, his lip curling upwards in a sneer. “Help me? Where was your help, old one, when they slaughtered my family?” I watched him as he ran a hand over his hair, his hand trembling as he fought to stay in control. “Where was the justice for my pack after their murder?”

“You carried out the justice you deemed fit,” the shaman replied to him, not cowed by the level of anger directed at him. “You acted before anyone else could.”

“I didn’t get here until three days later.”

“And how was anyone to know what happened in so short a time?” the shaman asked him reasonably. “You knew. You had three days to alert the Pack Council, but in your hate, you came here, you acted, and your enemies’ blood is on your hands.”

“My father’s blood was on theirs!” Caleb roared at him. I saw his eyes become that murky purple, and so did Cannon, who took a step towards Caleb.

“Your wolf is too close,” Cannon warned him, his voice calm and steady. “We’re not all shifters here.”

Glancing at Doc, I saw he had taken a step back, and the rational part of me knew I should do the same, but I had already hurt Caleb with my thoughtless words, and the guilt was already gnawing at me. The sting of seeing his expression when I spoke was enough to take every word back. But I couldn’t.

Quickly, I looked at all of them. Royce stood straight and solid. He looked like he was ready to pounce at any given moment. Doc had stepped back, closer to the porch of the cabin. He looked ready to duck into the house at any moment. The shaman, the smallest of them, stood in the middle, serene and composed, and I envied him the grace. Cannon was tall. Imposing. His stare hard. Like Royce, he looked ready to react. Only from Cannon, the intent was far more lethal looking.

And Caleb looked…agitated .

He was standing still, but I could see how restless he was. His eyes prowled over the three of them, Doc not worthy of his attention. He was barely looking at me, his attention fixed between the shifters in front of him. Tension radiated from him, from the tightness of his jaw to the closed fists at his side, and all around him, the shadows swirled.

My heart squeezed painfully as I watched him. He’d been so strong for so long, but whatever it was that surrounded him here, the dead or otherwise, it was pulling him deeper than I realized. It was dangerous. I could feel that now, and from a glance at the shaman, I could see he saw it too.

I’d told him I was scared of him when he was already teetering on the edge; I may as well have just pushed him right over.

And that was why I would not step away from him.

No matter how much my brain was screaming at me to get back, to run down this mountain and never look back, I knew I would not move. No matter how much my instincts told me to go home, back to Whispering Pines, to safety, I would not turn my back on him.

He’d been alone too long. He needed me. Whether he wanted me or not, I was staying right where I was.

Looking at him now, I could see what isolation had done to him. Causing him to doubt everyone, even himself.

His paranoia was blinding him. What could I say without making it worse?

His eyes were more purple than brown now. I wasn’t even sure that was possible, but I heard Cannon’s low warning once more to get his wolf under control.

Letting out a shaky breath, I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the chill in the air despite the fire. Caleb’s eyes burned brighter, the shadows thickening, making him appear a blur of darkness and muscle.

“They hold too much power over him,” the shaman said softly, the sadness heavy in his voice. “Cannon, it may be time.”

Time?

“Time for what?” Scared, I stepped forward, towards Caleb. “What do you mean it may be time?” Looking between them, I took another step. “ Answer me.”

Caleb’s laughter caused me to spin around and almost fall backwards, as I realized how close he was to me.

His eyes glowed with a power I would never comprehend. Dark lavender, they shone with malice. There was a wildness to him, something dangerous and entirely unpredictable.

“Willow, get away from him,” Cannon warned me, his voice tight with control.

Fear glued me to the spot, and something else. Something deeper. Images flashed through my mind, again and again, seeing his family killed, seeing their corpses, hearing his howl of pain. Witnessing his revenge as if I were there.

The need to stay by his side was almost crippling. I knew he needed someone to stay with him. Believe in him. He needed someone to let him know he wasn’t alone. He needed me to stay.

I hoped I was enough.

Stepping forward, into his space, facing him as he stared down at me with the eyes of a stranger, I reached up, my hands gripping onto his shoulders, and I jerked him roughly down to my height. Before he could react, I surged upwards on my toes, and I kissed him full on the mouth .

I wasn’t sure when it happened, but somewhere in all the crazy, I’d stopped seeing him as the man who’d pulled me into this world of shifters and danger. Somewhere between then and now, I’d fallen for him. Completely, and that maybe scared me more than anything else.

But it still wouldn’t make me leave him.

His lips remained unmoving under mine, probably as stunned as I was at my foolishness, but I no longer cared. Pressing harder, I willed him to respond, to break through whatever walls were holding him back. Just when I thought he wouldn’t, I felt his resistance crumble.

Caleb’s arms swept around me, pulling me into him with a force that took my breath away. His grip was firm and possessive, and the air between us was charged with something electric. His fingers dug into my hair, tilting my head exactly where he wanted it, as his lips pressed against mine, demanding. Fierce . There was nothing hesitant or uncertain now.

His tongue swept into my mouth, igniting a fire deep in my core as I melted against him. This wasn’t just a kiss; it was a battle of wills. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him down closer, if that was even possible. His body was hot, solid, and I could feel the power of him in the way that he held me, like he was restraining himself from holding me too tight.

I didn’t want him to hold back. I wanted all of him. The good, the bad, the chaotic, and everything in between.

I think he sensed my need, because the kiss deepened and grew hungrier, causing me to moan against his mouth as my body naturally arched into his. I was on fire, the world around us—the mountain, the cold, the others, the tension—disappeared as I clung to him. There was only Caleb, his mouth on mine, his hands holding me tighter, his breath mingling with mine.

Time seemed to stretch, every second filled with the intensity of the moment, of him.

Abruptly, Caleb pulled back, his breath coming out in rough, uneven bursts. His forehead rested briefly against mine. His eyes, dark once more, searched mine, like he was trying to figure out what just happened.

We stayed like that, our breathing heavy between us as we searched each other’s eyes for some understanding, wondering if he also felt that something fundamental had shifted between us. Something deeper than words or actions could describe.

This was way more than lust or attraction. This was about us , and I had no idea what that even meant now.

“Glad to see you remembered you weren’t alone.” Cannon’s dry voice made me jerk back. Too late, I saw Caleb’s look become guarded.

I took a step back as I saw his arms drop, his hands at his side forming into fists. The cool mountain air bit at my skin as I saw his look of confusion morph into one of distrust.

“Caleb?” My voice sounded wary and hesitant, and I wished I sounded stronger. “Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong,” I warned him, watching him take another step back.

“What’s happening?” Royce asked cautiously.

“You tricked me?” Caleb’s voice was low, but his tone held a note of accusation that hurt more than he knew.

“No!”

My heart was pounding, my body tense, as I saw him look between Cannon and me and come to a wild conclusion.

“They’re using you?” he said with an understanding that was devastating, as I knew he believed it. “To get to me, they’re using you.”

“You’re really going to regret saying that,” I warned him, stepping closer, hating that he stepped back. I’d had him, I knew I had, and now I had lost him again. Lost him inside his own head, too far gone to listen to me. “I’m standing right here, Caleb, for you. I’m fighting beside you, willing you to come back to us.”

“There is no us.”

Motherfucker. He did not get to say that to me . Not after that kiss. No way.

“You should stop talking, Caleb,” Cannon said abruptly, stopping me from what I had been about to say. “You’ll thank me if you come back from this.”

“When did they get to you?” Caleb asked me, his eyes hard and cold. “After I left Blackridge Peak or before I even met you?”

“Get to me? No one got to me, you idiot.” I moved towards him, anger making me reckless. “I kissed you because I’ve fallen for you! Because I care about you, you complete asshole.”

“Or they want you to make me believe that!”

“Or your fucking demons want you to think that so you can go batshit crazy!”

In the blink of an eye, he changed. He went from Caleb the man to Caleb the wolf, causing me to stumble back in shock.

With a low warning growl, he lowered his head, his snarl vicious, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bigger black wolf circle the fire.

Holy shit, this was bad.

Strong hands caught me and pulled me backwards, half lifting me off the ground.

“Stay close,” Royce warned, his attention on the two alphas.

“He can’t attack him,” I whispered fearfully. “We’ll never get him back.”

“Think that boat sailed, girlie,” Doc spoke from behind me.

No. I refused to let it. “Caleb!” I saw the wolf’s head snap in my direction before returning to fix on Cannon. “Caleb, don’t fight him!” I pleaded, ignoring the hushed warnings of Royce and Doc. “Go. Go now!”

Caleb’s head lifted slightly, and I could almost feel his indecision.

Stepping away from the men behind me, I inched forward. “Please, Caleb. Go. Don’t do this.”

The wolf straightened, his attention shifting between me and the alpha in front of him.

“ Go, Caleb !” The voice didn’t sound like my own as I screamed the desperate plea. Caleb jumped backward. I felt the attention of them all on me as I screamed across the clearing. “Just go!”

He turned and ran, and I felt my racing heart, pounding in my ears, finally slow down. Cannon changed form, and I averted my eyes as the broad alpha stood naked in the snow.

“What was that?” Doc asked me, coming to stand beside me as Royce handed his alpha a pair of sweatpants.

“Luna,” the shaman spoke from behind me. “The power of the Goddess was in your voice, child.”

“The power of desperation was in my voice, sir.” I hung my head tiredly. “That’s all it was.”

“Now what?” Royce asked gruffly.

“We leave,” Cannon said to the shaman, who nodded.

“Leave him to his madness?” Doc asked skeptically.

“He isn’t mad,” I protested, but I wasn’t even convincing myself.

“Pack up, child,” the shaman said quietly. “We’re leaving now.”

My feet refused to move. One by one, I felt them turn their attention to me.

“Willow?” Doc spoke, his voice low and gentle. “You can’t save him.”

Yes, you can .

My gaze flicked to the shaman before returning to look at the spot in the trees where Caleb had vanished. “Yes, I can.” My voice was strong and steady. “I’ve got to.”

It didn’t matter what Doc argued or Royce added reasonably, I wasn’t leaving this mountain. Not without Caleb. Cannon said nothing, just went into the cabin, and when the others realized he had unpacked all the food Doc had brought into the kitchen cupboards and fridge, the others said nothing.

“Left a phone on the counter,” Cannon told me, his voice gruff, his face unreadable. “You have one week. There’s enough food to get you by. After a week, if he’s not back and willing to listen, I will remove you myself.”

“He’ll come back.”

I could see not one of them believed me. Turning my attention to the shaman, I didn’t know what to say.

“You said I sounded like Luna. Why would I sound like a Goddess?”

The old man had his head tilted to the side as he considered the question. “You are a mystery to me, child. You see things you should not, you speak with a power you do not hold. I do not have an answer.”

“Well, that’s comforting,” I grumbled.

All too soon, they were gone, leaving me in a cabin, in a place where only the dead had walked for ten years.

I’d made this decision. I knew it was the right one. I knew he would come back to me when he knew they were gone.

I knew it.

I would wait for him. Even if it meant standing on this godforsaken mountain, standing with him, surrounded by his demons, and together, we would wait for the storm to pass.