Page 54 of Wolf's Fate

“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, thehumangirl who is connected to you through our GoddessLuna, 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 youwantto believe. Huh?”

“What Iwantto believe is that someone whose father was such a strong alpha, agoodalpha, who led a loyal pack, would never be so weak to fall to the blackness like you seem to be doing, Caleb. What Iwantto 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 hisloyalpack? 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 tousincreases. Willow is human, and you know Pack Law, though you don’t alwaysadhere 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.”