Page 78 of Wolf's Fate

He nodded, turning to face me. His look was guarded, his eyes wary. “Before we go any further, I need to know something.”

My heart sounded loud in my ears, but my voice was steady. “What is it?”

“Are you ready to hear it all?” His voice was low, intense. “Because when it’s out and you know, it’s a long way down on your own.”

My mouth was suddenly dry, and I sipped the water from my flask as I considered the weight of his question. The challenge was more than me physically climbing the mountain, it was the deeper trial of learning who Caleb really was.Whatever was waiting for me was more than learning about his past and his pack. It was aboutmetoo.

And that realization sent a ripple of dread through me.

But then I thought about everything that had happened—the danger, the break-ins, the crash, the hospital bed, the continuing uncertainty every time I drew something I shouldn’t know or see. The cloud of fog that swirled around my life like a storm, could be cleared when I learned about him. I’d been running from it just as Caleb had. I wanted answers, and while I knew he may not have them all, he had more than I did.

We were linked and I didn’t understand it. I may never understand it, but I knew I needed to know everything about him. Even if it was ugly, it wouldn’t change how I felt about him. I knew that now. Looking up at the mountain, partially hidden by trees and the darkness, I felt my determination harden.

“I’m ready,” I told him, my voice sure, and I knew it was true.

Caleb watched me. I saw his expression soften a fraction before he pulled that hard mask back over him, guarding himself. Protecting himself from me. I hated it, and I wanted to reach out, but I knew now wasn’t the time. He didn’t want my comfort.

Not yet. Maybe not ever again, but I would worry about that later.

He rolled out my sleeping bag, fussing over it, and I was just about to tell him to stop when he started to talk.

“We were a small pack,” he told me, his hands quick and sure as he set up a small camp for us. “My father, Amos, was alpha. A good one and a good man.” His voice sounded wistful. “He believed a happy pack was a healthy pack,” he told me as he pulled out the food we had bought in town.

I watched as he deftly got my meal ready, a simple pre-made sandwich and chips, but I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until he handed it to me. My murmured thanks went unnoticed as he put the other food away. I didn’t ask why he wasn’t eating.

“My mother was his mate.” He glanced at me. “Mates are chosen by Luna. An alpha needs a mate for balance to counter him.” His voice was clipped and clinical. “My father was a good alpha, strong and stern, and my mother was just as strong but gentler.” He looked away, the pain etched in his face. “Shadowridge Pack was a powerful pack,” he continued, his voice rougher. “The pack was respected in the region, maybe even further. Amos commanded respect and he got it.” Caleb sat on my sleeping bag. I don’t think he noticed as he plucked at a loose thread. “I was his only son.” He swallowed hard, his fingers stilling. “To become alpha, you challenge for leadership, or the death of an alpha means he needs to be replaced.”

“Challenge?” My sandwich lay forgotten in my lap.

Caleb noticed. “Eat, Willow. Your ME needs you to look after yourself.” He waited until I took a bite, and then he continued. “Cannon’s pack, his father was a mean bastard who trod his pack to the ground. Cannon challenged him, they fought, one died, one didn’t.”

Oh my God. He made that sound so normal. “Cannon killed his dad?” I knew I sounded as shocked as I felt.

“He wasn’t a good alpha. He deserved to die.” Caleb didn’t look bothered at all.

“But your dad was good?”

“I didn’t challenge my father,” he told me bluntly. “But I was groomed early in my life by my mother and father to take over leadership when Amos stepped down.”

“Oh. Like royalty?”

Caleb snorted but he didn’t deny it. “I was trained in combat, strategy, and leadership skills. Amos wanted to make sure I was the best I could be. He used to spend hours with me, training me himself, telling me how muchpromiseI held. How muchstrength.” The bitterness was hard to hear as he spoke, but I dared not interrupt him. “My father believed that the pack seeing me training with him meant I would earn their respect and trust as he had.”

I was almost scared to ask questions. I wanted to know if it worked, but I had a feeling I would soon learn if it had.

“Not every shifter born of an alpha becomes an alpha,” he explained, looking up at me and frowning when he saw I still wasn’t eating. “If you don’t eat, I won’t continue.”

I took a bite and chewed furiously as he watched me swallow and take another bite. “Didn’t realize blackmail was in your resume,” I mumbled between bites. “I’m eating, tell me more,” I demanded.

He grinned, but he continued with his story. “Rarely, it happens, but some sons of alphas don’t become alphas. The gene…” He paused. “I don’t actually know if it is a gene,” he mused. “Anyway, the signs become evident when we hit our twenties. You know some of us join the human military?” When I nodded, he continued. “Female shifters hit their heat around their mid to late teens. It’s Luna’s sign they are ready to enter maturity and start families.”

My nose crinkled in distaste at the very misogynistic viewof their Goddess. I didn’t expect afemaledeity to want the women of their species to set up a home and pop out babies.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Caleb scolded, a smile playing around his lips. “We are few. It’s an animal’s nature to reproduce and ensure the continuation of the species.”

“It’s archaic,” I grumbled.

“You want to hear more, or should I stop so you can burn your bra in protest?”