Page 79 of Wolf's Fate

“Ass.” Caleb grinned at me. “Tell me more,” I insisted.

“Females, or shes, as we sometimes call them, enter maturity when they experience their first heat. Males don’t have a heat, but we get very aggressive and very destructive, and our elders discovered a long time ago that discipline and control are best learned in an environment where wemustblend. Where if we do not learn to control ourselves, we expose more than just a bad temper.”

“The army does that?”

“Yes, any military service really. Some of us prefer to enter college sports and get out the aggression there, but for me, it was the army.” He lost some of his lingering humor. “Every pack has an alpha, or pack leader, and each leader has at least two betas.” He looked over at me. “Royce is a beta to Cannon.”

“Ned too?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I don’t know. I am not overly familiar with the Blackridge Peak hierarchy.” He looked down at the thread in his hands as he continued. “My father had two betas, and one of their sons, Jonah, was my best friend. We grew up together, we served together, we lost our virginity together.” When he saw my surprised look, helaughed. “Not like that. We were in the same room, different shes.”

“Right.” I looked away, embarrassed. “You were close, I get it.”

Silence descended, and I wanted to push, but Caleb was lost in thought, his memories pulling at him.

“He was a good friend?” I eventually asked.

“No. He was a traitor.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Caleb

I knewshe was bursting to ask me questions, but when it came to this, I couldn’t answer quickly. Familiar rage welled within me as I thought of Jonah.

“Pack life isn’t always easy,” I said to her. “Like any culture, I suppose, we have our rivalries and feuds. Mostly about territory,” I explained. “You asked if it was one mountain per pack, and in a way, it can be.” Looking up at the mountain’s shadow, I felt it tug at me, wanting its alpha on its peak. “Some share the mountain, especially the smaller packs.” Looking at her, I saw the question. “Amos didn’t like to share,” I told her bluntly. “We were small, but we were a strong pack, and this mountain was ours.”

“That caused problems?” she guessed.

“It’s only a problem if the other packs don’t get the message.” I felt the need to explain as she frowned at me. “That peak?” I pointed up. “It’s Shadowridge. It’s my father’s peak, and his father before him, and his before him.”

“Not yours?”

I looked away, not ready to answer that. “Our rival pack, the Cristone Pack, was a forest pack. They kept to the trees and the pines, but their leader had his eyes set on heights his pack did not deserve. We’d had a few skirmishes with them, and every time, we sent them back to the lowlands with their tails between their legs.” I grunted in recollection. “I left my pack,” I spoke softly, the weight of remembrance pressing down on me. “I was an alpha coming into my power. My Will was strong, and I knew,weknew, I was too strong, too soon.” Swallowing hard, I looked towards the peak. “I left to do one more tour, to learn my control better.”

“They attacked when you weren’t there?” Willow guessed, her voice soft in what she thought was understanding.

“They didn’t attack,” I told her, my hands clenching into fists. “They slipped into their home, while my parents slept in their bed, and they slit their throats before they were even awake.”

“Oh my God, Caleb!”

“Cannon has no guard on his door,” I told her, “but his pack patrols. Their pack can sleep at night, as their border is protected. All packs do the same.” I scrubbed my hand over my eyes as I remembered getting the call. “There was no patrol the night they killed my parents. My pack was not at fault. A simple miscommunication. Those who thought they were on duty were changed. It happened, Amos did it a lot to keep us on our toes.” Anger burned inside me. “But that night, the ones who thought they were changed for another were simply not replaced. Our packlands were left exposed. Vulnerable.”

“It was a mistake?” Willow asked softly.

“No. One shifter stood guard at my parents’ door thatnight.” I felt the lump in my throat. “And when they came for them,Jonahstood aside.” Pushing myself to my feet, I started to pace. “Jonahfed the patrol the wrong information.Jonahopened the door to their home.Jonah showed them where my parents slept.”

“Caleb…” Her voice was heavy with unshed tears.

“I felt the power shift into me as soon as my father left this earth,” I spoke on. “Luna showed me his last moments as the power of the alpha transferred to me. I saw my best friend invite the enemy into his alpha’s house, and I saw him shake the hand of the man who slit my father’s throat.” I could still see it so clearly. “His hand was still wet with my father’s blood.”

“I’m so sorry.” She wept for me. But her tears were shed too soon.

“You should save your sorrow,” I told her, more harshly than I should. “You don’t know all of it.” My eyes flicked to hers, but I couldn’t hold her look. She was so innocent, and I hated that soon she would look at me like I was a stranger. “I left my post. I rushed to return to here.” The peak was hidden in the darkness of the night, but I knew every line of that mountain. “Driven by my desire for revenge, I returned to a decimated pack. It wasn’t just my father and mother that died that night.”

We fell into silence, and I could hear her sniffling, trying not to make too much noise as she fought her emotions.

“How long did it take you to return?”