Page 8 of Wolf's Fate

I wanted Caleb.

The urge to call him was as strong as it was useless. His phone was disconnected.Hewas disconnected. From me. From the world. He wasn’t the person who was going to be here for me. Even though he had dragged me into his world, he’d left me in it.

Tears burned my eyes, and I rubbed my eyes furiously. I wouldnotcry. I wasnotweak. I needed to take a moment, and with a deep breath, I pushed myself to my feet.

“You okay?”

Turning my head, I saw Ned in front of me. He looked concerned. “No.” The answer was honest, and I saw his understanding. “But I won’t fall apart.”

“You just had a panic attack.”

“Sue me.” I looked over at Royce, who was still on the phone. “Cannon?”

“Yeah, he wants you on Blackridge Peak.”

I snorted. “No, he doesn’t,” I told him, my voice sounding harsh, my shock probably still overriding my normal manners. “He wants me as far from shifters as possible.” Looking around, I let out a deep sigh. “I don’t want that either.”

“You don’t understand,” Ned’s voice was tight. “Caleb is?—”

“Not responsible for this.” My voice was just as hard as Ned’s. “You don’tknowhim.”

Ned folded his arms across his chest and watched me. “And you do?”

“Do I?” I took a long inhale again. Deep breathing calmed you, right? I needed it to, because I was about to lose my shit completely. “No. I don’t. I know very little about him. His past? Not a clue other than what I draw. I know he’s a loner. I know he has really bad skills at small talk. I know he resents my paintings and drawings as much as you do. No,morethan you do. Because they may be aboutyourworld, but they’re abouthim. And he hates it. But he wouldn’t do this. He’s always protected me. This”—I gestured to the ransacked room, my voice trembling—“he would never do this.”

Ned was shaking his head in disagreement, his frustration seeping through. “You don’t knowwhathe is!”

I felt a sliver of doubt at Ned’s reaction. “A shifter?”

“A rogue,” Royce told me, putting his phone in his pocket. “Caleb is not the man you thought you knew.”

“Yes, he is.”

Both of them looked at me with sympathy. “No.” Royce’s voice was gentle. “A rogue is dangerous. Wild.” His gaze flitted over the room, taking in the carnage. “Caleb’s lost. The man you thought you knew, he’s gone. Only the beast remains.”

“Beast?” I heard my fear.

Ned winced a little. “Animal,” he corrected Royce. “Beast is misleading,” he muttered.

Royce gave a non-committal shrug as he watched me. “For what it’s worth, Willow, I don’t think this was him. But you need to understand what he is now.”

“I understand he’s gone.” I tried to sound patient. “I understand I don’t know as much about him or much about his past. But if he’s lost?” Royce gave a slight dip of his head. “Then why aren’t you trying to findhim?”

“We are. But the circumstances and how we deal with him are different from before.”

Deal with him?That didn’t sound good.

“And while you do that…” I looked at my store, knowing that my home looked in the same state of mayhem. “How do I deal with this?” I knew what Royce was going to say, so I stopped him before he suggested it again. “I will not leave my home.”

He had no idea how much I’d endured to get here. Losing my foster parents, battling a debilitating illness, and fighting through a legal struggle over what John and Jan had unexpectedly left me. Even after it was settled, I could hardly believe any of it was really mine. When I moved to Whispering Pines, it was for a fresh start. Again. As a foster kid, starting over was a way of life, but this move,thistime, was supposed to be different. It was supposed to be my last move. I refused to give that up and run away.

“We can’t protect you here,” he told me gruffly.

“Shouldn’t we be focusing onwhyI need protecting? Who else would do this?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Royce admitted, sharing a look with Ned. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Fantastic.” I could hear my sarcasm, and they didn’t call me on it. I knew we were all struggling with this. “Maybe they’re watching you?” I spoke suddenly. Both men stared at me. “Think about it. No one knows me. I’m literally not even a blip on a shifter’s radar. I have this weird link or whatever with Caleb, and I paint some pretty landscapes I’ve never seen. But think about it, if youdidn’tknow I knew Caleb or that some of my art was of him, would my landscapesreallystick out? Or,are you seeing the link because you have the information any other shifter wouldn’t?”