Page 84 of Wolf's Fate

My legs began to burn as the climb got steeper, but I kept my thoughts to myself. The air was thinner now, and I needed the oxygen for my lungs. Caleb was a step ahead of me, his movements sure and confident, but he checked over his shoulder frequently, making sure I was only a step behind him.

When the wind picked up, cold and biting, I was so grateful for my new coat. The world felt a long way away from us, reminding me how far from safety I was, how far from the familiar. But I’d come so far, and I wasn’t backing down.

I’d decided to stay with Caleb, and I was sticking to it. Sticking tohim.

The truth was that whatever our link was, the link knew about his past, even if I did not. I could have run off this mountain after learning what he did, but we would still be connected. No matter what I found at the top of this mountain, I wasn’t turning back.

When we reached a small plateau, Caleb came to a halt, beckoning me forward. As I stood beside him, we looked out over the vast expanse of the world below us. The view was breathtaking, bathed in the early afternoon sunlight, making the autumnal colors more vibrant.

“Oh my,” I breathed as I took it all in. “It’s so beautiful.” Looking down, I noted how far we’d come. “We’ve come so far,” I said, and as I spoke, I knew I meant more than physical distance.

“We have,” he agreed, his voice low and contemplative, and I wondered if he was thinking of the same things I was.

We stood in silence, both looking out, and I felt the comfortableness between us grow. I didn’t want to be the one to break it, and I sensed that neither did he.

Turning away from the view below us, I looked up at the peak, which loomed above us. It was still so vast and imposing, and I wasn’t sure how much further I could go. But as I stood there, in the shadow of it, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. Standing here, knowing how far I had come, I felt like I was back in control. Which was completely contrary to my actual life, as I had zero control over anything that was happening to me, but under the protection of Shadowridge Peak, I felt empowered.

I was choosing to stay. I was choosing to fight. I was choosing to find out why I was tied to Caleb.

When was the last time I had said any of that?

“Whatever waits for me at the top, I’m not scared,” I realized, surprising myself with how true that felt.

Caleb turned to look at me, his eyes searching mine, and Isaw the corner of his mouth curl upwards slightly. “You’re stronger than you think you are.”

Holding his gaze, I believed him. “You’ve said that to me before.”

“And I was right then, too.”

“So, tell me, on this peak, are you king of the world?” I teased, trying to push past the ugliness of his words last night. I needed to get back to some form of normal between us, because I had a feeling there was more to come, and I wasn’t mentally prepared formoreright now.

“King?” He seemed to mull it over. “No. Alpha?” His look turned possessive and predatory, his smile wicked. “Fucking right, I am.”

My heart rate had picked up, my lady bits had woken up, and my mouth had gone dry.Holy hotness.

“I’m not bowing,” I blurted, knowing he could see how he affected me, and my brain short-circuited as I admired the magnificent specimen that was him.

Caleb stepped into my space, and I refused to move. Dipping his head, his lips skimmed my ear as he spoke softly. “You sure about that?”

Nervous laughter bubbled out of me. Stepping back, I shook my head as I watched him. “Sly and sneaky!” I protested.

His smile was genuine as he chuckled, turning from the view and dropping my pack to the ground. “All predators know exactly how to catch their prey,” he said with a grin.

I could tell it was still kind of forced, but it was lighter than he had been. I needed that, I realized. I needed to see the lightness in him. He was so shrouded by darkness, that I needed to draw him out of its clutches.

Or maybe I was wishful thinking and no amount of trying could wash his hands clean of the blood that stained them.

The heaviness of my thoughts made my own smile fade as I watched Caleb rummage through the pack for food. He moved with a practiced efficiency, every move deliberate like he had done this many times before. When he handed me the food, there seemed to be something more, something subtle and unspoken, as if he was offering me more than simple sustenance.

Was he as keen to keep our connection as I was?

I took the food with a quiet “thanks,” sitting down on the flattest rock I could see. The truth was, we were still learning about each other. There was so much about him that I didn’t know. So much I was scared to learn after last night’s revelation, but I knew I needed to know more. I felt like we had only just scratched the surface. I could feel him watching me out of the corner of his eye, but I didn’t call him on it. I wasn’t ready to answer questions about how I felt. Emotionally? Mentally? I couldn’t answer.

I chewed my piece of beef jerky. I’d protested loudly yesterday about eating it when he bought it, but it beat another granola bar. Between his past, our connection to each other, the danger we were in, or I was in, it all felt like the mountain wasn’t the only thing we needed to climb.

“Do you think we’ll figure it out?” I asked quietly, more to myself than him.

Caleb had been chewing jerky like it personally offended him, and I wanted to change the subject and remind him thathewas the one who insisted we buy it. “I do,” he told me, his voice low and steady.