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“It’s Dom,” Anna said quietly, so low I don’t know how Jess heard her, but the rest of us had no problem. “They’re afraid of him.”

“With good reason,” I snarled, my body tense, as I shifted around uncomfortably in the back seat of the Jeep.

“And Uncle Hank,” Anna continued as if I hadn’t interrupted. “Both of them are powerful fighters. Caleb too when necessary. They’re going to be cautious. Try and catch us when we’re weak.”

“You agree?” Caleb questioned, a hint of betrayal in his voice.

Anna gazed at him, her expression a curious mix of patience, sympathy and exasperation. “Yes, Caleb. I agree with Dom.”

“But your parents….”

“Are wrong in this instance.”

Anna shifted restlessly and for the first time she allowed some of the fear she felt to display.

“They’ve already attacked Jess multiple times. It’s only a matter of time before they come after me.” The Jeep jerked slightly as Caleb’s grip tightened on the wheel. “They targeted Samantha when Dom was away. Their intentions are clear. It’s only a matter of time before I’m next.” Anna turned her head to look out the window at the dense forest that was her home. “I don’t like it, but I also don’t want to live in fear of the day they come for me.”

“Anna,” Caleb said, horror in his voice before he cleared it. “They will never touch you,” Caleb promised, his voice echoing as he made the promise with the weight of an Alpha, causing Anna and I’s eyes to jerk toward him.

“That was –” I started, but stopped, deciding to bring it up later.

“I’ll talk to my father,” Caleb stated and we both nodded, silenced by the forcefulness of his words.

The rest of the ride was quiet and when we arrived, I told them to meet at the field house after school.

“Stay together,” I admonished. “No one goes anywhere alone. Especially, you two,” I added, pointing at Anna and Jess. They nodded, neither of them bothering to argue after recent events.

***

“What the hell was that?” I grabbed Caleb’s arm, drawing him to a stop after the girls were out of sight.

He shook me off muttering, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t know, alright? It just happened.”

“An Alpha command doesn’t just happen,” I snapped, feeling edgy. What Caleb had said in the Jeep wasn’t technically a command, but his words had echoed with power – a power he shouldn’t have and his father would do anything to nullify.

He glanced at me sharply. “No, it doesn’t, but I don’t question you when it happens.”

I reared back in surprise and he walked off, muttering something unintelligible. I squeezed the back of my neck, fighting off a sudden concern. My job was to protect Caleb, but that would be impossible if he directly challenged his father.

I didn’t see any of them until lunch and by then Caleb was back to normal. A normal I was starting to suspect he used to hide his true feelings. I sat down at the table, eager to have Jess join us, but when Leah waved at her, she veered to their table.

“Give her space, Dom,” Anna chided quietly. “She’s had to take in a lot.”

“She’s not one of them,” I mumbled, shoving food in my mouth as I watched Jess

Anna glanced over her shoulder at them, and I saw a hint of longing in her eyes. “She doesn’t know that.” Her gaze met mine. “Not yet, at least.”

I nodded, glancing at my plate as I eavesdropped on Jess’s conversation with Leah.

“Oh, I thought maybe you went to check on your friends,” Leah said, nodding at our table.

“Nope,” Jess responded brightly, causing Leah to glance at her. Jess tilted her head like she had a secret to share and Leah forward eagerly. No doubt anticipating gossip about our Pack, I thought with a grimace.

“I heard there was a death in their community and everyone stayed home to pay their respects.” Jess repeated the story we’d fabricated to explain our absences and Leah had the grace to look abashed.

“That’s so sad,” Leah murmured, casting a lowered gaze toward the Pack’s tables.

Finished with my meal, I found my gaze wandering back to Jess. I knew when she felt it because her head turned. Somewhere in the background I heard Leah hum, but I was totally focused on Jess now that I had her attention.

There was no mistaking who I was staring at and she arched her eyebrow in warning. Nothing had changed where we were concerned. Too many looks like this would garner unnecessary attention.

I pulled my gaze away from hers and practically felt her relief, but it was short lived.

“You ride with him, Caleb, and Anna every morning,” Leah mentioned casually.

“Yeah,” Jess answered, not elaborating.

“I’m impressed, girl. So, how big is he?” Jess choked at her question, and my gaze shot back toward her. She intentionally avoided my gaze as Leah continued to talk. “I mean considering the rest of him.” Leah held her hands apart, widening them when Jess didn’t say anything.