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Chapter 12

Caleb watched as she crossed the room and sat on one of the leather sofas. He took the seat behind his desk and pressed the button that would open the door.

Tom looked tired. Like all the wolves, he didn’t age, but lines of strain bracketed his face. He glanced across at Regan, his eyes widening in recognition, but he said nothing, just took the seat opposite Caleb.

Not all Caleb’s childhood had been bad, and many of the good bits were because of Tom. He’d taken him camping, taught him to fish, tended his wounds after…

Caleb shut the thought down. What was the point in rehashing the past?

“What is it, Tom?”

Tom answered with a question of his own. “How did it go with your father yesterday?”

“How does it ever go? We piss each other off and agree to go our separate ways.”

“Do you think he’s changed?”

Caleb frowned at the question. “I don’t see him often enough to tell, but he seemed his normal megalomaniac self. Why?”

“You know, he wasn’t always like that. He was a good leader once, before he became obsessed with gaining power.” He paused and looked at Caleb. “And with the idea of having a son to follow him.”

A wave of bitterness washed through Caleb. “So now this is my fault?”

“Not your fault, no. But you could have a lot of influence on him if you wanted.”

Caleb laughed, but the sound held not even a hint of amusement. “Why would I want that? I walked out when I was sixteen with no intention of ever going back, and nothing has happened since to change my mind.”

He stood up and walked to the window, staring out, unseeing.

“What if your father was no longer around?” Tom asked quietly.

At the question, Caleb swung back to face him. “What do you mean?”

Tom licked his lips and his gaze shifted back toward Regan.

“You can talk in front of her,” Caleb said.

Tom looked unsure, but then nodded. “There are some of us in the pack who would like to see Ethan no longer leader.”

Caleb stared at him. The only way to depose the alpha male from the pack was to kill him. Were they really thinking about killing Ethan? He searched his mind for a reaction, but it remained blank.

“Good luck,” he said. “I won’t stand in your way.”

“We’d like you to consider coming back as pack leader.”

Shock flared in his mind at the words. “Why the hell would you want that?” he asked. “I’ve had nothing to do with the pack for over twenty years, and besides—”

“And besides,” Tom finished for him, “you hate us all.”

Caleb sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then pressed his fingers to his temples. Tom spoke quickly into the silence. “There’s no one left in the pack strong enough to rule. No alphas. Ethan has seen to that. He’s killed any wolf that’s come even close. We need you, Caleb.”

Anger flashed through him then.Theyneededhim?What about when he had needed them? Had anyone been willing to stand up to Ethan back then? Now they expected him to come back and sort out their problems.

“But thankfully, I don’t need you. Not any longer.”

A weary expression of acceptance passed across Tom’s face. “I told them that would be your answer, and I don’t really blame you, but I said I’d try.” He shook his head. “You have to let go of the bitterness, Caleb. You can pretend you’re human all you like, but you’re not, and one day you’ll wake up and realize that. Just don’t leave it too late.”

“I’m as much human as I am wolf.” But even as he said the words, he realized they were no longer true.