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Tom snorted. “You’re more wolf than anyone I’ve ever met. Why do you think the pack is willing to follow you?” He ran a hand through his already ruffled hair. “I won’t say any more, I can see it’s pointless. But one thing—will you consider helping Sarah get away?”

Caleb frowned. “Why?”

“I believe Ethan is losing his sanity, and I think she could get hurt.”

“Ethan would never harm his mate, and Sarah would never leave him.”

“She would if you offered to help.”

“I can’t do that. If she wants to leave Ethan, then she’s going to have to stand up to him.”

Tom shook his head. “You’ve grown into a hard man, Caleb.”

“I’m what my father made me. What you all made me.”

Tom sighed. “You’re right. We all let you down. Maybe—” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Never mind—it’s too late to change the past now.” He rose to his feet. “I promised I’d try, and I’ve done that. I hope everything works out for you and you get the life you wish.”

He nodded once to Regan and trudged from the room.

As the door shut behind him, Caleb slammed his fist into the wall. Why the hell was he feeling guilty?

“Well, that was fascinating,” Regan murmured.

He turned to face her. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

She looked into his eyes for a brief moment and must have seen something there because she shrugged. “Okay. Let’s go see the Council then.”

He’d forgotten all about the Council, but perhaps that’s what he needed. A meeting with a whole load of people even weirder than he was.

∞∞∞

Poor Caleb, it seemed as if the supernatural world was unwilling to let him go.

Clearly, the pack weren’t happy with Ethan and wanted Caleb to take over. Regan wasn’t surprised. She’d seen Caleb as both human and wolf, and in either form, he was formidable. He’d refused the offer, but despite his words, it was obviously not a decision he made easily. Now, she watched as he turned away from her and took off his suit jacket, tossing it onto the back of his chair. Crossing the room, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a shoulder holster, shrugged into it, and then slotted in a wicked looking pistol. He came back and picked up his jacket, slipping it on over the top.

“Ready?” he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think you’re going to have to shoot anyone.”

“You never know.”

“You’re nervous.”

“No, I’m not. I’m just taking sensible precautions. So where are we going?”

She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her back pocket and handed it to him. He glanced down at it. “This is just around the corner.”

“Well, isn’t that amazing? All the time you’ve been almost right on top of the very things you’ve been trying to avoid. So how do we go there?”

“I drive.”

Regan called Catrin from the car and by the time Caleb drove down into the underground parking beneath the Council building, it was obvious they were expected. There were three sets of gates between here and the outside world, and they’d all opened silently as they approached. Caleb pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine.

“Have you never worked with this Council?” Caleb asked. “You know, protecting the normal world from the bad guys?”

“No, we’ve always kept to ourselves, and would have continued to do so if it hadn’t been for Darius Cole.”

“Why? What did he do?”