Page 14 of Wolf’s Providence (The Shadowridge Peak #3)

THIRTEEN

Willow

My eyes opened in the dark room. The small window high up had snow against it, but also soft light. I lay in Caleb’s arms, my cheek pressed against the warmth of his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath my ear. This was the first morning in a long time that I’d woken up feeling like this—safe, calm, and dare I even say, relaxed.

I didn’t feel the weight of fear looming over me, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been free of that feeling.

Caleb’s arm tightened around me, pulling me closer, and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. After everything that we had been through, this felt like a moment of peace I never thought we’d get.

A niggling thought at the back of my mind cautioned me not to get used to it; the track record Caleb and I had wasn’t great.

I moved slightly, my fingers gliding over his skin, tracing the soft hair on his chest. It was not a blanket, not like a man-rug. It was just a few sparse hairs that broke up his smooth skin. As much as I wanted to stay like this—wrapped in him, safe in a cocoon away from everything else—I knew we couldn’t hide forever. There were still so many things we needed to address.

I fought back the sigh, pulling myself out of my thoughts, and shifting slightly against the warmth of him.

“You’re thinking very loudly,” he murmured, his voice thick with satisfaction, the kind of smugness you sometimes felt after you woke up after a really good sleep. His large hand rested over the curve of my hip, keeping me close. “You good?” His voice was low and rough, making something warm settle deep in my belly.

Looking up at him, I saw the dark of his eyes, heavy still with sleep. I smiled at him. It was so hard to stop smiling. “Just thinking of all the things we need to do. But honestly, I’m looking forward to going home.”

Caleb didn’t say anything, his hand tightening on my hip for a brief moment before he let go, sitting up on the bed. “I’m sure you are.”

The easy comfort of the morning started to fade, but I didn’t let it ruin my good mood. There was a lot to do. We needed to learn what it was between us, and we needed to learn who it was that broke into my home and why. And we needed to talk about Caleb and the darkness that threatened to consume him.

“Do you think they’ll think we’re running away?” I asked him, sitting up and watching Caleb walk in all his naked glory to the bathroom.

“Do we care?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Caleb,” I reprimanded him gently, getting out of bed. “They’re only trying to help us.”

He held my stare, his gaze softening. “They won’t like it,” he conceded, walking back to me. “They don’t have to.” He dropped a kiss on my lips. “Stop worrying.”

I wished it were that simple. Caleb could act like he didn’t care what the others thought, but I knew he wasn’t as blasé as he made out.

“Cannon won’t like you leaving without seeing the shaman,” I told him. “Doc won’t like me leaving.” My sly grin held his attention. “Ned will be pissed he didn’t get to kick your ass.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow as he reached for me. “And why would he think he could ?”

I giggled as I dodged his hold. “I may have told him to find you and kick your ass.”

Caleb’s eyes widened and then narrowed. I saw his intent and yelped as I darted to the bathroom and was easily caught by strong arms. I screamed in laughter as he carried me into the bathroom, tickling me, kicking the door closed behind him.

“What’s happening?” I asked him, seeing his smirk.

“Shower time,” he answered.

“Why, sir, are you saying I’m filthy?” I said, feigning mock outrage.

“No,” he told me, his eyes darkening. “But you will be.”

It took us a little bit longer to get dressed because we kept stealing kisses, and I kept smiling because he had that effect on me. He made me happy. Something that kind of took me by surprise but also something, I thought, deep down I had hoped for, and I was pleased I was right. All of which meant I was also a little reluctant to leave this room.

We’d had one night—one moment of respite—but reality was already creeping back in. Inside this bubble of contentment, we were uninhibited and protected in our self-confinement. I didn’t think either of us expected this to continue like we were now , once we went beyond this door.

Caleb finally got sick of me stalling and simply opened the door and walked out of the room. I had no choice but to follow him, and as I caught up, he gave my hand a squeeze when he caught it in his.

We found Doc in a room near the main door of the bunker. It was a lab, and for a bunker three-quarters of the way up a mountain, the amount of equipment in it was impressive.

Doc looked like he’d been up all night, and I was certain he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He looked up from the computer as Caleb leaned against the doorway, with me hovering uncertainly beside him. I didn’t want to argue with him again, so I was hoping for an easier conversation this morning than we had last night.

“Cannon says the shaman told you to make amends,” Doc started with no preamble. He glanced at me, his gaze dropping to our linked fingers. “I’m going to assume you did that.”

“Not that it’s any of… anyone’s business, but Willow and I have reached an understanding.”

I winced at the coldness in Caleb’s voice. Just moments ago, he was warm and approachable, and now he was his same standoffish self. Doc looked between us again, and I knew he wanted to say something, but he turned back to his screen.

“You’re going back today?” he asked as he scrolled down a chart of some kind. Nosiness had me moving closer, but Caleb tugged on my hand, slightly preventing me from going into the room and peering over Doc’s shoulder.

“I’ll speak to Cannon first,” Caleb told him, “but yes, we’ll be off the mountain by afternoon.”

Doc nodded. “Before you leave, Willow, I’d like to take a few more samples, if that’s okay with you?”

“Why?” Caleb’s tone was firm, and I saw his eyes narrow.

“It’s okay,” I spoke quickly, trying not to roll my eyes at the man beside me and his Neanderthal behavior. “Since Doc’s been my doctor,” I said with a warm smile at Doc, “I’ve been better. Healthier.”

Doc loosened up a little, and I was pleased the tension lessened slightly. “You are an obedient patient,” he praised me. “Keep it up and keep your stress levels down, and hopefully we will keep the ME flares down.”

Caleb looked at me in question, and I saw him thinking about it. “It’s not all stress related,” I murmured, but I knew Doc heard me. “I’ll be back before we leave,” I promised. “And you can get what you need, okay?”

We said our goodbyes—well, I did, Caleb merely grunted and walked away. Outside, I was amazed at how much snow had fallen. Everywhere was covered in a blanket of white.

It felt like we could be safe here, but this was not where either of us belonged. The reality for Caleb and me right now was that we weren’t safe. Not here, maybe not anywhere.

Pushing my hair behind my ear, I tried not to look at Caleb as we headed towards the town that was Blackridge Peak. I’d been here once before, the day that Caleb left me, and just like my encounter with Doc, I was hoping this visit went a little smoothly than the last.

“I have questions,” I told Caleb as we walked over the snow, and I knew he was being patient by going at my pace.

“When do you not have questions?” he asked with a gleam in his eyes.

“Har har.” I tried to contain myself to just a few. “What do you think is waiting for us when we leave here? Do you think Whispering Pines will be okay for us? How do we start looking into the people who did the break-ins and followed me? And…”

“And?” His lips twitched with amusement.

“And do you intend to return to Shadowridge Peak?”

He lost the hint of a smile, but he considered the question carefully. “There is a lot of my past on that mountain that I don’t want reminded of,” he said quietly, slowing us down as we walked. “You saw firsthand what can happen there.” He looked away from me, his gaze fixed north. “You paid a price that you should never have had to pay because of…” Caleb rolled his shoulders, his uncomfortableness evident. “Because of what lies in wait for me on that peak.”

“Then we need to make a plan,” I said with a confidence I wasn’t feeling. I felt his eyes on me as I continued. “We can’t keep guessing about what’s waiting for us, so we need to start making lists or inquiries as to who in the world I could possibly be of interest to. You said before, you had connections; can we use them?”

He was watching me, a calculated look in his eye, one I was familiar with, and it usually meant I wasn’t going to like what he said next. “I can, and I have.”

“You have?” We had stopped walking to Cannon’s house and stood in the middle of a snowy path. Only a few people walked the streets, and I was trying to pretend I wasn’t noticing them notice us. “When?”

“When I came to get you.”

“Which time?”

His huff of laughter at my cheekiness made me grin. “ This time. I’ve reached out to an old…friend. I’m waiting to hear back.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t expected that, and I wanted to ask more, but he was obviously uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to push it. We had enough time to discuss it later when he was ready. This conversation was the first time we’d spoken about Shadowridge Peak since last night, and I selfishly didn’t want to ruin the morning completely.

Caleb was looking past me, and I turned to see what held his attention. There was nothing that stood out to me, just a few of Cannon’s pack looking our way as they went about their morning. When I looked back at Caleb, I saw his jaw was tight and his brow was furrowed in a frown. The hard look in his eye sent a chill down my spine.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him quietly.

“We’re exposed here. Come on, let’s go see Cannon and get off this mountain.”

“What are you seeing that I’m not?” I asked him as we resumed walking, trying to be quiet because I knew how well shifters could hear.

“It’s nothing,” he assured me, his fingers tightening around mine. “Do you still have the drawings of the shifter that followed you?” he asked me suddenly.

“Probably, well, I wouldn’t,” I corrected quickly, “Cannon or Ned should though. Why?”

“Because we need to find who’s been targeting you,” he said, his voice darkening. “Whoever they are, they’ve been careful, really careful, but sooner or later, they’ll slip up. The fact you’ve seen them may be the best clue.”

“Yeah, let’s hope so.” We were walking through the town now. Cannon lived right in the center, and we passed a few more people on our way. I began to notice the looks because this pack was not hiding their disapproval.

“Do these people know you?” I asked Caleb, my voice barely a whisper.

“No.” His scowl was etched deep now, and I wasn’t sure why.

“So, it’s me?” I guessed. “Why are they staring like they’ve never seen a human before?”

“Ignore them.”

Well, that wasn’t helpful, or comforting. “Are we walking into a fight?” I asked in the same whisper.

“No.” He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be gone soon.”

He was right. If they didn’t like a human on their mountain, I got it, I did. I had taken up pack resources, so maybe I had outstayed my welcome. If I had ever been welcome to begin with. My gut told me it was more than that, but my head told me to tackle one problem at a time.

The door to Cannon’s house opened as we walked up the path. A stunning woman about my age stood there in leggings and a T-shirt, but her lack of winter clothing didn’t draw my attention, it was her pure white hair. She looked at me from head to toe and then did the same to Caleb.

She and Caleb shared a look, and I was going to attempt to break the awkward silence when she suddenly stepped back.

“He’s in the study, he’s expecting you,” she told him. Her eyes flicked to me again, and once more, I received a once-over.

“Hi?” I wasn’t a confrontational person, but I also respected good manners.

I didn’t expect her to grin or look at Caleb with amusement. “Hi,” she told me. “Nice to see you on your feet again,” she added. “You look well.” Her amusement was clear as she carried on. “Relaxed.”

“Kezia.” Cannon’s voice came from behind her, and then he was in the doorway. I watched in fascination as he slipped his arm around her, pulling her back into his body. It was possessive but also oddly endearing. “Excuse my mate,” he grumbled. “Manners of a goat sometimes.”

“I was just saying they looked well rested,” she told him, looking up at him with a smirk.

I didn’t hear his reply, but her look turned heated, and Caleb cleared his throat.

“Do we do this here or inside?” he asked them both.

“Come in,” Cannon told him. His mate hesitated, looking between us again. “Go, it won’t take long, I’ll join you,” he assured her.

Kezia looked like she wanted to argue, but instead, she shrugged and went back inside. She came back almost as quickly.

“Travel safe,” she told me. “It really is good to see you well.” Her attention switched to Caleb. “Not everyone will understand,” she said seriously. “If it doesn’t matter to you now, make sure it doesn’t matter then.”

I felt him bristle, but she was gone again, and Cannon was looking between us both with a frown. “You better come in.”

“What is happening?” I asked Caleb as we followed Cannon inside.

“It’s nothing.”

When we were in his study, a place I remembered well, I sat as Cannon closed the doors. Like last time, Caleb chose to stand.

“It’s not nothing,” Cannon said with a hard look at Caleb. “It’s a whole lot of something, and you know it.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you did or not. I’m giving Willow my opinion because she deserves to know. This”—he gestured between us—“won’t be accepted by some.”

“What is ‘this’?” I asked, talking quickly before Caleb lost his temper. “Is Caleb not welcome here because of what happened with his pack?”

Cannon looked momentarily perplexed at my question and then shook his head. “His pack? No. This has to do with you. Both of you.”

“What has?” Why did I feel like I wasn’t going to like the answer?

“Humans and shifters aren’t favored by Pack Council,” Cannon told me bluntly. “Shifters stick to shifters. It’s not accepted overall to go outside of the…species,” he added.

“Excuse me?” I knew my jaw was slack.

“We’re a different species to human. We don’t generally have relationships with humans.” He was so forthright in the way he said things, even when there were gentler ways of telling someone that the guy they were falling for didn’t have a future with her.

“But Doc is mixed,” I blurted. “He’s human and shifter.”

“Yes, he has some shifter in him, but he also has very few of the benefits of being a shifter.” When he saw I didn’t understand, he sighed deeply. “He can’t shift , Willow. He will never have a son or daughter who is a shifter. Shifters that have relationships with humans are usually just using them for sex. Nothing more.”

I felt sick. Caleb’s angry snort didn’t help.

“She doesn’t need to know this right now,” he protested. “We have more important things happening.”

“Using them for sex?” I asked, feeling completely adrift.

Caleb crouched down to look at me. Reaching out his hand, he cupped my cheek. “Not me.” When he saw I didn’t believe him, his frown deepened. “ No , Willow. It’s not just sex,” he assured me. “I’m pissed off you think it would be,” he added, leaning forward to brush his lips over mine. “You and I, this is happening. Anyone who doesn’t like it?” He stroked his thumb over my cheek. “They can fuck off. I don’t care about what anyone thinks, only you.”

My mind was still reeling. “I mean, I’m not saying I was expecting you to put a ring on it or anything. I’m not a crazy psycho. We have so much shit to work through, but…” I looked up at Cannon. “Can Caleb get in trouble for this? For me?” My eyes widened. “Is this why I’m being targeted?” When Caleb went to speak, I placed a finger over his lips. “Cannon, I’m asking you .”

“I don’t know,” he told me simply. “It’s unlikely because you and Caleb didn’t have this relationship when it happened,” he said as he looked directly at me. “But I won’t lie and tell you it could—it probably will—bring problems in the future for you, both of you.”