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As a woman who had once run for it, I could sympathize with Lydia and the desperation she must have felt to have taken such a step. But at the same time, how could she leave her little boy behind? I was thankful, at least, that she’d left him with other werewolves so he wouldn’t go through his transformation without that support. And in some remote, gloomy corner of my mind, I couldn’t help but think that he was repeating his father’s cycle all over again, choosing a woman—however temporarily—who would inevitably leave him. Freud would have a field day with Caleb Graham.
“Did you ever hear from your mom?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair.
He leaned into the caress and shook his head. “Wasn’t interested. She made her choice.”
“And your dad?” I asked.
“He always missed her. He was a good dad. He loved me like crazy, did all of the things a dad was supposed to, but you could tell life was just a little bit less than it should have been for him.”
I gave him a little half smile and kissed him. “I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. Yeah, it sucks, and my life could have been better. But there were people in my family who had it a lot worse. So I can’t really complain.” He rolled onto his side and slid his hand down my stomach, tracing each of my ribs with his fingertips.
“What was it like growing up in the valley?” I asked.
“It was the best kind of childhood for a little kid,” he said, sighing. “I spent a lot of time playing in the woods with Samson and Cooper. Maggie was the little sister I never really wanted. We were always chasing something, hunting, running around. Cooper and Samson lost their dads pretty early on, so my dad took them under his wing, so to speak. He taught us how to fix a car, clear a clogged sink, skin a deer with your bare teeth, that sort of thing.”
“Sounds idyllic, in a twisted Tom Sawyer kind of way.”
“We had to grow up fast. Cooper became the alpha when we were just teenagers. And then that other pack tried to take over the valley, and everything got so screwed up. It just seemed easier to pull away from all that confusion. I knew my dad was disappointed that I moved away, but it just didn’t feel right for me to be there anymore.”
“Was it Suds who got you into the whole werewolf-tracker-for-hire business?”
“No, and he doesn’t know what I am, by the way,” he replied. “I was the valley’s police force before I left. Usually, the alpha takes on the role along with mayoral duties. But we didn’t have an alpha when Cooper left, and I was able to fill in. I liked it. Mostly, it involved keeping the younger wolves in line and corralling my idiot uncles when they tied one on. But every once in a while, some unsavory character would wander into town, thinking it would be a nice place to set up a meth lab, and I would have to explain why this was not a good idea. In following up on the background information for these yahoos, I was amazed at what I managed to discover online. And in a lot of cases, these guys—and sometimes girls—had warrants or rewards for information leading to their arrests. With my extra senses, I could track them, even after they left the valley. I made quite a bit of money that way. And I made some good contacts as I traveled around. So when I left, it seemed a natural fit for me to do it full-time.”
“But doesn’t it kill you, being away from the packlands for this long?”
“It was hard, at first. I couldn’t stay away for long stretches at a time without really pushing myself. But it got easier with time.” He gave me a crooked little smile. “What I’m looking for isn’t in the packlands.”
“Well, that’s nice and cryptic, thank you.”
“So, your family?”
“What about them?”
“I am assuming that you have one. You weren’t hatched. We’ve established, thanks to your alarming deceptive tactics, that you are an only child. What about your parents?”
“My parents died a few years ago,” I told him.
“I’m sorry. What were they like?”
I hesitated and cursed myself for it. He’d shared with me, I reminded myself, and he didn’t have to. So instead of giving him the pat answer I’d developed for Anna Moder, I told him about Jack and Marcy Campbell.
“Nice people,” I said, smiling when he slid his lips along the ridge of my hip. “High school sweethearts. Mom owned an interior-design business, and Dad ran a construction firm. They loved each other very much. They taught me what marriage was supposed to look like. I just didn’t pay close enough attention.”
“Well, you’ll know what to look for next time,” he told me.
“I don’t know if there will be a next time for me,” I said, yawning.
Caleb’s head jerked up, his expression alarmed. “What?”
I sniffed. “I’m thinking maybe polygamy next time around. Civil union with two or three guys. I think there would be less pressure that way.”
“Oh, you’re hilarious.” He groaned, digging his fingertips into my sides, making me jump all over the bed.
“It’s not my fault you keep falling for it!” I exclaimed as he tickled my sides. To escape the torture, I went with my only available distraction technique. I kissed him, long and hard, sliding my hands over his and directing them to more interesting, less ticklish parts of my body.
He tapped his finger between my eyebrows. “You’ve got that look on your face. What are you thinking?”
