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Kaleem suddenly turned towards the trees to our right, and I picked up on a familiar scent. Jackson stepped into the clearing, and Kaleem widened his stance while Jackson walked to the fountain.
Jackson had been among the group that attacked Silverdawn, and no doubt, right now, Kaleem wanted to shred him like paper.
“You weren’t sent here for this,” Jackson said while dipping his fingers into the water. He then looked at Kaleem. “Alpha Kaleem, it’s been a while.”
“Why are you here, Jackson?” I growled. “I was meant to come alone. Have you been following me?”
“Did you really think grandpa would send you alone, knowing what was once between you two?” he looked Kaleem up and down as he said so. “Whatever you’re thinking, Alpha, don’t go there. We only wish to return to Wolfcreek. Our pack members will stay far from yours, including Diana.”
“Don’t speak for me,” I said to Jackson, who turned his icy eyes on me.
“Jackson,” Kaleem finally spoke. “This is between Diana and me.”
Despite Kaleem’s face lacking any expression of annoyance or anger, I could tell he was livid by the vein popping from his neck. He was good at masking his facial expression, but the short time we’d had together years ago had been enough for me to notice a few things about him.
But there was so much more to learn. I’d told him he didn’t know me, but I didn’t know him either. The stolen moments we’d had were too few and entirely not enough.
“Nothing is between you and Diana,” Jackson shot back. “There never will be.”
I grew nervous when Kaleem’s head tilted to the side, and a small smile began to curve his lips. Even though he wasn’t Jackson’s alpha, he was still above him in rank, and in our species, alphas were to be respected.
With what happened between us, I felt I’d earned the right to be angry with Kaleem and speak as I wished, but if Jackson kept this up, he’d anger the man holding our fate in his palm. I was glad for the interruption in some sense, but not if it would lead to a fight.
I stepped between both men with my back to Jackson. “Kaleem, what’s your answer?”
He stared at me without saying anything, and I couldn’t guess what he might be thinking. He was a blank slate until his eyes moved to Jackson behind me.
“I’ll speak with your alpha,” he said, and I couldn’t hold back my sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” I told him, and for a second, his eyes softened.
I forgot Jackson was with us until he stepped to my side and then turned away without saying anything. Colin wanted Kaleem to not let us back home because that would have been the outcome if I’d allowed Jackson to continue moving his lips.
Nodding at Kaleem once, I turned to leave with Jackson and glared daggers at the back of his head.
He’d almost blown it showing up like this and beating his chest.
The thought that this egotistical fool was one day going to be Alpha was too much to bear. He was an alpha born, but not yet on the level, Kaleem was. He wasn’t even close.
If Kaleem allowed us to come home, I’d give it a few years until Jackson became alpha for us to be kicked out again because of him. But for now, this was a start towards a better future, even if it would be short-lived.
While following Jackson through the forest, I started praying to the Goddess, begging her to give Colin an ounce of humility to make use of during his meeting with Kaleem. I’d done my part, and now it was time for him to do his.
I had my own plan, though.
If Kaleem said no to the pack returning, I would get my Dad to renounce the pack one way or another. Living as rogues on the edge of Wolfcreek would be better than staying with Colin and his merry band of barbarians.
