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“Well good afternoon. I’ve come to take our probationary member on a little excursion,” he mused. “Unless you have need of her, Garren?”
The old man snorted. “I’m not that old yet, son. And I think Vanya could use some time out of this house and her tiny cell.”
Callum’s eyes narrowed. “Cell?”
“Your warrior is taking this a bit too far if you ask me,” he mentioned casually, letting his eyes fall to my hands again. I bit back a groan at the impending conversation. Leven wouldn’t be happy Garren was spilling all of this, but I was silently cheering him on for holding the grown man accountable for being a dick.
“It seems we need to chat, little wolf,” Callum said darkly. “For now, you might want to change.” He skimmed a look down at my workout pajama pants and big tee. “Though this look is quite adorable.”
My cheeks burned as I turned and stalked across the room. Just as I went to close my door behind me, someone caught it. I turned to see Callum pushing it open again and glancing around.
“I’ll meet you by the front door,” he said through gritted teeth. He stalked away and I winced, knowing this wasn’t going to end well for Leven and knowing it was going to make my life hell.
For the time being, I focused on getting real clothes on, just jeans, boots, and a cut off top. I threw on a sweater before heading outside. I stopped at the door when I heard the faint sound of yelling overhead, but I couldn’t figure out what they were saying.
When Callum came back down the stairs, he was breathing like an angry bull. He didn’t speak, just taking my hand and pulling me outside with him. It was gentler than I expected so I relaxed, hating how good it felt to be close with someone. I’d dated here and there but mates in a small pack were hard to come by therefore, I’d stuck mainly to human hookups.
“Hey, I’m okay,” I said gently, trying to soothe him as he pulled me toward his house.
“You’re not. I’m moving you out of there,” he seethed.
“No,” I protested. “For two reasons. One, Garren seems so happy to have someone else around. And two, I refuse to let that jerk win.”
He stopped walking and turned to me, our hands still connected so I nearly stumbled into him. Our eyes met and warmth spread through me at the respect behind his gaze.
“That’s not what I had in mind for you. I don’t treat my people this way,” he said in a quiet voice. The disappointment he was feeling was so strong I reached out, resting a hand on his forearm.
“I know,” I promised. “Emma vouched for you.” That earned a small smile from him. He sighed and reached down, turning over my bandaged hands.
“This shouldn’t have happened.”
“It was an allergic reaction on top of blisters, it wasn’t like he made me hold my hands over a fire,” I said. It was weird, but I didn’t want him to be too hard on Leven. He was an asshole, yes, but he didn’t mean to hurt me like this. I think in his mind he thought I’d fold under the pressure, give up. Which just spoke to how little he knew me. “What did you need me for?”
“Subtle.” He laughed, but it lightened the mood enough he shook off the anger. “Well, it was to see if we could get the lone wolf to approach you. Now I’m taking you to lunch because after that bullshit, you deserve some pie.”
“I’ll definitely take that deal.” I laughed. My smile brightened at the prospect of food and he laughed.
“Food is the way to your heart. Noted,” he teased. “Let’s get out of here, little wolf.”
I rolled my eyes at the nickname that started as a condescending thing but had somehow morphed into his name for me.
When we got to Callum’s mansion, I let out a low whistle. “Seriously, this place is insane, Callum.”
“It is,” he agreed with a laugh. “And far too big for just me. But I couldn’t turn down the deal I got on these places. It’s been perfect. I came from old money so it was easy, and we invested to maintain it.”
“Brains and brawn, impressive,” I joked.
“It beats stalking women in bars,” he said. It was yet another not so subtle subject change. He unlocked his Charger and we climbed in. As I was buckling in, I glanced inside the garage and spotted a Jeep, the same one he drove when he confronted me at the hotel. The Charger was a lot less conspicuous than the giant Jeep at least.
The car was pristine inside, just like his land, it seemed the alpha was a bit of a perfectionist.
“Any intel on him?” I asked as he backed out and drove through the small community.
“No sign of him, no bodies, but Leven and Nyx have scented him,” he answered. From the way he gripped the steering wheel, it clearly bothered him.
“Who is Nyx?” I asked. I’d met one of the two Rivera brothers and Leven, but no one else on the security team.
“He works with Leven a lot. The redhead with a permanent smirk. I swear he’s Loki reincarnated,” he explained. “Actually, I think he might have switched shifts with Antonio today, so you’ll see him at the gate.”
