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“You can’t stay here if it’s not safe, Callie. Especially if you’re in danger from rogues who may or may not follow shifter laws.”
She snorts softly. “You don’t always follow shifter laws yourself. Besides, I’m not planning to stay here. None of us are. There’s a rogue community that’s been developing up in Maine. It’s civilized and modern.” She emphasizes the last word, knowing it’s the only thing to keep me from snarling.
“You can’t run from rogues only to join more rogues. That doesn’t make any sense.” She’s blinded by her infatuation with Baylor, the de facto leader of the rogues she’s been living with.
“Baylor knows the other group. They’re not strangers.”
All I can do is grimace. No matter how much I like to pretend otherwise, I’m not the boss of Callie. Of all our siblings, we’re the only two that keep in touch as far as I know. And we stay that way by following a simple motto.
Live and let live.
As much as I want to put my foot down and boss her around like a proper big brother, it’ll only drive her away faster.
“Pax. I love you, but these wolves are my unofficial pack. I’m not turning my back on them when things get hard. We’re stronger and safer together.”
I lean forward and kiss her cheek, conceding despite my feelings on the matter. “You have a good head on your shoulders. I know better than to try to tell you what to do. Now, I’m hoping you’ll do the opposite for me. You’re a female, tell me how the hell I get my mate without scaring her off at the sight of me.”
She studies me skeptically. “Even if I give you advice, you’ll be too stubborn to follow it. I’ll bet you’re going to end up throwing her over your shoulder like a caveman and trying to Stockholm Syndrome her into submission.” Of course the thought has crossed my mind.
“What about you? You’re no better at taking advice than I am. Have you asked Baylor about his mate yet?” The first step to her either getting the guy for herself or finally moving on is to figure out what the status of his mate bond is.
If Baylor’s mate is gone or rejected him, he could be fair game. If he’s yet to find his mate, then my sister is only setting herself up for hurt by mooning after him like a starstruck pup.
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, and I know I’m right. She’s too chickenshit to approach the guy like that. The hero worship is annoying.
And speaking of Baylor.
The tall blond strides toward us with long steps. I’m pretty damn tall, and the guy still has several inches on me. He’s built like a freaking California Redwood tree. Tall and slim. From what I’ve seen, the guy distinctly lacks personality or substance. Somehow, Callie is still infatuated with the pretty boy.
He plasters on a fake smile as he joins us. I don’t make it any secret that nothing about him or his makeshift pack impresses me.
“Paxton. Didn’t realize you were visiting.” He tilts his head down to study Callie. “I was waiting for you over in my tent. We’re supposed to talk logistics about the move.” His voice is smug as if he thinks he’s spoiling the news for me or something.
Callie blinks at him with a blank look, and I know that means she caught the tone too. My sister’s infatuation with Baylor might be beyond logic, but she’s not stupid. “Something came up. I’m sure Nicole could help you go over the plans. She really knows more about the terrain heading that direction anyway.”
Baylor stares at her, his jaw falling slack, as she gives me her full attention. I’m proud as hell of her as she tucks her hand into my elbow and starts to lead me away.
“I’ll be back for dinner,” she calls over her shoulder. Then, mumbling low, “Prick.”
I can’t help but smirk. She might have mumbled the word, but with wolf hearing, I know he heard her. I raise an eyebrow at her and wait for an explanation. She has a lot more attitude with him than the last time I was here.
“He’s been sneaking off to fool around with a wolf from a nearby pack,” Callie admits when we’re surrounded by a thick cover of trees and fully out of earshot. “He doesn’t know that I know, but the second I started to back off, he suddenly started asking me to contribute more. One-on-one. He clearly knows I have a stupid crush on him and intends to string me along to boost his own ego.”
“Well, hell, why didn’t you tell me?”
“For one, because I don’t want you running off to beat the shit out of him for it. And two, because I’m hoping…”
“What?”
She clears her throat. “There’s been talk that there are some widowers among the rogues we’re joining. The kind of males that might actually be looking to take a mate and have a proper family.” She smiles wistfully. “It might not turn out to be anything, but…” She trails off again, shrugging as if it’s nothing. But it’s not nothing.
I squeeze her arm with mine. It’s an unspoken rule that we don’t talk about the mate she lost. They’d barely met when they were in a freak car accident in the middle of nowhere on a mountain. Callie was lucky the damage wasn’t bad enough that her body couldn’t heal, but Adam hadn’t been so lucky. Killed instantly. Callie spent days stuck in the car with her dead mate until she healed enough to go out and find help.
“That sounds promising,” I say casually. I’ll support anything that keeps her seeing Baylor for who he is. “And it makes me feel better about your move, to be honest.”
If she’s ready to start thinking about having a family again, she deserves someone who feels the same way.
“I know you don’t get it, Pax, but you’re going to have to try. Your mate is going to have friends and family she cares about. If you go in and rip her away from all of that, she’s only going to resent you. They’re not all like our family; you have to know that by now.”
