Land of Wolves

Chapter 17

Caleb's hand is warm in mine, and I instinctively lean against his arm as the cool wintery air hits my cheeks and whips my hair all around my face. A strand finds its way into my mouth, and I curse before spitting it out and glancing at Caleb to ensure he didn't see.

He's not looking in my direction, but I know he did.

Nothing gets passed him.

My pulse races as we approach Sash's house. It's a cute brick cottage with black trim and vines growing up the sides. Caleb gives my fingers a gentle squeeze before pushing open the iron gate that leads up a cobblestone walkway.

I bet the humans that lived in this house before being forced away by the wolves loved it.

I can see bodies moving behind the thin curtains and feel my nerves spike as I realize how many people are here. There's a tiny sliver where the curtains don't obstruct the view, and I'm happy to note that I recognize everybody I can see.

Most of them are frequent visitors to Caleb's office, which I suppose isn't too surprising. Sash and Cole are high up in the pack hierarchy, so it makes sense that they'd spend most of their time with the same people Caleb does.

I'm just glad I'm not going to be surrounded by complete strangers. I've never been to a party before, and this makes it a bit less dreadful.

Caleb comes to a halt outside Sash's front door before spinning to kiss me. His lips are soft, and I hate the way I sigh into them. His mere touch has my pulse slowing, my body picking up his silent cues and relaxing.

This damned bond is going to be the death of me.

"Are you okay?" he whispers as he pulls away. "I'll be by your side all night, and we can leave whenever you want."

I plaster a smile on my lips and nod.

"I'm great," I lie.

Caleb doesn't look like he believes my statement, but he doesn't embarrass me by questioning it. I'm sure the wolves inside can hear us through the door, and I'd rather not walk inside with them all knowing how nervous I am.

I meet Caleb's gaze head-on until he sighs and turns back to Sash's door. He doesn't bother knocking, and I follow behind as he pushes it open and welcomes himself inside.

Sash is on us in seconds, her beaming smile the first thing I notice before a drink is pushed into my hand and my arm is grabbed. I turn and shoot Caleb a panicked look as his sister drags me away, but he only shrugs.

What happened to being by my side all night? Dirty fucking liar.

Sash takes it upon herself to introduce me to everybody, even the people I've already met, and I try not to flush too deeply by the way she loudly announces over and over again that I'm Caleb's mate. I had no idea how the wolves would react to their Alpha having a human as a mate, but they hardly seem to care.

If they do, they sure do a good job hiding it.

Every once in a while, I catch somebody glancing at the mark on my hand. It's almost always followed by a scrunched nose and pursed lips.

I don't like it, and I stick my hand in the front pocket of the giant sweatshirt Caleb forced over my head before leaving the house this evening. At first, I hated that he was putting me in what is essentially a sack, but now I'm glad to have a place to hide my hand.

A part of me I hate to acknowledge is embarrassed over the color of my mark. It's so dark, and I am ashamed now that I know the cause. When I was within the HPAW facility, I detested that I even had one, but now I hate that I've ruined it.