Land of Wolves

Chapter 11

Caleb is like a blanket. No, no like. Caleb is a blanket.

He squeezes me against his chest, his arms caging me in and denying me even an inch of space. I've never slept with a man before and thought it would be hard to get comfortable, but surprisingly I feel entirely at ease as I stare at Caleb's sleeping face.

He's a beautiful man, and I try to ingrain every pore, mark, and eyelash into my memory as he opens his mouth and lets out a soft breath of air. I think his lips are my favorite part of him, and I wiggle in his arms until I'm able to reach up and kiss him.

He purses his lips, the wolf eager to kiss me even when unconscious.

The realization makes my heart thump, and I give my head a subtle shake to push away the pain it brings forward. I am going to kill him soon. I can't get too attached.

I've been telling myself that since day one, but I'm still doing a shitty job keeping my distance. Caleb keeps saying and doing the right things, forcing my fondness for him to grow despite my attempts to stop it. I need to keep my mission in the forefront of my mind if I'm to succeed.

Take down the Alpha, take down the pack.

I chant that to myself, knowing I need it ingrained deep.

Caleb shifts as if sensing my thoughts, and he gives me a tight squeeze. He applies no weight to my healing ribs as he throws his thigh over my hips and pins me beneath him. I don't mind it, and I let a small smile toy at the corners of my lips as I shut my eyes and let sleep pull me back under.

When I wake up again, I'm cold and know immediately that I'm alone.

Caleb is nowhere to be found, and I refuse to let myself feel disappointed as I crawl out of bed and tug on some clothes. A handful of items were purchased and placed in the closet for me, but somehow they all smell like Caleb.

I have a feeling it's not coincidental. I haven't asked for fear he'll get embarrassed and stop, but I think the wolf is rubbing himself against them or something equally as weird.

Where did Caleb go?

He's almost always here when I wake up, and if I'm still sleeping when he has to leave, he'll nudge me to let me know he's heading out. I search the whole house before tugging on my coat and heading outside, my boots stomping through the fresh snow.

The car is here, but that doesn't mean much considering Caleb prefers to shift into his wolf and run everywhere he needs to go.

I hesitate, staring at the vehicle, before grabbing the keys off the entryway table. I've been wanting to explore without him for a while now, and this is the perfect opportunity. I want to see how the pack interacts when he's not present.

It'll be good intel for HPAW.

At least, that's what I tell myself as I mess with his seat and mirrors, knowing he'll get annoyed the next time he has to drive somewhere.

HPAW taught me how to drive when I was a teenager, but I'm a bit rusty as I back out of the driveway and turn onto the main road. It's a straight shot into town, and I move slowly so I don't slip on the ice. I suppose there's no need to salt the roads when they're hardly ever used.

There's a coffee shop we drive past whenever Caleb takes me to work with him, and I've been wanting to go there for a while now.

People stare at the car as I pull it into the empty lot. I'm sure they know who it belongs to.

My pulse races as I kill the engine and make my way to the shop. The place is busy, and I do my best not to look intimidated as I push open the front door and look around. Wolves surround me, and while I trust that Caleb has no intention of hurting me, that confidence is not extended to his pack.