Land of Wolves

Chapter 72

All four of us make our way into the living room, our hands filled with plates of food. Sash, Cole, and Adam patiently waited—Cole and Adam a little less patiently—for Caleb and me to serve ourselves before filling their plates. I thought Caleb ate a lot, but those three could clear out a grocery store.

Sash and Cole take over the loveseat, the two squishing in next to one another, and Adam takes over the reclining chair pushed up against the wall next to the TV. Caleb and I make our way to the couch.

We've spent hundreds of hours cuddling on this particular piece of furniture, occasionally doing even more, and my cheeks warm as I sit next to Caleb on it. We sink into the cushions, and Caleb wordlessly moves closer to me when he realizes I've left a small gap.

I smile as he smooshes his thigh against mine.

There's enough room for us to sit comfortably, but I love how he insists on cuddling.

It probably would've made the most sense for all of us to sit at the dining room table, but I'm happy we're eating in the living room. It's more comfortable, and I love the feeling of cushions and softness after spending so long in the cold, hard HPAW cell.

I wonder if that's why Caleb led us in here in the first place. I haven't said anything about it, but he's exceptionally good at reading me. I'm sure Adam's giving away quiet signals, too. I'm not picking up on any, not that I'm paying much attention, but Caleb's probably looking.

I eye the pancakes and sausages I served myself before grabbing my fork and digging in. My actions seem to be the catalyst, and soon all of us are eating.

"This is so good," I moan after a few minutes of stuffing my face.

Adam makes an agreement noise in the back of his throat, and Caleb taps the outside of his knee against mine as he swallows his eggs.

"I think you're just hungry," he teases.

Sash gasps. "Hey!"

It takes a few seconds for Caleb's subtle insult toward Sash to register, and I snort out a laugh the moment it does. Sash is a fine cook, and the food is good. Even if I weren't starving, I'd have a feeling I'd still be enjoying it.

Besides, judging by the speed at which Caleb shovels the food into his mouth, I know he thinks it's good, too.

We take another few minutes to eat, and once I'm pretty sure my stomach is about to burst, I set my plate on the coffee table and lean back on the couch. I'm ready for a nap, and I curl into Caleb's side while the wolves finish their food.

Adam gets up to get seconds as Sash and Cole set their plates next to mine, and Caleb picks at his eggs a bit more before also setting his plate down.

"I suppose we should discuss what happened while we were separated," Caleb says.

My pulse races, and I nervously wring my hands together while Adam returns to the room with a second full plate. He plops down in his seat before, thankfully, launching into an explanation.

"I was pumped full of some horse tranquilizer right after we were captured, and we were taken directly to the facility," he starts. "They took Ev to medical right when we arrived, and they had some sort of reinforced steel cell made up for wolves they threw me into."

Caleb glances at me, and I nod to confirm that's true.

"I had a giant piece of metal in my chest," I say, absentmindedly rubbing the bandage under my shirt. "I woke up in medical a day or two after we arrived. They'd removed the shrapnel from my chest and bandaged up all the wounds I received from the attack."