It was in the early hours of the morning. Dawn had barely broken and, while his mate slept soundly in the bedroom, Vik stood leant against his living room wall. The shadows had gathered around him, keeping him from the outside world.
The front door eased open, just as he had expected. He'd known the moment she'd entered his packlands, and knew exactly what she was coming for. It was sad, in a way, that he'd been right – that his mother had been right.
He'd hoped his hunch was wrong, more for Callie than himself. But, as the she-wolf let herself into the shack, hours too early, and began hunting through the cupboards, he knew he'd been right all along.
It didn't take much – nothing more than a mention to a few people from the Magnum pack that he kept the deed close. She'd fallen for it so easily.
"I'd hoped I was wrong," he said conversationally as he allowed the shadows to part so that she could see him.
She paused, a sharp breath cracking through the air between them.
"You can run now," he offered. "And never return. Or, you can explain what you're doing and why to Callie in the morning."
Kennedy stood up from her crouched position on the floor and brushed the palms of her hands against her legs. "How did you know?"
He'd wondered during the moments he'd waited, if she'd try to deny it. If she'd come up with a flimsy excuse and claim her innocence. But no, this she-wolf knew when she had been caught and thankfully, for the both of them, didn't appear to try to hide anything.
Vik stepped forward into a stream of moonlight. "My mother was suspicious. She knew you were hiding something. I wasn't sure what you were after, until now."
"But the deed, you knew?"
Vik shrugged. "It was an educated guess. I assumed her uncle wouldn't give up his hunt for it just because she said no. And if there is one weakness Callie has it is her big heart. She took one look at you and couldn't leave you there – you were the perfect choice."
Kennedy had the intelligence to look ashamed.
"My only question is why – why would you do it to her? From what Callie said, Fitz didn't treat you well. So why risk your life for him?"
The she-wolf dragged in an unsteady breath, her eyes glistened with tears. "There is no excuse for it," she said quietly – perhaps because she knew Callie was sleeping in the other room or perhaps because she was lying, Vik wasn't sure.
"So you alpha said jump and you asked how high?" he countered, his voice taking on a hard edge as his wolf raged in his chest that this person had betrayed his mate.
Something flickered across her face, and Vik knew there was something she wasn't saying, but she bit her tongue and lowered her head in shame.
"I'll tell her, in the morning. I'll tell her everything."
Vik nodded, not happy about leaving her in the house but knowing he didn't have much of a choice. He could wake Callie but she needed the rest and he simply didn't want to.
"Sleep on the sofa if you want. You won't find the deed here." He crossed the room and headed back into the bedroom, closing the door as quietly as he could.
He stared at Callie for a moment, his wolf drinking in her presence as she slept, and then he eased himself into the bed behind her, his chest warming as she burrowed herself into his embrace.
Tomorrow, he would tell her about Kennedy's true motives. Let her have tonight to rest.
*
Callie woke to a silent house. It wasn't that which made her frown but the unease wafting off of Vik. He wasn't next to her like she'd assumed he would be.
Reaching out across their packlink, she traced him to outside, his wolf prowling around the edge of their packlands. He was angry, though the emotion was hidden well.
Callie pulled herself from bed, swaying unsteadily on her feet. She was tired yet felt much better than she had done. Making her way out of the bedroom she paused as she found Kennedy sat on the edge of the sofa, her hands buried in her lap.
To her surprise, a trickle of trepidation skittered down her spine. "Ken'? she asked softly as she walked towards the she-wolf who barely even acknowledged her presence. It was only as she stood in front of her that Callie noticed the tears rolling down Kennedy's cheek.
Concern filled her as she crouched in front of her friend and placed her hand over Kennedy's. "What's wrong?"
Across the packlink, Callie felt Vik's wolf rear up in anger. She frowned. Had something happened between them?
Kennedy took a deep, shaky breath and looked up, shame written into her every feature.
"I'm so sorry Callie. I really am."
Before Callie could prompt her, the she-wolf continued. "I haven't been honest with you. With any of you." She looked down to her hands and began picking at her nails. "Fitz sent me here. He told me that if I ever wanted to see him again then I had to do it, I didn't want to, but I had no choice. Please, I-"
"Kennedy, what the hell are you talking about?"
Kennedy drew in another breath, bracing herself for what she had to say. "When your uncle found out that you'd promised to help me leave the pack, he told me that if I didn't bring the deed back to him, he'd never let me see my son again."
Callie flinched, steadying herself against the sofa as she pushed from a crouching position to sit beside Kennedy. "You have a son?" she asked in a daze as she stared a patch of peeling paint beneath the windowsill.
Kennedy nodded. "He's five, his name is George."
"Is he Fitz's?" Callie asked, not sure where it came from.
"No, God no. He was-well, he's gone now. He died before he knew and-"
Callie let her talk, her sadness filling the room until she could barely speak.
"Your uncle has him somewhere. He's had him for a while, uses him as leverage, but he promised that if I returned with the deed than I could leave the pack with George and never look back. And I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, I just-"
Callie didn't know what to say. She was hurt, so hurt by the she-wolf she thought she could trust. If her uncle had the deed then he could try and kick Vik out of Shadow Valley for good. Of course, he wouldn't go without a fight – neither of them would. But, Fitz would be able to call on the wolf council – on Saf possibly, to assist him.
They'd be homeless and Fitz would have more land to ruin.
So, Callie was hurt.
But Gods was she angry.
For using a cub as leverage. For trying to oust her from her new home.
For trying to offer her up to Grant.
Trying to put a leash on her anger and feeling Vik's anger match hers along the packlink, Callie turned to Kennedy. "I'll help you get your cub back without sacrificing our packlands. But after that, you leave. You take your cub and you never look back. Deal?"
Surprise flashed across Kennedy's face with a mixture of relief. The she-wolf nodded silently. "Thank you."
Callie didn't reply to her, her wolf roaring in her head. Standing up stiffly, she headed for her mate and the comfort he could provide.
She found Vik prowling through the undergrowth, playing catch and release with a butterfly.
"Stop antagonising it," she scolded playfully as she sat beside him. His wolf glowered at her but released the butterfly into the air and huffed as it buried itself against her hip.
She waited a minute in the silence, enjoying the soft brush of the wind across her skin, her wolf settled by Vik's presence. "Your mother warned me," she said softly after a moment or too.
Vik's wolf remained quiet beside her.
"She saw what I didn't. I trusted her, I didn't ever think she-"
Vik transformed in a flash and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Did she tell you why?"
Callie nodded. "I'm assuming you heard." His silence confirmed it. "We'll help her and then she'll leave and then maybe we can finally get a minute's rest."
Vik gripped her jaw and carefully turned her head towards him. "We'll get the cub and then you, put your uncle in his place." Callie flinched. "And then, the future is up to us. I don't care what we do, as long as you're beside me."
Callie's heart warmed and swelled as Vik leaned down and kissed her – more tenderly than she was accustomed to. Maybe it was something about being on their packlands, out in the light of the morning that settled him. Maybe it was just that they were mated and that finally, they were safe.
Callie pushed herself to her feet and held out a hand to Vik, trying her hardest not to stare as he stood before her, naked. "Let's go save her cub."