Page 50 of Outnumbered

Caleb scowled and didn’t reply, but the others nodded.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold!” I said, changing the subject since it clearly bothered him.

Branson and Riddick made my plate for me and instead of getting upset, I sat back and let them, remembering Leona’s. It was nice to feel so appreciated and valued.

After he finished eating his food, Caleb excused himself and disappeared.

Branson, Riddick, and Triston went to the kitchen to clean up and said they were headed to the game room to play after, but I wasn’t in the gaming mood yet.

Closing my eyes, I pictured Caleb, felt within me for the connection we had, and followed it as I walked through the house. Occasionally, I cracked an eye open just to make sure I wasn’t about to walk down some stairs or into a door, but after a few minutes, I found him in his bedroom staring out the window at the woods. Standing just inside the doorway, I waited, knowing he sensed I was there.

He took a shuddering breath before finally speaking, still facing the window. “As soon as I could talk, Papa Dan started treating me like a fellow alpha, a king. He tried to teach me everything he could about how to be a good leader. Being an alpha is one thing, but being a king requires a lot more.”

Sitting down on the edge of his bed, I stayed silent, letting him say what he needed to.

“Mom was against it at first, thinking it was too much to teach a child, but Papa Emrys and Papa Katar also agreed. So, they began doing the same. Each race has different challenges, many similar challenges of course, but there are some unique ones as well. When I met Riddick, I realized that there was a reason they’d been teaching me that. Someday, I will become the King of the Hybrids. You could argue that I already am, but I won’t accept that title until we have a place for our people and our pack grows. Now … now I’m wondering if I will ever be ready to accept that title. How can I offer protection to others when I’m constantly fighting for my own safety? When my little pack of five is attacked daily?”

His shoulders hunched forward and he shook his head.

Standing, I walked up behind him and set my hand on the center of his back. “A king isn’t always ready when he becomes one. Nico wasn’t prepared, but he accepted the role and he’s been working to improve himself every single day. Silverowl told me about some of the trials and things Nico dealt with. Dan has failed a time or two. I bet all of them have, if you ask them. What makes a good king isn’t one who is perfect, but one who is constantly willing to put his people before himself.”

He spun around and stared down at me. “Which is also what I lack. When I saw you in danger in the park, saw those men after you, I stopped worrying about Ambrose, my only thought was you.”

Smiling up at him, I shrugged a single shoulder. “Isn’t that common, too? For you to put the person you have feelings for before others?”

He canted his head a bit, reminding me of his wolf, and asked, “Are you saying you have feelings for me, Ember?”

“I think that’s pretty obvious, Caleb.”

He cupped my cheek and said, “I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt. If you were to be seriously injured or …” He shook his head, unwilling to say it. “… it will crush me.”

I placed my hand over his and said, “Then let’s fight side by side, protecting each other’s backs. No more splitting us up. No more sending me to a safe spot with one or two of our pack. We fight together as one unit. All five of us.”

He sighed and dropped his head down until his forehead rested against mine. Drawing in a few, silent breaths, he finally whispered, “Okay.”

“See, another sign of a good king. One who listens.”

Chuckling, he stepped back and poked at my side. “Is that so? One who listens? Are you saying that you’re always, right?”

“If the shoe fits,” I said and swatted his hand away while backing up to keep him from tickling me again.

He darted forward, his fingers tickling my side again, causing me to squeak and laugh. “I didn’t know bunnies wore shoes,” he teased.

Running away from him, I jumped down the stairs and headed towards the game room.

Yelling over my shoulder, a smile as wide as any I could make, I said, “Don’t you know, rabbits have lucky feet!”

We ended up staying at Caleb’s parents’ house until they returned due to our apartment needing some minor repairs. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be fixed in a few days.

When the SUV pulled up the day of his parents’ return, we all waited outside the house, knowing it was bound to be a rambunctious reunion.

As expected, when Caleb’s dads got out of the vehicle, they immediately headed for him, pouncing on him in the grass as well as Riddick and to their surprise, Branson and Triston.

Jolie pulled me into a bone crunching hug. “Oh, Ember! Are you okay? You poor thing. I think I may have cursed you with my danger attraction.”

I returned her hug, trying not to cry at the emotions swirling within me as she voiced her honest concern for my safety and hugged me like I’d always wished my mother would have. “I’m okay,” I reassured her. “They kept me safe and with the ability to hide in your house, we were good.”

She pushed me back and frowned down at me. “You’ve changed.”

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