Page 16 of Wild Fated

I took off, heading for my favorite trail through the trees. As my pulse quickened, I considered the day ahead of me. I’d stop by a few wolves on our way north, then take Lana to the site.We wouldn’t drive. Too obvious. Hopefully, she was up for some long runs on her paws.

The thought of seeing her in wolf form nearly made me stumble on an exposed branch. I was suddenly desperate to know what she looked like. What color of fur she had.

I ran faster. I ran until my saliva tasted metallic at the back of my throat, then looped back to the cabin. Since there was still no sign of life inside, I switched into my boots and walked to the shed to retrieve my toolbox. The morning air was crisp, biting at my exposed skin. I walked around to the side of the cabin where an eave hung crookedly, one of the hinges barely attached. I grabbed my ladder from the back and went up with my drill.

The metal was icy against my skin, and I had to blow on my hands to warm them up. I worked the screws loose, the old metal protesting with a screech. I reshaped it, forcing it back into place, then put in extra screws to reinforce it.

I packed away my tools, satisfied, and then walked around to the front of the cabin. Kael, Callista, and Lana were all in the main room, sitting around the table. Lana's eyes were half-lidded as she gazed at the steaming mug before her.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

“Morning.” Kael nodded, then returned to talking with Callista. I hung my coat on the rack and tugged off my boots, but my eyes were glued to the woman sitting across the table.

Lana looked like she hadn't slept any better than I had. Dark circles under her eyes, a furrow in her brow that hadn't been there the night before. My wolf pawed in my head, drawing my attention to her and her alone. A movement of her hands, a flicker of emotion in her eyes. My skin prickled as my instincts sharpened, noting how her chair was turned away from Callista and Kael.

She lifted her mug to her lips and took a sip, her eyes flicking up to mine, then away again. My wolf growled, but I shovedhim back. It wasn’t a surprise that she kept her distance, but my chest squeezed at the loneliness sinking inside her. I felt it. The emptiness. The black hole that couldn’t be filled.

My psi abilities allowed me to feel everything. Whether I wanted to or not.

She needed an outlet, someone to let her vent or just sit with her in silence, and I wanted . . . I wanted to be that person. But that was how I’d gotten into trouble with my pack. Always trying to fix things. Always trying to be the one people turned to.

I couldn’t let people come to me. I had to go to them.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I couldn't do it. She was temporary, moving through on her search for the relics. I had a place. I was needed here.

I was already too close to the wolves who lived near me. I was the one who helped with their injuries, listened to their complaints, and made sure they had what they needed. I was their fixer. But I wasn't their friend. I couldn't afford to be. I’d learned that too many times the hard way.

What I could do was offer her coffee. Or breakfast. Anything to ease the tension in my chest. "Want more?" I motioned to the empty pot still sitting on the stove.

Lana shook her head, and my wolf huffed in disappointment.

Kael looked between the two of us, his eyes narrowing. "What do you know about the northern alpha?"

Tension curled up my spine. I knew what he was asking, but I wasn’t going to go there. “Not much.”

Kael’s gaze was steady. “They were masking their scent."

I breathed, working to keep my expression even. “Huh.”

“There aren’t many wolves who can do that.” His voice was low. Calm. His mate had no idea what he was communicating behind those words.

The past clawed at the back of my mind, memories I’d long since tried to bury. Kael thought he knew about that alpha. The one who had left him. The one Kael believed was his father.

Kael wasn’t the kind to spill his soul. He’d been young when I’d found him, and his story had come out in pieces between drinks and the rare moments we weren’t focused on surviving. That bastard was the reason for everything wrong in his life. He’d abandoned him, left him broken and unwanted. Given him the same abilities

The question wasn’t whether I should tell him. It was whether I could. Whether I wanted to throw a wrench into everything Kael had managed to build with that truth. Kael thought his old alpha was dead. Probably because that’s what I’d told him when he was a teen. What would it do to him, to his mate, if I dragged that ghost into the light?

My wolf shifted uneasily under my skin, pacing in my mind. I’d always been good at handling instinct—knowing when to fight and when to keep my head down. But maybe I’d chosen wrong with him.

I cleared my throat. “I thought you met with them.”

“Only one,” Kael answered.

If I told him, he’d hate me for it. If I kept quiet, he’d hate me anyway, eventually. “I think we’ve all picked up some tricks.”

Kael’s jaw tightened, the muscle ticking once, twice. “Not many tricks like that.”

His mate glanced between us, sensing the tension but staying quiet. Smart. She knew when to stay out of it. But Kael wasn’t going to let this drop, not now. I could see it in his eyes—the gears turning, the questions forming. He was chasing a scent, and soon enough, he’d catch it.

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