Page 8 of Destined Mate

NowthatI could get behind. Instead of waiting for one of them to take the lead, I headed back in the direction we’d come from. My misery had eased slightly, indicating my shifter healing was kicking in. I needed to get home and clean the wounds just to be sanitary. Shifters rarely got infections, but given how weak my supernatural side was, I wouldn’t risk it.

The four of them trailed behind me, having no problem with me taking the lead. Zeke—and even Theo—wouldn’t have tolerated it, proving how different these four were from my pack.

My phone dinged again, and I winced as I pulled it out.

Theo: Callie? Are you okay? I’m getting worried. Charles said something about rogue wolves attacking them and you running off?

Me: Sorry. I’m okay. I’m heading home now.

After I hit send, I kept my phone in my hand. It put too much strain on my injuries to reach back and put the phone into my pocket again.

Guilt weighed on me. I should’ve warned Theo that Bodey, Jack, Lucas, and Miles were heading home with me, but I didn’t want to give Zeke time to prepare. For once, I would have the upper hand against him.

Bodey caught up to me, his irises back to the gorgeous color I seemed to get caught up in. “Hey, everything will be fine.” He smiled reassuringly. “We’ll make sure of it. The five wolves who attacked you will get into trouble.”

I smiled sadly and kissed my fingertips before holding them up to the moon. “You can’t say that. It’s a promise on behalf of someone else.”

His breath caught, and something shimmered in his eyes. “Why did you do that?”

“Tell you not to make a promise you can’t keep? Because Zeke isn’t like you and your friends.”

He clutched my elbow, stopping us. “No—you kissed your fingers and held them up to the moon. Why?”

“Oh.” I shrugged. I’d done it on instinct. “It’s something I occasionally do when someone has misguided good intentions. I’m asking the moon to bless them for trying.” I wrinkled my nose and hung my head, not wanting to see his reaction. It sounded silly, but it was something I’d always done, though no one had noticed before.

“I once knew someone who did that for the same reason.” His eyes narrowed. He scanned my face as if searching for some sort of answer.

I fidgeted under the intense perusal.

“Is something wrong?” Lucas asked, his voice tense. “Is there a threat?”

Bodey blinked, and whatever had come over him vanished. “Nope. I just got distracted.”

“By Callie’s face?” Jack asked with approval. “I could easily be, too. It’s by far the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

I lowered my head, using my blonde hair as a barrier between Bodey and me. A shiver ran through me—not because Jack was acting like a creeper but because I wasn’t used to compliments.

A low growl sounded from Bodey. “She’s off-limits, Jack.”

My heart skipped a beat, which was foolish. It wasn’t as if Bodey was interested in me. He was clearly a nice guy…a good alpha.

I picked up my pace, despite my ribs protesting. I needed to get the confrontation with Zeke over with so I could go to bed and rest. And get some space.

Bodey caught up with me again, but he didn’t speak. He occasionally glanced at me, his face strained like he couldn’t figure me out.

Five miles later, we broke through the last of the woods that made up Hells Canyon and stepped onto the private land of our pack. Zeke’s main pack consisted of two hundred shifters, but he oversaw all the packs in the entire state, so over five thousand shifters in total.

The back of the one-story brick house I called home came into view, and I hurried. All the lights were on, despite it being close to two in the morning, but that wasn’t what gave me heartburn.Thatwas due to the man waiting in my backyard with Theo.

My parents weren’t outside, which wasn’t surprising. The alpha would want to speak to me alone.

Even though I’d known this would happen, seeing Zeke there was a whole different experience. His emerald eyes tightened, and his face scrunched in disgust. He had his arms crossed over his black shirt, his short salt-and-pepper hair messy. His face was flushed, darkening his normal olive complexion.

Theo frowned, his caramel hair falling over his forehead and his topaz eyes fixed on me. He was shirtless from his run, and it was noticeable how much more muscular he was than his father. I saw his shoulders dip as he sighed.

I knew the moment Bodey came into view. Zeke’s eyes widened, and Theo’s jaw went slack. When the other three stepped up behind us, Zeke clenched his hands into fists.

When we reached him, Zeke growled, “What the hell are you doing here? This ismyterritory.”

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