Page 63 of Chosen Destiny

We’d gone into the bedroom to dress just as the doorbell rang. As I pulled on my fuchsia shirt, I heard Samuel move from the kitchen to the front door.

When the door opened, the voice that answered Samuel turned my blood to ice.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Out of everyonewho might come here and cause problems, I hadn’t expectedhim.

Theo.

I understood I’d taken Oregon away from him, which clearly had been a huge error. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t be in the mess that Lynerd had put us in. Still, Theo and I had been childhood friends. I hoped that still counted for something.

“I need to see Callie,” he repeated to Samuel.

Bodey’s nostrils flared, and his breathing quickened, causing the white shirt that was damp from our shower to cling more tightly to his skin. He turned to the door.

I couldn’t help but admire my mate’s physique, but I forced my attention away and removed a knife from the top drawer of our dresser before joining him.

“Not calling first and showing up here demanding to see her isn’t the best way to handle things,” Samuel gritted out.

“I’ve been trying, but her phone’s going straight to voice mail.”

I hurried to my jeans, slipped them on, and removed my cell from my pocket. I hadn’t realized it was dead.I linked,He’s right. I didn’t know.With all the chaos, I’d assumed the pack would link with me if something went awry.

Uh…Jack popped into Bodey’s and my link.Stevie’s worried that something’s wrong with your mom and sister. I’m forcing her to stay in our room, but she’s beside herself.

Sweat pooled in my armpits. What if Mom had tried to call? Shit, what if Theo was here because something had happened to her or Pearl?Has Mom or Pearl contacted her?

No.

I was rushing for the door, wanting answers, when Bodey gently clasped my wrist and linked,What’s wrong?

What if Mom’s been trying to call me?I didn’t want to be reckless, but at the same time, Theo had knocked on our door instead of attacking head-on.

She would’ve contacted Stevie too, and neither of you have heard from her or Pearl.The corners of his eyes relaxed.This sounds more like a trap, especially if Theo came alone.

He was right. If Zeke had convinced Theo to strike back, this could have been his move. Stevie could link with our pack to tell me if something was amiss. But she was in the room next to us and not with the rest of the pack, and if Theo had alpha-willed Mom and Pearl not to say anything, she’d be as clueless as we were. I wished like hell I could link with my sister. I’d expected her and Jack to complete their bond by now. Stevie holding off surprised me.Jack, has she heard anything through her pack link?

When the transition happened, people panicked, but Theo called a meeting. She hasn’t heard anything since.

Great. If I wanted answers, I’d have to go downstairs and talk to Theo, even if that was part of his plan. The only good thing was that I knew how to read him since we’d been close for the past seventeen years. Besides, I couldn’t leave Samuel alone with him.

Theo huffed and then yelled, “Callie! I need to talk to you. It’s about our pack and Lynerd.”

That was enough to get me moving. I removed my hand from Bodey’s grasp, opened our bedroom door, and marched down the hall. Bodey was right on my heels, and as I passed by the guest bedroom—the one I’d originally slept in when I’d first come to this house—the door opened.

Stevie stood there, her blonde hair a tangled mess, no doubt courtesy of Jack, and her brown eyes determined. Unlike me, she was wearing a tank top and pajama shorts, another testament to what she and Jack had been doing.

“Dammit, Stevie,” Jack rasped from behind her, shuffling as if he was throwing on clothes.

Yeah, I definitely didn’t want to address that.

Callie, stay up there,Samuel linked with me.I can handle Theo. It’s best if we don’t give in to his demands.

We reached the stairs, and Jack’s feet padded after us.I want to find out what’s going on.Staying up here would only drag out the situation. It wouldn’t actually prevent anything.

As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, I locked eyes with Theo at the door.

Turning toward me, Samuel shook his head and linked to Bodey and me,You should’ve stopped her from coming down here, man.

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