Page 73 of Callen's Captive
“We’ve been through all the iterations already. And we can’t forget about the WSSO in all of this. For the moment, they’re holding off on any attacks. Liam and Drake sent them a warning that anyone coming near them risks infection. So far it’s working, and Drake is content.”
Callen’s heart sank. “I can’t return? Ever?”
“Once you return, you become a carrier. At that point, I won’t allow you to return to the human world, not until Alex finds a cure.”
“How long will that be?” When Damien failed to speak, Callen understood. There was no guarantee Alexwouldfind a cure. Callen would have to choose between returning to his pack, the only home he’d ever known, and living out his days in the human world, a world that didn’t accept him for who he was.
The wind shifted, carrying Kate’s scent to Callen. He glanced back at her. Damien was calling his name, but he couldn’t take his eyes off his sweet Kate.
“Do you love her?” Damien asked.
Callen wasn’t sure of anything at the moment, except he wasn’t ready to leave her, and she couldn’t stay here.
“If you walk away from us, you’ll live as a lone wolf, but you’ll have a chance with her. But if you return to the pack, there’s no going back, and she can’t enter. If she does, she’ll die.”
“There has to be another way.”
Damien glanced ever-so-briefly over Callen’s shoulder to Kate. Then he rose, causing Callen to do likewise. “I need you here, old friend. It’s that simple. I can’t have both you and Hayden out there, lost to us. If something happens to me, there’s no one strong enough to take over, to keep shifters from leaving. If this virus spreads to the human population, we’re all dead.” Damien dragged his hand through his hair, suddenly appearing older than a man in his early thirties. “Hayden needs to be my liaison with Liam, as well as helping him strategize where Drake is concerned.”
“Fuck!” Callen slammed a fallen branch against a tree until it broke in half.
“It’s okay, bear,” Kate said from the distance, her voice shaking as her smile disappeared.
Callen forced himself to calm down, for her sake. She couldn’t hear what they’d been saying. She didn’t know that Damien was asking him to choose between his pack and her.
