CALIFF
I didn’t know what I was thinking. It just happened so fast. When Zack was pinned down, only one thing came into my mind- to save everyone before it was too late.
I couldn’t afford to get him hurt and see the pain in my mate’s eyes as she watched her best friend suffer from a sick wolf bite or, worse, die.
I couldn’t let them hurt or lose anyone anymore. I had enough pain. The wound was still fresh- it was too much. And I trusted them to do their part, and it worked.
I would deal with Shadow’s anger later. What was important was that we got the job done- Calder got Sebastien’s blood, and hopefully, he’d healed.
It had already been an hour. Calder was still knocked out, but he seemed okay. I had already worn clothes I grabbed from the cabinet.
I stared at the two-way mirror, hoping someone was watching us, and I knew they were.
“Can anyone hear me?” I gestured to turn on the mic because I was still blocking everyone, including Shadow.
“Finally. You and I will have this talk, Califf,” she said through gritted teeth.
“I know, baby. Is Zarah still there?”
“I’m still here, and I have a lot of work left, Alpha. Now tell me, what do you want?”
“Take down the spell.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Cal.” It came from my father.
“So you plan on getting me mauled by Calder if the blood didn’t work?” I chuckled. Finally, after the long, bizarre hours of finding solutions, worries, and tension, I managed to smile.
“That’s why we had a plan, Califf. What were you thinking?” Shadow’s voice vibrated inside. She was still pissed, and I was still stuck inside to hug her, feel her body against mine, and inhale her scent.
“Saving everyone?” I stared at them as I shrugged. “The plan still worked. Now, please, Zarah, just do as I said. I can handle Calder but can’t get out if you keep the spell up. And I know you have some places to go. So, trust me and do it. I need to clean this room. It smells horrible in here, and I need to change.”
“Fine. And I’m out of here once it’s done,” Zarah said dismissively.
The door swung open. The first person I saw was my mate, her arms crossed over her chest. Her face flushed with anger, pinning her glare at me. I knew she was worried, but someone had to get it done, and it should be me.
“Done. I’m going home.”
“You’re leaving already?” Shadow tried to convince her to stay, but Zarah was already leaving.
“Yes. I’m exhausted. Don’t call me until someone’s life is in danger. If you can handle it, just do it.”
“How’s he, Cal?” Everlee was the first to get inside. Then, Dad and Zack followed.
“I don’t know. He’s sleeping. I can’t risk Dr. Sallie to check him until he wakes up.”
“Can I come closer?”
“I guess so, but you must move away if you feel he’s not himself.”
“How do we know if he’s cured?”
“I don’t know, Zack.” I met his reluctant eyes. “I guess he is, given that it’s almost full moon, and he’s still Calder.”
“Do you feel your connection, Everlee?” My father asked.
“I feel him, but weak. I can’t get through his thoughts, though.” She turned to him before she sat down on the bed beside her mate.
“He probably doesn’t know how to do it, to let his wall down. You have to teach him, Everlee. You know, he’d been living a human life since birth,” my father said.
“Don’t worry, Waylon. He has me now. He has us.” She wiped the hair off his forehead. “He’s warm. It’s a good sign, right?”
“I think so.” I stepped away to give them a little privacy. I hadn’t reached my mate. I already got a punch in my abdomen. “Fuck.”
“That’s you got, Alphasshole.”
“I deserve that.” I still smiled, even if she had just injured my internal organs.
“Are you hurt?” As quickly as she got mad, she changed to a concerned wife in a second. She checked my face and lifted my shirt, but she didn’t see a scratch, or even if there was, it was probably healed by now.
“I’m fine. Just my abdomen. I think you just injured my liver.”
“Good.” Then she threw herself at me and hugged me tight. “Don’t do it again. At least warn me before you do a stupid stunt again.”
“I can’t promise when you and everyone I care about are in danger, but I try my best to avoid anything risky from now on.” I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips on the top of her head.
“You smell like you just crawled out of the sewer.” She crunched her nose and stared at me in the eye, and I could still see the worry deep in there. “I know we are your responsibility, but we need an Alpha, which happens to be you.”
“I know.”
“But you’re also my responsibility, Alpha.”
“How do we know if the blood worked?”
Shadow and I pulled away to Everlee’s worried voice.
“We don’t know until he wakes up, and this is also new to us.”
“Maybe we should call Dr. Sallie to check him up,” she suggested, but I couldn’t let her risk our pack doctor.
“We have to wait a few more hours,” Shadow said. “He’s very sick, and-”
Crestfallen, she looked at me. “And it might not work?”
“That’s not what I meant, Everlee,” I said calmly, even if she just minded my authority. “It may take some time.”
“Until when?”
She should be reminded where she was. I cared about Calder getting better, but a little gratitude would be great considering what we’d been through, capturing her mate, getting the cure, and giving it to him. And we were up since before the party. We were all exhausted. We almost got bitten, but here we were.
Zack huffed out. “Look, Everlee. I know we’re all concerned with your mate right now, but a few hours wouldn’t hurt before putting our pack doctor at risk. You’ve seen what Calder was capable of, and a little gratitude would be nicer than rushing the healing process of something we haven’t explored. And we all risked our lives for you and your mate, including our Alpha and Luna.”
Everlee was taken aback by Zack’s outburst, sending an apologetic glance.
“I know what you did to our Luna, belittling her, and I was there, but I let that one go, and then your father betrayed my Alpha, and you and your pack of minions came here, attacking us, killing some of our family, including Lorcan, but here we are.” He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head, not minding I was standing beside him, sending her a hard stare. “Risking our lives for you, and you may have forgotten everything, but I don’t, and you never even apologized. I want you to know that I am doing this with respect to my Alpha and Luna. You, on the other hand? I don’t give-”
“That’s enough!” My voice echoed, vibrating the room. I turned my head at Zack.
He dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry, Alpha.”
“Get out. Get some air. Come back when you’re able to control your mouth.”
“Luna, Alpha.” He bowed before he left.
Zack had a point, but it was water under the bridge for me and maybe for some of us, but I understood why he was still pissed off. He almost died that day, but we had pressing matters at hand.
I thought of the bigger picture here than the grudges. I may need Everlee’s pack to help us end the threats. I needed more allies than ever because I had a feeling everyone was in grave danger, high ranking or not.
“I’ll go check on Zack.” Shadow smiled uncomfortably at Everlee. “You have to understand him. He’s protective of me, and he’s been through a lot. He almost died in the attack and was ready to die, but I couldn’t give up on him. He could be dead by now if it weren’t for the witches.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.” Everlee wiped a single tear that rolled down her cheek. “I will apologize to him, to everyone, and I may not have said it out loud, but I’m beyond grateful for giving me a second chance and for all the things you’ve done to me despite what I did before. And I know, right now, you’re doing this for Calder, but I don’t know how to thank you all for what you’ve done.”
Dad came closer to check out on his son. “It’s fine, honey. Family by blood or not, pack member or not, we’re glad we came here for help. You did the right thing.”