Caine

“I don’t think I heard you right,” Derek said, slowly, sounding shocked. It was the first thing he’d said after I told him what I wanted, and he’d taken a long time to speak up.

“You did. I want you to kill Tristan,” I repeated.

“I think I have to call Caine,” Derek told me, sounding like he was shuffling things on his side.

“What? Why would you do that?” I asked him, panicking—thinking that I shouldn’t have trusted Derek not to tell anything to Caine.

“It appears that his mate has lost her mind,” Derek replied, and he had the audacity to laugh.

“This is not a joke, Derek. It’s what I want,” I repeated, my voice firm. It was hard to hide how annoyed I was because he wasn’t even trying to take me seriously.

“You do realize who you are talking to, right, Charlotte? You are not that much out of it?”

“If this is how you’re going to act, I’m gonna hang up,” I warned him.

“Tristan is my Alpha and he also happens to be my father.”

“It would be the ultimate way of showing that you truly want peace between Knight and Locus Pack,” I replied.

“If I killed him, I’d not only be committing treason, but I’d also be an asshole. He is my father, Charlotte.”

It was rare to hear him saying my name. It wasn’t that he hadn’t called me by my name before, but I’d grown too used to the taunts from anyone in Knight Pack.

“I told you what I wanted.”

“You want the impossible,” he retorted, raising his voice.

“You asked me to be creative. You just said I hadn’t impressed you.”

“Charlotte, for fucks sake! I can’t believe you’re trying to negotiate this with me!”

“You know what I want. Trust me when I say this, Derek—you either agree to my terms, or get used to this rivalry between Locus and Knight Pack. I will make sure that Caine never has a sit down with you unless you agree to this.”

With that said, I hung up on him.

It felt good to say the last word. I was left wondering how he would react, but the satisfaction of hanging up on him made up for it.

When Caine arrived that afternoon, I was in high spirits. Caine picked up on it pretty fast. I was smiling and giggling about any little thing.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

We’d been sitting outside, taking advantage of the beautiful day out. It was only slightly strange to see Caine sitting down on the grass with me, over a blanket. We were having a picnic, and Caine was amused.

“It’s been a good day,” I shrugged.

“You spoke with Liam?”

His comment definitely brought a downer to my mood, but only momentarily. Not hearing news from Liam was probably better than hearing about him wreaking havoc in other packs.

“Not yet,” I replied, looking away.

“Did you go into town without telling me?” Caine asked, looking at me with serious expression.

I rolled my eyes at him, and shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I told you I wouldn’t.”

Caine appraised me through narrowed eyes, but in the end, he nodded and sighed. “You’re happy because you got to keep Brandon as a guard?”

“I knew he’d be staying,” I admitted, and that made him growl under his breath.

“You were so sure I’d agree?”

“Oh, don’t get all pissy about it. I get it, you’re the Alpha. You decide. I thought we’d already talked about Brandon. You said it was okay if he stayed. Why are you bringing him up again?”

“I’m not,” Caine growled, although he was the one who’d brought him up. “Did you do something you shouldn’t have?” Caine asked, now looking at me suspiciously.

I laughed at him, and couldn’t help but grab the collar of his shirt and pull him in for a kiss. He responded, his lips quickly molding against mine, but only for a few seconds. He pulled away abruptly, and continued looking at me with those serious green eyes.

“What did you do?” he finally asked, not even trying hide that he’d been questioning me all along.

“I’m happy. You find it that strange for me to be happy?” I asked, crossing my arms.

He was taken aback by my question. I couldn’t be bothered to be mad at him. I had a good feeling about Derek’s decision. It was what had me happy. Caine had apparently picked up on it, and my guess was that he thought I was up to something.

“You can be happy. Forgive me,” Caine said, bringing me closer to him.

“You are forgiven,” I told him, giggling against his lips.

We were outside. Hardly anyone roamed around our house unless they had a reason to be there, but we were still out in the open. That didn’t stop Caine from pushing me on my back, and laying himself over my body.

I laughed, this time placing the palms of my hands over his chest to stop him. “Adam could come at any minute,” I said, while Caine was nuzzling his nose against my chest, not at all trying to behave himself.

I yelped when he easily picked me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing, and started walking inside.

“It is such a nice day out!” I complained, although I was grinning.

“I’ve had enough of it,” Caine replied, maneuvering me in his arms so that I was straddling his waist, my arms safely wrapped around his neck.

“Nice view up here,” I said, looking around. It was a different view, looking around and seeing things from his perspective.

My words made him snap his teeth at me playfully. “I’m sure you can’t see anything down there,” he taunted.

“Oh, shush, I’m not that short,” I told him, squeezing the back of his neck.

Caine leaned into me, biting my lower lip between his teeth teasingly. “I need you.”

I woke up the next morning to an empty house, with the exception of Brandon. I could hear him downstairs, although it didn’t seem like he was doing much.

Caine was already gone. It wasn’t much of a surprise, since it was late in the morning. After a quick shower, and getting ready in record time, I made my way downstairs. Brandon was in the TV room, messing with all the systems set up next to the large TV.

“I don’t even know why Caine has all of that. He doesn’t play video games, and he hardly ever watches TV. I think I have to beg him to hang out with me here every time I want to watch something,” I said, making Brandon turned towards me.

“It’s pretty cool that you guys have all of this,” Brandon said, grinning at me. “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

“I usually sleep in. I try not to, but now it just feels like a habit. There isn’t much for me to do.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Have you seen Adam?” It was strange that even though Adam and I lived in the same house, I felt like I saw so little of him nowadays. He was so invested in the pack, I felt like I had to make an appointment just to get a look at him.

“He left with the Alpha a few hours ago,” Brandon replied. “Any news of the new guard?”

“Not yet. I’m still holding on to the hope that they’ll let me choose. I guess I’m waiting to see who Victor picks out,” I shrugged.

Brandon and I ate cereal in the TV room while he continued to mess with all the gadgets in there. It was such a waste that we had all that and hardly ever used it, especially with how excited Brandon was with all the stuff.

We were in the middle of that when the house phone started ringing. It was loud, and Caine had a freaken phone in plenty of rooms around the house. However, there wasn’t one in the TV room, forcing me to get up to answer the stupid phone.

Brandon stayed in there messing with one of the game systems while I walked over to Caine’s office. The phone stopped ringing once I made it there, and that made me roll my eyes. It only took a few seconds, though, before it began ringing once again.

“Hello?”

“I was hoping it would be you,” Derek said on the other end of the line.

I raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t expected for him to be calling me. If anything, I was thinking he’d still be assuming that I was crazy for suggesting that he murder daddy dearest.

“Because you missed me?” I asked. As soon as the words were out, I wanted to take them back. Trying to make deals with Derek was one thing, but playfully teasing him was a whole other level of friendly I didn’t want to have with him.

“Right, let’s go with that,” Derek replied, and if he’d been standing in front of me, I pictured him looking at me with an annoyed expression.

“Did you make a decision?” I asked, not feeling too excited to hear what he’d say. He hadn’t taken enough time to think.

“You can’t expect me to kill my father, and put that much faith in you and your little deal. If I’m even going to consider what you want, I need assurances and plenty of them.”

His words shocked me, but not as much as they should have. He was actually hearing me out. I partly couldn’t believe that. He’d been right the night before. Suggesting that he kill his dad—it was cold, brutal, and outrageous. Derek wasn’t turning down my deal—I didn’t know whether to be happy or freaked out.

“What do you need from me?” I asked, trying to sound as if his previous words hadn’t affected me at all.

“I want some assurances. I also want a treaty formed between Caine and myself. I will get some witnesses from other packs during the signing. After that, I’ll go through with it.”

I was quiet for a moment. What he was asking for was totally fair, if not really well thought out. I felt like Derek was also trying to sound confident. We had that in common—neither of us was used to calling the shots or making important decisions. While I was usually kept on a tight leash, Derek had always been standing behind Tristan’s shadow.

“I can’t give you that. You already know that Caine doesn’t know about this. You’re going to have to take my word.”

“Your written word? You’re the Luna of the pack. Your word in a treaty is as good as his, at least it will be to other packs,” he said.

“Because you’re going to tell someone from another pack what we’re planning?” I asked, sarcastically.

“I’m not an idiot, Charlotte. I will come up with a treaty which states that once I become Alpha, Knight Pack will cease any attacks against Locus Pack. We will amend our previous relationship, and try to create a friendship between both packs. I expect the same commitment from Locus Pack. We can do the signing, I will get witnesses from other packs, and Caine has to respect the treaty. I would have your word.”

Again I couldn’t stop myself from being amazed at how organized he seemed to be. Derek had thought of everything.

“Okay, I like that idea. I’d have to see whatever you come up with. I’ll need a list of the Wolves you choose as witnesses and the names of their packs, along with a date and time.”

“I’ll prepare everything,” he said.

Our call ended shortly after that. I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was looking too easy. I wondered why Derek and Caine never planned it. I figured Caine was too stubborn. He wouldn’t have approached Derek with something too sneaky. Caine was a whole lot straightforward. I also didn’t think Derek would’ve thought of killing Tristan on his own.

Brandon and I had a quiet afternoon for the rest of the day. It was boring. I kept thinking about Derek and his proposal.

I’d been tempted to go into town. It felt like years since I’d seen Valco. I had questions, and I felt like he was just the person who’d have answers and would’ve been willing to give them.

He hadn’t contacted me, although it wouldn’t have been easy. He never approached me when I was accompanied by someone, and I hadn’t been in town alone.

I was still in Caine’s study, lazily reading a book on his chair, my legs propped up over his desk. Brandon was lying down on the couch, also reading a book. I was surprised that he even liked to read. He’d gotten really into the book, even ignoring me when I called out his name.

We were both there when we heard the front door opening, loud voices outside the study, and some sort of commotion.

“Macon…” Brandon said, picking up either Macon’s scent or his voice.

He’d been handing out orders to other Wolves that had arrived with him. I wasn’t sure who was there, but I’d been able to hear them from the study. They were being loud.

I only cocked an eyebrow when Macon barged into the room. “The Alpha will be here soon,” he said.

“Okay…” I nodded, looking around at all the other guys who’d walked into the office. “What happened?”

I got up from the chair—even though I’d been really comfortable reading before he got there—and walked around the desk, leaning my backside against it.

“Tristan was here. He…” Macon said, shaking his head. “He was trying to make a statement.”

I rolled my eyes at him. It was almost funny that everyone in the pack panicked so much whenever Tristan or Derek arrived. I’d been the same way before, but after so many threats, I’d come to realize that while Tristan and Derek made a lot of noise, they were usually harmless.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know they could try something, but they usually didn’t. I was well aware that Tristan was the one calling the shots, and not Derek. It explained why Knight Pack seemed so afraid of Caine. They made a lot of noise, pissed off my mate, but usually walked away.

“What did he want?” I asked, just as the phone rang.

Macon had been looking at me sternly, but when the phone rang and I didn’t immediately answer, he seemed confused.

“Should I take that?” he asked, looking down at the phone.

I was hoping I was wrong, but a part of me knew who was on the other side. Brandon looked at me worriedly, his eyes shifting between Macon and me. The phone started ringing again a few seconds later.

When Macon tried to pick it up, I slapped his hand away and finally got the phone.

“I didn’t know!” came Derek’s voice shouting through the phone.

Macon and probably every other Wolf in the room heard him, not only thanks to their enhanced hearing, but because Derek had been so freaken loud. I wasn’t ready to come clean about Derek, and I didn’t want him to start yapping about our arrangement.

“I can’t talk right now. I will call you later,” I said, shushing him.

“Why are you talking to him?” Macon asked, accusingly.

I looked down, running my hand through my hair, trying to think, to come up with something. Before I could speak, Derek started talking again.

“I didn’t know he was going to try anything! This doesn’t change things between us!” he continued.

The low growl in the room, which shut everyone up, including Derek, came from Caine. I hadn’t even noticed he’d arrived.

“Derek, I have to go,” I said, before hanging up the phone. They all knew who I’d been talking to.

Wolves were fast creatures. It was still amazing to see how fast every single Wolf that had been inside the office had cleared up when Caine growled a second time. Even Brandon and Macon went scurrying out of the room, the former giving me an apology and wishing me luck.

“What things between you two?” Caine asked, his dark eyes giving me a deadly glare. He’d spoken in his low voice, the threat clear without having to be loud.

“He… Derek is…” I didn’t know what to tell him.

“Don’t lie to me, Charlotte,” he said. It was a threat, yet he said it so casually—it freaked me out more.

I swallowed loudly, and looked down at the ground, trying to think of what to say. I was even considering coming clean. It would’ve been easier. At least I’d feel better about keeping things from him. He had to forgive me. I had only started talking to Derek the day before, so it wasn’t like I’d been keeping secrets for a long time.

“I asked Derek to kill Tristan,” I confessed, closing my eyes.

I didn’t want to see how Caine would react, although a part of me thought he should’ve been thanking me. I was going to make things cleaner, easier for the pack. Caine’s growl, which made me cower more against the desk said he thought otherwise.

“Look at me,” Caine ordered, raising his voice only slightly.

When I did—I wish I hadn’t. I was his mate. But I was also always the first one to admit how intimidating he could be—with his dark eyes, his canines fully in display, and that expression that could bring someone to their knees. “Tristan found out.”

His words made me frown. “He couldn’t have,” I told him, shaking my head. “Caine, I just talked to Derek about it last night. He couldn’t have found out.”

“You don’t think that’s enough time?” Caine asked, speaking to me like I was stupid.

“It is, but there was no way for him to find out. Only Derek knows!” I snapped.

“You trust Derek now?” Caine asked, cocking an eyebrow.

His serious face, and the way he was standing so straight—he was so freaken dominant and it was having an impact on my Wolf. She was making me want to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. I was trying to shut her out, and it was proving to be a difficult task.

“Stop this,” I told him, walking away towards the sitting area in his office. I needed to put some distance between us. He was making me want to bow down to him.

“I’m not doing anything,” he said, and I practically heard the irritation in his voice.

“I don’t trust Derek, but I don’t think he told Tristan,” I said, feeling like I was defending myself. He was clearly blaming me.

“Tristan was here. He left a present for me right on the border of Locus Territory. Do you want to know what it was?”

“Caine…”

“Answer me!” he growled.

“What was it?” I meekly asked.

I didn’t think I’d lost control of a situation as much as I had in that moment. Caine was in total control, and I couldn’t even stand up to him. I felt guilty, and my Wolf was messing with me. It wasn’t exactly helpful that I could feel Caine’s Wolf at bay, calling out to me, but not in a friendly way.

“Five body bags,” Caine bluntly replied.

I gasped, and had to take a seat in the chair closet to me. I’d been wrong. Tristan was actually pissed off this time. He’d done something about it.

“He was angry. He claims that you are planning to kill him, and you are turning Derek against him. He ambushed a group of my trackers—all pups who recently became part of the team. They are dead,” Caine said, emphasizing the last word.

“Caine, I can… I didn’t,” I started to say. But really, there were no words.

“I am meeting with Tristan in a few hours. It might get bloody. I am letting you know because he has confirmed that your parents are indeed traveling with him.”

“Caine, what are you talking about?” I asked, knowing fully well how panicked I must’ve looked.

“Tristan thinks that after this, we can have a sit down. I will kill them all. That should prove the point, and I’ll get rid of him without needing Derek’s help,” Caine replied, sounding so cold. He was acting like if killing those Wolves was nothing. I knew some of them. My parents were with them. Even Martha came to mind. I cared about her well-being, even if she’d only acted like a bitch with me.

I also had Theo in my mind. How was he going to react when he found out Caine was going to kill all those Wolves.

“You can’t do that! Caine, don’t make this decision without thinking it through, please,” I told him, making my way into his arms.

He was pissed off at me of course, so he didn’t exactly welcome me into his arms. I still held onto him, trying to force him to listen to me.

“It’s not their fault! What happened to trying to make Tristan step down?” I asked, desperately spewing whatever it took to make him change his mind.

“I’ve had it with him. He disrespected me. He hurt my pack. And so did you,” Caine growled, before turning his back on me and walking away.

It took me a few moments to gather my thoughts and follow after him. He was upstairs. When I walked into our room, I found him looking through a drawer by the bed. It was his—where he kept most of his private things.

“Caine, please don’t do this, please,” I begged, pulling on his arm to get his attention.

When he turned towards me, he greeted me with a growl. I deserved it. I knew. But that didn’t make his aggression hurt any less.

“I’m done, Charlotte. Stay away,” he snapped.

“What do you mean you’re done?” I asked, feeling my heart pounding faster in my chest.

Caine gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes, like if he was asking the Wolf spirits for patience with me. “I don’t need the distraction. I am angry. My Wolf will hurt you, and I don’t want that,” he slowly replied through gritted teeth.

The way he sounded so serious… he’d just threatened me. I felt my eyes tearing up, but the last thing either of us needed was for me to start crying. “You wouldn’t hurt me,” I told him in a shaky voice, mainly because I needed to hear him say it.

Caine narrowed his eyes—somehow they were growing darker than they already were. “I don’t need to touch you to hurt you. You should know that by now,” he said, before turning away from me again.

I was left stunned. I didn’t have anything to say. I was desperate, and he’d just shut me up so easily without even raising his voice.

It was low on my part, but I didn’t care. Mating had always worked. Caine was mad. He had every right in the world to be mad. It was worse because I knew that he was right, and I hated that.

All the times we’d mated—it had taught me many things. The first one was that I couldn’t be shy around him, especially if I wanted to take control. It was always so easy for Caine to dominate me. I usually enjoyed it, but once in a while, I liked to be in charge. When we were mating, it was easy for both of us to lose ourselves and forget about the outside problems.

I’d been pissed off at Caine more than once already for using sex to prove a point or get his way. Mainly, because I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to do it first.

While Caine was still distracted, I started undressing. It felt strange. He wasn’t into it, at least not yet. I had no doubt that the last thing on his mind at that moment was for us to mate. But I was hanging on to the hope that his want for me would be stronger than how pissed off he was with me.

I took his arm, and slid my hand down, interlacing our fingers. Caine finally looked at me. When he did, he chuckled.

“I can have you when I get back.”

I shook my head at him. “Now,” I said, pushing him to sit on the bed. I easily climbed over his lap. Caine wasn’t pushing me off. He was staring at me openly. While he was distracted, I took his hands and pressed them over my hips.

Although I was on top of him, it was clear who had the control. Caine grabbed my arms and held them behind me, making me arc myself towards him. His hand was running from my waist, softly caressing my flat stomach, before cupping my breast.

“I will want you even when I am angry with you. You are my mate,” he whispered, lowering his head over my chest. He was nuzzling his nose in the valley between my breasts. I tried to get him to release my hands, but he wouldn’t. My fighting made him tighten his grip on my arms.

“Aren’t you trying to convince me to change my mind?” Caine asked, laying me down on the bed and placing himself between my legs, grinding against me.

“No,” I whispered breathlessly.

“Lying again, Charlotte,” he said, his voice husky.

When he continued sucking and biting my skin, I felt his canines. He was trying to make it painful on purpose.

“I was going to tell you,” was my breathless defense.

He hadn’t given me much of a chance to talk, and when I finally spoke up, he growled at me. His growl rumbled through his chest. Even if I hadn’t been lying down under him, I would’ve felt it with how much his body shook.

“I swear I was going to tell you. I’m sorry that this happened,” I pleaded, trying to get him to let go of my hands. He was holding both of my hands over my head, restraining me with just one of his hands. I felt completely exposed to him, and he’d been taking advantage of me. It was easily for him to overpower me, not that I wanted to run away.

I wanted him to forgive me. I wanted to do whatever it took for him to forget what had happened. If that was by letting him have all the control when we mated, I didn’t mind.

With the position we were in, the last thing I expected was for him to pull away from me. Caine got a glazed over look for a second—he was mind linking with someone—before he pulled away.

“Victor is calling me,” he said, releasing me, and getting up from the bed.

I could feel the blood rushing back to my hands, that’s how tightly he’d been holding me. His hands were imprinted against my skin. Despite that, and my nudity, all I worried about was Caine getting up to leave.

“Where are you going?” I asked, following after him as soon as he got up.

“Get dressed,” he ordered, walking towards the closet.

“Come back to bed,” I told him, tugging on his hand to bring him back.

“We have other things to attend to,” Caine said, looking at me with calculating eyes.

“Come back to bed, please,” I told him, closing the distance between us, and wrapping my arms around his neck.

Caine stood still, not pulling away from me, but also not attempting to hold me. “I need you,” I whispered, grabbing both of his hands, and wrapping them around me. He allowed me to do so. He was going along with it. That was something.

“Come on,” I told him, softly.

I walked backwards slowly, willing him to follow me. He did, but his eyes were still looking down at me coldly.

I released his hands. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, to help me get him to the bed faster. As soon as I let go of his hands, he dropped them to his sides, like if he didn’t care whether he was touching me or not. It hurt my pride, my Wolf, but I let it go. The moment wasn’t about me. It was about distracting him.

“Do you think this is going to stop me?” he quietly asked, his voice deadly.

“I want to please my mate, is that such a crime?” I asked. He knew what I was up to, but saying it aloud was more than I could handle.

He couldn’t leave. That was the only thing running through my mind. I knew what leaving meant. I needed to keep him there. I needed him to calm down, and to stop him from being angry at me. I needed Caine to listen.

Once we reached the bed, I pushed lightly on his chest to get him to sit down. It wasn’t that hard, especially with his help. When I tried climbing onto his lap, however, I was met with a loud growl from Caine.

I jumped in surprise, taking a step back. “Come,” Caine said, stretching out his hand for me to take.

I looked at it and at him hesitantly. But he was still there, so I gave him my hand. I approached him slowly where he sat, placing myself between his legs. Caine was still looking at me with that detached expression, and I didn’t trust it.

I looked into his eyes. They were still dark, but for the first time since he’d arrived, I saw his eyes swirling between black and metallic green. They looked amazing. I gently placed my hand on his jaw, trying to get his attention. Even though I was standing up, and he was sitting on the bed, we were practically at eye level. His height was obvious even when he was sitting down.

“Get on your knees,” he ordered.

I hadn’t even noticed when he’d let go of my hand. I looked at him, confused, but all he did was look at me pointedly.

“What?” He’d sort of thrown me off.

“Get on your knees,” he repeated, grabbing my elbow and pushing me down to the floor. It was a painful landing, but I didn’t dare make a sound. I was looking up at him. I didn’t even want to begin to imagine how I must’ve looked.

“Caine…” I whispered.

If I didn’t know that Caine was mad, being there kneeling in front of him wouldn’t have been a big deal. But knowing the reason he had me there, it made the entire thing humiliating.

“Apologize,” he said.

He was looking at me through narrowed eyes. I looked away from him, and began unbuckling his belt. Caine sank his hand in my hair roughly, pulling my head back enough to force me to look up at him.

“You look beautiful like this, knowing your place.”

I got up from the floor, and pushed him away. I only got so far before Caine wrapped his arm around my waist and held me in place. His fingers were still tangled in my hair, although he wasn’t necessarily pulling on it. He was mainly doing it to keep me restrained. I still felt his strong grip.

“Let me go,” I growled, digging my claws into his arm to get him to loosen his hold.

Caine growled back, louder and with more power. “No,” he said, tightening his arm around my waist. I was practically over him. Even though my feet were still on the ground, I was standing between his legs, with my body pressed flush against his chest.

“If you have to leave, go. I’m done too,” I told him, shoving his chest away when he tried to lean closer to me.

“Isn’t this what you wanted—to distract me with sex? I am going along with it,” he said.

“Let me go, Caine,” I told him, shoving his chest.

He did. “If you’re not ready to play the part, you shouldn’t offer yourself,” he said, pushing me away and getting up from the bed.

“You’re the only one allowed to use sex to prove a point?” I asked in a harsh voice.

“I have no problem with mating right now. Is that what you want—to keep me here so that I won’t kill Knight Wolves?”

He was standing directly in front of me. I had to look up to see him properly.

“You’re mad. You shouldn’t be making these decisions when you’re mad.”

“Advice delivered. Get dressed,” he said, his eyes skimming over my body.

“You don’t have to do this, Caine. You don’t have to be like Tristan,” I told him just before he tried to walk away.

“I can be worse. That is what I’m going to show him,” he said.

I didn’t think twice when I wrapped my arms around his neck, getting on my toes to better reach him. I pressed my lips against his, not sure if he’d respond. He was hard, I’d already seen that. But Caine had been trying to act indifferent. Once I deepened the kiss, slipping my tongue into his mouth, while my hands were massaging his neck, Caine picked me up from the ground.

He held me in his arms for a few seconds before walking us to the bed. He threw me on the bed with more force than he had to. I growled at him, but he ignored me. Just seconds later he was laying down over me, his body between my legs.

It was very much the same position we’d been in earlier, and I was wondering if he was going to stop on purpose. He’d already done that before, and I wouldn’t doubt he’d do it a second time to piss me off.

But the big difference this time was resting against my thigh. While Caine finished pulling his pants off, I used my claws to rip his shirt.

“My weakness,” Caine whispered against my lips, running his nose over my cheek. One of his hands had restrained mine over my head—just like before—while the other was caressing my cheek.

“It’s unfair that you say that,” I told him in a soft voice, pushing him away, trying to sit up.

“It’s true. You’re my weakness,” he whispered. “You’re not going to make me weak,” Caine said, looking away.

“I’m not trying to do that! I love you, Caine,” I said.

“You make me doubt my decisions,” he replied.

“I don’t do it intentionally. You’re too harsh sometimes, Caine.”

“It’s helped me build a strong pack,” he retorted.

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

“I know,” he said, reaching out to take my hand.

“I won’t contradict you. I won’t do anything behind your back. I will compromise, as long as you do the same.”

Caine looked at me with guarded eyes. He seemed to be thinking. I wanted so badly for him to agree.

“Your actions caused the death of five pack members. It wasn’t entirely your fault—Tristan deserves to be punished as well.

That was where I was sure another fight would start between us unless I backed down. “You can decide whatever you want to do. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have talked to Derek without telling you.”

“It was naïve,” he added.

“I’m aware.”

“I can do what I deem is fair without you getting angry?”

“It’ll be your call. I won’t fight you. I’m sorry. I never thought this was going to happen. I didn’t think Tristan…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Everything that happened after that was a blur. We talked, we fought, and we mated until I was sore and achy. Caine significantly calmed down.

“I have to go deal with Tristan,” Caine said, getting up from the bed. “Get ready.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked, sitting up. I seriously needed a shower. I was sweaty and sticky. Caine looked perfect—ready to go. He was only slipping on his jeans and grabbing another t-shirt.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs,” he said.

He caught me by surprise when he walked backed, and brushed his lips softly against mine.

“We’re okay?” I asked, lazily hooking my arm around his neck to pull him closer.

Caine nodded, pecking my lips once again. “We’re leaving in ten minutes,” he said, before walking out.

I took a quick shower. There was no way I was walking out of that room the way I looked and smelled. The turn of events in our afternoon had been unexpected. I was glad that Caine had significantly calmed down. He was talking to me, and he didn’t look angry anymore.

I found him downstairs a few minutes later, talking to Macon and Adam.

“What’s up?” I asked, looking around at the little group. I thought Brandon was going to be around, but I didn’t smell his scent around the house.

“Is it done?” Caine asked, reaching out to hold my hand. I walked over to his side, interlacing my hand with his.

Both Macon and Adam nodded. They were still avoiding my eyes. As soon as Caine dismissed them, they took off in a rush. “What’s going on?”

“Tristan thinks it’s only fair that we have a discussion. You tried something against him, he killed Locus Wolves—-Tristan thinks that makes up for it.”

“I can’t believe you’re going to meet with him after what he did. It’s crazy. What if he tries something?”

“I am taking plenty of Wolves. Don’t worry about that for now. We should get going,” he said.

“I don’t know if I should tag along. I don’t really think Tristan wants to see me,” I told him, although I still followed after him.

Brandon and Victor were waiting for us outside, standing by a black SUV. Other trucks were parked around, with Wolves standing outside. I hadn’t realized that our front patio was covered with Locus Wolves.

“I want to show you something,” Caine said, helping me up in the truck, before climbing after me.

Brandon took the passenger seat, while Victor got behind the wheel. I felt a little guilty that Macon wasn’t riding with us. I saw him jump into another truck, along with Lesley and Adam. Macon usually would’ve ridden with us, not only because he was the third in command, but because he was my guard.

‘Do you know what’s going on?’ I asked Brandon through our mind link, being careful not to let on that we were talking.

Brandon shook his head slightly, only enough to give me an answer. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

His apology sounded strange, although I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t know what was going on. He sounded guilty. It was weird.

It felt like we took forever to get there. We were outside of the human town, driving down a road with tall trees on either side of us. It felt ominous, as it should, considering where we were headed. Caine was holding my hand, which was resting on his lap. He looked serious. I rested my head against his shoulder, wanting to feel close to him.

“We agreed to no more secrets,” Caine quietly said. His tone wasn’t accusing. He sounded calm, and that worried me a little.

Even if we would’ve wanted to be having a conversation in private, there was just no way for that to happen with Wolves nearby.

“I know,” I said, closing my eyes. “I never thought this would happen, Caine. I just spoke to Derek yesterday. It’s feels surreal that Tristan went and did this.”

“I made a decision—one that works for me and that doesn’t make the pack look weak,” he said.

“Okay,” I nodded.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if Caine tried to fight Tristan. I was hoping that Tristan hadn’t dragged my parents to the meet. I wanted to see them, but I didn’t want them around if there was going to be a fight. I didn’t think Caine cared about them, and Tristan was too selfish.

“I will forgive this. You were trying to help, right?” Caine asked, running the outside of his hand over my cheek softly.

“I didn’t think this was going to happen,” I admitted.

I felt like I needed to talk to Derek. I didn’t think he’d told Tristan. There had to be something else. I just couldn’t think of what. Caine was wrong—I didn’t trust Derek. But I also didn’t think he was that stupid. If he wanted peace between the packs, the last thing he would’ve done was told his father that I wanted him dead.

“I see that now. I just want you to know that your actions have consequences,” he continued.

I sighed, and nodded at him. “I know, Caine. You don’t have to make me feel worse.”

“We’re here,” Victor solemnly said.

I could see Tristan from where we were. He had people with him, but we were more by a lot. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, since Locus had always been bigger than Knight Pack.

Tristan and his stupid handsome face were standing in front of his crew, looking tough. I was surprised to see Martha on his right, with Joshua—his third in command—standing on his left. His Beta wasn’t around. I figured he’d stayed behind in the pack with Derek.

Martha held a serious expression. It was strange not seeing her smirking at me. She actually looked like a real fighter for once.

“You’re late,” Tristan said, sounding irritated.

“I’m here,” Caine shrugged, carelessly.

“I’m happy to see this finally got you out of hiding, Caine,” Tristan said.

Caine had been looking down at me. I hadn’t noticed until I looked up at him—he had stayed quiet for too long.

“I didn’t come here to make any deals with Knight Pack,” Caine replied, looking bored.

“You owe me after what your mate tried to do. She’s setting such a bad example. It’s a shame that she came from my pack,” Tristan said, looking at me mockingly.

He was behaving so much like Martha usually did; I could only roll my eyes at him. To me, Tristan was a joke. He was an asshole with too much power that had crossed the line by killing Locus Wolves, but still an idiot all around.

“Victor,” Caine said, turning toward him. “Bring them,” he said.

Members from our pack walked away with Victor. I looked at them weirdly, but turned away after a few moments. I wanted to stay focused on Tristan and Caine. I noticed that the Wolves from Locus Pack began surrounding us, almost like they expected for Tristan to try something.

‘Brandon, get closer,’ I said through our mind link. I felt better once I had Brandon right beside me.

He’d stayed behind with the other Wolves, and it worried me. I didn’t doubt his fighting abilities, even though most of his training had dealt with tracking, but I still wanted him close. He was younger than the rest of the Wolves there.

“What is this?” Tristan asked, looking at Caine suspiciously. His dark eyes shifted between Caine and me. “Other packs will not react well if you attack me while I’m doing nothing to you.”

He sounded scared. I didn’t know if Tristan knew just how bad his words made him sound. I shook my head. He was a coward.

“Any pack would consider what you did an attack—you killed my Wolves,” Caine said, soundly oddly calm.

“Your mate tried to have me murdered,” Tristan growled.

“Yes, she has initiative,” Caine said, looking at me, his hand cupping my cheek, while running his thumb in circles softly over my skin. I chuckled quietly at his words.

He hadn’t thought what I had was initiative before, but I appreciated he wasn’t getting after me in front of other people.

“We’re here because my pack was feeling too crowded. I have something for you. Victor will take care of handing it over,” Caine said, wrapping his arm around my waist, and walking us back toward our trucks.

The entire ordeal felt somewhat underwhelming. I had expected for Caine to go off on Tristan, and for a fight to break out. None of that had happened. Now Caine was simply walking away.

I smelled his scent before my eyes landed on him. It was wrong. He smelled wrong. I began feeling out of breathe. I stopped walking, trying to sniff where the scent was coming from. Caine tightened his hold on my waist, and he was telling me to keep moving.

“Where is he?” I snapped at him, slapping his arm away.

“Victor is bringing him,” Caine replied.

He did. Victor and other Wolves were walking toward us with long wooden crates.

“Caine… you…” I whispered, feeling my eyes tearing up. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think. The sobbing came soon after. I was thrashing in Caine’s arms. He was holding on to me tightly. I kept fighting him off, pushing on his chest to get him to release me.

“Your actions have consequences,” Caine said, repeating what he’d told me earlier.

“Don’t pretend like you did this for any other reason than to teach me a lesson!” I cried, my words sounding broken.

I couldn’t keep my eyes away from the guys that were bringing crate after crate filled with the Knight Pack Wolves that had been imprisoned in our pack. Caine had killed them. He’d killed them all… including Theo.