Lone Wolf (The Pack 5)

“Man and wolf are now one. You share one body, your lives intertwined,” she explained, gracefully rising as he remained sprawled on the ground. “He is with you,” she commented and he nodded, recognizing the presence inside of him as the wolf.

The man now had the heart and soul of the wolf.

***

It was hard to breath as Gregory finished, knowing the truth now and understanding why my wolf responded to Gran’s command. Dom glanced at me, asking, How powerful are they? I knew who he meant when he said they, but I shook my head, unable to answer without betraying Paige and Dru.

Powerful didn’t begin to describe what they were capable of individually much less together and their Gran? She was lethal.

“Magic created us,” Gregory spoke and my attention jerked back to him. “And it still resides inside of us. We use it every time we shift and when we heal.” His expression turned serious. “Never forget it is a gift.”

Hushed whispers broke out in the room and Anna stepped forward. “Thank you for coming today. We’ve learned a lot and I think it will be good if we take some time to think about it and reconvene later for discussion.” It was a clear dismissal and several stood, slowly shuffling from the room. I waited until the room was almost empty before turning to Gregory.

“Are they….?” I paused, reluctant to say what I was thinking, but Gregory knew.

“Witches,” he answered as Leah and Liam walked up to us. I took Leah’s proffered hand, happy to see her again.

“Congratulations,” I told her, nodding to her belly. “And for becoming a veterinarian. We could use you.”

She smiled excitedly. “I can’t wait for my first patient.” We all looked at her and she hastily explained, “I mean a checkup of course. No emergencies.” Her eyes widened as she assured us, “But I’m prepared if there is an emergency.”

“We’ve all seen you work under pressure, I have no doubt you’re ready,” Jess told her with a warm smile.

“Good to see you home, son,” Hank Navarre declared, dragging me into a bear hug. Bear hug wasn’t an exaggeration since Hank was as big as a bear. I thumped his back as he squeezed hard enough to break bone. “I missed you.”

“I missed you,” I replied truthfully, releasing him reluctantly. Hank had been a second dad to me, the dad I’d wished I’d had, and it wasn’t until this moment I realized how much I’d missed him. “Still sheriff?”

He threw back his head and laughed. “That much hasn’t changed,” he assured me, smiling.

“Dad,” Dom said, shaking his head as he grinned wryly. “I see you found your favorite son.”

“I claim no favorites,” Hank retorted and both of us laughed, and he gave us an offended stare. “What do you mean?”

“I think they mean me, Dad.” Sam came up behind him, her yellow eyes a perfect match to Dom and Hank’s. She smiled at me. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” I answered, distracted by her husband, my half-brother, as he walked toward me. “Payne,” I greeted him with a nod and he halted mid-step, standing still for a moment before awkwardly leaning in to give me a hug. I brought my arms up hesitantly, surprised by the warmth of his welcome. He stepped back, swallowing hard, a suspicious red lining his eyes.

“It’s….it’s good to see you, Caleb.” Payne inhaled deeply, glancing down for a second, before meeting my gaze. “I know our relationship hasn’t always been the best. Dad…,” he paused, grimacing. “You know what? Forget Dad. I want us to be brothers.” He very intentionally didn’t look toward Dom as he said, “I know I’m not like you, but we’re still brothers. Family.” He blinked hard. “The only family I have left besides Sam and the boys.” Sam rubbed his shoulder, her expression fiercely protective and I smiled ruefully.

“I feel like your wife is going to beat me up if I don’t accept the olive branch you’re offering,” I mentioned, eyeing her carefully before glancing back at Payne. “But I’d like that. It’s been a long road but they’re not wrong when they say all roads lead home.” I offered him my hand and when he grasped it, I pulled him into a hug, taking him by surprise. “The past is the past,” I whispered and he nodded, gripping my shoulder tightly. We released each other, a new bond tentatively formed, but one I knew had the strength to last.

“We need to talk about the Ghost Pack,” Dom stated, his expression apologetic, but I just shook my head, not offended by the interruption. “I only saw one wolf shifter, but there were at least two witches.” I bristled at the way he described Dru and Paige, and Jess noticed.

“Dom,” she said quietly, resting her hand on his arm. “Let’s let Caleb talk,” she suggested and he nodded contritely.