The Challenge (The Pack 2)

Caleb let out a shaky breath and I bit my lip as she continued. “He snapped her neck as she held his son.” Wren let out a choked sob. “He kept his word, he never killed Dylan but it might have been kinder if he had.” She glanced up, blinded by tears. “I’ve spent my whole life protecting him the best I could. I knew he would never be accepted by a pack, but I hoped…” she stopped, to choked too speak any longer.

Caleb traded a glance with Dom and then Anna, and finally sighed. “My father would never have agreed to allow him in the Pack. He would have spoken of tradition, of protecting the Pack from a dangerous unknown,” he paused before continuing, “And he would have been wrong.” He cleared his throat. “I offer your brother, Dylan Hanley, asylum.” Caleb’s voice changed then, his words almost echoing as he said, “He has the full protection and loyalty of the Navarre Pack.”

Wren lifted her head, a fragile hope on her face as Anna and Dom lowered their heads at the Alpha’s command. Trent glanced at her as he added, “He’s got mine too if it makes a difference.” She nodded, too emotional to speak.

“Now, let’s go make this official,” Caleb grunted, pushing himself up. “We have school tomorrow, after all.”

***

“I was thinking,” Dad started, not meeting my eyes as he poured a cup of coffee.

“That you’d let Wren watch Monster today?” I finished, eyeing him. He gave me a sheepish smile.

“That obvious?”

“You are a little transparent, Dad.”

“She’s trying to get Dylan settled and he seems to have struck up a friendship with Monster,” he hedged, drumming his fingers on the countertop.

“And it’d get Monster out of your hair while you work?”

“That too,” he agreed. “What do you think?”

“That we owe Wren an apology and yes, I agree that she should watch Monster,” I answered, stuffing a notebook into my backpack while trying to cram the last bite of my bagel in my mouth.

“I will apologize when I bring Monster over,” he declared. “But she shouldn’t have put him at risk in the first place. If she’d trusted us….” He trailed off and I knew he meant if she’d trusted him.

“You were harsh, admit it, Dad. She betrayed you and it hurt like a son of a bitch.” I gave up on the notebook and the bagel as I spoke. “She was afraid for her brother’s life and I can’t blame her. I’d do the same thing if it was Monster.” I picked up the notebook, sliding it in just as I heard the rumble of the Jeep in the parking lot. “Also, you should quit pussyfooting around and ask her out.” I snatched the last bite of bagel off the plate and waved as I waltzed out the door.

Caleb jumped out of the passenger side so I could haul myself into the back of the Jeep next to Anna. “Wow, total flashback to the days when I was just an ignorant human girl,” I joked, buckling up as Anna grinned at me. “You look happy.”

Her eyes sparkled and she nodded as she said, “I’ll tell you later.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Dom grumbled, shifting the Jeep into gear as Caleb hopped back in. We exchanged a secretive grin as we said in unison, “Nothing.”

“Yeah, right,” he mumbled, but dropped the subject. I spotted Trent outside of his motel room and wiggled my fingers at him in a little wave. He lifted his hand in response and I saw Anna duck her head out of the corner of my eye. My eyes met Dom’s in the rearview mirror as I arched an eyebrow. He shook his head silently and I resigned myself to waiting till we got to school to find out Anna’s news.

“Well?” I burst out, unable to contain my curiosity by the time we reached our lockers. Caleb and Dom had gone in different directions when we’d arrived but Anna had remained stubbornly silent.

“Caleb asked me out,” she squealed and the smile I’d felt forming died. Somehow that wasn’t what I’d expected her to say. I forced my lips up as she bounced in excitement and chattered about how he’d asked after they’d gotten the Council to agree to accept Caleb’s offer of asylum to Dylan. Luckily, her happiness was so great that she didn’t notice my own smile was a little dim.

The same thought kept looping through my mind as she talked and it was how Payne had broken up with Sam because his father had forced him too. I wondered if somehow Caleb was also doing what his father would have expected by dating Anna.

“Okay, class,” Anna said, breaking off her minute by minute description of Caleb asking her out. “Finals’ week! Yay!”

“Good luck,” I called as she disappeared into her first period class. I hated the uncertainty I felt about Caleb’s intentions but couldn’t push the seed of doubt away. Why had he asked her now? After everything else that had happened it was almost as if he was trying to fit into the mold his father had created.