“And the man? Any news on him?” Caspian looked at his men as they all shook his head.
“It’s like he doesn’t exist,” Liam said. “You’re going to need to ask her.”
“Not happening.”
“I would back off if I was you,” Sean said.
“What? There is a guy from Sofia’s old pack sniffing around her place, and I mean literally sniffing, and you don’t think we should ask the very woman who could know who he is?” Liam asked.
Caspian put his ingredients down on the counter and spun toward Liam. “Sofia doesn’t need to know about this. She’s already going through a lot, and worrying her won’t achieve anything.”
“She should know. Not only does she put all of our pack in danger, she puts herself in danger as well. If you didn’t have your head up your arse about this, you’d see that.”
“You got a problem with the way I run things?” Caspian asked. The wolf within him simmered beneath the surface.
Liam took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m just worried, mate, that’s all. We’ve all got a good thing going here. You’ve got to admit that, and if we’re not careful, it could all come tumbling around us, and I don’t want to lose any of us.” He shrugged. “Sorry.”
Caspian pulled him in close and slapped his back. “We’re not going to lose anything, okay? We’re strong.” He glanced at his men and saw the doubt. “Out with it.”
“It’s not that we don’t agree with you, we do. We all do.” Sean was the one to speak up.
“But?”
“But we live in a city. A very human-dominated city, where werewolves need to be a myth and not real. This guy, whoever he is, he is used to being in a pack. In a small community where he doesn’t have to hide his very basic urges. We know how to protect ourselves, and with the full moon nearly here, I’m worried.”
Caspian gritted his teeth.
“I’ve got to go and get him, don’t I?” Caspian asked. He knew he needed to go and interfere with the man, but the only place he wanted to be was right here, with his woman. Not off going to play rescue.
He ran a hand down his face and gritted his teeth.
“I can go,” Liam said. “I’ve got no problem taking care of him.”
“No. If it’s a trap, I don’t want to risk any of the pack. This is my responsibility and I’ll be the one to deal with it.” He turned back to the counter, grabbed a large saucepan, and put it on a low heat as he quickly began to dice onions.
Running the blade through the flesh as the scent filled the room, he came up with a plan.
“You can’t go alone,” Sean said.
“I will. I need you all to be here. To stay here.” He wouldn’t risk his woman. Sofia needed to be protected at all times.
With the onion in the pot, he got to work on the carrots and celery.
“What are we making?” Liam asked. “Because they look like the workings of a shepherd’s pie.”
“Shepherds or cottage, I don’t know which.”
Liam chuckled.
Caspian lifted his head from chopping as he heard his woman’s giggle.
“I’ll stir that for you, if you want to go and see her.”
He didn’t need to be told twice, leaving the spoon for Liam as he stepped out of the cabin to spot Sofia walking toward him with Raine and Melissa close by.
Perspiration dotted her brow and her cheeks were flushed. She stopped walking as soon as she saw him.
The other two women kept on moving.
“How long ’til dinner?” Melissa asked.
“I’ve started it. Liam is taking care of it.”
“We better go inside before he ruins another meal.” Raine stepped forward, grabbing Melissa’s shoulders and marching her right back toward the cabin.
Sofia’s gaze was past his shoulder, but she didn’t take a single step.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine. You.”
There was so much he wanted to say and standing outside the cabin in greeting wasn’t one of them.
He took a chance and stepped toward her, waiting for her to move. When she didn’t, he advanced toward her until he was right in front of her, sinking his fingers into her hair and taking possession of her lips.
Chapter Eight
Melissa and Raine had told her to trust him. Told her that Caspian was a good alpha, and not only was he a good alpha, but he was also the kind of person you stood beside.
When they first met him, he didn’t want to be any kind of leader. He didn’t want to be anything to them, other than to help.
They all had guided Caspian into the role of alpha. It was a title he didn’t like.
Sofia knew he took his role seriously. She’d seen the way he talked with the pack, the way he cared. They all had an unwanted story to tell.