Chapter 6

Josephine POV

We stopped at a guard post, where Caleb greeted two subordinates. The wolves shifted back into their human forms and retrieved their clothes.

“Is it all right if I put you down?” Caleb asked. It was the first thing he’d said to me since picking me up.

“Yeah, I can stand,” I said, missing Caleb’s heat before he was even gone.

Caleb carefully placed me on the ground, holding my waist until he knew I was stable. I shivered as he stepped away despite the warm summer air. I tried not to stare as Caleb dressed, but it was hard when I desperately wanted to run my hands over his muscular back and his ass.

I cleared my throat and looked away. “Is it normal for packs to live remotely like this?” I asked.

The two guards stared at me like I was crazy.

“Most do,” Caleb confirmed, not fazed by my lack of knowledge. “The bigger the pack, the harder it is to stay undetected by humans. It’s easier to live out here.”

One of the guards furrowed his brow. “It is what’s right. Wolves are supposed to be in nature, living on the land of our ancestors. It’s foolish to do otherwise.”

I swallowed, taken aback by the zealous response. “I’m sorry, it was just a question ”

“Apologize for your rudeness,” Caleb ordered the guard, cutting off my fumbling response.

The guard looked confused. “I was just ”

“I don’t care,” Caleb bit out. “Apologize.”

He went pale, turned to me, and mumbled, “I apologize.”

“It’s all right,” I said, as much to the guard as to Caleb.

Caleb nodded and took me by the arm, his touch soft despite his anger. He guided me past the guard post and into the small village. The other wolves followed, and Jules fell into step with Caleb.

“I think that scratch over your eye is making you grumpy,” Jules said with a laugh. “You should get cleaned up.”

“I’m fine,” Caleb grunted. He turned to me. “I’m taking you to see the Alpha. He will decide if you can stay.”

“Oh,” I squeaked as if I were meeting the president or the king of some foreign country.

“You’ll be fine, but nobody can visit the commune without his permission,” Caleb explained.

He led me to a large, round building in the center of the village one of the few made of brick. Most of the structures were small log cabins, expertly built and not arranged in discernible blocks like human towns. Instead, they branched out erratically from the center of the village. Some even had patios and small gardens with herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Caleb’s hand tightened around my arm as we walked inside, but it was comforting instead of restrictive.

Inside, two men sat in wooden chairs. A man with thick gray hair and hard brown eyes commanded attention, power radiating off him. I didn’t have to ask if he was the Alpha. I could feel it. I moved closer to Caleb.

“Alpha Elijah,” Caleb said, lowering his head in respect.

I copied the movement, unsure what was expected of me.

“Caleb,” the Alpha nodded. “Who is this?”

“I found her while on patrol, sir,” Caleb explained. “Mountain lion shifters attacked her. I told her she could stay here while recovering from her wounds.”

There was a murmur from the man to the right of the Alpha. He reeked of sharp, off-putting herbs, and his glassy eyes darted around strangely from time to time.

“And you took care of these shifters?” the Alpha asked, his eyes flashing angrily.

“Yes, sir,” Caleb replied. I almost expected Caleb to stand at attention like a soldier.

The Alpha turned to me.

“What is your name, girl?” he demanded.

“Josephine Blackwood,” I answered. Caleb squeezed my arm. “Sir.”

“Do you have a pack?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. His eyes bore into me like he was evaluating my soul. If this was what having an Alpha was like, I was glad to be so isolated. The pressure of his regard was unnerving.

“No, I’m all alone.” I shifted from foot to foot. The loss of my father stung worse than the wound in my side, the grief far more painful.

The Alpha raised his nose and breathed in, scenting me. His stony expression flickered, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“You may stay,” he said. “Caleb, she’s your responsibility. She must lodge with you.”

Caleb inhaled sharply but nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed,” the Alpha said with a wave of his hand.

“Thank you, sir.”

Caleb retreated, sighing with relief when we were outside.

“Is he always that intense?” I asked.

He regarded me with a bemused expression, his dark eyebrows knitting together. “That’s just how it is,” he said. “Come. My house isn’t far.”

People stared as we walked.

“Why are they looking at me?” I whispered, feeling self-conscious.

“We aren’t used to strangers,” he explained.

I bit my bottom lip. Something nagged at me.

“Where are all the men?” I asked. Besides Caleb’s team, the Alpha, and his associate, everyone in the village was either a child or a woman.

“They are either working or on patrol.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “Don’t the women work or protect the pack?”

Caleb looked at me like it was a strange question.

“The women take care of the children and the home.”

I snorted before I could stop myself.

“What?” he asked.

“Women can do a lot more than that,” I said, feeling like I’d traveled back in time.

“In human society, maybe,” he said. “Here, our Alpha expects things to work differently.”

“And what about you?” I asked. There was always a catch with handsome men like Caleb; apparently, wolves were no different.

“It’s not my place to question the ways of our pack,” he said stiffly. I sensed he had opinions he wasn’t voicing.

“But ?”

“I know women are capable of more,” he admitted. “But as long as they’re happy, there’s nothing wrong with this life.”

“And if they aren’t?” I pressed.

“Nobody has ever said so.” He frowned. “Nobody questions the Alpha.”

I’d always dreamed of being part of a pack and having a sense of community and belonging. But was an archaic way of life what it consisted of? Maybe the women here were happy. I hadn’t seen any sign of mistreatment.

“Caleb!” An older woman with red hair streaked with gray smiled as she greeted him. “Who’s your new friend?”

“Monica.” Caleb grinned, looking the most relaxed I’d seen him so far. “This is Josephine. I found her on patrol in the forest. She was attacked by mountain lion shifters, and she’ll be staying with me while she recovers.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” she said, turning toward me. “You rest up now, and if Caleb isn’t doing a good enough job, just let me know, and I’ll knock some sense into him.”

“He’s doing great as of now,” I said.

Monica’s eyes crinkled, and Caleb looked away, his cheeks flushing.

“Good boy,” she said.

“We should get going.” Caleb tried to steer me away, but Monica stopped him with a soft hand on his arm.

“Did Jules make it back all right?” she asked, her brow furrowing.

“Not a scratch on him,” he assured her. “Took out a few mountain lions, though.”

“That’s my boy.” She beamed. “I’ll come around later with some food for you two.”

“You really don’t have to,” he protested, but Monica waved him off like he was being ridiculous.

“I’ll see you later,” she insisted.

Caleb sighed and nodded. He led me away like a boy embarrassed by his mother’s fussing.

“Who was that?” I asked, curious about Caleb’s reaction.

“Jules’s mom. She basically raised me after my parents died.”

That explained it.

“She seems lovely,” I said. Maybe I’d misjudged the women of the pack. Monica hardly seemed oppressed.

“She’s the best,” he said, leaving it at that.

We were silent for the rest of the walk.

Caleb’s place appeared to be at the edge of the village.

“We’re here,” Caleb said, stopping in front of a small log cabin. “Welcome to my home.”

Inside, a couch sat in the corner next to a bookcase, and beyond the living room was a simple kitchenette that didn’t look well-used. I could see a bedroom through one door and a bathroom through the other. It was cozy and comfortable.

The whole place smelled of Caleb, and for the first time since my father died, I felt like I was home.