“What? I don’t even know you.” I frowned, shifting my eyes from the vehicle to Caleb. Lance was already at the driver’s side door, his arms draped over the top. He was watching me, a smirk playing on his lips. “I might be crazy enough to swallow the idea of feral wolves on the hunt, but leaving with complete strangers is something that’s totally not going to happen.” Okay, good, ol’ logical Morgan back in control.
Caleb sighed and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Listen, Morgan.” He locked eyes with me. “I’ll explain everything once I get some sleep. For now, all you need to know is that you’re safe with us. We were born to protect you. I was chosen for you. I told you, I’m your Hunter. I’m not hunting you. I’m protecting you.” He waved his hand around. “You know, from the beasts.”
I opened my mouth to argue, disbelief still warring with the reality the night had shown me. “This makes no sense.”
“You know what you saw, what you heard. It was all real, every moment of it. Those wolves won’t stop chasing you as long as you’re alive. You’re only safe if you’re with us.” He turned toward the truck and Lance tossed a bundle at him, which he caught with both hands. “Here, you need to wear the cloak while you’re outside. I know that this is hard for you to grasp, but as Lance said, this is information that should have been passed down to you through your family. You must trust me. If you stay here or if you run anywhere else, the pack will find you. If you value your life, you’ll put on the cloak and come with us.”
“I could stay with my friend Rachel until—”
“Until what?” His tone was sharp, his patience clearly waning. “Until the beasts come and kill her too? Maybe I wasn’t clear enough before. They will hunt you until everyone you love is dead. They will toy with you, and then they’ll kill you too.”
I shuddered. Those eyes of his had turned stormy, determination set within. He was serious. “The police—”
“Will not believe you.”
His words hit like a rock. I knew he was right. No one would believe me. The fact that he and his men did said something.
Yeah, it screams crazy house.
“You saw one friend die tonight. You ready for that to happen again?” Caleb said, his tone cold.
I flinched. It was a low blow when only moments before he’d said Jimmy’s death wasn’t my fault.
Caleb held out the cloak. I looked at it, shifted my gaze to Lance and then back to Caleb. It sounded crazy. It was crazy. Wolves, hunters, protectors. But something in my gut told me he wasn’t lying. It was insane, stupid, for me to trust him so easily, but there was something about him that drew me in.
I nodded as I reached for the cloak. “Fine,” I sighed. “But I need to call my friend Rachel and let her know I’m okay.” Warn her away from the woods or something.
Caleb nodded, ignoring my outstretched hand, instead wrapping the cloak around my shoulders himself. He clasped it at my neck, once again grazing my skin with his fingers, sending a jolt of something through my body. This time I shivered, craving more.
“We’ll call once we get on the road.”
Chapter Five
The Boys
Cal pushed himself into the backseat next to Morgan and grunted as he practically had to fold in half to fit.
“Why don’t you take the back, stretch out, and I’ll sit up front?” Morgan offered, moving as if ready to jump out of the truck on the other side.
He shook his head, his gaze shifting to the passenger side as Ken—another member of his team—opened the door and peered in. “Any room in here for me?”
He motioned to the front and Ken nodded, looking from Cal to Morgan.
“Morgan Stills,” Cal said. “This is Ken Perkins.”
Ken smiled one of his signature smiles as he reached into the backseat to shake Morgan’s hand. Cal clenched his jaw, his body pulsing to knock the other male’s hand away and claim Morgan for himself. Instead, he pushed himself farther back into his seat, shifting to the side toward her. He knew that Ken meant no harm, but all the same, this woman was Cal’s and he felt an urgent need to stake his claim.
“Hi, Ken.” Morgan smiled then turned to face Cal again as his knee brushed hers, a benign touch that had him craving something more intimate. “They don’t make these SUVs with such a big guy in mind, do they?”
“Cal’s bigger than most.” Lance chuckled from the front as he revved the engine. “Ready folks? We’d better get out of here before the king and his pack come back.”
“The king?” Morgan’s eyes were wide again, a look that Cal was slowly learning meant more than fear or curiosity. It meant she was thinking, and that seemed to be a dangerous thing.
“King Lazarus,” Cal said, and he cleared his throat. She turned those beautiful brown eyes of hers toward him and his pulse sped up, despite his bone-crushing exhaustion. “Pack alpha and king of the wolves,” he added.
“But not just any wolves,” Morgan said. “That wolf, King Lazarus, spoke to me. He said that I was his bride.”