“I think you better dance with me later if you know what’s good for you.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“In the meantime, you better go dance with your Mama before she gets swept off her feet by Jimmy.”
His eyes widened before he turned around to see our packmate chatting up his mom. Nora’s head fell back with a loud laugh and Wyatt growled before taking off in their direction. I shook my head and started scanning the crowds, looking for my own family.
When I found my older sister in someone’s arms, swaying to the music being played by the live band up front, my jaw almost fell open. Bea rarely danced with anyone. Said it made her look too weak to the other guys. I wondered for a moment who could have persuaded my thorny sister to let down her guard when the couple turned, and I spotted Will with his arms around my sister.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but when I really thought about it, I wasn’t that surprised. Nothing less than the original werewolf could have gotten through to someone like Bea.
The night dwindled down, and somewhere along the way, Ellie and Abey must have escaped the crowds because I couldn’t find them anywhere. I didn’t know exactly where they were heading, but he’d assured us it wasn’t far and that a few of his enforcers knew how to reach him if need be.
We’d all been preparing for an attack from the Charlotte pack any day now, and this ceremony had only been a short reprieve from that constant worry. The lodge had swelled with wolves from all over North Carolina who’d pledged to stand with us against him, but that didn’t make me feel much better.
Our Uncle Conrad’s pack was much larger than ours and he had way more enforcers than we did. If he chose to attack us, we’d be in trouble. And my mate would be on the frontlines.
As an enforcer, Wyatt and his brother and so many other wolves I called friends and family would be expected to defend the rest of the pack. They’d be putting their lives on the line to protect us.
None of them seemed put out by the notion, though. They all knew what they’d signed up for when they’d agreed to be an enforcer. They’d all vowed to protect this pack at whatever cost, no matter what. I just worried the cost would be too high.
That pull in my belly got stronger and I searched the space for Wyatt, knowing he had to be nearby. When I found him stalking across the dancefloor toward me, I gave him a soft smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes.
He pulled out the chair next to me and sat down a respectable distance away. “What’s goin’ on, Callie girl? You’ve got that look in your eye.”
I sighed. “Just worrying again.”
“About what, love?”
I met his eyes and told him the truth. “I’m worried about this mess with the Charlotte pack. I’m worried we won’t all make it through to the other side. Wyatt, if something happened to you–”
He scooted his chair closer and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Leaning down, he dug his nose into my styled hair and breathed deeply. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me.”
“You can’t promise that,” I whispered.
He leaned back and reached up to cup my chin in his big hand. “You’re right. I can’t. But I can promise you I’ll do anything it takes to make it home to you. Anything, Callie. You hear me?”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I hear you.”
He rubbed my cheek with his thumb before releasing my face and sitting back in his chair. “Besides, we don’t even know if they will attack. They’ve been quiet for weeks. Maybe nothing will happen and you’re worrying for no reason.”
I nodded along, but deep down, I knew he was wrong. I knew it was only a matter of time and somehow, I knew it would be bad. I just didn’t know how bad.
***
“I’ve gotta go, love,” Wyatt said softly as he kissed my lips.
“No,” I mumbled, still half-asleep. “Stay.”
He chuckled and kissed me again. “I’ve got to go patrol. I’ll be back later.” He brushed some hair off my face, and I nuzzled his hand. He sighed. “Don’t forget, tonight we get to tell your family about us.”
“You scared?” I asked, cracking one eyelid open to look at him.
He snorted. “Of what?”
“My family. They’re a lot to handle.”
He shook his head and leaned down to kiss me again. “I don’t care who I have to impress or what I have to do. If I get you in the end, then it’s worth it.”
“You keep talkin’ sweet like that, Carter, and I’m not gonna let you leave,” I mumbled.
He laughed again and kissed me one more time before I felt his weight leave the bed. “I’ll see you later, love.”
“Bye,” I croaked before rolling over and falling back asleep.
I’d thought nothing of him leaving that morning. It had been just another shift patrolling pack lands for him and there’d been no warning that this time would be any different. It wasn’t until I was downstairs having breakfast with my sisters that I knew any better.
The room was buzzing with conversation, but all that stopped the moment Clyde whipped the sliding glass door open and rushed inside. “They’re coming!” he yelled. “The Charlotte pack is advancing on us. Everyone needs to get down to the basement.”
There was a single moment of calm before the room erupted into a frenzy. Most of the people in the kitchen at that time were enforcers and they all jumped to attention, their expressions grim. I
