She tightened her grip on Raine. “I can’t believe it. They’re werewolves.”
Pete waited, knowing that his brother couldn’t keep the truth about himself quiet any longer. Raine put his hand on top of hers. “Callie, please don’t be frightened. None of us would ever hurt you. Not them, or Pete, or Blue. And not me, either.”
She lifted her gaze to Raine’s. “Oh, my God.” Turning him loose, she backed away. “You’re a werewolf, too?”
Rained nodded, his body slumping against her obvious alarm. “Yes.”
“Fuck this. Let’s go. We have to tell Tina and the others.” Casting one last glare at them, Wesley motioned for Shira and Mikea to follow him. They turned on their heels and stalked into the darkness of the woods.
Pete watched them in silence even after he couldn’t see them any longer. But he wanted to delay the moment he turned to face Callie. Would he still see fear in her eyes? When he did confront her, he found she’d put more space between them.
“Thank you so much.” Callie clasped her hands in front of them. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”
Relief swamped him, but it was gone with her next words.
“But I can’t…I mean, you’re werewolves.” She backed up another foot. “I can’t believe it.”
Pete shot a warning look at his brothers. After seeing her eyes change, they knew that she had to be part werewolf. But now was not the time to tell her. She already had too much to deal with.
“Callie, please. You have to know we’d never do anything to hurt you. If we’d wanted to, we could have attacked you a thousand times before now.” Pete eased closer. He didn’t want to, but if they had to tie her up and drag her back to camp to keep her from running off into the woods, then he’d do it.
She stood her ground, glancing at the woods with longing. “Take me back to the camp.”
“Sure, Callie.”
“But nothing else is going to happen.” She scanned them one by one, then eased around them, keeping her distance. “No more physical stuff until I can get my mind wrapped around this. I still can’t…It’s impossible.”
“If that’s what you want.” He didn’t have to check with Blue and Raine. He knew they’d do whatever it took to get her back safe and sound.
“Good. But if I see one tiny bit of amber in your eyes or I think your teeth are getting longer, then I’m gone.” She stopped, and searched the bushes, then waved them ahead of her. “I don’t know which way to go. You first.”
He relaxed a little. At least she was coming with them. They headed back to camp and had gotten halfway there when the first question came.
“Are there more werewolves here? In the camp?”
He answered without looking back. “Yes. And more than werewolves. There are werebears, werecats, and other supernatural beings.”
She remained quiet for several minutes before asking, “Other supernatural beings? Like vampires?”
“We’ve had a few of them from time to time. But they’re not much on joining with others, especially were-people like us. We do have fairies, elves, trolls, and others.”
She let out a ragged sigh. “No wonder a lot of them seemed strange with long teeth, strange eyes, and the rest.”
“We were going to tell you.”
Pete cringed and wished Raine hadn’t brought that subject up. “When the time was right.”
“I get that. But I’m telling you now. The right time would’ve been before we had sex.”
He almost chuckled. If he turned around, would he see a smile on her face? But he didn’t risk it. Instead, he kept walking, giving her the time she needed.
* * * *
Unable to sleep, Callie had waited for the morning to come inside the cabin where she’d had sex with the Deacon brothers. But now that the time had arrived, she wished that the morning had never come.
She stood off to the side as the men faced The Council and attempted to stay calm. But it was hard when so many people were against her. The hard glares of The Council aimed at the Deacon brothers were nothing compared to the angry looks the rest of the people sent her way.
The clamor of everyone talking to their neighbor came to a stop as Charlton slammed his hand on the table in front of The Council members. “Come to order. We’re here to decide what to do about the situation the Deacon brothers and their woman have put us in.”
Their woman. No matter what had happened, she couldn’t deny that those two words gave her a thrill. She raised her hand, not knowing what the proper etiquette was. “It’s not their fault. I was the one who made friends with Scrunch.”