Chapter 210

Caleb’s face darkens, likely thinking dire thoughts. If the rebel stronghold is that close to Hector and Gladys’s estate, there is reason to suspect the two might be working in tandem. And with Hector on the loose somewhere…

“Have you seen my father in any of your dealings with the rebels?” Caleb asks Scott.

Scott shakes his head. “Wherever your father is, he’s deeply entrenched. But if he’s in these lands, which seems likely, then we wouldn’t be able to know. Gladys, with her rising popularity, has added more security to her lands. The entire pack lands has been shut down to outsiders. Even under cover, none of my fellow scouts have been able to break through the border.”

Worry creeps into my heart. “They could be doing anything in there.” Like harboring a fugitive like Hector. Or torturing someone loyal to the crown like Tristan. Or hiding an entire rebel army.

“Anything and everything,” Scott confirms.

All three of us appear troubled, but Caleb is the first to recover.

“I know what to do,” he says.

Scott is immediately comforted by that. “I am your servant, my king. I will go wherever you direct me.”

“You have served me well, Scott,” Caleb says. “But for this, you cannot go alone.”

“Caleb…” I say, not sure how I feel about those words. A small sense of dress washes over me, as if I can feel what he’s going to say before he says it.

“I will go myself,” he says.

Then, fifteen minutes later, in front of his advisors, he says the same, “I will personally visit Gladys.”

The advisors look like how I felt when he said it the first time. They are more vocal than I was in the moment, immediately telling Caleb all the reasons he should not endanger himself.

“We cannot guarantee your protection in those lands,” one advisor said.

“If you wish to send an emissary, do that. But you are much too valuable to the kingdom to do this visit yourself,” says another.

“This will also give Gladys’s political motivations more clout,” the third advisor says. “By giving her enough attention to dictate a royal visit, you are giving her more merit than she deserves. She will use this to her advantage to gain a bigger foothold with the court.”

“That is exactly why I think she will accept my visit,” Caleb says. “In her thirst for power, she will not be able to say no to my request.”

“It shouldn’t be you,” I say, unable to stop myself.

Caleb looks at me with understanding and affection, but also with pity. “It has to be me, Harper. There is no one else in the entire world she would accept in my place.”

That’s true and I know it. Caleb, as King, is the only one Gladys would even think about letting past her barricade. But, once he’s past that line, he will be without the support of his own armies, surrounded by the rebellion and who knows what else?

“It’s too dangerous, Caleb. She could kill you and we wouldn’t even know about it,” I say.

Caleb stands taller. “Does my favored think so little of me to think that I would allow myself to be killed like this? I am Alpha. I will not be taken down in those pack lands or anywhere else.”

“You will be outnumbered,” one of the advisors said.

“It won’t matter.” Caleb sounds so damn confident that it’s difficult not to believe in him.

It’s only because I’ve seen the opposite with my own eyes that gives me pause. I was the one who found Caleb’s body in the alley, covered in silver bullet holes and too weak to defend himself.

Maybe Caleb could move on from that. Maybe he could say that something like that would never happen again, and convince himself it’s the truth.

But I am not so easily convinced. I remember too vividly holding him in the dark, worrying what was lurking out beyond, wanting to do him harm and finish him off.

If Tristan hadn’t found us and helped us escape, I didn’t know how much longer I could have kept him safe.

Caleb is strong. He is Alpha, and his wolf is massive and fierce. But he is still only mortal. With enough people or silver or poison, he could be felled.

“This is like walking into the lion’s den,” one of the advisors says.

“I’m tired of playing defense,” Caleb says. “For too long we’ve been on the back foot, chasing shadows, while the rebels remain one step ahead. That ends now. I’m done simply reacting to the things that happen. I’m ready to take proactive steps. Let’s put them on the back foot for once.”

His words are enough to start to bring the advisors around. Caleb is making sense, but I still don’t agree with any of this. This is far too dangerous, and nothing he could say is going to change my mind on that.

Still, for the sake of his position, I hold my tongue in front of Scott and the advisors. Only when we are alone, do I bring it up once more.

“Caleb, if something happens to you…”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, Harper,” he insists.

Crossing the room, he wraps me up into his arms and kisses me soundly, stealing any arguments away from my lips, as well as my breath.

“Do you trust me?” he says.

“You know I do,” I reply.

“Do you know how strong I am?” he asks.

“I do. But Caleb…”

“I am promising you, Harper, that I will return to you. Knowing that you will be here, waiting for my return, will give me all the motivation I need to survive.”

“I don’t want you to have to survive,” I say. “I just want you safe.”

“You do not care for me because I am the kind of man who cowers,” Caleb says. “The man you adore is the kind of man who leaves the safety and comfort of his palace to see the work done himself. You and I both know that Tristan is there somewhere. I am done leaving this to my scouts. It is time to retrieve him myself, or at least find enough information to bring my army next time.”

“You cannot hope to storm the rebellion stronghold all on your own.”

“I will do whatever is necessary,” Caleb says and kisses me again.

I know what he’s doing, attempting to distract me from my worries by alighting my body with pleasure instead.

I hate that it’s working.

But Caleb has always been in tune with my body. He can play me like a finely tuned instrument, pressing the right places to make the most beautiful music.

Breaking the kiss, he looks down at me with growing passion in his eyes. “Perhaps you need a reminder of my strength.”

The heat in my core ignites, spreading flames along my limbs, alighting my fingers and toes.

“Maybe I do need a reminder,” I say, lost to my desire for him.

He growls slightly, possessiveness flaring. Grabbing me by the ass, he lifts me up against him. Then, turning, he pushes me against the wall.