Page 15 of Howl You Doin'

"The playground's looking good," Caleb said, his intense blue eyes scanning the construction site before landing on Fiona. "Your idea about the volunteers was... not terrible."

"High praise indeed." Fiona rolled her eyes. "We should be finished by Friday if the weather holds."

"And if more pack members show up tomorrow," Emmett added with a knowing smile. "Word's getting around about our witch's construction skills."

A hint of a smile tugged at Caleb's lips. "Is that so?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Fiona said. "Some of us can do more than just set things on fire."

"Speaking of which," Caleb's expression turned serious again. "We need to talk about the security protocols for-"

"Nope." Fiona stood up, brushing dust from her jeans. "Break time's over. Unless you're planning to help us build this playground, business talk can wait until we're done."

Caleb blinked, clearly not used to being interrupted. Emmett's shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Fiona's jaw dropped as Caleb abruptly shrugged off his leather jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his henley. His muscles flexed as he picked up a beam that two other pack members had been struggling with.

"What?" He caught her staring. "Never seen an alpha do manual labor before?"

"Just didn't expect you to actually help." She grabbed the other end of the beam. "Thought you'd be too busy brooding in corners."

"I don't brood." He adjusted his grip, matching her pace as they carried the beam to the frame. "I contemplate. There's a difference."

"Right. And I don't set things on fire, I just make them really warm."

Their eyes met, and to her surprise, Caleb cracked a genuine smile. The expression transformed his entire face, softening the hard edges and making him look years younger. Fiona's heart did a peculiar little flip.

They worked side by side for the next hour, falling into an easy rhythm. Fiona found herself stealing glances at him when he wasn't looking. Sweat dampened his dark hair, and a smudge of dirt streaked across his jaw. It was unfair how good he looked even covered in dust and dirt.

"You're not half bad at this," she said as they secured another support beam.

"Such glowing praise." He handed her a level. "I rebuilt my cabin last summer. This is nothing."

"Of course you did." Fiona checked the beam's alignment. "Let me guess - you chopped down the trees yourself? With your bare hands?"

"Don't be ridiculous." His blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "I used my teeth. Wolf form, you know."

Fiona snorted, nearly dropping the level. Who knew the big bad alpha had a sense of humor?

After they finished setting the main frame, Caleb touched her elbow. "We really need to talk."

The serious tone in his voice sobered her mood. "About the Nightfang?"

He nodded, glancing around at the other workers. "Somewhere private."

Fiona followed him to the side of the building, away from curious ears. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the grass, and a cool breeze carried the scent of approaching rain.

"Listen," he started, running a hand through his hair. "About what happened the other night-"

A crash from the playground interrupted him, followed by several loud curses.

"We should probably..." Fiona gestured toward the commotion.

"Yeah." Caleb sighed. "But this conversation isn't over."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She patted his arm as she passed. "Come on, alpha. Let's make sure they haven't destroyed all our hard work."

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