Page 106 of Wolf's Providence

We broke the journey up by staying at a motel for one night. Doc really was a worrier. I think I loved that about him, and I felt safe for whatever the future held in store for me, or anyone else who came along.

The next day, when I tried to tell Ned the way Eamon had taken me, he gave me a look, and we ended up parking where he believed was best. He started hauling some of the important stuff out of the truck, and then the three of us began the hike.

Shadowridge Peak was not a nice mountain to climb. In fact, it’s a bit of a dick. But at the top of it was the love of my life, so I was climbing this godforsaken mountain if it killed me. And I’d keep on climbing it, until I could travel up it as easily as the others.

Eamon met us halfway down, wary of my two friends, but he looked pleased to see me. He took stuff off Ned, and Ned went back down to collect more.

Eamon ended up putting all that he carried down and carried me the rest of the way. Doc was adamant he didn’t need help. Eamon looked at me, took me to the edge of the packlands, and then promptly went back to rescue Doc….possibly from his own stubbornness.

Caleb was hammering nails into a frame that looked like the side of a house. He tensed as I approached, lifting his head, and his expression shifted from wary to something softer.

“You’re back,” he said, a touch of wonder in his voice, as though he’d still doubted I would return. “I felt it, but I wasn’t sure I believed it.”

I was smiling and nodding, and I knew I was getting too emotional. “I am. For good, if you’ll have me.” Stepping closer, I reached for his hand. “I needed to be sure of where I belonged.”

Caleb’s eyes searched mine, and there was a depth of emotion there that he’d always kept locked away, a tenderness he was no longer holding back when he looked at me. “You belong with me, Willow. Do you see that now? I don’t want you anywhere else.” He paused, the faintest hesitation lingering in his gaze. “I love you.”

It was such a simple statement, but it held the weight of everything he’d fought through, the sacrifices, and the fears he’d harbored about letting someone in. That he was being so honest and open was a testament to how far he’d come.

Warmth and a sense of purpose filled me, knowing I was exactly where I was meant to be. I was going to start blubbering like a fool, so I did what I did best. I changed the subject.

“What are you building?” I asked him, trying to think of something to say rather than just drowning in his chocolate-colored eyes.

Caleb blushed and I knew my mouth dropped at the sight. “I was thinking we’d need a home…” He didn’t look at me as he spoke.

“We do,” I agreed, my fingers itching to take out my sketch pad and show him our house. “How many bedrooms?”

“I was planning two?”

“Three. We might have visitors,” I told him and then added confidently, “or children.” His eyes widened, his gaze dropping to my stomach. “No, not yet,” I corrected him. “But…Doc says it’s inevitable. Apparently, shifter sperm is stubborn”—I gave him a look—“like their alpha.”

He beamed back at me, not in the slightest fazed at the accusation. “I’m afraid that’s probably true.”

I nodded, apprehension filling me. “You would be okay, with us…having children? Not shifter children?”

“My children will beourchildren.”

I felt my eyes fill with tears. “Some shifters will hate me. For being human.”

“Some shifters need to go fuck themselves.”

“Is it that easy? To ignore them?”

Caleb grunted. “It will be for me. You?”

He smiled when I nodded. “Haters gonna hate,” I murmured.

A noise made him look behind me. “Who’s with you?”

“Ned and Doc.”

“Let’s go meet them,” he said, holding his hand out to me, which I took eagerly, and we began to walk. “Actually, wait.” Caleb pulled me to a stop. “I need this first.”

He kissed me softly, his mouth moving over mine gently, his tongue tasting my bottom lip. “Welcome home,” he said before kissing me again.

A silent promise pulsed between us, unspoken yet powerful, as though all the broken pieces had fallen into place without either of us needing to say a word.

We walked through the trees side by side to the clearing where Eamon and Ned were already bonding. Doc was panting and looking a little wild-eyed.

---