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Caleb had traveled straight through the night, driven at speeds that even his fast healing couldn’t have recovered from had he gotten into an accident. But it was worth the risk.

The entire drive, all he wanted was to be near her once more. And after arriving in Winter, his anticipation only grew. To feel the bond between them, hear her voice, and see her smile.

“Get off of me!”

As though a twisted genie had granted his wish, he heard her in the distance. Although she sounded upset and angry, he rushed to find her.

“You and Caleb both need to understand that I don’t want you! I don’t want Summer! Granger is the man I love, my true mate!”

The shock of her words hit him like a brick wall in his path. His feet just stopped where they landed. How could he have forgotten, for even a moment, how vehemently she despised their bond? It was a lifeline for him but a chain to her.

“Neither Caleb nor I have ever tried to force you to do anything other than what you wanted,” Galen’s voice called out in response, adding, “No matter the cost to us.”

Caleb felt the grip on his heart like a vice. Even Galen knew the pain he had tried so hard to hide.

“The cost to you? I know. Poor Galen so desperate to have ‘his Luna’ that he is willing to beat a man near death. For what?” Ashleigh said scornfully. “I am no one’s property for you to ‘protect’!”

‘What the hell is happening here?’ Caleb wondered.

He had witnessed her anger before, even seen some of her more childish outbursts. But what he was hearing now was cruel and unbelievable.

‘Galen would never beat anyone without cause,’ Caleb thought to himself, ‘and what does she mean about being someone’s property? This doesn’t make sense.’_.

Caleb decided that there had to be a mistake. Regardless of how he felt towards her or she toward him, he needed to clear any misinterpretation of Galen.

He turned the corner toward them, witnessing as Ashleigh shoved Galen hard. The flow of time around them seemed to slow to a crawl. Caleb watched as Galen lifted off the ground and flew back from Ashleigh, his body slamming against the building behind him. A sickening thud and pained groan echoed through Caleb’s heightened hearing.

Caleb’s eyes were drawn to the only movement Galen made, his hand moving up to press against his lower abdomen. He let out a sound Caleb hadn’t heard in a very long time. Not since shortly after receiving their wolves. When they were trained how to suppress their pain.

Galen pulled his hand away from his abdomen, revealing a distinctive stain of deep crimson on his white shirt.

Caleb felt a deep rage boiling in him. He turned slowly towards the only other person around, Ashleigh moved towards Galen.

The distance between Ashleigh and Caleb vanished. He pressed her hard against the building she had been standing in front of. Though his mind was muddled and the rage in his heart was overflowing, he was able to think enough to keep from hurting her.

His grip on her shoulder was tight, controlling but not damaging. He could see the fear in her hazel eyes as they locked with his cold grey.

Any other time, even ten minutes ago, these eyes would be a treasure to him. He would give his own life to chase away the fear shown back at him.

But not after what he had witnessed, what he had heard. Not after the way she had treated Galen. No matter how much he loved her, Caleb would pull the heart from his own chest before allowing anyone to hurt him.

“Not even you can lay hands on my brother!” Caleb snarled at her.

Ashleigh flinched at the strength in his voice.

His anger was in control, but his heart begged desperately to be heard.

“Caleb…” she whispered.

Again, his heart called out, pleading for her release, for understanding.

Tears fell from Ashleigh’s eyes.

“Caleb…” Galen called from behind him.

Caleb turned quickly, seeing Galen on his feet once more.

“Let her go,” Galen requested quietly.

Caleb could see the physical strain on him and hear the suppressed pain in his voice. He let Ashleigh go. She slumped to the ground at the sudden release.

Caleb went to Galen’s side immediately. He moved under Galen’s arm to support his weight.

“Don’t push yourself,” Caleb said softly.

Galen nodded.

Ashleigh looked up at the two men through blurry tear-filled eyes. She hadn’t expected him. He wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.

He hated her now.

She had seen the hate in his eyes when he pinned her against the wall. He blamed her for Galen’s injury. The world around her felt colder, greyer. There was a hollow place in her gut that seemed to be growing by the moment.

But it wasn’t her fault. Yes, she had pushed Galen, but she didn’t cause his injury. And Granger had only done what he had done because Galen was trying to kill him. So he was defending himself.

It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t Granger’s. It was theirs!

“I am not the one who did this!” Ashleigh shouted at them angrily.

Caleb didn’t bother to look at her, keeping his attention on making sure Galen was comfortable in the way they stood together.

Ashleigh tried to stifle the sob that fled her lips. Fresh tears flowed down her face. Why did she feel like she was sinking?

‘You told me before that you would never be our Luna. I should have listened.’

Galen’s words once more repeated in her mind. But it was the look that Caleb refused to give her that made them ring true. She would never be their Luna.

Her eyes met Galen’s, and for a moment, she felt that he could see into her thoughts. His eyes became sad. Those eyes filled her with anger.

“Don’t you dare pity me!” she shouted toward Galen. “This was all because of you!”

Caleb growled loudly.

“You won’t listen even if I try to explain,” Galen replied calmly, turning away from her.

“Because you keep lying to me while hurting the ones I care about!” she cried out.

“You seem to do that well enough on your own,” Galen sighed.

“That’s enough,” Caleb growled softly toward Galen.

Galen nodded, and the two men turned to leave. Ashleigh scrambled to her feet.

“He tried to kill Granger!” Ashleigh called out desperately. She didn’t exactly know why, only that she didn’t want Caleb to think she didn’t have a reason for her actions.

They stopped walking. Caleb didn’t turn around, but she knew he was listening.

For just an instant, she felt joy. The hope that he would understand her. But, that moment ended when a sudden realization of her own thoughts struck her.

‘Why do I care?’ she asked herself, ‘I don’t want him to understand me! I don’t want him to care about me! I can’t care about him!’

“He did it for you!” she shouted as her conflicting thoughts and feelings wreaked havoc on her mind. “Because you ordered him to ‘protect your property’!”

Both Caleb and Galen turned around now. Galen wore a face of confusion. Caleb was unreadable.

Caleb pulled away from Galen, steadying him before he walked towards Ashleigh. She found herself taking two steps back instinctively. He looked at her carefully before speaking when he stood less than a foot away from her.

“Is that what you believe?” he asked steadily.

Ashleigh looked up at him, fighting her every instinct to look away from him. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before she answered.

“That is the truth.”

A low, quiet growl came from him. His expression didn’t change, and he made no move toward her.

“If that is what you think of us, of me. That either one of us could ever say those things about you or anyone else, then there is nothing left to say.”

Caleb turned around and once more supported Galen’s weight. Then, the two Summer wolves walked away, leaving Ashleigh alone.

Though his words were calm and his actions steady, Ashleigh could not help but notice the way his eyes had glistened, as though unshed tears lay hidden inside.