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Caleb didn’t respond, he just held her tighter, and she welcomed it.

“We both put people at risk out of fear of losing each other,” she continued. “That won’t happen again.”

“What are you saying?” Caleb asked quietly. Holding back the panic he felt rising in his stomach.

Ashleigh turned so she could face him.

She kissed his lips gently and placed her hand on his cheek.

“We love each other, and that’s not going to change,” she smiled.

He nuzzled against her hand.

“But,” she continued, “we need boundaries. You are the Alpha of Summer, first and foremost. I need to know your pack comes first.”

“But–”

“No,” she stated. “Non-negotiable. Your pack comes first.”

Caleb clenched his jaw.

“I will do my best to ensure my pack is not put at risk again,” he said. “But I refuse to lose you. So if you’re telling me to accept whatever my pack thinks is best regarding our relationship, I won’t.”

“I’m not giving you up so easily,” Ashleigh smiled. “The pack still needs to trust me; I have no problem earning that trust myself.”

Caleb smiled and kissed her forehead.

Ashleigh looked up at him.

“I started this when I decided on my own to lie about Granger because of the threat of war,” she said. “But you and I keep making the same mistake.”_.

Caleb furrowed his brow, unsure what she meant.

“We keep handling our problems on our own, as individuals,” she continued. “But, we are better together.”

Caleb smiled.

“So, from now on, let’s share our burdens,” she smiled.

“I thought you wanted boundaries,” he said.

“Boundaries don’t mean we need to keep things from each other or stop talking,” she laughed.

Caleb nodded in understanding.

“Then are you planning to share your burdens?” he asked.

Ashleigh bit her lower lip. She had already been considering it. She pulled away from him to sit up in the bed and face him properly.

“I’m not sure,” she said honestly, “I want to… but….”

“But it has to do with my father,” he said.

Ashleigh smiled; she wasn’t surprised he knew.

“Yes,” she said. “I am trying to learn what happened to him and why.”

“I’m guessing you have already learned something that you don’t want me to know,” he said.

She sighed.

“I want you to know everything,” she said, touching his cheek gently. “But I don’t know if it will help you to know before we understand why it happened the way it did.”

Caleb took a deep breath.

“I trust you,” he said. “If you don’t think I should know yet, I don’t need to know yet.”

Ashleigh smiled.

“As far as sharing the burden,” he smiled. “I gave you Clara for a reason. She can help you with just about anything.”

“She’s pretty great,” Ashleigh agreed.

Caleb raised an eyebrow at her.

“She’s ok,” he mumbled.

Ashleigh couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips.

“Really?” she asked, “You’re going to get jealous of Clara too?”

Caleb shrugged.

“I can’t help it,” he said. “I’m not good at sharing you.”

Ashleigh could only smile in response to his childish honesty.

“I just request one thing,” he said.

“I won’t let Fiona know until I have solid answers,” Ashleigh said.

“Thank you,” he smiled at her. “I’ll give Clara access to my father’s old office. It’s been sealed this whole time, so I don’t know what you’ll find there. Maybe it will help.

“But the two of you will need to be careful about not being seen. If anyone finds out you are looking into his work or death, I don’t think the reaction will be what you hope.”

“I agree,” Ashleigh replied with a nod. “Thank you for trusting me with this. I promise I will tell you as soon as I can.”

“I know you will,” Caleb smiled.

They stared at each other with such a deep love no one would have guessed that they stood not ten feet away arguing and shouting hours earlier.

“How long will the treatment take?” Caleb asked hesitantly.

Ashleigh gave him a sad smirk.

“I won’t be back before the wedding,” she answered. “Even then, it just depends on how well I handle it. Like I said, it’s been years since this has happened.”

Caleb nodded.

“I don’t want to go either,” she whispered, giving him her best smile.

Caleb brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

“Ashleigh,” he called softly.

“Yes?” she asked, turning her eyes up to his.

She found herself swallowing immediately as she saw the heat in his eyes. Her pulse quickened.

“There is a burden I would like to share with you,” he said, in a voice thick with want. He kissed her hand once more.

Ashleigh licked her lips.

“What is it?” she asked with a shaky breath.

“We’ve hardly seen each other for the past few weeks,” he said, kissing her wrist. “You’ve been here the whole time, just out of reach.”

His warm lips softly pressed along the inside of her arm between his words.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his hot breath dancing along the skin of her elbow.

Ashleigh took a shaky breath, inadvertently stretching out her body and lowering herself further on the bed.

Caleb’s mouth tilted in a half-smile.

“Now, you’re leaving again,” he said. His kisses had reached her shoulders.

Ashleigh let out a soft moan as she gripped the sheet below her fingers.

“I’m going to miss you even more,” he whispered against the nape of her neck, sending a surge of pleasure rippling over her body.

She arched her back and ground her hips into the bed as she let out a shuddered breath.

Caleb found the sight of her body reacting to just his words and soft kisses irresistible. He moved beside her and covered her mouth with his.

She moaned into him at the connection, and he took the opening to suck on her tongue lightly.

Ashleigh’s hands traced up his strong arms, gripping onto his shoulder as she filled her kisses with all the passion and desire she felt for him.

Their passionate embrace lasted as long as their lungs could hold out, pulling away only when the threat of losing consciousness was too significant to be ignored.

Caleb wasted no time. His lips moved down along her chin and found their way to her throat. He loved her scent. He buried his nose against her nape and inhaled her deeply.

He moved his body over hers without even realizing it.

Ashleigh spread her legs apart to allow him to settle on top of her. Her breathing was ragged, but not like before. She wasn’t scared or panicked. She was desperate. She wanted him closer to her. She wanted to feel their bodies pressed against each other with nothing between them.

Caleb felt her hips roll up and press against him. He clenched his jaw and let out a low growl as the friction between them set his nerves aflame.

He pulled away from her, panting and trying to clear his mind of the fog of desire.

“Ashleigh…” he whispered.

“What?” she answered through soft breaths. “What’s wrong?”

The look on her face almost undid him. Her flushed cheeks and her mouth hung slightly, revealing her pink tongue. The heat in her eyes.

Caleb closed his eyes as another growl rose from his throat. He licked his lips and let out a deep breath.

“We need to stop, clear our heads,” he managed to say. “I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She seemed to be thinking. Finally, she closed her eyes and nodded.

“Ok,” she said.

Caleb took a shaky breath and nodded.

Ashleigh tightened her legs at his waist and pulled him down while simultaneously flipping him onto his back, leaving her in the position of straddling him.

Her long loose hair hung around her face wildly. She smiled and rolled her hips against Caleb’s arousal as she leaned forward. The movement drew a deep moan from his lips. He brought his hands up to her hips, holding her tightly.

She hovered just above his face and licked her lips.

“Okay, Caleb, I promise, we’ll stop when I get uncomfortable…” she purred at him.

“Fuck…” he whispered, feeling a heat spreading through him.

Ashleigh closed the distance between them, capturing his lips and igniting a fire between them like nothing either of them had ever experienced before.