Chapter 34

**CALEB**

Finn's parents should be arriving from New York shortly, and I make a quick detour home to pick up a few things. We should discuss these arrangements with the others, as I'm tired of going back and forth to drop off and pick up things. I'm closing my bag in the hallway when I catch a whiff of the person I've been avoiding like the plague since Arthur's funeral. I open the front door before he can knock.

"Are you making a habit of this?" He asks me with his arrogant smile.

"What do you want?" I ask him impatiently.

He enters the house and closes the door behind him.

"I'm not allowed to visit my son? I haven't seen you in ages. In fact... I feel like you've been avoiding me. Is it because of your girlfriend?"

"What do you think?"

"Come to the house for dinner... both of you." I look at him with a raised eyebrow. "It's an official invitation. I want to receive you at my home before the mating ceremony and the presentation of the new Luna." He sighs. "I know I haven't exactly been the father of the year most of the time, but I don't want you out of my life." He seems sincere but I won't fall for it.

"I'll talk to Elena about it and keep you in the loop," I reply because this invitation might not be such a bad idea after all.

"Perfect. Well, I'll let you go, I see you're on your way out."

I watch him walk away with a straight face. Every time I'm alone with him, I feel like that kid again, just hoping his father will see him for who he is and not as a pawn in his game.

Sighing, I grab my bag and head out to my car, but Theo is waiting for me in his just ahead.

With the driver's window rolled down, I approach him. "Did I ask you to pick me up?"

"No, rest assured you're not losing your mind. I had an errand in the area and it was on my way to Cillian and Caroline's."

"Thanks, bro."

I put my bag in the trunk and walk around the car to get into the passenger seat.

Along the way, all we hear is the sound of country songs on the radio. I know Theo has seen my father leave my house, yet he says nothing and asks me no questions. If Finn were in his place, he'd already be bombarding me with questions, but Theo isn't. He'd rather wait for me to talk about myself. He prefers to wait for me to talk about myself.

"My father wants to invite me to dinner at his house... with Elena." I finally tell him as we near our destination. He stops the car on the side of the road and looks ahead. "I know you must think this is a bad..."

"I think you should go. Elena will certainly agree if you ask her." He cuts me off. "It'll be a chance to see how he acts with her and honestly I'd rather you be with her than her running into him alone."

"That's what I thought but Finn..."

"Finn won't approve." He cuts me off again. I sigh. "You do know him. He plays the guy who doesn't give a shit about anything but he could double lock Elena in a tower if it would guarantee her safety."

"I know." I shake my head, pursing my lips. "Let's wait and see what Cillian tells us."

**ELENA**

It's been ten minutes since Finn and I arrived at his parents' house, and Caroline hasn't stopped telling us how much she's enjoyed her stay in New York. They got massages, visited museums, strolled in Central Park, took a helicopter ride and dined in the best restaurants. She kept telling me how lucky they were that I was their son's mate. I don't usually like to make a fuss, but her enthusiasm for life is infectious, and judging by the smiles on Finn and Cillian's faces when they watch her talk, they think so too.

She pauses when she hears a knock on the door, and by the smell of it, I know it's my other two companions.

She greets them with a kiss and sits them down on the sofa, placing a plate of cookies in their hands. Theo and Caleb both look at me with wide eyes and I can't hold back my smile.

"Well, now that everyone's here maybe we can call the doctor," Cillian says nervously, rubbing his hand on his thigh.

We all nod and he picks up his phone, putting it on speaker.

***

Cillian hangs up and we all remain silent for a moment, trying to digest the news the doctor has just given us. I have strange feelings of reassurance and anxiety at the same time.

"So to sum up... a drug intake is at the root of the infection..." Finn begins.

"And at the pack hospital, they should have seen him immediately." Cillian finishes by running his hand over his face.

Caroline, who was in such a good mood just a few minutes ago, is completely silent, staring into space, as if empty of life. It's a total contrast, I don't even feel like I'm looking at the same person. I get up and sit down beside her, taking her hand in mine, but she doesn't look at me, just keeps her gaze to herself.

"We can start by looking on the hospital side... try to find out who bribed them to say there was nothing wrong with your results," Theo explains calmly.

"There's no need." Caroline's sudden outburst surprises me. "We all know who's behind this whole fucking mess." She sniffs, shaking her head. "The one fucking person who didn't want this coalition between packs... he was too power-hungry for that and you suspected as much." She looks at Cillian. "You told me yourself if your fathers hadn't decided against handing you over you never would have gone through with it for the boys."