Chapter 134
Caleb's POV
The elderly woman at Maplewood Inn's front desk smiled warmly as she handed me the key. "Room 315, top floor corner. You'll have a lovely view of the town from up there."
"Perfect," I said, returning her smile with practiced charm. "That's exactly what I was hoping for."
"Here for the holidays, dear?"
"Just passing through. Visiting family in the area." The lie came easily—I'd been trained since childhood to make lies sound like truth.
"How lovely. Will you need any recommendations for Christmas dinner?"
"No, thank you. My family has it covered."
She beamed at me, completely unsuspecting. If only you knew, I thought as I climbed the stairs. If only you knew what kind of "family visit" this really is.
Room 315 was exactly what I'd requested when I'd booked online three hours ago—corner position, top floor, with windows facing southeast. I set my bags down and immediately crossed to the window, pulling back the lace curtains.
There.
The Green family house sat about two hundred meters away, separated by a small wooded area and a quiet residential street. The angle was perfect—I could see directly into their backyard and part of their living room through the large bay windows. Christmas lights twinkled on their roof, and smoke curled from the chimney into the darkening sky.
Close enough to observe. Far enough to remain invisible.
I unpacked the Celestron telescope from my carry-on—top-of-the-line, professional grade, the kind serious astronomers used. That was my cover story if anyone asked: amateur stargazer, taking advantage of the clear winter skies away from city light pollution.
In reality, it was one of the best surveillance tools money could buy.
I set it up on the tripod by the window, adjusting the angle and focus. The Green family's living room came into sharp clarity—Christmas tree in the corner, its lights casting a warm glow. Fireplace burning. Four figures gathered around what looked like a coffee table.
Two adults—presumably Ellie's parents. A younger woman with dark hair, graceful even sitting still. And beside her...
Jackson Wilson. The potential threat to everything Father and I had worked toward.
But it was the girl who held my attention.
Ellie Green.
I watched her laugh at something her father said, watched the way she moved—fluid, graceful, unconsciously elegant in a way humans rarely achieved. Watched the way Jackson leaned toward her, his body language unmistakable even from here.
The protective curve of his shoulders. The way his hand rested possessively on the back of her chair. The way his eyes tracked her every movement like a predator watching prey—no, not prey. Like a wolf watching his mate.
That's not casual dating. That's claiming behavior.
I'd seen it before in the mated pairs of our pack. The instinctive need to stay close, to touch, to maintain constant awareness of the partner's location and wellbeing. The possessive edge that humans might mistake for normal couple behavior but wolves recognized as something deeper.
Something permanent.
My hands tightened on the telescope. This was worse than I'd feared.
I forced myself to step back from the window, to think clearly. Getting emotional wouldn't help. Father had trained me better than that.
"Information first," he always said. "Emotion clouds judgment. Gather facts, analyze patterns, then act."
Five hours earlier...
The girl across from me had been exactly what I'd expected—desperate, jealous, and useful. Samantha Grey. I'd done my homework before approaching her, knew she was dating Lucas Miller, knew she had history with Ellie Green.
Give a little to get a lot, Father always said. People will tell you anything if they think you're on their side.
"So this Lucas guy," I'd said, stirring my untouched coffee with calculated casualness, "he seems like a catch. Basketball star, rich family. How'd you two meet?"
Samantha's face had lit up like I'd flipped a switch. "Senior year of high school. I was new, and he was so kind to me when nobody else was." Her voice had dropped, turning bitter. "Unlike some people."
I'd leaned forward slightly. "Sounds like there's a story there."
"Ellie Green." She'd practically spat the name. "His childhood friend. She acted like she owned him, made it impossible for anyone else to get close. She was obsessed with him."
Interesting. Protective friend, or something more?
"That must have been difficult for you."
"You have no idea." Samantha's fingers had tightened around her mug. "Even now, at CVU, she can't leave him alone. She's in computer science, lives in that fancy house in Mapleton with her perfect family, and still manages to insert herself between us."
Bingo. Computer science major. Mapleton address. Wealthy family. And clearly a talent for drawing attention from multiple men.
"She sounds complicated," I'd said sympathetically. "Beautiful girls usually are."
"She thinks she's so special." Samantha's voice had turned venomous. "Walking around campus like she owns the place, stealing attention from Lucas and Jackson Wilson. The Dance Society president can't take his eyes off her either."
That had been the key piece of information. Two men. Two different types—athlete and academic leader. Both completely absorbed by this one girl.
In the human world, that might just mean she was attractive and charismatic. In the wolf world, it might mean something else entirely. Something dangerous.
Mate bond. Were they fated mates or chosen partners?
Father's words had echoed in my memory: "The rarest gift and the greatest threat. When an alpha finds his true mate, his power explodes beyond measure. The bond amplifies everything—strength, speed, instinct, authority. That's when they become unstoppable. That's when they become impossible to defeat."
I'd kept my expression neutral, sympathetic. "It sounds like she's caused you a lot of pain. That's not fair."
"No, it's not." Samantha's eyes had been bright with unshed tears and rage. "But Lucas is mine now. Whatever hold she had on him, it's over."
I'd doubted that very much, but I'd nodded anyway. "If you ever need help dealing with Ellie Green..." I'd let the suggestion hang in the air. "I have resources. Family connections."
Her eyes had sharpened with interest. "What kind of connections?"
"The kind that can make problems disappear." I'd smiled, pulling out my card—the one that listed my fake European consulting firm. "Think about it. If Green is causing issues, I can handle it discreetly."
She'd taken the card, studying it carefully. "Why would you help me?"
"Because I don't like seeing someone suffer." The lie had come easily. "And because I have my own interest in making sure Jackson Wilson stays in his lane."
That much had been true, at least.