Caleb had moved us outside picking up a large crocheted blanket in the pool house. We ended up settling on a hill beyond the gated patio that incased the pool yard.

Far from all of the tension earlier in the kitchen I was pleased to be able to eat at least two sandwiches. Caleb ended up eating just about all the rest, leaving just one turkey sandwich on the tray.

"How are you able to eat so much?" I gawked at the crumbed-filled tray with the single sandwich still sitting, lonely.

Caleb finished the food in his mouth looking over at me. "We have a high metabolism. It doesn't help that I'm an alpha. I need more to maintain my weight and strength." I looked over his physic, he was perfect what did he have to worry about?

"If I ate like you I'd be overweight by over a hundred pounds." I joked dusting some crumbs off his stubble on the corner of his mouth.

There was silence between us but it wasn't awkward or tense. It was the kind of silence that captivated you, drew you in, the kind of silence that had you questioning what the other person was thinking. Caleb gave no clues though, unlike I had hoped, leaving me more clueless than earlier.

I chose to break the silence. It bothered me too much to sit here eating listening solely to the birds in the nearby trees. I craved a conversation. I craved to hear Caleb's voice. The same voice that was and always capable of calming me down and make me feel safe.

"If your the Alpha, and Lawerence is your second, and Alex is your third, what is Nora? She's your sister, isn't she an alpha?" I wondered trying to understand pack hierarchy. Caleb was laying on his side, his elbow bent with his head propped on his hand.

"Nora... Nora is..." He was concentrating hard to figure out how to answer the question. I didn't imagine it would be that hard to answer. It was his sister after all. "-my younger sister." He finished.

"That's it? Just your younger sister." I raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't do anything else? She doesn't do anything for the pack, being the sister to the alpha?" His face twisted in either frustration of the question or overwhelmed by the specificity. I hadn't meant to press the subject as far as I was but I was curious.

"She does do stuff for the pack. She looks over the pups in the transition faze of their lives leading up to the day they shift. Most are from 14-17 years of age when they first start shifting. She guides them through it." I nodded my head. I knew she didn't just do nothing but still this duty didn't feel right for her, but who am I to guess what is right for her. I barely knew the woman.

"So she's strictly a teacher and she likes this? She has no role where she has a title. Like how you do? Isn't she part alpha or something? Or does it-" Caleb cut me off.

"Yes, she likes it. You have a lot of questions." He bluntly stated pulling himself up to a sitting position. "Why all the questions all of a sudden?"

My stomach knotted at his question. "Just trying to understand pack life more. If I'm going to stay here the next couple of months I should at least learn your ways." I shrugged innocently. I was hoping he wouldn't see right through me. Of course, I wanted to learn more about them but I couldn't help my curiosity about what happened in the kitchen.

Caleb narrowed his eyes at me looking me up and down. I was sure my heartbeat could be heard. A clear sign I was lying.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with how Nora was acting earlier?"

"Nope." I answered curtly. Though the answer should have been yes.

He raised an eyebrow at me reading me like a book. "You're a terrible liar Eve."

I leaned closer to his face my breath fanning his face a moment. I prayed it didn't smell like my ham and cheese sandwich. I internally cringed.

"And your terrible for assuming your sister enjoys what she does."

Caleb poked my forehead playfully. "You barely know her. Why are you assuming she doesn't enjoy what she does?" He asked knowingly. He was giving me the impression that I was correct but he wasn't exactly agreeing with me.

"Because she wouldn't be so annoyed with you like she always seems to be. I think your assumptions about your sister are all wrong."

Caleb laughed loudly and I flinched back at his sudden laughter. I was puzzled by his sudden change in behavior.

"We're siblings. We are going to get on each other's nerves."

I scuffed rolling my eyes and leaned back. I wasn't sure exactly why I was so comfortable all of a sudden with speaking to him but it felt so natural. The feeling it was giving me was satisfying. Though the way I kept glancing at his lips made it clear it would be a whole lot more satisfying with them on mine.

"What happened back there was more than just sibling rivalry. She looked upset with your mother too."

The once humorous features Caleb had vanished with the mention of his mother. Cora was a soft spot for him.

"Nora is immature. She's still young and thinks she's entitled to certain things just because our parents were alphas and... now I am." There was a little pause that held so much clouded emotion before he finished his sentence. It made me believe there was history he was holding back, details he didn't feel comfortable telling me. I frowned at the fact he didn't feel he could tell me.

Caleb had now turned away from me watching the rest of the pack that was diving in and out of the swimming pool. They were carrying on and laughing. Some of them noticed us sitting on the hill but they would dart their eyes away the moment we would notice. I was sure that was Caleb's doing.

"Are they usually this carefree?" I wondered watching as one of the guys picked up a girl and threw her in the pool. Her neon orange bikini was blinding even beneath the depths of the water.

"What the pack?" I nodded in reply. "Not usually, no. I was gone for a while when I was watching over you. They aren't able to do things like this when I'm gone. I need everyone working as a team to support and protect the pack. Lately, things have been uptight with myself being away and the rat that's still out there." He narrowed his eyes. "Somewhere in that mix of people."

"Do you think that the bounty was really placed by the rat in your pack?" Asking the question made Caleb turn to me sighing. I could see the frustration and possessiveness behind his eyes as he looked at me.

"I hate having to admit it but yes. They've been hell-bent on getting rid of me and corrupting my pack. I can't imagine it being anyone else." He groaned standing up. He was growing more frustrated by the second thinking about the rat. "Whoever it is, is playing their card right because they haven't managed to leave a single sign behind. Not a single mistake... yet." He extended his hand to me to take. I took it as he pulled me to my feet.

"Do you think you'll ever find out who it is?" Caleb brushed my hair back that pulled loose from the ponytail I had it tied in. His fingertips grazed my cheek setting my skin on fire.

"Definitely, it's just a matter of time before they screw up or get cocky." He gave me a meek smile that told me everything I needed to know. He was trying to look confident in his answer and assumption that they would eventually make a mistake, but we both knew we weren't even close to figuring out who it was. It was an unsettling reality no less.

I picked up the tray that was on the ground to carry but Caleb was quick to take it from me.

"I can hold it." I argued reaching for the tray. Caleb maneuvered it out of my reach stretching his arm high above me. "Really?"

"My mother will kill me if she sees me carrying nothing and you are." He was smiling as he spoke like it was a joke but there was a subtle bit of worry in his voice. Aww, the big alpha is scared of his mom.

I chuckled at the thought causing Caleb to stare at me in admiration.

"I love your laugh."

"Huh? You love my laugh?" I chuckled even more at his declaration to loving my laugh. "If you think it's cute just wait until you really hear me laugh. I sound like a pig on a farm when I really get going."

Caleb stopped grabbing my forearm and with the most serious tone he could force out he said. "I have to hear it." He was smiling like crazy like hearing my snorting laugh was to die for.

"Hell no! Never!" A mortified look splayed across my face. Why did he want to hear that ugly noise? I hated hearing it!

"I'll hear it one way or another." He smirked poking my side making me laugh with the slight tickle.

I smacked his hand away stopping him from any other attempts at making me snort. "Nice try, but not gonna happen." I stuck my tongue out at him innocently.

I reached out to poke him but suddenly Caleb went stiff as a board. I recoiled back in response realizing his eyes were foggy. Okay, I seriously need to ask what that is all about. Just as sudden as he was stiff his eyes morphed back to the sapphire blue I found so alluring.

Caleb gave me no chance to ask what the fogginess in his eyes were about because he grabbed my hand quickly pulling me swiftly to the mansion. Everyone by the pool were either stripping out of their clothes and heading past us into the tree line or rushing inside the mansion.

There was urgency in his strides and I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with him. My much shorter legs were trying desperately to keep up. I was doing well until I tripped up on my own feet and I stumbled to the ground. I awaited the pain of falling hard on my face but I was stopped softly in the air. Twirled around to face the sky I looked up to see Caleb hovering over me.

My breathing was harsh, nearly panting, with pure shock. How'd he catch me in time?

Caleb didn't give me much time to respond as he pulled me back to my feet in a hurry. He snatched the tray off the ground, the single turkey sandwich was left behind.

Trying to catch my breath I yelled at Caleb. "What is going on?" My voice came out more panicked then I wanted to admit, but how else would someone react when their mate just grabs them and hauls ass?

When Caleb didn't answer me I yanked my hand free bringing us to a halt. He growled at my actions which mad me back up further from him. His face fell at my fear of his growl and he shook his head to free himself from whatever possessed him to growl.

"Eve please I need you inside the pack house now." He looked at the tree line then back to me. "It's not safe."

The desperation in his voice and mannerism didn't leave me with much to ague with. Caleb was never one to be this persistent and stubborn. The unwavering worry that basked me in anxiety told me everything I needed to know. There was something waiting in the tree line and it definitely wasn't bunnies.