Page 128 of Starting a New Life
I decided not to make a big deal out of it and just nodded. “Sure. Follow me.”
Within seconds, we were walking along the hallway to the stairs. Callum’s eyes darted around, never staying focused on anything for more than a second. His hands were shaking, his fingers tipping in some kind of complicated pattern.
“On this floor, we mainly have guest rooms. On the second floor, we have a couple of permanent residents. They’re mostly young adults who want to move out of their parents’ homes but aren’t ready to live all alone yet. I feel like it’s a good compromise for them to learn and grow within a safe environment. However, a couple of shifters just like living here, regardless of age. They like the community.”
Callum nodded along as I went on with my explanation. He flinched when a door fell shut behind us, and someone approached at high speed. A young wolf, barely nineteen, ran past us, throwing a quick “Morning” our way.
Callum shook his head in disbelief.
“And on the first floor, we have our common areas. A dining room slash rec room for the pack, a gaming room, the kitchen. Oh, and the offices, of course. Rhett, Paul, and I have our offices down here. Oak and Diana have their offices on the second floor… Oh, and we’re currently building Heath and Angelo’s offices on the second floor too.”
We finally reached the bottom of the stairs and thus our entry hall. “Here’s the front door, obviously. Out front are the parking spots. Oh, and we have two trucks that are pack property. Do you have a driver’s license?”
Callum shook his head, and I bit back a growl.
Of course he hadn’t.
“Do you want to get a driver’s license?”
He blinked. “Uhm… yes?”
He didn’t sound sure, but I’d take it.
I nodded. “Okay. That’s something you have to tell Oakley. He’ll be able to arrange something for you. Basically, Oakley is the go-to guy for everything you need. I’ll show you around and then point you to his office. It’s not like I want to pawn you off, but he’s the expert.”
Also, I had a mate and two teenage wolves to take care of. Because I now had kids.
Fuck my life. I was crazy to do this, wasn’t I?
Callum bit his lip, turning his head as he looked at the stairs. Did he want to stop our tour and head back up? Was he getting overwhelmed? His scent hadn’t changed, but maybe he was just hiding his change of emotion somehow?
I’d have to ask Nix if that was even possible.
“Okay. Uhm… the other mage. Uh… Nix? Your mate, right? Is he around too?”
“He’s in my rooms with Connie and Nick. The pups from your old pack.”
Callum flinched. “They’re not my old pack. I’m a mage. I wasn’t part of the pack.”
And the prize for the most insensitive asshole goes to me.
“Of course. I’m sorry.”
Callum blinked, his face turning ashen all of a sudden. “Oh no. I’m sorry, Alpha. It’s okay. It’s just…”
I held up my hand, and he immediately went quiet, watching me with wide eyes. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. You were right to correct me. What I meant to say is that my mate is currently in my rooms with the two pups who escaped the pack that held you prisoner. I’m sure he’ll check in on you as soon as he gets the pups situated. They kind of… imprinted on him, if you will.”
Callum quickly shook his head. “Oh, that’s not necessary. I’d just… he said something about healing me, and I…” He stopped, his fingers touching the raw skin on his throat. “I think I’d like to take him up on the offer.
“No problem. I bet he’ll be excited to heal you… or show you how to do it yourself.”
Callum stopped again, right in the middle of the doorway to our dining room.
“He… you’d allow him to show me?”
“Yes.” Taking a deep breath, I bit back most of the things I wanted to say. There was so much, but Callum already looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Overwhelming him with even more information would do him no good. So I settled on a simple explanation. “He’s his own person. He can do what he wants. Things are different here. You’ll see.”
A tear ran down Callum’s cheek as he slowly nodded. “Maybe one day I’ll believe you.”
