Chapter 22

*God is not averse to deceit in a holy cause.*
*-Aeschylus*

When Kade had mentioned caravans, Thalia wasn't sure what to expect. As a kid she had seen plenty of tourists travelling from the likes of Germany or France with caravans or campervans. It seemed a bit claustrophobic but in the summer, dozens if not hundreds would appear, trundling through the narrow streets of the old towns or villages or parking up in lay-bys near the sea. They were homes on wheels and yet despite being relatively small, they seemed to struggle to traverse the roads and streets of Greece let alone do it with any grace.

But what Kade brought Thalia was very different from what she remembered about caravans. It was definitely a caravan but it had wooden steps and a small veranda attached to it. There were no wheels either. Instead, the large rectangular structure was resting on concrete stilts. It wasn't alone either. There were dozens of similar buildings dotted around the clearing. Surprisingly there were no other people around though. It was as if they were the only ones in the world and it left an eerie air hanging over the place.

"It's not much but there is running water, heating and it's quiet." Kade had explained as he unlocked the door and stepped back to let Thalia in first. "Also there are shops nearby so I can buy you food and some clothes."

Thalia gave a small nod, looking around at the mahogany cabinets in the kitchenette then the settee which ran along three of the walls, creating a U-shape. The pale jade green and the magnolia walls gave off the vibe of a nursing home but it was clean.

"The master bedroom is that way." Kade pointed to the opposite end of the caravan to a door. "You can have that and I'll take the small bedroom."

"Thank you." Thalia murmured, looking around once more. "What is this place?"

"A holiday park." Kade explained, shutting the door to shut out the cold air. "It's on my Pack's territory but we don't come here. It's a business we have but we have humans running the place. Few people know it's connected to us so you will be safe here."

"Won't the rest of your pack be suspicious that there is a wolf on their lands that isn't from your pack?"

"Like I said, we don't come here and besides, they are all busy with something else." Kade shrugged and moved to the living room area. "I'll get some provisions in and see if I can find you some clothing and shoes. Will you be okay on your own?"

Thalia nodded and attempted a smile but it was fleeting and shy. She actually didn't want to be alone. Every fibre of her being was yearning to drown in the mate bond. She was still unsure of Kade. He had walls around him and she could feel him trying to keep her at arm's length but at the same time he was nervous, as if he was new to having emotions for someone. Thalia hardly believed this male had issues finding company and yet there was something about, a darkness that wasn't threatening but rather...sorrowful. it was as if he was being punished or punishing himself for something.

Thalia couldn't ignore the fact she wanted to be the one to fix that.

"Okay. I'll be back soon." Kade nodded, leaving the keys to the caravan on the counter.

'Soon' turned into several hours, not that it bothered Thalia. She had gotten the heating working and had explored the small space. She found only some basics such as towels, bedding and the usual kitchen necessities like plates and cups but nothing else. Outside the sun brightened, casting it's buttery light over the tree line and grass. It had been some time since Thalia had been allowed to choose if she went outside or not. She had either been prevented from doing so entirely or had to wait until she was given permission. Now she could go out as she pleased. Kade had left her the keys after all perhaps as some silent symbol that he wasn't trying to keep her prisoner.

Maeve had perked up when Thalia finally took the opportunity to go out and explore the place they were in, sticking to the path as it seemed the driest. Thalia could tell her wolf counterpart wanted to shift and feel the earth under her paws but Thalia was hesitant. It wasn't the babies that worried her. They were still small so the shift wouldn't impact them but even then, it was a myth that she-wolves couldn't shift while pregnant and like all myths, they are more fiction than fact.

"Maybe tomorrow." Thalia muttered, feeling Maeve's disappointment.

It was getting dark when the rumble of Kade's motorcycle filled the silence. He was opening the front door a few minutes later with hands filled with shopping bags.

"Sorry that took so long. I ended up having to go to the next town over." Kade set the bags on the small dining table.

It was then Thalia noticed Kade looked tired, exhausted even. She wondered if he had slept any since they first met and why he was here and not with his pack. Kade had mentioned something about it not being safe at the moment. Was that because of her or something else?

“I bought chinese.” Kade spoke up, breaking Thalia’s train of thought. “I’m not sure if it’s any good but it was that or kebabs and I didn’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Chinese is fine.” Thalia replied and pushed herself off the couch to come to help with the unpacking.

It didn’t take them long to put everything away. Kade seemed to have thought of everything. He had bought toiletries, food and some fresh clothing. Thalia couldn’t resist changing into the fresh clothing while Kade set out the cartons of food and found the plates and cutlery. By the time she returned wearing some soft lounging trousers and a hoodie, Kade had everything set up, even some glasses of water and napkins.

“I have to meet my Alpha tomorrow.” Kade spoke up as they sat, Thalia serving herself but Kade made no move towards the food. “I’m not sure how long I will be gone.”

“Is everything okay?” Thalia couldn’t help but pry.

“It’s nothing.” Kade replied tiredly. “I don’t want to bore you with it.”

“Humour me.” Thalia smiled softly. “It’s been a while since I actually talked about anything.”

Kade glanced up, his silver eyes giving away his uncertainty. Thalia wasn’t sure if it was because they didn’t really know each other or if it was something else that had Kade hesitating to talk.

Thalia sighed softly and stood, taking Kade’s empty plate from in front of him and began piling food onto it carefully. “It might help to talk to someone about it. Someone who is unbiased on the matter.” She paused, setting the plate of food down in front of the male carefully before taking her seat. “It must be important if you are so far away from home.”

The corners of Kade’s lips twitched and for a moment Thalia thought he was going to smile but the moment passed and Kade’s features became neutral. However, he seemed to relax a little, picking up his fork to play around with his Singapore noodles. Perhaps they were making some progress after all.

“There was an attack just outside our borders.” Kade began. “Our future Luna had put on an event for single wolves to meet on our territory. It was like a celebration of our sister pack reopening their borders. Anyway some of the guests were hurt, killed even. We have no clues as to what happened and the remaining victims aren’t healing. There’s no evidence of silver or wolfsbane and so far, no clues have been found to suggest who was behind this. My Alpha, Daniel, asked me to do some tracking which is how I found you.”

Thalia was silent after Kade finished. Her fork was toying with the rice on her plate as she thought over what her mate had told her. It certainly explained why Kade looked like shit. He had been chasing a ghost and now he had his pregnant mate to help all the while they were trying not to attract the attention of the demon baby daddy until they found some way out of this mess. Something he said did catch Thalia's attention though and she remembered her encounter with Dagmar. The witch had been able to help her heal and give her pain relief through the use of spells and potions only a witch knew…

“Is it possible a witch is involved?” Thalia asked, glancing up at the male. “No silver, no wolfsbane but the wolves aren’t healing? A witch would know how to do that either with a spell or something.”

For a moment, she thought she had overstepped the mark. She knew that witches in general was a touchy subject for most werewolves but it made sense. Just because there was a treaty between the wolves and the witches didn’t mean it was all played by the rules. A witch could very well have either been duped into making the poison or could be directly involved.

“Sorry, I was just thinking out loud…” Thalia felt her cheeks burn when the silence seemed to stretch on, becoming uncomfortable.

“No, actually that’s a really good point.” Kade spoke up, looking impressed. “I think you might be onto something.”

“Really?” Thalia blinked in surprise.

“Yeah.” Kade nodded and this time he actually smiled.

It was only a smile but it lit the males eyes up for a moment. It was just enough to have Thalia’s stomach doing flip flops and the daunting realisation hit her that she might be falling for her mate.