Normal. That word almost feels mocking at this point.
Despite a refusal sitting on my tongue, feeling like the most natural response, I hold it back.
He looks at me so earnestly, like he really does mean it. He just wants us to do something, likely to take our minds off Wraith Peak and everything between us.
So, I end up nodding. “Alright. We can go when Astrid wakes up.”
A spark of hope moves through Caleb’s features, and his lips just barely curve into a smile. “Deal.”
***
I try so hard to be indifferent and not feel any kind of way about our outing, but it’s a lot harder than I expected.
To my surprise, Astrid went out of her way to ask Caleb for a piggyback ride, and not one to be denied, she got her wish without even an ounce of resistance. So, she’s been perched on his shoulders, hands in his hair, while he carries her through town.
She squeals with delight at being high up, laughter echoing between the buildings. Caleb smiles to himself, holding her ankles with a gentle grip, as if he, too, knows just how precious she is already.
It does something awful and warm to my heart.
We drift along, moving between a cafe, a little bookstore, and even one of the nearby lookouts so Astrid can get a better view of the Willow. It’s more mundane than I care to admit, and all the while, I try to remind myself not to let the care in his gaze or his words get to me.
But just seeing how he is with Astrid, as if it’s second nature for him, makes me fail miserably.
There’s a flicker of tension in him still, likely keeping everything about Wraith Peak in the back of his mind, but he keeps it buried for our sake. Not once does Astrid catch it.
More than once, I notice the way Caleb looks at me like he’s trying to memorize something, and each time, I have to look away. I can’t bear everything in his eyes right now.
By the time we reach the house again, night sets in, and my chest feels tight from these traitorous, conflicting feelings.
Even if it was just a few hours, those moments of calm normalcy were enough to let the softness creep under my skin and to throw me into an even deeper state of confusion.
Astrid passes out the moment she’s in her soft pajamas, fast asleep by the time I leave the room. When I return to the hallway, Caleb’s not far, waiting for me as he leans against the wall. His eyes are on me immediately, both soft and almost contemplative.
And just like that, we’re alone again. Without even needing to acknowledge it, that tension is there, alive and doing everything in its power to shake me.
“Lila,” he murmurs, taking a small step closer before I can keep moving. His voice is low, yet straining somehow.
I shouldn’t even look at him, and I know I sure as hell shouldn’t let the bond keep me there. But I do.
The second I look up at him, something squirms inside me, and no part of me can ignore it.
Caleb moves close enough not to crowd me, but it still feels deliberate. His eyes search mine, and for a moment, I swear he almost looks nervous. He’s hesitating, just like I am.
“Thank you… for tonight,” he says softly.
My breath hitches at the way he slowly drifts closer, and I silently hope he doesn’t notice the way my pulse thrums. “I didn’t do anything. And it was for Astrid.”
“I know. Still, thank you for letting it happen.”
Warmth pools in my stomach, and I can feel my inner wolf keening in a way it shouldn’t. “It doesn’t change anything.”
But even as the words register in my mind, I know they sound weak and baseless.
“Maybe not,” Caleb hums, reaching up slowly and carefully, as if testing the boundaries before gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. “But it’s a start.”
Immediately freezing, the reflex to push him away kicks up again, but I can’t move. I should snap and remind him of everything he did to make me feel worthless before.
But the light touch against my cheek causes the bond to surge, all heat and electricity storming through me at once so violently that my legs nearly give out.
