Kayden nods in agreement. “Looking good, Evan.”
Before I know it, Kayleigh has her arms wrapped around her boyfriend's neck and tugs him towards her. Those two are nearly inseparable, and it’s cute to witness, but it makes me feel incredibly lonely.
I take a few steps backwards. I don't even realise I’m standing right next to Caleb as he folds his arms over his chest, his tall frame making me feel like the size of a grain of sand.
When I turn around, Jaxon has his arm around Ava as she whispers to him. They’re all loved up, and we’re watching like a couple of losers.
I avert my gaze and peek up at Caleb, who is staring at them all intently. The look on his face is soft yet observant. I wonder if we’re thinking the same thing—but then again, I doubt Caleb cares much about their love lives.
Caleb steps into me, and his arm brushes mine. I visibly shudder, which only increases my frustration with myself. I’d rather someone bury me in the ground than have him see how he affects me after all the times he’s shoved me away.
That doesn’t stop me from taking a glance at his hand to find that it’s completely healed. I don’t know why I look, but I can’t help myself.
Kayleigh and Kayden grin back at each other as she places her hands on his face and kisses him. I release a silent sigh.
They’re not even mates, they don’t have a bond, and I know he’dneverlook at me like that.I think to myself pathetically.
What Kayleigh and Kayden have is special. They didn’t have a bond forcing them to be together. Sure, they might be soul mates, but they grew their connection authentically. Not because the Moon Goddess matched them together. If anyone needs proof that love exists, they’re the perfect example. The kind of love you read about.
Caleb pins me with a narrow stare, and I’m suddenly washed with fear that he somehow heard my thoughts. I glance away faster than I can blink, my cheeks heating to the point they ache.
I have no idea why we’re standing watching them be all lovey-dovey in their couples. It’s mortifying, and I need to get the hell out of here. The tightness in my chest is nearly unbearable, and I can feel Caleb’s warmth radiate through my arm.
There’s a gigantic hole in my heart, but right now, it feels like it’s split open, and I’m rotting from the inside out when I realise I’ll never have what they do.
17
CALEB
The second I reach my father’s pack house in the North, I’m filled with uneasiness.
I’m sick of him showing up out of the blue, so when he asked me to see him, I made the executive decision to visit him instead. The atmosphere within my pack changes when he shows his face, and I want to protect their peace.
After getting past Ryker’s guards, who say nothing but glare at me, I’m met with Oscar, my father’s second-in-command. They share the same values, and from the look on Oscar’s face, it fills me with instant dread.
“Caleb,” he drawls. “Long time no see.”
I give a tight nod. “Oscar.”
“Your father isn’t here at the moment.”
My forehead pinches. “Great,” I huff.
“He said to wait for him in his office,” Oscar says as he invites me in.
“How long will he be?”
“As long as he wants to be.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his statement. Everyone is forever an inconvenience to him.
After heading inside and being shown to his office, I stand there for a minute and take it all in. It’s nothing special, messy mostly. I’ve not really seen any of his pack members apart from his guards, but I try not to think too hard. His pack is none of my business. I’m here to see what he has to say and get out as quickly as possible.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes tick by, and I start to become restless. It seems like this is a test for him—a game I don’t even know we’re playing.
I stand from my seat and begin to pace. I know better than to snoop, but I can’t stop myself when my eyes latch on to a beaten brown box tucked away in the corner of the room. I’m immediately drawn to it, and I walk across the office for a better look.
My knees bend, and I flick open the top, a thick layer of dust puffing into the air. I pause when I find a chipped black frame. I take it in my hands before staring at the picture for a long moment.
