Chapter 21 - Lila
The solstice fire crackles high enough to spark against the dark backdrop of the woods, making the space glow along with the various lights strung up for the celebration.
It illuminates the faces of everyone in attendance, chatting and eating. Some of the kids even play with sparklers as they run or draw shapes in the air, smiles wide across their faces.
For the first time in a while, I don’t feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on me. They’re distracted, taking in the occasion gleefully.
Having Astrid there helps, and admittedly, Caleb too.
Despite her earlier shyness, Astrid moves through the crowd like a beam of sunlight, laughter bright and unguarded as she escapes from her shell.
It’s impossible not to adore her, and I can see her having the same effect on the others. Everyone melts, dispositions shifting to more pleasant ones, regardless of their opinions of me.
Because of it, I feel like I can actually breathe.
Not with complete relief, but enough for the night to feel more bearable.
Surprisingly, the solstice even managed to pull Mom out of the house, and despite some of the wary glances she receives, she keeps her head held high and talks with whoever will listen.
And, of course, the guys arrived just before dark, swooping in to raid the food tables. Dominic even tried his hand at the potato sack race, only to fall on his face a few seconds in, which made Astrid breathless with laughter.
Now, Astrid stands in front of Luke, who has both his hands out to her, with one containing a little white flower they had picked. Then, he closes both hands and switches them behind his back before returning them and making her guess which one it is.
She’s all smiles as she selects the right one, giggling when he gently pokes at her nose.
I can’t help but smile at the scene, glad to see that despite everything, she can open up to the others.
She has always been a sweet girl, and I don’t want her to feel ostracized as I did. While I don’t entirely trust Caleb’s military friends yet, something in me feels compelled to at least try.
Caleb isn’t far, as he has maintained all night. When he’s close, he touches my back or my waist, sometimes moving to my upper arm for a gentle squeeze, almost like he’s reminding himself that I’m still there. That I’m with him.
The bond has been warm and steady all night, grounding but also overwhelming as it always seems to be. The heat is constant, even if it still makes me uneasy when I think about it for too long.
Whenever Astrid wanders off, I catch his gaze on her. He isn’t hovering or intrusive about it, but aware and watchful. It’s quietly protective in a way that lights something within me.
I’ve grown softer around him despite knowing how dangerous that is. I don’t know whether his protectiveness is temporary or real and long-lasting. But somehow, something in me silently hopes it isn’t just an obligation.
Still, even if it’s hard at times, I let myself relax, if only a fraction.
“Mama, look!” Astrid says, catching our attention as she races over with a big smile on her face. She holds up a small wooden carving, seemingly from one of the older wolves who had spent some time whittling it for her.
“What do you have?” I ask, bending in front of her to see it better.
“It’s a wolf,” she says proudly, giving it a little wave in front of us. “It looks like Caleb.”
At that, Caleb’s chest puffs slightly, but he likely wouldn’t admit it. Then, he crouches to her level, and he smiles more softly than I’ve ever seen.
“That looks exactly like me,” he murmurs, lips pulling. “Are you going to take care of him?”
She nods without hesitation. “He’s in my pack now. Just like the other one.”
A few other pack members nearby seem to melt at that, chuckling lightly, but Caleb keeps his complete focus on Astrid, looking at her like men do when they have something to care so fiercely about. Like she’s something precious.
Something that’s his.
My heart skips a beat at that.
For a moment, he doesn’t just look like a man caring for his mate’s child, but like a father.
Flickering beneath the surface, his emotions touch our bond, distinctly tender and protective. It’s quick, but I feel it, and I don’t know what to make of it.
When Astrid throws her arms around his neck in a boisterous hug, Caleb freezes for half a second with slight shock before he softens and puts his arms around her, lifting her with ease. She giggles as he spins her once, making the others laugh.
Taking in the scene is enough to make me feel like my heart could give out at any moment.
From the inside, our arrangement has been nothing short of complicated. But from the outside, we look like a family. One that has been together all along.
The realization leaves me with an ache I never prepared for.
I’m still trying to contend with it while I glance across the clearing, seeing as Caleb chats with Zane and Hunter while Astrid hangs out around my feet, moving around and through my legs idly as she starts to tucker out for the night.
“You were quite the charmer tonight, huh?” Dominic says as he approaches, looking down at her. “Next time, you’ll have to show me how the potato sack race is done. Deal?”
Immediately, her smile grows again as she clings to my leg, and she nods. “Deal.”
Then, he looks to me with a more relaxed expression. “You’ve handled tonight well.”
Still somewhat tense around him and the others, I force myself to at least sound more confident than I feel. It’s not exactly easy when all of Caleb’s friends are bulky, intimidating military guys.
“I’m holding up.”
“You know, I’ve never seen this side of him before,” he murmurs, glancing between me and Caleb, who’s approached by Jack now. He grins. “That’s how I know he’s not lying about you.”
Unable to stop it, my cheeks warm at the implication. “Honestly, I’ve never seen it before either.”
Dominic chuckles and continues about something military related, but I tune it out as I take in the way Jack’s body language seems a bit off. He moves with an easy grin, but there’s a weird sort of tension in his shoulders, and he walks with too much purpose for his approach to be casual.
Caleb’s eyes go to him instantly, and I catch the way his posture sharpens with alertness. Even if Jack has been around all day, he seems to already know something is up.
Jack leans in and speaks low to him, voice too quiet for me to catch through the noise. But whatever he says makes Caleb’s expression shift in an instant.
Disbelief, then confusion. Something darker follows, but it happens so quickly that I can’t read it fully.
The bond pulls tight as a cold front moves down it, and those sudden emotions thread into mine. I stiffen at how turbulent they feel, almost coiled tight.
His emotions are usually so controlled, aside from the occasional glimmer of care or desire. But never this chaotic.
Then, Caleb’s gaze falls on me, and with a crease between his brows, he approaches.
Dominic trails off with whatever he was saying, looking at him as he cuts through the space like ice. His brows go up, but he instinctively takes a small step away. “You alright, Graves?”
Caleb doesn’t even spare a look at him. “We’re leaving.”
He doesn’t raise his voice despite what his hard expression suggests, but his tone doesn’t leave any room for argument.
My heart rams against my ribs. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going home,” he repeats, finally throwing a glance in Dominic’s gaze that seems like a silent message I can’t understand. Then, without waiting another moment, he’s ushering Astrid and me out of the park and away from the celebration.
I half expect someone to call after us, or to ask where we’re going, but nobody points out how strange it is for him to sweep us away so soon. Instead, Caleb moves with sure, practiced ease that silently demands obedience.
The walk is brisk but silent. Tense.
A hundred questions move through my head at once, having no idea what happened or how his mood could shift so quickly.
What the hell did Jack tell him?
Astrid hums to herself while she leans sleepily against my shoulder, unaware of the fire burning in Caleb, and of the tension coursing through my body.
By the time we reach the house, the bond pulses with agitation that only grows tighter with every step, and dread fills my system in response.
Caleb doesn’t say a word as he opens the door for us, not following immediately while he scans the tree line for any threats. When he does slide inside, the door closes with a note of finality in the way it clicks shut, sending a small tremor down my spine.
I don’t know what to expect, but I can only hope it doesn’t make our night go up in flames.