Chapter 19 Caleb
CALEB
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
My father’s hot breath tickles my ear as I watch a blonde woman in a black silky dress walk directly towards us. I tense at her blue eyes and the way they pin me to my spot. There’s a soft smile on her lips as her heels click against the floor.
“Imagine what your children would look like,” Ryker mutters with a savage grin. “We could take over the world.”
It’s the last thing I want to think of.
I narrow my eyes as she stops directly in front of us.
“Celia,” Ryker says as he drags his eyes over the young woman, lingering on specific body parts for a little too long. “I’d like you to meet my son, Caleb.”
My teeth clamp down on the inside of my cheek as Celia watches me intently. She’s beautiful, I can admit that. But she’s not what I want.
I immediately turn my gaze to my father as he continues to talk.
“Well.” He nudges me. “Give her a kiss. Don’t be rude.”
A growl crawls up my throat, but I push it away.
I lean forward and brush my lips over her cheek softly as she holds onto my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Celia.”
“The pleasure is mine, Caleb.”
“Go, mingle, fuck. I don’t care.” Ryker chuckles, and it turns my stomach sour. “Don’t mess this up, son.”
I place my hand on Celia’s back and guide her away from my father. She flutters her dark lashes and offers a smile. I force one back because I know he’s watching, and I don’t need his wrath later.
But it’s all wrong, all forced, all shameful.
My head tips back automatically as my senses heighten. I’m not surprised when my eyes land on Evan’s face. He’s staring back at me with an expression that screams of envy and sadness, and it makes my skin crawl so aggressively that I want to cut it off.
For a moment, the party around us starts to slow and blur as I lock eyes with him. I swallow the lump in my throat at how ravishing he looks in his black suit and bowtie. His curly hair is glossy as it hangs over his forehead, and the apples of his cheeks are slightly flushed.
After forcing myself to tear my eyes away, everything comes back to life around me. The loudness of the party echoes in my ears, and my body trembles at the touch of another wolf that isn’t my mate.
We stop by the champagne bar, and I grab her a drink before knocking mine back without hesitation. It burns my throat and does absolutely nothing to help.
“So, Caleb,” Celia purrs with seductive eyes. “I think your father likes us together.”
I hum in response. “It seems that way.”
It wouldn’t be the first time he’s tried to set me up with a woman. But unfortunately for him, I’ve never lain with a woman for pleasure, let alone to get her pregnant, and I don’t intend to.
Ryker always has ulterior motives, and having me parade this woman around is one of them. It’s all mind games with him, and I pray for the day I no longer have to worry about what’s coming next.
Celia presses a hand to my chest as my skin beneath my clothes burns—and not in a good way. “I can give you everything you want,” she whispers as she leans up onto her toes, her breath brushing over my lips. “And I mean everything. I even think Celia Vella has a ring to it.”
I resist the urge to grimace at her touch and words because she couldn’t be more wrong.
This woman can’t give me anything I want.
She’s not Evan.
I blink back the thought and try my hardest to get him out of my head. If my father sees I’m distracted, it could end terribly. So, I keep my walls as high as possible and pay attention to Celia as she pouts her shiny lips at me.
“I’ll be the best partner ever.” She trails her finger over my shoulder. “Always making sure your needs are met, that you’re happy and satisfied. I’ll be nothing but compliant.”
I tense at her touch and bite back my response. I don’t want any of that.
My eyes cut across the grand hall where they rest on Ryker as he laughs away with Oscar and a few members from one of the packs in the district.
My teeth grind together at the sight. No doubt he’s trying to sweeten people up to make them believe he’s not a dangerous being.
He knew what he was doing when he got all of these people together.
“Celia!”
We both glance at the couple approaching us; as they start talking, I excuse myself for a breather. I need a minute to try to compose myself for the rest of the evening, but it’s going to be impossible.
How can I act like everything is okay when I’m sickened by the entire situation?
I grab another champagne, glance around the grand hall, and subconsciously start looking for Evan. My heart thrashes inside me as my wolf becomes desperate to have him in our sights again. Even the soft scent of him. It’s almost like it’s the only thing that will calm me down.
I walk around until I pause by the window that faces the patio garden. Within seconds, I locate Evan. My fist tightens around my glass when I find him talking to some guy outside. He nods and smiles up at him with soft eyes.
They’re only talking, and yet it fills me with rage.
As the guy walks away back to the manor, Evan glances over at the building until he spots me in the window. My nostrils flare as I attempt to slow my breathing, but it feels like an earthquake is going off inside me.
Evan glances away and twists his body from me. My heart sinks.
“Caleb,” Ryker calls over to me. “What are you doing?”
I clench my jaw and look at him beneath hooded lids. “Having a quiet moment.”
Ryker’s brows pinch tightly. “Celia is over there by herself. Is that any way you treat a woman you’re trying to impress?”
Like how you treated my mother?
I clear my mind immediately before he tunes in. “I’m going,” I mumble.
As I walk away, a hand wraps around my wrist and tugs me backwards. I stare up at my father as he stands parallel to me.
“You better make this work, Caleb,” he says under his breath. “I’ve been waiting long enough, and you don’t want to see me when I’ve run out of patience.”
Nausea grips my sternum as I flick my eyes between his. It’s never about what I want. Only what he wants. I snatch my wrist back from his grip and turn to leave without saying anything.
Celia’s eyes light up as she spots me approaching, and I wish I had another set of blue eyes on me instead. Ones that soften like they did to that guy outside, but when he looks at me, all he sees is hatred, and I never wanted him to look at me like I’m the bad guy.
“Hey, you,” she coos with a wink. “Where did you go?”
“Bathroom,” I lie.
Celia flutters her lashes at me. “Oh, that’s okay. Just don’t leave me next time, don’t want anyone snatching me up.”
I force another smile as she links her arm through mine, and I pretend to listen when all I can think about is him.