Caleb’s P.O.V
I bid Shane goodnight, the words feeling hollow as I stepped out of the elevator and onto my floor. The weight of the day was still fresh, lingering in my muscles, but I pushed it down, determined to get to Aurora. She was my sanctuary, my calm in the chaos, and I couldn’t get to her soon enough.
As I made my way down the hallway, I felt a strange sense of urgency, a pull to reach her, to hold her close. When I reached her door, it was slightly ajar, the dim light spilling out into the hall. My heart quickened as I stepped inside, and there, sitting on the edge of the bed, were Aurora and Caroline.
Caroline’s gaze met mine immediately, and I saw the flicker of something in her eyes—a quiet tension, something I couldn’t quite place. But she didn’t say a word. She just stood up, gave a polite nod, and without a word left the room, her footsteps barely making a sound as she disappeared down the hall.
The moment the door closed behind her, I turned to Aurora. She was already rising to meet me, her eyes wide with something close to worry, but it softened the moment I stepped into her arms. Without thinking, I pulled her into a tight hug, my body instinctively wrapping around hers as if I could somehow protect her from everything. She clung to me just as tightly, her arms tightening around my back as though she feared that if she let go, I’d slip away.
"Caleb," she whispered, her voice trembling just enough that I felt it all the way through. "You’re really here."
I pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, searching for the answer I already knew but wanted to see in her face. "Of course, I am. I’m not going anywhere." But even as I said the words, a part of me feared that something might take me away from her—something I couldn’t control.
Her hands reached up to gently trace the outline of my face, her fingers lightly brushing my cheek, before she moved to my hands. She searched them, as if looking for any sign of injury, any mark that might give away the truth of what had happened. Her touch was gentle, but I could feel the worry pulsing beneath it, a worry that I couldn’t erase no matter how much I reassured her.
"I’m fine, Aurora," I told her softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I showered and healed myself before coming here. I didn’t want you to see me like that."
She looked at me, still unconvinced, her brow furrowing as she hesitated. "Did you get hurt during the fight?" Her voice was a mixture of concern and hesitation, as if she was afraid of what I might say.
I sighed, pulling her back into my arms, feeling the warmth of her against me. "Almost everyone got a few scratches," I said lightly, brushing it off as though it was nothing. "But it’s nothing, really. Nothing worth worrying about."
Her arms tightened around me once more, but I could feel her still searching my face, looking for any sign of something I wasn’t telling her. I leaned down, brushing my lips against her ear, my voice low and teasing. "If you want, I can strip for you to show you that I’m completely unharmed," I said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood, hoping to see her smile.
Aurora pulled back slightly, her eyes meeting mine with a mix of exasperation and something softer, her lips curling into a reluctant smile. "You’re impossible, Caleb," she muttered, shaking her head, but I could see the relief in her eyes, the way her body relaxed as she leaned back into me, the tension leaving her shoulders.
I held her a little tighter, savoring the moment, knowing that this—right here—was the only thing that mattered. The rest of the world could wait.
Aurora looked up at me again, her face softening as she gave me that familiar, warm smile. But I could tell something was gnawing at her. I couldn’t blame her; we’d been through so much together, and yet, there were still so many things I’d kept locked away. So many truths I hadn’t shared, not out of malice but to protect her. But today, it felt like the walls I’d built around myself were crumbling. I wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion from the battle, or the raw vulnerability that came with seeing her worried face, but something inside me kept telling me to say the truth.
But how could I end up hurting her like that when she was starting to enjoy time with her new family?
She sighed in relief, shaking her head slightly as she leaned closer. "Alright, Caleb," she murmured, her voice teasing, but her eyes were full of concern.
"I’ll forgive your dirty jokes this time. Just don’t make a habit of it while you're injured." Her attempt to lighten the mood made me chuckle, but the laughter felt hollow, distant. I pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly, and in that moment, I decided I couldn’t keep pretending that everything was fine.
I pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, and I could see the confusion flicker behind her gaze. "Aurora," I started, my voice lower than usual, betraying the weight of what I was about to say. "I don’t want to hide anything from you anymore. Not after everything we’ve been through." My hands trembled slightly as I spoke, but I steadied them, trying to keep my composure. "The wolves we faced today—they weren’t just regular wolves. They were... dead. Resurrected. Brought back by magic. It almost felt like..." I swallowed hard, the words choking me. "Like the way your stepfather came back, after Lucas got to him."
Her face changed in an instant. Her brow furrowed, and I could see her instinctively touch the mark behind her ear, a habit she’d had ever since she first discovered it. The same mark her stepfather had carried before he was resurrected. She was silent for a moment, her fingers still resting against the mark, as if searching for an answer. "Caleb..." she whispered, her voice tight with worry. "Was there a mark? On any of them?"
I shook my head, the answer already hurting more than I wanted it to. "No," I said, "The creatures—they disintegrated before we could even get close enough to check. There’s no way of telling." My voice trailed off, and I could see the fear start to settle in her eyes. The same fear that I knew all too well—the one that came with the thought of things we couldn’t understand, things we couldn't control.
She went silent, her hand falling slowly from the mark behind her ear, her fingers trembling slightly. She didn’t say anything for a long time, but the worry on her face was enough to speak volumes. I could feel her mind racing, the wheels turning, and I could see how hard she was trying to process what I had just told her. How could she not be worried?
I reached out, gently cupping her face in my hands, hoping she could feel the sincerity in my touch. "I’m sorry," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I thought we were done with this. I thought we left that nightmare behind." A lump formed in my throat, and I cursed myself for letting the words slip out so helplessly. "But I... I don’t think it’s gone. Not completely. I don’t think we’re safe from it, Aurora. Not yet."
She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine, and for the first time, I saw the raw fear she had been trying to hide. It wasn’t just the fear of what I had said; it was the fear of the unknown, of things she couldn’t control. "What does this mean, Caleb?" she asked, her voice soft but trembling. "What do we do now?"
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the silence stretch between us. There were no easy answers. No quick fixes. But I knew one thing for sure: whatever came next, I wasn’t going to face it alone. Not anymore. I had to protect her—protect us. And that meant we had to face this head-on, no matter how terrifying it was.
"I don’t know," I admitted quietly. "But I promise you, we’ll figure it out together. We always do." And even as I said the words, I knew the truth—nothing would ever be the same again