Caleb’s P.O.V
As I gently pulled the blanket over Aurora, her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the exhaustion evident on her pale face.
"Rest well," I murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead before stepping back and quietly leaving the room. The soft click of the door closing behind me felt like sealing a promise to keep her safe.
The halls were quiet, save for the distant murmurs of activity in the infirmary. As I made my way there, I could feel the weight of the day pressing down on my shoulders. However, when I entered, the sight of Caroline bent over Damien, meticulously tending to his wounds, made me scoff in disbelief.
"Well, isn’t this a sight," I grumbled, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorframe. "I thought you were the patient here, Caroline, not Damien."
Damien’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as he shot me a sour look. "Real funny, Caleb," he grumbled, his tone as sharp as the glare he threw my way. "Maybe I wouldn’t need this if someone hadn’t pounded me to the concrete earlier."
Caroline let out a small laugh, though she tried to mask it by pretending to focus on the bandage she was wrapping around Damien's arm.
"He’s fine," she said, her voice light but firm. "Just a few scratches. He acts tough, but I think he secretly enjoys the attention."
"Hardly," Damien muttered, his gaze shifting to the floor.
I walked further into the room, grabbing a nearby chair and dragging it over so I could sit opposite them.
"Anyway, I’m not here to stroke egos. Caroline, we need to talk about what happened with Aurora today.” I said, leaning forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
“Right,” Caroline nodded, looking at the door expectantly. “Where is she now?”
“She, umm—she fainted," I sighed.
Caroline’s hands stilled for a moment, her face turning serious as she looked up at me. "Fainted? Is she okay? What caused it?"
"She’s fine now," I assured her quickly. "The healers said it was exhaustion. She’s been…very emotional about her father’s death. They gave her sedatives, so she’ll be out for the night. Just needs to rest."
Caroline sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "Good. She’s been through a lot. I hope the rest helps her." I nodded, not correcting her. Some things didn’t need to be shared, especially Aurora’s breakdown earlier.
Damien finally chimed in, his voice softer now. "And what about you? You look like hell, Caleb. Are you sure you’re not next in line for the infirmary bed?"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "I’ll be fine. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you two. Can’t have you playing nurse and patient all night without supervision."
Caroline rolled her eyes, a smile breaking through despite herself. "We’re fine, Caleb. But maybe you should take your own advice and rest. You look like you can pass out any minute now."
I waved her off with a casual flick of my hand, but I knew she was right. I was exhausted, physically and mentally. But we needed to figure out what had really happened today. Aurora was my top priority, but to think she was now somehow linked to Caroline was even more cause for concern.
"Caroline, we need to figure out what’s happening." I said, my tone becoming serious. “What we saw today…it scared me. Not just Aura but you too…something’s not right.”
I watched Caroline pace back and forth, her hands twisting together in that nervous way she had when something weighed heavily on her mind.
"You’re right, something about all of this—it doesn’t sit right," she said, her voice tight with worry. Her eyes darted to the door, as if expecting someone to burst in with more bad news. "What happened to Aurora…and the way I felt it…it doesn’t seem normal."
Damien, leaning against the far wall with his usual air of detached calm, nodded slowly. "I wasn’t planning on getting involved," he said, his tone almost too casual, "but here I am. And I agree with Caroline. Whatever this is, it’s not random." His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker there—concern, maybe? Or suspicion? "You feel it too, don’t you?"
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah," I admitted reluctantly. "Something’s wrong, but right now, we’re just chasing shadows. Damien, thanks for your help tonight. I mean it. But I need to talk to Caroline alone for a minute. A room has been prepared for you."
Damien straightened up, a sharp edge entering his voice. "A room for me? Caleb, you don’t get to dismiss me like that. I’m Caroline’s mate. I have every right to stay here with her." His gaze flicked to Caroline, who had stopped pacing and was now looking at the two of us with a mixture of irritation and something I couldn’t quite place.
Before I could respond, the door swung open, and Jade walked in, holding a folder in one hand and looking far too pleased with himself.
"The results are back," he announced, glancing between the three of us.
I frowned, my stomach knotting. "What results?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. "What the hell are you talking about, Jade?"
But before I could reach for it, Caroline all but leaps towards it and grabs it in her hands tightly, surprising me.
I stared at Caroline, her eyes full of guilt, as she looked at me. All of a sudden, the silence between us felt heavy. I could tell she was struggling to find the right words, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her sleeve. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Caleb, I... I did something. Something I know I should’ve asked you about first.” Her eyes met mine, filled with an apology I wasn’t sure I could fully understand yet. “But I had to be sure. I needed to confirm my suspicion before I came to you with my theory.”
My stomach tightened, a cold shiver running down my spine as I tried to process what she was saying.
“What are you talking about, Caroline?” I asked, my voice a little more tense than I intended. I had a sinking feeling I wasn’t going to like it.
She hesitated, before her gaze shifted to Jade, who had been standing silently off to the side. Jade nodded, stepping forward slightly. “I’m up to speed on everything, Caleb,” he said quietly. “Caroline needed someone else to know, and... well, this is what’s happened.” He motioned to the envelope.
I swallowed, trying to keep my composure as my mind raced to catch up with the situation. Caroline had been keeping something from me. She had gone behind my back for a reason—one that was apparently big enough to involve Jade. But what was it? What was so important she had to confirm it first?
I turned back to Caroline, the knot in my chest tightening. “So, what exactly did you confirm? What’s this theory you’ve been working on?” I felt the weight of her guilt and knew she didn’t want to hurt me, but this was something I needed to know.
Her breath hitched. She opened her mouth, then closed it, before finally speaking, her words coming out in a rushed, almost apologetic tone. “I had this theory about Aurora, so…I did a DNA test.”
I stood there, frozen in place, trying to piece everything together.
I watched her hands tremble slightly as she tore open the envelope, the weight of whatever was inside making my chest tighten. The moment the paper unfolded, she glanced at the contents, her eyes flickering up to meet mine, searching for a reaction.
“Caleb,” she began, her voice low, almost hesitant, “this... this is big.”
She flipped the paper around, showing me the results. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the familiar names listed, but it was the explanation beneath that made my stomach churn.
“This theory, it’s something Caroline and I pieced together,” Jade continued, glancing at me before focusing on the paper again. “When Aurora told Caroline that her birthday was never really celebrated, it raised a red flag. Also the fact that her parents fought a lot during that month.”
I couldn’t speak at first, my mind racing. It felt like the ground had shifted beneath me, like everything I thought I knew was suddenly unraveling. “And? What’s this got to do with anything?”
Jade sighed, his expression tight. “Caroline and I started digging, and it... it led us here.” He motioned to the paper again, and I leaned in closer, my eyes scanning over the words as if I couldn’t really believe what I was seeing.
“We’re still waiting for the full results, but we’re pretty sure that Riley and Aurora…are only half siblings. Caroline thinks it’s the result of an affair. That’s why Aurora parent’s never celebrated her real birthday.”
I felt a knot form in my throat, the weight of the information pressing down on me. “So, if Riley and Aurora... are half siblings…then who is the real child of her parents?” The words felt heavy on my tongue.
Jade’s eyes met mine, dark with the intensity of what he was saying. “That’s what we need to figure out. The DNA test with her dad’s corpse will confirm it, but it’ll take time. But if it’s true, then we’ve got a whole different family dynamic on our hands. And it all points back to an affair.”
I didn’t know how to react. My mind was spinning, too many questions flooding me at once. “So, if this is true, what does that mean for Aurora and Riley? What do we do with this?” I felt the weight of the decision in my chest—if we were right, we were about to change everything.
Jade let out a long breath, running his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know yet. But we need to be careful. Aurora is in a fragile state and we don’t want to throw this on her right now. But this, Caleb, this could be the key to everything we’ve been trying to figure out.”
I stared at the paper, my mind racing with the implications. What did this mean for me? For Aurora? For everyone? Was this the clue to finding out about Aurora’s strange connection to Caroline? Or was it going to lead us to something far worse?