CHAPTER 5
1496 Words
Two days had passed since the library incident. Two days of people whispering when I walked into the dining hall. Two days of wearing Caleb’s varsity jacket like a suit of armor because, for some reason, it was the only thing that kept the nausea away.
I hadn’t seen him.
But I felt him.
It was Friday night, and the air was heavy with electricity. A storm was rolling in, heavy clouds obscuring the moon, but the pressure in my head had nothing to do with the weather.
Go to him, Dorcan urged. She had been restless all evening, pacing in the back of my mind like a caged animal.
“No,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of my dorm bed. "He said to stay away."
He is hurting. We are hurting.
She was right. The ache in my chest was a constant, dull throb, like a bruise that wouldn't heal. Every time I tried to sleep, I woke up gasping, my skin burning with a phantom touch.
I stood up, unable to sit still anymore. My roommate, Sara, was out at a party. The room was too quiet. Too small.
I grabbed Caleb’s jacket, pulling it tight around me, and walked out the door. I didn't have a destination. I just let my feet move where the pull guided them.
It led me away from the dorms, past the quiet academic buildings, toward the edge of the campus where the manicured lawns gave way to the dense, dark treeline of the reserve.
The wind picked up, whipping my hair across my face. Thunder rumbled in the distance, low and menacing.
I stopped at the edge of the woods.
He was there.
Caleb stood by an old, gnarled oak tree, his back to me. He wasn't wearing a jacket, just a thin black t-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders. He was gripping a low-hanging branch, his knuckles white, his head hung low.
He looked like he was in pain.
I stepped on a dry twig. Snap.
He spun around.
The movement was too fast for a human. In a blink, he was staring at me. His eyes weren't their usual hazel. They were glowing—a bright, molten gold that cut through the shadows.
“I told you,” he rasped, his voice sounding like it was being torn from his throat. “I told you not to come near me.”
“I didn't mean to,” I said, my voice shaking. “I just... I couldn't breathe.”
“You think you can't breathe?” He let go of the branch and took a step toward me.
The air between us suddenly felt hot, pressurized.
“Caleb,” I whispered.
“It’s getting worse,” he said, taking another step. He looked wild. Unhinged. "Every hour you’re away, it feels like my blood is boiling. And when you’re close..." He trailed off, his jaw clenching.
He was close now. Too close.
I should have run. My brain told me to run. But my body? My body betrayed me instantly. I leaned toward him, drawn in by the gravity that bound us.
Mate, Dorcan purred. Finally.
Caleb reached out. His hand trembled as he touched my cheek. His fingers were scorching hot, rough against my skin.
I gasped at the contact. The dull ache in my chest vanished, replaced by a surge of pure, addictive relief. It was like taking a breath after being underwater for minutes.
“Elena,” he murmured. It was the first time he’d said my name without venom. It sounded like a prayer.
He lowered his head, his nose grazing along my jawline. He inhaled deeply, shuddering.
“You smell like rain,” he whispered against my skin. “And fear. And me.”
My knees went weak. I gripped his arms to stay upright. His muscles were rock hard, tense as steel cords.
“Caleb, what’s happening?”
"I don't know," he groaned. His hands slid down to my waist, pulling me flush against him.
The world narrowed down to this. The heat of his body. The scent of ozone and forest. The pounding of his heart against my chest, syncing perfectly with mine.
He buried his face in the crook of my neck. I felt his breath hot on the sensitive skin there. I felt his teeth graze the pulse point.
A jolt of electricity shot down my spine.
Let him claim us, Dorcan begged. It will stop the pain. It will make us whole.
Caleb’s grip tightened. A low growl vibrated in his chest, a sound that was entirely wolf. He was losing control. The Alpha side of him was taking over, driven by instinct, driven by the biological need to mark what belonged to him.
I tilted my head back, baring my neck. It wasn't a conscious choice. It was surrender.
“Mine,” he growled against my throat. His lips parted. I felt the sharp point of a canine tooth press against my skin.
Just a little more pressure. Just a bite. And the bond would be sealed. Irreversible.
For a second, I wanted it. I wanted the belonging. I wanted to stop being the scholarship girl and just be his.
Then he froze.
The growl in his chest cut off abruptly.
His hands, which had been pulling me closer, suddenly shoved me back.
I stumbled, nearly falling onto the grass.
Caleb staggered backward, crashing into the oak tree. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving, his eyes wide with horror. The gold was fading, replaced by terrified hazel.
He looked at me, then at his own hands, as if they were covered in blood.
“No,” he choked out.
“Caleb?” I reached out, confused by the sudden cold.
“Don't!” he shouted, flinching away from me. "Don't touch me."
He looked sick. His face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead. He was shaking his head violently.
“I almost…” He covered his mouth with his hand. "I almost did it."
“Caleb, it's okay,” I said softy, though my heart was breaking. “It’s the bond. It’s natural.”
“Natural?” He laughed, a harsh, jagged sound. "There is nothing natural about this, Elena! Do you have any idea what I almost did? I almost claimed you."
“Would that be so bad?” The question slipped out, quiet and vulnerable.
He stared at me, his expression twisting into panic.
“Yes!” he yelled. "Yes, it would be bad! You don't get it. You don't know who I am. You don't know what my father expects."
“I don't care about your father!”
“You should!” He paced away, running his hands through his hair, pulling at the strands. “If I claim you... if I make this real... I lose everything. My inheritance. My pack. My future. He will destroy me. And worse…”
He stopped, turning to look at me with haunted eyes.
“He will destroy you just to teach me a lesson.”
The words hung in the humid air between us.
"I can't do this," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I can't be your mate. I won't be.”
"You don't get a choice," I said, tears stinging my eyes. "Neither do I."
"I have to have a choice!" He slammed his fist against the tree bark, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "I am an Alpha. I control my fate. I do not let biology dictate my life!"
He was trying to convince himself more than me.
“Caleb, please.”
“Stay away from me, Elena,” he said, his voice trembling with desperation. “I mean it. Next time... next time I might not be able to stop. And I can't drag you into my hell.”
He looked at me one last time–a look filled with longing and absolute terror—before he turned and sprinted into the woods.
He didn't shift. He just ran. Running from me. Running from the moon. Running from the one thing he couldn't outrun.
I stood alone in the dark, the thunder rumbling overhead, listening to the sound of him crashing through the underbrush.
I pulled his jacket tighter around me, sinking to my knees in the dirt.
He is a coward, Dorcan spat, though I could feel her sadness underneath the anger.
“No,” I whispered, watching the darkness where he had vanished. “He's not a coward. He's just a boy who’s been taught that love is a weakness.”
And tonight, fear had won.
- Writer
