Mr. Valentine's Heart

Cherish is Back

I walk into the packhouse, Omegas buzzing around like they always are. I walk through, greeting Omegas as I go. I don't see Caleb; then again, it isn't often that I find him out and about on the ground floor. Not anymore, anyway.

Caleb used to be a different man, a different Alpha. He was happier and brighter. That was until she left him, and once she did, the darkness fell over him. I tried my hardest to pull him out of the despair, but there was never anything I could do, even as his best friend.

I walk down the hall, under the stairs. I'm guessing he's either in his office or on his floor. Caleb has taken over the top floor of the packhouse since he took over, though he's spent much more time alone in his office since she walked away from all of us.

A strong hand grabs my arm, and I'm yanked backward. My body slams into a wall, and a door closes. A bucket falls on my head as I try to step to the side. “Goddess! What the f***k?!” A big hand is pushed against my lips, causing my eyes to fly open.

“Shut the f***k up!” He whisper-yells. “She's looking for me.” I finally settle, realizing that the voice belongs to Caleb.

“Who's looking for you?”

“My mother.” As a response, I double over in laughter, causing Caleb to growl at me.

“Don’t be mad at me. You're the big bad Alpha hiding from his mommy.” The fist in the arm shuts me up really quickly. I stand tall, beyond ready to get out of this closet. I love my friend, but this is a bit much.

Where's the Luna?

She's in the Alpha's office. She's looking for him.

Run interference for me. The Alpha needs a break. One thing about Roman is that he will always come through for Caleb over anyone else. He needs that type of loyalty in his life.

I step forward and open the door. “What are you doing?!” I step out of the closet and motion him forward. Caleb eyes me warily but doesn’t move.

“Either you come with me now, or your mom finds you.” That was enough for him to follow me out of the closet. I take the back door out of the packhouse, and we run past the treeline. Thankfully, Caleb's office doesn't overlook this area of packlands, so we are home-free.

No one has seen Alpha, understood? A chorus of ‘yeses’ pour in, practically breaking my eardrum. I lead Caleb further from the packhouse through the forest. We have a place where we always go. We've been going there since we were kids and were looking for a break from training for our future positions.

We make it to the cliff that overlooks much of Misty Falls. I take a seat, letting my leg dangle over the edge. It doesn't take Caleb long to follow suit, and we look out over the town. It's starting to get dark, so everything is beginning to light up. “Why are you avoiding your mom?” Caleb sighs, and I have a feeling that whatever’s going on is something I'm not aware of.

“She…well…”

“Well?” Caleb sighs.

“I've been having trouble with my magic lately.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“After I use it, I've been having trouble with the recovery.” Yeah, I didn't know that.

“Why did you say anything?”

“I didn't want anyone to worry. I know why it's happening and I didn't want to talk about it. Besides, I thought I'd find a way to fix it.”

“What were you going to do?”

“I had asked Justine for help, but Eros was against it.” Justine has wanted him badly for a while now. I'm not surprised that Eros wanted no part of that.

“I understand why. I'm sure he didn't want you to spend that night with her.” Caleb looks at me incredulously. I chuckle. “Come on. She's nothing if not consistent.” We both laugh and look out over the town. “So, what does your mom have to do with anything?”

“Well, like I said, she found out and now she's determined to find me a chosen mate.” And there it is, the reason why he's hiding. Caleb has been clear and very adamant: he refuses to take a chosen mate. His mom knows this; hell, everyone knows this.

“I'm sorry. I wish you had told me. I could have helped you conceal it.” We sit quietly for a while as I try to figure out how to break my news. I don't know how this will go, but I'm sure it won't go well. I have to tell him, as my Alpha and my best friend. I have to tell him that his Luna, his mate, is back.

Roman got back to me, but there was no more information than I had anyway. It was almost like she'd been hiding in a cave somewhere for the last 10 years.

“You're pretty quiet.”

“Uh, yeah. I have to tell you sometehing. Let me just say that I've looked into it and so far I have no answers.”

“You've looked into what?” I sigh and turn to face my best friend.

“Caleb, it's about…well, it’s about Cherish.” His breath catches, although his face remains neutral. “I… I saw her today. She works for the company.”

~Alexi~

“Sir?” I don’t make a sound, not wanting to be bothered. I’m in her room, lying in her bed. Her scent is waning, and I don’t have a way to make it stronger.

I haven’t left this room in days, wanting to be as close to her as I can. I can’t find her, and I hate that. My warriors have looked everywhere. I’ve sent trackers to follow her scent, yet they have all come up empty. I can’t imagine my life without her, and I’m not ready to see how that will work out.

Dr. Reynolds has been in and out lately because I’ve been wreaking havoc. If I wasn’t injuring myself, I was injuring others. No one has died, and they should thank the Moon Goddess since that’s the case.

I hear the door open more, and soft footsteps come toward me. I don’t move or open my eyes. I don’t want to see anyone, and I don’t want to talk to anyone. I really want to be left alone until my wife comes home. “Sir, I… I’m so sorry to bother you. I… yo… you have a phone call. They said it’s urgent.” I sigh and stick my hand out of the blankets. A phone is placed in it, and I hear them hurry away and close the door.

“Hello?” My voice is low, and my throat is dry. I haven’t been talking much, but that was by choice. The moment I hear the voice on the other end, my walls crumble, and I’m thrown into a storm of emotions. “She’s gone. She left me.”