Page 58 of Wolf's Fate

“How can you protect me if you’re too exhausted to fight?” I teased him, pushing myself up in my bed and fighting the urge to check my hair. “Shouldn’t you be saving up your energy in case you need to go all Caleb on them?”

“Caleb on them?” His eyebrow quirked as he watched me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I knew he wasn’t pissed off. His tone had a teasing lilt to it, and I laughed as I looked away. “You know, all…” I looked back at him, curling my fingers into claws in front of me. “Grrr.” I fake growled.

Caleb’s eyes widened with mirth. “What the actual hell is that supposed to be?” He imitated my pose. “Grr?” His hands dropped. “Is that me?”

I shrugged, my cheeks flaming. “Maybe with lessgrrrand moreGrrraw.”

“Please stop,” he deadpanned.

“You know, I feel like I should.” Biting my lip, I tried to keep the laughter contained.

We shared a look of amusement. Caleb checked me over and his levity faded. “Your bruises look worse in daylight.”

“Definitely feel worse,” I admitted, shooting him a look. “Of course, if I had painkillers, I may feel better.”

“Masks the way the body feels,” he told me smoothly. “You’re not an advocate of masking pain. I’ve been in your bathroom cabinet,” he reminded me with a twinkle in his eye that shouldn’t make him look delectable when he was reminding me of an unforgivable act of breaking into my house.

Asshat.

“You know that isn’t even remotely comparable, don’t you?”

“Do I?” He cocked his head, and I hated how quickly we went from being playful to me wanting to slap him.

“You can shift into a wolf, and all your aches and pains disappear,” I retorted sharply. “Don’t even begin to think you have any experience of physical pain.”

His eyes were somber as he watched me. “Oh, I’ve felt pain, the kind that you can’t hide from, trust me.”

I immediately felt guilty as I remembered all the drawings I had done. “Your family?”

Caleb turned his attention back to the door, breaking eye contact. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The reprimand was probably warranted, but also screw that. “I know you don’t like talking about it,” I told him, trying to be firm. “But I’ve seen more than you know?—”

“You know nothing.” His jaw clenched as he turned his head away. His voice was low and edged with frustration when he next spoke. “You know nothing about my past, Willow. You think you do, but trust me, you don’t.”

“I—”

“You’ve seen what? Pieces? Fragments?” He turned back to look at me, anger brimming in his eyes. “You haven’t seen the whole story.”

I felt my own anger building, and I refused to back down. “I’veseenit, Caleb.” I heard the unevenness of my voice and hoped he didn’t notice. “I’ve seen the pain, the loss, the blood. All of it. I’ve seen the way it haunts you. You may not want to admit it, butdon’ttell me I don’t know.”

Caleb was on his feet, his glare fierce, his hands curled into fists at his sides. “You’ve seen what? A few visions of dead wolves? A couple of nightmares of slaughter? That’snothingcompared to the reality of it.” His voice shook with temper. I watched as he took a step back, running a hand over his forehead. “You see a reflection of a memory,” he told me bitterly. “You didn’t live it. You didn’t feel it.”

“Didn’t I?” I challenged him, wrapping my arms aroundmyself, suddenly cold in the tension-filled room. “I feel you. I felt you each and every time I drew it. I’ve seen the weight you carry every single day. I don’t need to have been there and seen it as it happened. I see itinyou. I see the darkness inside you, and I see how badly you’re losing in the fight against it.”

His sharp exhale and look of disbelief made me inwardly curse. I hadn’t meant to say that much, reveal that much. We’d only just gotten back to being civil to each other.

Caleb looked down at his boots, and for the first time, I realized that none of the clothes he was wearing fit him properly. Were they even his?

“You don’t know me.” His voice sounded rough, and for the first time, I heard the raw emotion of his past. “You don’t understand, you can’t. You don’t know what it’s like to have this in your past.”

“Help me understand,” I whispered pleadingly. “You’re not alone, Caleb. Don’t shut me out. I’ve seen it, and maybe I don’t understand it, and maybe I will never feel it like you do, I know that. But if you let me in, I can understand it with you.”

For a long moment, he stared at me, those dark eyes unreadable. The silence stretched, and I began to hope that he heard me, that maybe the wall he surrounded himself with was slowly coming down.

Caleb broke the silence, and any hope that I had was shattered. “I can’t. I won’t.” His look was almost tender. “It’s better this way, trust me.”