Chapter 37 Trapped
Maddie Pov
I avoided going to the storage room for three days. Made excuses. Said I was busy. Said I had class. Said anything to put it off. But Sarah kept texting me asking if I'd gotten the supplies yet. Eventually I ran out of excuses.
I went to the main office and got the keys. Walked across campus to building C where the storage rooms were. Hoped that maybe Calix would just never show up. Maybe he'd forgotten about it. Maybe he didn't care.
But when I got there he was already standing outside storage room B. Waiting. His hands were in his pockets. His jaw was tight. He looked as unhappy about this as I felt.
"Hey," I said quietly when I reached him.
"Hey," he said back. Didn't look at me. Just stared at the door.
I unlocked it with shaking hands. The door opened with a loud creak. Inside was dark. I felt along the wall for a light switch. Found it. Flicked it on.
A single bulb came to life overhead. It was dim. Barely lit the room. Everything was covered in dust and shadows. Metal shelves lined the walls. Boxes were stacked everywhere. Old decorations. Broken equipment. Stuff nobody had touched in years.
"This place is a mess," Calix said. He stepped inside. Stayed near the door.
"Yeah," I agreed. I moved to the opposite side of the room. Kept as much distance between us as possible.
The air felt thick in here. Heavy. Charged with something I didn't want to name. The bond was pulling at my chest. Insistent. Painful. Made it hard to breathe.
"Sarah said the streamers should be in one of these boxes," I said. Started looking through the shelves. Anything to avoid looking at him. Anything to stay busy.
"Right," Calix said. He started searching on his side of the room.
We worked in silence. Opening boxes. Checking contents. Closing them again. Nothing but the sound of cardboard and our breathing. The room was small. Felt smaller with both of us in it. Felt like the walls were closing in.
I found a box labeled decorations and pulled it down. It was heavier than expected. I stumbled. The box slipped from my hands.
"Careful," Calix said. He moved toward me. Caught the box before it hit the ground.
Now he was close. Too close. Right in front of me. I could smell him. Could feel the heat from his body. Could see his chest rising and falling with each breath.
Our eyes met. His were gold. Bright. Beautiful. Dangerous.
The air between us felt electric. Like static before a storm. Like something was about to break. About to explode.
"Thanks," I whispered. My voice came out shaky.
"You're welcome," he said. His voice was low. Rough.
Neither of us moved. Just stood there. Frozen. Staring. The bond pulled tighter. Stronger. Demanding. My wolf was howling in my head. Demanding I move closer. Demanding I touch him.
His breathing got heavier. I watched his chest move. Watched the way his throat worked when he swallowed. My own breathing matched his. Fast. Uneven. Desperate.
"Maddie," he said. Just my name. Nothing else. But the way he said it made my knees weak.
"Yeah?" I whispered back.
"I," he started. Then stopped. His eyes dropped to my lips. Stayed there. His hand twitched like he wanted to reach for me.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might break through my ribs. Everything in me wanted to close the distance. Wanted to feel his hands on me. Wanted to stop fighting this pull that never went away.
"I forgot something," Calix said suddenly. His voice was sharp. Panicked. He stepped back. Put distance between us. "I have to go."
"What?" I asked. Confused. Still caught in whatever moment we'd just been having. "We're not done."
"I don't care," Calix said. He was already moving toward the door. "I can't be in here. I can't do this."
"Calix wait," I said but he was already at the door.
He grabbed the handle. Pulled it open. The door slammed against the wall. The sound echoed through the small room. Then he was gone. Just disappeared into the hallway without looking back.
I stood there alone in the dusty storage room. My heart still racing. My hands still shaking. My body still humming with need. With want. With everything I couldn't have.
What just happened? We'd almost kissed. I was sure of it. The way he looked at me. The way he said my name. The way the air between us felt alive.
But then he ran. Just left me standing here. Left me wanting. Left me confused.
"He's protecting us," Gory said quietly in my head. "He knows what will happen if he gives in. He knows it's dangerous."
"I don't care," I said out loud to the empty room. "I don't care about danger. I don't care about curses. I just want him."
"That's the bond talking," Gory warned. "That's not logical thinking."
"I'm tired of being logical," I said. Tears burned my eyes. "I'm tired of fighting this. I'm tired of staying away from the one person I'm supposed to be with."
"Then stop fighting," Gory suggested. "Stop running. Stop hiding. Just accept it."
"I can't," I said. "You know I can't. He's engaged to Simone. His father will kill me if he finds out. Everything about this is wrong."
"But it feels right," Gory said softly.
She was right. It did feel right. Being near Calix felt like the only right thing in my entire life. Everything else was wrong. Everything else was broken. But when I looked in his eyes I felt whole.
I sat down on the dusty floor. Put my head in my hands. Let myself cry. Let myself feel everything I'd been holding back.
I wanted him. Wanted him so badly it hurt. Wanted him in a way that wasn't logical or smart or safe. Just wanted him.
But wanting wasn't enough. Wanting didn't change reality. Wanting didn't make his father's threats go away. Wanting didn't cure his curse. Wanting didn't fix anything.