Chapter 57
Caleb’s POV
The moment I find her on the damp ground, the air shifts. There’s something wrong here, something that clings to her like a shadow. I can’t shake off. Her eyes give her away. Beneath her stubbornness, beneath the way she tries to push me off, I see it… fear. And not just any fear the kind that seeps into your bones and makes the world colder.
The thing that dragged her here… it’s still close. I can feel it, like a predator lurking just out of sight.
I keep my distance, following her silently. I respect her space, but inside, every instinct in me is screaming to pull her close, to shield her from whatever darkness is hunting her. We don’t know what it is, not yet. But when we do… I swear it’s going to die by my hands.
“I’ll head to my hostel room,” she says the moment we reach the pack’s borders.
I want to argue, to tell her no, to keep her where I can see her, but I bite it back. “Alright,” I say instead, though the word tastes bitter in my mouth.
' Have someone watch Raven. She’s in the hostel.' I mind-link Samuel before I turn away.
She wants space. I’ll give it to her. But not without keeping eyes on her. I’m exhausted, my muscles ache, my mind feels frayed, but none of that matters compared to the knot in my chest.
I’ll shower. I’ll try to sleep. But my thoughts will be with her… and with the thing that dared to touch her.
I open the door to my room, already unbuttoning my shirt, mind half on the hot water waiting for me in the shower... and stop.
There’s someone sitting on the edge of my bed, one long leg crossed over the other, a flash of red dress riding high on her thigh.
“Hey, stranger,” Delores purrs, her voice low and smoky like a late-night temptation. How did she get in here?. She runs her tongue slowly over her lips before letting her gaze trail deliberately down my chest. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
I shut the door behind me with a quiet click, eyebrows lifting. “Delores. What are you doing here?”
She rises from the bed with that predatory sway I’ve seen work on a dozen men, but tonight, her eyes hold something sharper, something too close to longing.
“I came to see you,” she says, stopping close enough that her perfume, a heady mix of jasmine and something darker, wraps around me. “To see if you’re… alright. You disappeared for weeks. I miss you, Caleb. You said you'd come, but you never did, so I had to.” Her fingers toy with the edge of my open shirt, brushing lightly against my skin.
I grab her wrist gently, meaning to move her hand away, but she only smiles, a slow, knowing curl of her lips and steps closer. “You know I’d drop everything for you, Caleb. You’ve always known that.” Her voice dips into something almost vulnerable, almost pleading. “You think I’m just some hooker you call when you’re bored, but I…” Her hand flattens against my chest, feeling my heartbeat. “I care about you. More than I should.” Her touch lingers, sliding up my neck, her eyes locking on my mouth.
I take a step back, but she follows, fingers curling into my shirt, pulling me just slightly toward her. Her breath brushes my cheek as she whispers, “Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about me.” I haven't, my mind is only one Raven. That’s when the door opens. I turn instantly.
Raven stands in the doorway, frozen, eyes wide and unreadable, the light from the hall casting a faint halo around her. Her gaze takes in Delores’ hand gripping my shirt, the closeness between us, the charged air in the room. Delores doesn’t move her hand. If anything, she smirks, pulling me even closer to her.
“Guess I’m interrupting,” Raven says, her tone light, but her eyes, her eyes are a storm. My stomach drops. “Raven... wait...” I scream, But she’s already gone.
I curse under my breath and take a step toward the door, but Delores grabs my wrist. “Let her go,” she says softly, though there’s an unmistakable glint of satisfaction in her gaze. “If she really knows you, she’ll come back.”
I yank my hand free. “You don’t understand...”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” she cuts in, her voice tightening just enough to let the hurt bleed through. “You’ll never be mine. I'm not worth of you, I know I'm filthy, but I can't stay away from you Caleb.” A tear escapes her eyes, her face so emotional but I don’t have time to unpack them. My pulse is pounding for one reason, Raven. I can't lose her now, no!
I bolt into the hall, scanning left and right, catching only the faint echo of retreating footsteps. “Raven!” My voice bounces off the walls, but she doesn’t turn back.
She disappears around the corner, and with every step I take after her, a cold, twisting fear coils tighter in my chest. She’s already been through hell tonight seeing me with Delores was the last thing she needed.
And this time… I’m not sure if she’ll let me explain.
I catch up to her inches away from her hostel room entrance. I grab her wrist gently. "Please let me explain Raven, its not what you think." I plead heart pounding.
"Leg go of me, Caleb." She says her voice low and cold. "There is nothing to explain, I've seen what I had to." She adds, her voice a little broken. It crashes me, she yanks her arm away, and closes the door behind her, not once taking a single glance of me.
I screwed up, bad... how do I come back from this.