Seraphina’s POV
The stranger’s warm blue eyes held a familiarity that made my heart skip, though I couldn’t place why. Sothing about his presence made feel safer, but the fact that he knew when I didn’t know him sent anxiety spiraling through my chest.
"I’m sorry," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear nervously. "You seem to know , but I’m afraid I don’t rember your na."
"Caleb," he said gently, his smile never wavering. "Caleb Morrison."
I repeated the na silently, waiting for so spark of recognition, but nothing ca. Just the sa frustrating blankness that had haunted since the accident. My wolf stirred restlessly, sensing sothing important that my conscious mind couldn’t grasp.
"Caleb Morrison," I said aloud, testing how it felt on my tongue. "I wish I could rember you. I’m so sorry—"
When Caleb first looked at , his eyes practically sparkled with excitent, like a golden retriever who’d just spotted their favorite person after a long absence. But as my words sank in, I watched his expression deflate like a balloon losing air. His shoulders dropped slightly, and for a mont he looked exactly like a disappointed puppy who’d been told their human couldn’t play.
"Oh," he said softly, then quickly shook his head and gave a gentle, understanding smile. "No, no, don’t apologize, Sera. It’s been so many years, hasn’t it?" His voice was patient and kind, though I could still see a flicker of wistfulness in his warm brown eyes. "Maybe it’s silly of to expect you to rember a scruffy little boy from so long ago."
The genuine care in his tone, mixed with that hint of boyish disappointnt he was trying so hard to hide, made my throat tight with emotion. "You ntioned my family earlier. You knew about my real parents, about what happened to them. How do you know so much about my situation?"
Caleb’s expression grew serious, though not unkind. "Why don’t we grab so food and I’ll explain everything? There’s a diner just down the street. We can talk properly there."
The diner was small and worn but clean, with red vinyl booths and the kind of fluorescent lighting that made everyone look slightly pale. The scents of coffee and ho-cooked food filled the air, making my stomach growl despite my anxiety.
Caleb chose a corner booth and slid in across from , his movents natural and easy. A waitress with graying hair and kind eyes approached our table.
"What can I get you folks?" she asked with a warm smile.
"Two coffees, please," Caleb said. "And maybe so of that apple pie, if you have any left."
"Coming right up, honey."
Once we were alone, Caleb leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped on the scratched tabletop. "Sera, I need to start by telling you about what’s been happening up here in the north. It’s not the sa place you might rember."
“Actually... I don’t rember anything. What do you an?"
"Chaos. Complete chaos." Caleb’s voice dropped low despite the nearly empty diner. "Rogues moved in, testing boundaries, picking off isolated territories."
The waitress returned with our coffee and pie, setting them down with practiced efficiency before retreating to give us privacy.
He continued grimly. "Pack after pack has been heading south toward the central territories, looking for protection with the bigger, more established Alphas. Families loading up everything they can carry and just... leaving. This whole region is emptying out."
"My God." I took a shaky sip of coffee. "Caleb, if it’s that dangerous here, why haven’t you and your family left? Why are you still here?"
His smile was tired but determined. "Because soone has to help the ones who can’t leave. The elderly wolves who are too set in their ways to start over, the families who can’t afford to relocate, the people who get caught in the middle of territorial disputes."
"That’s incredibly dangerous."
"Maybe. But my parents and I, we run the only repair shop for three hundred miles in any direction. When families are trying to escape with their lives, they need working vehicles. When isolated communities need supplies, they need reliable transportation." He shrugged. "We can’t just abandon them."
I studied his face, seeing the weight of responsibility he carried, the quiet courage that kept him here when others fled. "You’re a good man, Caleb Morrison."
"I’m just doing what needs to be done." He took a sip of his coffee, then looked at intently. "But enough about the current ss. You said you forgot everything and wanted to know about your family."
My heart began to race. "Yes. Please. I need to understand who I was, where I ca from."
"Your parents were Alpha and Luna of the Northern Ridge Pack," he said gently. "Good people. The best, really. Your father was known throughout all the northern territories for his fairness and strength. Your mother had the most beautiful laugh—you have her eyes, you know."
Tears blurred my vision. "I don’t rember them at all."
"I know." His voice was soft with sympathy. "Sera, how much do you rember about us? About our friendship?"
"Us?" I looked at him in confusion. "Caleb, I’m sorry, but I don’t rember anything about knowing you before today."
Sothing flickered across his features—pain, maybe. "We were neighbors when we were children. Our fathers were allies, close friends."
"We knew each other as children?"
"More than that." Caleb’s smile beca gentle, nostalgic. "We were best friends, Sera. From the ti we could walk, we were practically inseparable. Every sumr, our families would get together for these big barbecues by the lake. You and I would disappear into the woods for hours, building forts, climbing trees, getting into all kinds of trouble."
My heart clenched. "We were that close?"
"Childhood sweethearts, my mother used to call us," he said with a soft laugh. "You were fearless and stubborn as hell. There was this old oak tree with branches hanging out over the water—must have been thirty feet high. All the boys were too scared to jump from the top, but not you."
"Did I jump?"
"Every single ti. And every ti, your mother would lecture you about being more ladylike while your father tried not to laugh." His expression grew distant with mory.
The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over. "Caleb, I’m so sorry. I don’t rember any of it. Not you, not my parents, not the life we had together."
Caleb squeezed my hand gently. "Sera, look at ."
I raised my eyes to et his warm gaze.
"I’m not hurt that you don’t rember," he said firmly. "I’m just grateful you’re alive. Do you understand? For years, I thought you were dead. I thought I’d lost my best friend forever. The fact that you’re sitting here, breathing and talking and laughing—that’s all that matters to ."
"Besides," Caleb continued with a lighter tone, "maybe it’s better that you don’t rember so of our adventures. We got into so serious trouble together. I’m pretty sure we gave both our parents gray hair before we were ten years old."
Despite my tears, I found myself laughing. "That does sound like sothing I’d do."
"Oh, definitely. You were the mastermind behind most of our sches." He grinned. "I was just along for the ride."
"Sera," Caleb said, "where are you staying tonight? Please tell you’re not planning to drive back south in the dark."
"I was hoping to find a motel sowhere nearby, actually. I know it’s not the safest area right now, but—"
"Absolutely not." He shook his head firmly. "You’re staying with us."
"Caleb, I couldn’t impose—"
"You’re not imposing. My parents still live in the sa house they did when we were kids. When I tell them you’re alive, when I bring you ho..." He smiled warmly. "My mother’s going to cry for a week."
Caleb released my hand and pulled out his wallet to leave money for our coffee and pie. "Besides, it’ll be safer and more comfortable than any motel in the area. And it’ll give us ti to talk more, to help you piece together so of those lost mories."
Reviews
All reviews (0)