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Story: Caelon

A whimper falls from my lips as my knees hit the ground. I didn't even realize that I ran to our field. The place where she watches me, talks to me, and makes me the center of her world.

My hands rest on top of my thighs with the palms facing the sky. My head falls back as I close my eyes while the sun I’ve been running from finally catches me. I feel it the minute Calix lets go and I feel incomplete again. But now…now I know why.

Chapter 11

Selene

Saturday, June 21st – Who is he?

My eyes crack open, squinting as the sun blasts into them.What time is it?Reaching around my bed, I attempt and fail to find my cell phone. I know I didn’t set an alarm, thank the Goddess, because I would probably throw my phone if it rang right now. Between the pounding migraine and the magical hangover, I feel like I danced with Death last night and failed to keep up.

Lifting my sore body out of my casket, I mean bed, I rub my eyes trying to remember anything from last night. It’s all a blur of flames, fabric, and drum beats.

Except, I remember him.

My hands slam down onto the comforter as my head whips from side to side. I’ve got to find my cell phone. Searching all over my bed, under my blankets and pillow, it’s clearly not here. Panic sets in until I remember that I didn’t bring it with me and I left it on the nightstand, which is exactly where it’s sitting.

When I tap the screen bringing it to life, I see that I’m not the only one with questions. Odes has already called me three times and sent a dozen messages. Fuck, why can’t I even remember coming home last night. It’s so hazy.

Clicking her contact, the phone rings only one time before she’s answering.

“Girl, you gave me a heart attack. You just disappeared last night and I searched everywhere for you. If it wasn’t for your parents telling me you were alive and in bed, I might have started a whole ass search party last night.” She is damn near screaming in my ear.

I wince, holding my hand against my temple. “Shhhh, you’re killing me here. I feel like I might have been hit with a fallen tree between the sore body and this migraine. Is this what a magical hangover feels like, because if so, I don’t want to do it again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t feel like shit this morning?”

“Uh, no?”

“Oh, good. It’s just me then. I was going to call you this morning anyways. I need to talk to you about last night. Wanna come over?”

She hums into the phone. “Yeah, like telling me all about the mystery guy you danced with all night before disappearing?”

“That would be the one.”

“On my way.” She doesn’t even wait before hanging up the phone.

My phone drops onto my comforter as I rub my face. Those eyes, crystalline blue and staring at me, appear behind my closedeyes. The same eyes I saw through the wolf mask. His gravelly voice that’s been haunting my dreams is the same one that whispered in my ear last night. I know it’s him and now I know he’s part of our pack. How have I never seen him before?

It doesn’t take long for Odes’ voice to travel through the house as she greets Mom and Dad in the kitchen. Their muffled words travel down the hallway to my room. I don’t even bother trying to determine what they are saying, just plopping back down onto my four fluffy pillows instead.

I’m staring at the ceiling when my door cracks open and she shuffles in before closing it behind her. She’s quiet as she walks over to my bed and plops down on it.

“How’s my sly, not so shy, bestie doing today? Regretting our last night's decisions, hmm?”

My head barely lifts off the pillow as I cut my eyes to her. “I regret nothing.” Then my head slams down again, the migraine aching even more from the movement. My hands cup both sides of my forehead as I shield my eyes from the blaring sun coming through my bedroom window.

“Odes, why do I feel like shit and you’re fine? I think I want to start there before we dive into who that was.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I got nothing. Do you even remember coming home?”

Wincing, I shake my head.

“Weird. I remember the sun rising and the elders coming back to pour water over the bonfire. Then I searched for you before coming home. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Him.”