54 Chapter 54
54 Chapter 54
Seraphina’s POV 1
The stranger’s warm blue eyes held a familiarity that made my heart skip, though I couldn’t ce why. Something about his presence
made me feel safer, but the fact that he knew me 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 me, but I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”
“Caleb,” he said gently, his smile never wavering. “Caleb Morrison.”
I repeated the name silently, waiting for some spark of recognition, but nothing came. Just the same frustrating nkness that had
haunted me since the ident. My wolf stirred restlessly, sensing something important that my conscious mind couldn’t grasp.
“Caleb Morrison,” I said aloud, testing how it felt on my tongue. “I wish I could remember you. I’m so sorry-”
When Caleb first looked at me, his eyes practically sparkled with excitement, 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 dete like a balloon losing air. His shoulders dropped
slightly, and for a moment he looked exactly like a disappointed puppy who’d been told their human couldn’t y.
“Oh,” he said softly, then quickly shook his head and gave me 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 me to expect you to remember a scruffy little boy from so long ago.”
The genuine care in his tone, mixed with that hint of boyish disappointment he was trying so hard to hide, made my throat tight with
emotion. “You mentioned 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 some food and I’ll exin 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 home-cooked food filled the air, making my stomach growl despite my anxiety.
Caleb chose a corner booth and slid in across from me, his movements 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 some of that apple pie, if you have any left.”
“Coming right up, honey”
Once we were alone, Caleb leaned forward slightly, his hands sped 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 same ce you might remember.”
“Actually… I don’t remember anything. What do you mean?”
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“Chaos. Complete chaos.” Caleb’s voice dropped low despite the nearly empty diner. “Rogues moved in, testing boundaries, picking off
isted 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 someone 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 istedmunities 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 me intently. “But enough about the current mess. 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 came 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 beautifulugh—you have her eyes, you
know.
Tears blurred my vision. “I don’t remember them at all.”
“I know.” His voice was soft with sympathy. “Sera, how much do you remember about us? About our friendship?”
“Us?” I looked at him in confusion. “Caleb, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember anything about knowing you before today.”
Something 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 became gentle, nostalgic. “We were best friends, Sera. From the time we could walk, we were practically inseparable. Every summer, our families would get together for these big barbecues by theke. 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 softugh. “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.
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54 Chapter 54
but not you.”
“Did I jump?”
“Every single time. And every time, your mother would lecture you about being moredylike while your father tried not tough.” His
expression grew distant with memory.
The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over. “Caleb, I’m so sorry. I don’t remember any of it. Not you, not my parents, not the life
we had together.”
Caleb squeezed my hand gently. “Sera, look at me.”
I raised my eyes to meet his warm gaze.
“I’m not hurt that you don’t remember,” 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 andughing-that’s all that
matters to me.”
“Besides,” Caleb continued with a lighter tone, “maybe it’s better that you don’t remember some of our adventures. We got into some
serious trouble together. I’m pretty sure we gave both our parents gray hair before we were ten years old.” 5
Despite my tears, I found myselfughing. “That does sound like something I’d do.”
“Oh, definitely. You were the mastermind behind most of our schemes.” He grinned. “I was just along for the ride.”
“Sera,” Caleb said, “where are you staying tonight? Please tell me you’re not nning to drive back south in the dark.”
“I was hoping to find a motel somewhere 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 same house they did when we were kids. When I tell them you’re alive, when I bring you
home…” 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 morefortable than
any motel in the area. And it’ll give us time to talk more, to help you piece together some of those lost memories.”