Page 68 of The Night Wolf
Dani and Gareth left the room, closing the door behind them.
“Okay, so either you don’t want to shift back, or you can’t. Which is it?”
Caleb moved forward and nudged Sean’s stomach.
“Don’t try to change the subject. If you need help shifting, you can ask Lyram. He’s the one who—oh.” Like pieces to a puzzle, everything fell into place. “You don’t want to change back, because you’re enjoying having Lyram looking after you.”
A chuff was Sean’s only answer.
“Not good enough. Shift so we can talk. I won’t tell anyone if you’d rather I didn’t.”
As he got to his feet, Caleb leaned over and snagged another sandwich, much to Sean’s delight. Then he jumped down onto the floor and looked up. A few moments later, Caleb was there, pale and wobbly. He flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“Okay, so talk.”
Caleb sighed and closed his eyes. He pointed to a long, jagged scar across his throat.
“Ah, I see. It hurts to talk.”
He shook his head, and Sean noticed the glitter of tears on Caleb’s cheeks.
“Oh. You can’t talk.” Sean lay beside Caleb and reached for his hand. “It’s temporary, I think. Your body went through an intense experience. Having Lyram pull you through a shift is… I can’t even imagine how hard it was for you. I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from hurting you.”
In a flash, Caleb was off the bed and staring down at Sean. He shook his head harshly, then got up and hurried to the desk. He opened a drawer, then another, and finally pulled out a pad of paper. He reached for the pen on the desk and scribbled a note, which he then handed to Sean.
“No, it is my fault. I let things get too far. I should have… I should have trusted Gareth with my secret. Maybe if I had, this all could have been over long before you got hurt.”
Caleb cocked his head, his eyes saying what he could not.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you. Until the challenge is completed, I can’t say anything to anybody. You don’t know how many times I wanted to talk to you, to ask for your opinion. Then I got….” Sean waved a hand over his stomach. “And so many things changed for me. I used to think it was just me, but now that I look at it through the eyes of someone who is going to be a parent, I can see how many people are actually hurting. I want to do what I can to help everyone, but I’m an Omega, and I should have been able to do that since the start.”
More frantic writing, then another note. Sean read it, and he smiled.
“I’m glad you think I helped. Thank you.”
Caleb began jotting something down on the paper, then tossed the pad aside, stalked over to the bed, and pulled Sean down into a hug. It was warm, soothing, and Sean enjoyed the comfort from someone who just wanted to be near him.
They stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, until Sean drifted off.
GARETH CAMEdown the stairs and went into the kitchen. Dani was at the stove, stirring a pot of chili. He went and stuck his finger in, which earned him a whack with the spoon she was using. He popped his finger into his mouth, then grinned at her.
“That was totally worth it. This is delicious.”
“How’s Sean?”
“Sleeping. He and Caleb are wrapped up together, and Sean’s buried his face in Caleb’s fur.”
“I’m glad Sean’s getting some rest.” She put the spoon down and turned around to face Gareth. “Can I tell you how pleased I am that Sean’s with us? He’s had this effect on us all, even if he doesn’t know it. There’s a lightness when he’s around, and the people of Lydon are better for it.”
Gareth nodded sagely. “It’s hard to believe he’s only been here a short time. He fits here, with us.”
She chuckled. “With you, you mean.” She picked up the spoon and scooped some chili into a bowl, then placed it in front of Gareth. “You’re a different person now than you were before Sean came.”
“Lyram said the same thing. I thought it was impossible to fall in love over the course of a few weeks, but my wolf knew Sean was meant for us. I needed to reconnect our feelings, the wolf’s and mine. We’re not two separate entities in different bodies. We are one, no matter which form we take.”
“That’s a good way to look at it. I wish more people could see it that way.”
As he went to take a mouthful of chili, Gareth paused with the spoon halfway to his mouth. “Why do you think Sean is so certain I can win this challenge? And why aren’t the people more freaked out over the fact that Ryker could take over Lydon?”
