Midnight Wolves

Chapter Four: Call

That night as Callie lay in bed, it wasn't her family that she couldn't stop thinking about. No, it was Caleb. The way he'd looked at her, the warmth she felt around him. After all this time she'd hoped that maybe the love she felt for him would have faded. It hadn't.

Such a useless, pointless emotion. He was mated. She didn't stand a chance. Didn't want a chance. Without his mate, he'd die – she wanted him to be happy. To be mated and in love and to have a family. She wanted nothing but happiness for him.

Yet. Her wolf whined beneath her skin. First she'd lost her moonmate and then she'd lost Caleb. Her wolf had had enough. Callie sighed and turned over, flopping against the soft mattress and cursing at how comfortable this house was. It was small, one bedroom and a kitchen-diner that led into a cozy living room, but Callie really liked it. It was homely, decorated in plain whites and beiges with lots of natural wood on show. It was simple and comfy and...she didn't mind being here. Not at all.

Which she hated. Because her wolf was petrified. And because this shouldn't feel like home. Someone, possibly in this pack, had stolen her in the middle of the night, murdered her mother and left Callie in a forest to die.

She couldn't afford to trust anyone.

She let out a loud sigh and flipped onto her back, staring up at the smooth ceiling. She had an uncle. The thought had played through her mind, distracting her during dinner as she met the rest of the pack. They'd arranged a BBQ in her honour, a big smoky fire lined with meats of all types. Someone had played music and the whole pack gathered together. It was friendly, inviting and Callie had quickly found herself sucked in to conversations with strangers. She'd been invited to at least three different houses and had agreed to go for a run in the morning with some of them. Yet, just occasionally, the sounds of conversation, music and the crackling fire would blend and blur until it was nothing but white noise.

It was in those moments that she tried to stop herself from thinking too much on what Will might find. An uncle. Out there, somewhere. Possibly. That was assuming he wasn't dead. He probably was, she tried to convince herself, but hope – poison and deadly – had settled deep into her heart. Hope that maybe he was out there. That maybe he'd know more. That maybe she'd finally have family to call her own.

She was tired of losing. Losing her mate, Caleb...J.

A howl tore through the night sky. Callie shivered at the sound and sat up, the sheet pooling around her middle. The moon hung high in the sky and the wolf howled again, calling to those who were still awake. Caleb.

Callie padded out of the house and into the chilly night, goosebumps shivering up her exposed flesh. She walked blindly through the darkness, her wolf vying to come out and lead her, but Callie wanted to see this for herself.

Right at the back of the packlands, where the collection of houses and roads gave way to forest, there was a tall, jagged hill, speared by rocks that jutted out at odd angles. And sat atop it, head thrown back and nose tipped into the night sky, was Caleb. His mate at his side.

Around them, a few of the wolves had gathered and Callie watched from the shadows below as the clouds shifted overhead until the moon was entirely visible. Like a halo it sat around them, their fur glowing silver from the light that shone directly onto the hill. Callie's wolf lunged forwards and she let her, soaking in the strength and assurance from the moon. It was unspoken, their bond with the moon's cycle. Bathed in moonlight, Callie always felt stronger, clearer, calmer.

She watched the gathered wolves for a moment longer before she turned and trotted back towards her house, disappearing into the shadows before anyone could see her. This was their moment together as a pack, let them have it. Let them enjoy it.

It wasn't until she was back in her bed, the chill from the air still wrapped around her, that Callie realised just how sad she was. Not just at missing Caleb, or the idea of losing J, not even at the idea of never being able to have a mate, but that she'd never felt at home, like she belonged, in the way that Caleb and his wolves did here.

She buried her head into her pillow and, desperately trying to ignore the tears rolling down her face, Callie tried once again to fall to sleep.

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A/N:

I'm impatient and have about 30 chapters pre-written, so expect a fair number of updates over the next couple of days!! :)

Thank you, as ever, for reading/commenting/voting etc. I absolutely love to hear what you think/how you're feeling/if you've cried yet...

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