Chapter 2

Laura

I'm stunned to silence. 

Since I poured out my heart over the phone, part of me had registered this person as the Caleb I once knew. But getting confirmation? Dude, when did Caleb start sounding so... Husky and sexy?

He was always handsome, but his voice... Damn.

It takes me a few moments to gather enough courage to answer his question. "Yes..."

Caleb exhales and breathes a laugh into the phone. "This is so surreal. We haven't talked for seven years, and now... Holy shit."

A blush creeps over my face, and the amused and excited tone in Caleb's voice is enough to almost make me sober. Why did I call him? I bet he thinks I'm a loser.

"Okay... Can we forget that I called you? You can pretend this never happened and go back to living your life. And I will return to what I was doing before you called."

Crying my eyes out, that is what I was doing. And after this phone call is over? I will probably be drinking and doing it again.

"No, I don't want to hang up."

My heart rate accelerates, yet I don't speak. I didn't expect Caleb to want to continue the phone call. 

"Look, I'm happy you called..." Caleb grows quiet, and I don't say a word, forcing him to speak again. "Are you still there?"

My voice comes out as a hoarse whisper. "Yes."

"Oh, wow," Caleb laughs. "Have you had a lot today?"

My cheeks heat up. "That is none of your business, Caleb."

He chuckles. "Fair enough."

"I'm going to hang up now."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm not thinking straight."

It is so weird talking to grown-up Caleb. He is definitely not a little boy anymore. I'm already trying to picture him, but I can't form an image inside my head. 

But the girls always surrounded him in the past, and I bet that hasn't changed. The bastard must be hot.

"So I'm supposed to forget this phone call ever happened?" Caleb asks.

"You had no problem forgetting I existed, so... Yeah?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You never called me after you moved away. I bet you forgot about me as soon as you left Werewolf Valley. Oh, and you never even came over to say goodbye. You just disappeared during summer break."

"Hold on," Caleb is speaking in a louder tone. "Your parents hated me—we come from two different packs, Laura. They told me to stay away from you and said it was what you wanted. And I trusted them. I thought you didn't have the balls to tell me yourself."

"W-what?"

Caleb growls. "And I have thought about you a lot since I left Werewolf Valley behind. The memories of you have haunted me, really. I didn't understand why it mattered so much that we were of different packs. There wasn't an ongoing war between our packs, and I really fucking liked you. You were my best friend."

I freeze into a block of ice. 

It's not easy being told your whole teenage years were a lie. What hurt me the most when I was a teenager and still makes me bleed is Caleb walking out of my life. For years, I thought it was his choice, and now it turns out it was my parent's fault he left?

What. The. Hell???

The pain in my chest is about to tear me apart. I'm lost and confused. Why would my parents drive Caleb away from me? They knew how much we played and liked each other!

At least when we were younger…

My lips tremble. "All along, I thought you abandoned me..."

I'm not sure what to believe anymore. Either Caleb is lying and is extremely good at it, or my parents are assholes. It's probably the latter. Either way, I felt like a complete idiot at the moment.

"No, I didn't stop talking to you by choice," Caleb sounds like he is in pain, and I hear him pacing a room. Floorboards creak underneath him. "This is shocking for me too... You rode your bike outside my house because you wanted me to come out?"

I blink away a couple of tears. "I did, and... Again, this phone call is a mistake, Caleb. I'm in an ocean of hurt, and there isn't a point in digging up old bones in the sand. We are seven years too late. Please, have a nice evening, and take care."

My finger moves to end the phone call, but Caleb throws in my nickname to make me hesitate.

"Don't do this to me, Teacup."

Teacup.

Why does that name give me butterflies?

I don't hang up, but I say nothing.

"Something made you call me tonight," Caleb uses a gentle tone that sounds careful and calculative of what to say next. "Mind telling me what it was?"

"I'm drunk."

"Is that all?"

No, I still miss you. "Yes..."

"How did you manage to find my number?"

"I picked up the first Caleb Harrington in your area and randomly called the number displayed."

He laughs. "Which means you probably had no idea it was me answering the phone before you started yelling at me."

My cheeks burn. Caleb knows me too well. "I guess..."

"Might I ask why you're drinking on this lovely Tuesday night?"

"Uh, let's see... I betrayed my parents, blocked their numbers, ran from my wedding, and now I'm spending the night inside my car in a city far away from home. I barely have any money. The only outfit I have is my wedding dress, and my car doesn't come with a toilet. I'm miserable, but if you want, I can add more reasons to the list."

"Holy shit..." Caleb chuckles. "No, I think you've given me enough reasons to down an entire bottle, if not more."

"That's what I'm doing. I'm getting smashed tonight."

"What the fuck, Laura..."

"Can I hang up now, Caleb?"

"Uh-uh, not a chance," Caleb says, still chuckling at me. "You're going to tell me where you are so I can come and get you. Which town are you in? Should I take a car or a private jet?"

"Private jet?" I widen my eyes and blink repeatedly. "What, how the heck would you be able to afford that?"

"I own a software company. I'm a billionaire now, but we can discuss that later. Where are you right now?"

"Software company?"

"Laura..." He warns. "Where. Are. You?"

"I won't tell you..."

He sighs in defeat. "Alright, we will continue talking while I eat this tasty yogurt on my balcony then..."

"Yogurt? What? But you hated yogurt and ice cream in the past."

"A lot can change over a few years. When you last saw me, I was seventeen, and our best years were back when we were fourteen-thirteen years old." 

That's right. My heart falters. Time sure has passed since we were best friends. I'm beginning to realize I probably have nothing in common with Caleb anymore.

It hurts.

"It sure was a long time ago..."

"Yeah, my balls hadn't even dropped back then."

I snort in amusement, rolling my eyes. This guy... "You were a late-bloomer, but I'm pretty sure you had your goddamn balls. They dropped when you were a freaking baby."

"Either way, we are no longer kids."

"That's for damn sure."

"Yup," Caleb smacks his tongue against the back of his mouth, producing this "ta-ta-ta" sound; some habits never die. "So, have there been more unsuspecting victims you've called or just me?"

"No, this is my first-time drunk dialing."

"Ah, there is always a first time for every serial caller. Do you feel the adrenaline pumping? That's how you know it will happen again."

My adrenaline is pumping, but for a whole other reason. I still haven't processed the fact that I'm speaking to Caleb. It baffles me every time I'm reminded of it. 

"Hopefully, I won't be making this into a habit."

My awkward tone makes Caleb laugh, which lights up the mood since he sounds less distrustful of me. I move in my seat, reaching for a piece of candy while people pass my car. 

"You know, you've changed," Caleb says. "A lot."

Yes, and he doesn't know the best part yet: that I'm no longer the fat girl who people laughed at in school. Caleb never mentioned it, but maybe he would find me pretty now?

I sigh. "Because I grew up—you've changed too."

"How?"

"For starters, you sound like a man."

He laughs. "Because I am a man?"

My lips twitch, and my heart hammers against my chest. "True."

"I'm curious about what you look like today: do you still love running around without a bra?"

My eyes narrow. "Asshole."

When my breasts started growing, I didn't wear any bras, and the guys in my class used to call me "banana tits," which I hated. 

"How am I an asshole?" Caleb questions. "Every guy in high school thought you had sexy tits and teased you only because they all dreamed of touching them."

Really?

"That's not true," before Caleb can intervene, I ask a question. "What do you look like right now?"

He chuckles into the phone. "Why do you want to know?"

I blush. "Well, you asked me, so it seemed fair..."

"I'm tall... Muscular—typical alpha. Probably strong enough to bench press you, Teacup." Caleb teases.

My cheeks burn hotter, and I fall silent with a thumping heart.

Caleb hums into the phone. "So, what else is happening in your life besides escaping from potential husbands and weddings? What do you do for a living? Any hobbies? Pets?"

"No pets, and... I'm a baker or... I was. Before I left my hometown, I worked at the local bakery. It was fun, but now I'm homeless."

"Don't worry," Caleb says. "That will be taken care of soon—I got everything under control."

I blink. "Uh, what?"

"I'm tracking this phone call right now and sending someone to get you. But please don't freak out. It's for your own good that I'm doing this, Teacup."

"What?" I nervously laugh. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope."

"But I don't want to be picked up!"

"You need my help, and you will get it. I am not letting you live in your car and freeze to death. It's not summer anymore. You need a cozy bed, a blanket, and your own room."

"No, I don't wish to be a burden!" I argue and stare at a black SUV parking next to my car. Tuxedo-wearing werewolves jump out of it. "Oh-my-god, you sent men in black? Really? CALEB! WHAT THE FUCK?! This must count as kidnapping!"

"If I did kidnap you, Teacup, would it really be that bad?"

I'm about to answer him, but the werewolves surround my car, and one of them rips open the door by force. He must be like six feet tall. 

I stare at him.

"Ma'am, we will need you to step out of the vehicle. We are taking you to alpha Caleb."