赤裸裸的滑稽故事

By mid-afternoon, all but one of the visiting alphas had left to return home from their time in Winter. Wyatt and Axel went to the Southern Territories to continue the ceremonies. Corrine stepped into her role as leader in their absence.

Caleb and Ashleigh spent the morning together, but she quickly had to leave to return to her duties with Saul. Caleb wanted to pout but immediately gave in once she reminded him that she was so busy because she was preparing to join him in Summer in just a few more days.

When Galen returned from his time with Bell, Caleb expected him to be elated and filled with energy from his time alone with her.

“Welcome back,” Caleb smiled as they approached, hand in hand.

“Hey,” Galen replied.

“Caleb,” Bell greeted him with a smile.

“I need a shower. I will double check that all our bags are properly prepared and placed in the truck after,” Galen said before turning to Bell. “I gotta go.”

“No worries,” she said.

Galen slipped his hand gently behind her neck. He pulled her close, hugged her, kissed the top of her head, and then tenderly kissed her lips. Finally, he whispered something that Caleb couldn’t hear. Bell nodded with a smile, and Galen backed away.

“I won’t be long,” Galen told Caleb as he passed by him.

Caleb watched him walk away with concern.

“He’ll be okay,” Bell said quietly.

Caleb turned back to face her.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I told him something about my past. It upset him,” Bell smiled.

Caleb was surprised. He hadn’t expected she would tell Galen about the transfusions so soon._.

“I imagine it was hard for him to hear. He cares a great deal about you,” Caleb said. “But you’re right. He will be fine.”

Bell laughed.

“I actually forgot that you knew a secret about me…” she sighed and moved closer to him. “It wasn’t that… though that’s a fun one to look forward to, I guess.”

“I don’t understand.”

Bell sat down on the ground before him. She took a breath, telling Galen had been an anxiety inducing event. She had pumped herself up for days before he arrived to get the nerve to talk to him about it. Not because she didn’t know she could trust him, not because she was afraid that he would see her as less because of what she went through.

But because she knew it would hurt him to know what she had been through.

Telling him had hurt. But it was also a massive burden off her shoulders.

Telling Caleb? That was insurance.

Ashleigh had her plans, and Bell would let her pursue them. But Bell would never again let anyone use her to hurt the people she cared about, even if they were willing targets.

“Obviously, you know that I had a rough go of it in Autumn,” Bell began. Caleb nodded. “It wasn’t just the transfusions.”

Caleb sat up a little straighter in his chair.

“I have a mate,” Bell said. It was more manageable to say now. She had held it in all these years, but it was getting easier to admit the truth.

Caleb’s eyes widened.

“You–”

“Not done,” Bell said, raising her hand to stop him. “I met him a long time ago, and I left him a long time ago. But between those long time agos, he was not a good guy.”

Caleb’s jaw clenched, and his grip on the armrest of his chair tightened.

“I won’t go into details, suffice it to say, there are physical and mental scars,” she continued. “He doesn’t exist in my world. I hope he never does ever again for the rest of all eternities and forevers. But I needed Galen to know the truth if we were really going to try to have a go of things between us.”

Caleb relaxed sadly. Galen… he looked back at the door to their shared room.

“He will be okay,” Bell reiterated.

“I know,” Caleb sighed. He looked back at Bell. “How are you doing?”

Bell smiled.

“Peachy.”

“Bell…” Caleb said gently.

“Careful, saying my name all sweet like that. Ashleigh and Galen might get the wrong idea,” Bell winked dramatically.

Caleb laughed.

“I’m dealing,” she said.

“If you need anything.”

“I know,” she said. “Ash, Galen, my three alphas, you. I get it, guys…you love me… you’re obsessed with me. Blegh.”

Bell smiled; Caleb smiled in return.

She had a strength he admired.

“Your three alphas?” he asked.

“Mmhmm,” she nodded.

“Alpha Wyatt, ‘Alpha’ Axel,” she said with air quotes. “And Alpha Corrine.”

Caleb raised his eyebrows.

“Alpha Corrine?” he asked.

Bell tilted her head and crossed her arms.

“Tell me that woman isn’t an Alpha… go on… I’m waiting.”

Caleb laughed.

“No, you’re right.”

A ringtone interrupted their laughter. Bell answered her phone, and after a series of ‘yea ok’s and dramatic sighs, she hung up the phone and got to her feet.

“Well, surprise, surprise, the hospital is falling apart without me. And Peter is ready to jump from the top of the building. So, I better go.”

“Sure,” he nodded. “Just one more thing before you go.”

Bell smiled.

“I’m not going to tell you,” she said. “Galen already asked. Actually, the only one who has never asked is Ash.”

“I could probably find out who he is if I tried,” Caleb commented.

“But you won’t,” she said.

“No, I won’t,” he sighed.

“You all mean well, but there is no reason for anyone to know his name. If I could forget it, I would too.”

She waved and glanced back at the door once more before she turned to leave.

“He will be okay,” Caleb reassured her this time.

Bell smiled but didn’t look back.

***

Axel settled into his room. Wyatt had gone to stay with Richard, but Axel didn’t want the reminder. He told his father he thought it would be too crowded and opted to stay in one of the bar’s guest rooms instead.

He reached into his backpack, looking for a snack. Instead, he was surprised to see a gift wrapped box inside.

Axel pulled out the box and set it down on the table. The tag said who it was from, Alice. He wanted to open it, but it felt strange.

He took a deep breath, reached his hand out, flipped the lid off the box, and took a step back. Nothing happened. Axel approached the table slowly.

He peeked inside and let out an embarrassed chuckle.

Axel pulled out the small kaleidoscope, turning it in his hands. It made him smile, but then he remembered how she had talked about it. She had sounded so sad.

Why would she give him this?

He looked back down into the box. The silver packaging caught his eye just like the night he had found one on the bench.

“Guess it was you that left it there…” he whispered with a smile.

He reached in and pulled out the 3Musketeers.

Beside it, there was a note that simply read. [Eat Me.] with a heart and her name.

It seemed like a strange message, but she was a strange girl.

Axel peeled away the wrapper with his teeth as he continued to look at the kaleidoscope in his hand. He took a small bite from the corner of the bar before setting it back down to focus on the toy.

He smiled as the sweetness spread over his tongue.

Axel brought the kaleidoscope up to his eye.

He grinned as he recognized buttons, beads, and shiny confetti pieces. He turned it once, and his smile fell.

It looked like grains of rice, but words were written on them. They were out of order, but the message seemed simple enough to understand.

‘Don’t’

‘Eat’

‘Poison’

Axel hurried to the bathroom, spitting and desperately trying to wash his mouth out. He dropped the kaleidoscope to the floor as he ran.

It cracked. The items inside spilled out, buttons, beads, and several grains of rice, with the exact same words repeated.

A small folded paper was just slightly visible inside of the toy’s casing.