赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“Send another unit to assist Grey Paw and find out if there have been more sightings of the fae creatures,” Caleb stated.

“Yes, my Alpha.”

Caleb nodded to the men and women gathered at the table.

“Let's adjourn for tonight,” he said as he stood from his place at the head of the table. “We will meet again in the morning to discuss the relocation of the refugees.”

“Yes, my Alpha!' the men and women shouted in unison.

Caleb raised his hand in acknowledgment and left the room.

As he made his way down the hall, he clenched his jaw and took deep breaths through his nose. His heart was pounding heavily in his ears, and he could feel the sweat on his brow as he hurried up the stairs toward his office.

He entered and quickly closed the door behind him, taking heavy breaths as he moved further into the room. Caleb suddenly felt like the air was getting thicker and more difficult to swallow. He tore at the top buttons of his shirt, finding momentary relief.

As he reached his desk, Caleb let go of his strength for just a moment, falling forward against the edge of the table. He caught himself, but his breathing was ragged. His skin was on fire, his muscles tensed up suddenly, and he let out a shuddering breath as his body ached for the hunt.

There was a desperate howl in his mind, a needful hunger that threatened his sanity.

Caleb wondered how much longer he could hold himself together.

The door opened.

Caleb quickly tried to pull himself together.

“Hey, I'm running late to meet Bell at the restaurant, but I just needed to confirm one more thing with you– whoa,” Galen said as he looked up to see the dark look in Caleb's eyes, the strain of his body. “Are you ok?”

Caleb growled and clenched his jaw.

“Oh, I've seen that look before….” Galen said, remembering the first full moon that Caleb and Ashleigh were near each other and having to chain his Alpha to a wall. It was not a pleasant memory for him.

Galen looked carefully at Caleb. It was clear that he was struggling. He looked barely in control of his own actions.

“What the hell is going on, Caleb? You and Ashleigh have already been mated; the full moon shouldn't have this kind of effect on you anymore,” Galen commented with concern.

Caleb gripped the edge of his desk so hard, even the sound of the wood splintering could be heard by Galen.

“What do you need, Galen….” Caleb growled through gritted teeth.

Galen felt the need to push the issue further. Still, Caleb was unwilling to share the problem, and Galen had promised Bell a romantic dinner. He didn't want to break that promise.

He took a deep breath and held up the documents in his hand.

“These are from the hospital. They have given all the children a clean bill of health. There are some nutritional concerns, and each child has been recommended counseling, but otherwise, they are all quite healthy.”

“Good,” Caleb replied.

His voice was strained, and Galen could still see that his hands were gripping the desk so tightly that either it or Caleb was bound to break.

Galen swallowed and continued his report.

“Also, Alice has been steadily improving and was released to–”

“What?” Caleb interrupted, turning with wild eyes to face Galen.

Galen unconsciously took a step back.

“Uhm… yea, her tests have all come back looking good, so she was given permission to leave the hospital,” Galen said, quickly adding, “She's still in Summer. Just staying in a room with Axel instead of the hospital.”

“She's recovered?” Caleb asked, turning back to his desk. “She and Axel are together tonight?”

Galen nodded.

“There were still a few small concerns, and they will repeat the brain scan tomorrow. But from the sound of it, she's out of danger now,” Galen replied. “And it's the full moon… so I assume they are… well… busy with full moon stuff….”

Caleb let out a shaky breath. Galen could see his hands on the desk, and his tight shoulders began to relax.

“Galen…” Caleb whispered. “I need you to do something.”

“What's that?” Galen asked.

Caleb turned around; his eyes lit up with their unearthly glow. A dangerous grin spread over his lips, and Galen unconsciously took another step backward.

“Clear the forest,” Caleb growled.

“Clear the– but that… the moon is already out, how am I supposed to– Caleb!”

But it was too late. The Alpha had already run out of the room.

Galen sighed. He pulled out his phone, calling Bell to apologize and let her know that he would not be able to make it to dinner at the restaurant.

***

Ashleigh and Fiona had been sharing Ren for the past several hours. They took turns holding him, feeding him.

They had even held a small fashion show, taking turns putting him in different suits.

Fiona was incredibly proud of having procured a military uniform for him.

Ashleigh sat on the floor, covering her face with a blanket and playing peek-a-boo with him while Fiona warmed up his bottle.

Her phone rang, she saw that it was Galen and smiled.

“If you are calling to make sure I know the proper temperature and amount of time to heat the bottle, your wife has already given me exact instructions,” Fiona smiled into the receiver.

“I have no doubt of that,” Galen laughed. “She probably even marked the bottles to show exactly how high the formula should be before you added the water and after.”

“Mmhmm, and I don't think she appreciated the joke I made about eyeballing it.”

“Ha… yea, no, she wouldn't have… you didn't, though, right?”

Fiona laughed out loud.

“It's just that there is an exact amount that Ren likes to drink. If you give him too much, he gets pretty fussy and–”

“Galen,” Fiona sighed.

“Hmm?”

“Did you have a reason for calling?”

“Oh, right. Uhm, I was hoping you could help me spread the word,” he said. “Caleb has ordered that the forest be cleared.”

“What? But it's a full moon!” Fiona replied with genuine shock. “And she's already risen!”

“I know,” Galen sighed. “But he wasn't in the mood to answer questions and ran out the door immediately after giving the order.”

Fiona closed her eyes and sighed.

Clearing the forest was the right of the Alpha. It meant that he wanted to hunt without interference or interruption. Simply put, he wanted no other wolves in the forest during this time.

But to do so during a full moon was insane. This was the night that mated couples took to the trees to allow the power of their bond to flow freely through them.

Fiona could not understand why he would do such a thing for the life of her, especially after the moon had already risen.

“Do we even know what it is he is hunting?” Fiona asked with exasperation.

Ashleigh glanced up at Fiona, wondering what it was that was irritating her.

She picked up Ren, smiling down at him as she set him back into his bassinet. She was just about to take the bottle from Fiona when there was a sudden prickling along her skin.

She licked her lips and then gasped as a howl echoed in her mind and heat spread over her body.

Before Galen could answer her, Fiona heard the gasp.

She turned to see Ashleigh standing behind her. Her chest was rising and falling with force as she took heavy breaths. A blush spread over her cheeks and the soft moonlight reflected from her eyes.

Fiona covered her mouth and watched as Ashleigh swallowed and then turned to the door, leaving without a word.

“I don't know what he could be hunting,” Galen replied. “He just left without another word.”

“Galen, we need to clear the forest quickly,” Fiona said. “I know what he's hunting. No one is safe out there tonight.”

“What? Why?” Galen asked with concern.

“Because,” Fiona replied. “Any wolf that comes between an Alpha claiming his Luna, is seeking death.”

***

It had taken almost two hours, but Galen had managed to clear out the wolves in the forest. He had sent patrols to bring in any wolf they found, save for Caleb and Ashleigh. They were to be avoided at all costs.

Caleb took another deep, cleansing breath as he watched the last of the patrols running through the trees. He had been watching for a long time, barely holding back his urge to enter the forest.

His skin burned. His lungs felt too small. Already his power was coming off him in waves. He stared out into the night, the full moon high in the sky above him.

His bright eyes fell on the trees with a hungry growl. She was out there somewhere.

As the last of the patrol left his hunting grounds, a howl cried out to the moon. Caleb grinned; she knew they were finally alone now too.

He roared and ran, shifting into his wolf. He raced through the trees with a single thought in his mind.

‘Find her.'