赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Almost two hours after Ashleigh’s call, when Landon was forced to attend his duties, Fiona was finally able to look at the image she had received. When she did, the air in her lungs felt as though it had been sucked out, and her heart stopped beating entirely.

Frozen in an agonizing moment of shock and disbelief, Fiona’s eyes widened and shook as she stared at the image of her son beside Ashleigh.

She gasped and dropped the phone, jumping out of bed with the sheets wrapped around her.

Fiona stood for a long time staring at the phone, still lying on the bed. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths as she tried to collect her thoughts.

She reached down and picked it up, swallowing before looking at the image again. The scar on Ashleigh’s jaw was the first thing she looked at.

“Impossible…” she whispered to herself.

Her eyes moved to the man beside Ashleigh in the picture. It looked just like him. Just like he had that day five years ago. When she saw him for the last time before she entered the portal to lead the wolves out of Summer.

Fiona’s legs felt weak. She sat down on the edge of the bed. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, and her heart raced with excitement, confusion, and fear. A weak smile began to form on her lips. Could it be real?

‘Caleb is gone. He’s never coming back.’

The words suddenly whispered in her mind, making her draw a sharp breath.

‘It’s time, Mom,’ Galen’s voice echoed from the past. ‘We need to move on.’

Fiona looked away from the image. A heaviness fell over her chest. Galen was Alpha of Summer now. If Caleb was back, he could no longer be Alpha. All because she had given up on him two years ago.

She let out a shaky breath and then lifted her phone back up. She forwarded the image in an email to Galen, demanding an answer to what it meant. Quickly getting dressed, she didn’t bother to say goodbye or even leave a note for Landon. She needed to return to Summer and could think of nothing else right now.

By the time she arrived, her emotions had boiled over. She needed answers, not more questions. But when she found Galen, she was even more shocked by what she found out.

He had never stopped looking for Caleb. Even while he convinced her that there was no hope, he knew very well that Alice and Myka continued searching. That he, and even Axel, were still searching to this day.

But she, his mother, had given up on him. While everyone else still searched, she stopped. She mourned and, eventually, moved on.

The pain, anger, and guilt that Fiona felt was overwhelming. She hadn’t intended to slap Galen, but she could do nothing else. Whatever he said after, she couldn’t hear.

His voice turned to noise in her ears, and then the noise became static as she fell to her knees and cried.

Fiona had no idea how long she had stayed like that or when she lost consciousness.

She woke in her room, and by the moonlight coming through the window, it was clear that several hours had passed.

Her phone sat on the nightstand beside her. She had several missed calls and messages from Landon. She closed her eyes and set the phone down. She couldn’t talk to him right now. Her mind was in too much of a jumble.

Fiona took a deep breath. Ashleigh had said they would be home in three days. Which meant she would have to wait for her answers either way. But she wanted to settle her argument with Galen before they arrived. Unfortunately, it was too late an hour to go talk with him now.

She lay back on the bed and pulled the blankets over her shoulders, allowing the day's exhaustion to settle back over her before her mind could wander to other things.

Her dreams began as she had expected. Visions of Caleb’s heartbroken face as he realized what she had done. He asked her how she could have given up on him while he was still out there fighting to return.

Even knowing it was a dream, Fiona couldn’t find her way out. She cried and begged the nightmare to end, covering her eyes and ears, just hoping it would all stop. And somewhere along the way, it did.

She began to dream of the mountains where Landon had taken her to help her regain the strength in her leg once more. To the places of beauty, he had shown her hidden among the harshness of Broken Crag.

In the dream, Caleb and Ashleigh were with them. Caleb laughed as he and Landon raced up the mountain. Ashleigh stared in awe at the glowing caves deep within the Crag.

They all, as well as Galen and Bell, Corrine, and the rest of their extended family, gathered together to eat and drink. To reconnect and celebrate with each other.

Fiona woke with a peaceful feeling. She took a deep breath and then noticed the soft scent of a mountain breeze and how soothing the warmth surrounding her felt. It took only a moment to recognize why.

Opening her eyes, she looked back over her shoulder. She smiled, wondering how she hadn’t noticed him getting into bed with her. Behind her, Landon slept peacefully with his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close against him.

She carefully turned in his arms to face him.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, reaching out and gently stroking his hair.

“I was worried,” his sleepy voice whispered back. He pulled her closer, nuzzling against her shoulder with his eyes still closed. “You disappeared and didn’t answer my calls or messages.”

Fiona sighed and hugged him, bowing her head and kissing the top of his head.

“I have told you before that an Alpha should be more composed,” she whispered against his hair. “Running off to chase your lover because she hasn’t answered your call is childish.”

Landon only hugged her tighter.

“I will gladly accept your criticism and proudly acknowledge my childishness," he said. "But, you left without a word. I knew something must be wrong and that you were hurting in some way. How could I stay still?”

Fiona closed her eyes and smiled.

“Will you tell me what happened?” he asked.

She swallowed and cleared her throat.

“The person that Ashleigh is bringing home,” she began, “the picture she sent…”

She paused and took a deep breath.

“It appears to be Caleb,” Fiona whispered. “She found him.”