赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“So… I take it that means you won’t be Luna of Broken Crag?” he asked.

Fiona let out a soft chuckle.

“No,” she said. “I have been Luna of a pack… it is not a role that allows for… self.”

Caleb looked back into her eyes. He expected to see regret or pain. He knew that while she had always done her job and done it well, it had hurt her. It was one of the things that had always bothered him, figuring out how he could help ease the burden on her shoulders and give her the joy she deserved.

But as he met her eyes, he saw no regret or pain. Only the warmth and ease she had been showing him since the start of their conversation.

“You look happy,” he whispered. “I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you look this happy… even when Dad was still around.”

Fiona smiled.

“I am happy,” she replied. “I was happy with Cain too, don’t misunderstand. But these last two years…. I have experienced more freedom than I have had in my entire life. More time to understand the things I want and that I need.”

Caleb smiled and nodded.

“I loved my life before. I do not regret any part of it. Even the mistakes eventually taught me what I needed to know,” she said. “But this new adventure has given me a very different perspective. Regardless of whether I am reborn or not, the only life I know is the one I am living. So, I will fill what time I have left with joy, not obligation.”

“That’s great, Mom,” Caleb said softly. “I’m glad to know that you’re happy. You deserve it more than most.”

Fiona let out a soft chuckle.

“I won’t lie and say that I’m happy you won’t be here every day,” Caleb said, “but Broken Crag isn’t that far.”

Fiona furrowed her brows and tilted her head.

“Why won’t I be here?” she asked.

Caleb looked up, now he furrowed his brows.

“Because… you’ll be in Broken Crag… with Landon…”

“Did I say that?” she asked.

Caleb opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Fiona laughed and touched his shoulder. She took a deep breath and smiled at him.

“As I said, I will fill each day with that which gives me joy,” she said. “My son has returned to Summer. You are my greatest joy. Why would I be anywhere else but here?”

Caleb took a shaky breath. His heart ached in a way he hadn’t expected. A sense of relief fell over him as he hugged his mother closely. She held him tight, and he realized just how much he had missed her in the time he hadn’t even known he was gone.

A few hours after their chat, Fiona and Caleb walked toward the large private room just down the hall 10:13

from the kitchens.

***

A few hours after their chat, Fiona and Caleb walked toward the large private room just down the hall from the kitchens.

It was a room reserved for important dinner guests, usually visiting Alphas looking for a private space to discuss and negotiate while they ate. But tonight, it was the room where they would host a family dinner.

As they approached the door, Caleb hesitated.

“What’s the matter?” Fiona asked.

Caleb took a deep breath.

“I just need a minute,” he said. “You go ahead. I think I’ll get myself a drink first.”

Fiona nodded, and Caleb moved away toward the kitchen.

He expected to find it empty. The dinner had already been laid out on the buffet from the smell outside the room.

But he was surprised to find Landon pouring himself a drink.

Landon looked back.

“Would you like one?” he asked.

Caleb nodded and stepped closer.

Landon poured him the same dark liquor, whiskey, by the rich aroma.

They clinked their glasses, and Landon took a drink, but Caleb paused before tipping back his glass.

“My mother seems happy,” he said.

Landon paused, his glass still pressed to his mouth, and Caleb saw the slight upward twitch of his lips into a smile.

“I believe she is,” Landon replied quietly.

Caleb felt a playful surge of childishness rush through him. He brought his glass to his lips.

“She told me that she could take you or leave you…” he said, smiling as he tipped back the glass and sipped the dark drink.

Landon gave a soft chuckle.

“I know that Fiona speaks of our relationship as a whim that can be abandoned at any time,” he said. “But I also know that my place in her heart grows each day she allows me to stay by her side.”

He took a deep breath.

“She believes I will find my mate and leave her for them someday. She wants to make it easy for us both when that time comes.”

Caleb lowered his glass and looked at Landon.

“Will you?” he asked.

Landon looked at Caleb with a raised brow.

“Fiona may only be willing to commit to the rising and setting of the sun with me,” he said. “She thinks of it as committing to one day at a time, but I know that each time the sun rises and sets, it is still the same sun. And it will rise and set again and again, without fail, until its dying light.”

Landon smiled.

“I know my heart. It will not change. She can leave me, she can seek others…” he said, though he paused and clenched his jaw momentarily. “But I will remain patient and devoted to only her.”

Caleb reached out and grabbed Landon’s shoulder, surprising him.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when Ashleigh told me about your relationship with my mother,” he said. “But now, I’m glad you found each other.”

***

As Caleb finally entered the dining room, he saw that many of the guests were already there, including Ashleigh, standing off to the side, chatting with Bell, Fiona, and Clara. She turned immediately and smiled. He smiled back and nodded for her to continue her conversation.

Not far from where his wife stood, he saw Alice and Nessa talking. Beside them was Landon, who was terrible at hiding the wandering of his eyes to Fiona across the way. Caleb smiled to himself.

High-pitched giggles drew Caleb’s attention toward the ground, only a few feet from where he stood at the entrance. He found Galen lying on the floor as Ren and the twins, Wyatt and Jonas, attacked him. They piled on him with giggles as he pretended to cry for help.

Caleb chuckled and turned his gaze to Axel sitting in a chair, focusing entirely on his task. Little Savannah sat in his lap. She held a small stuffed bear in her tiny hands as Axel neatly braided her hair.

“A beautiful image, isn’t it?” a familiar voice came from behind him. “Incomplete, until now.”

Caleb turned around. He smiled as he saw the silver, white, and gold hair plated into a crown. Her emerald eyes shone with warmth and delight as they met his.

“It’s good to see you, Corrine,” Caleb smiled.

“Even better to see you, Caleb,” Corrine replied.