Chapter Fifty-two
Caleb’s POV
Hunter had been gone for hours. Not that it was my business to know where he went, but I could easily come up with a guess.
It wasn’t hard to see the signs every time the Alpha tried to run from his problems. I’d watched him do it before.
He would lose himself in a bottle until the anger and guilt he carried became numb enough for him to Ignore.
Tonight wasn’t so different.
I stood by one of the estate’s windows, staring out into the darkness, the moon shining a pale glow across the grounds.
My thoughts spun, still replaying the scene I’d stumbled upon earlier. I’d tried to push it out of my mind, but it kept coming back, like a wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding.
My jaw clenched as I remembered the way they’d looked at each other. Hunter’s raw, possessive gaze… so unlike him… and Faelen’s mix of shyness and shock.
It wasn’t just a casual fling or a meaningless encounter. There was something more there. Something deep.
The estate front doors creaked open, breaking my flow of thought. I turned and saw Hunter stumble in, his shoulders slumped and his hair disheveled.
He was alone. The smell of alcohol was unmistakable, clinging to him like a second skin.
He wasn’t drunk enough to lose his balance, but I could see the dullness in his eyes. Whatever he’d gone looking for tonight, he hadn’t found it.
He stopped when he saw me standing there, his expression guarded. For a moment, we just stared at each other, the silence thick with unspoken words.
I could feel the tension between us build… pushing either of us to cross it.
“You should get some rest,” I said finally, my voice steady despite the battle inside me.
Hunter scoffed, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “Rest? Is that an order, Beta?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I replied. “I’m not here to give orders. Just looking out for you. As always.”
“Yeah, like you were looking out for me earlier?” His voice sharpened, eyes narrowing. He took a step forward, swaying slightly. “Standing there, judging me… judging us.”
I resisted the urge to sigh. “Hunter, I wasn’t judging anyone.”
“Bullshit.” He threw a finger in my direction, and I could see the anger beneath the surface. “You think I don’t know that look? The same look you gave me when I said she was just another servant. You think I’m lying, don’t you?”
“I think,” I said carefully, “that you’re lying to yourself more than anyone else.”
For a second, I thought he might swing at me. His fists clenched, the muscle in his jaw tightening.
But then his shoulders sagged, the eagerness to fight leaving him as quickly as it had came up.
His voice was softer now, almost defeated. “Maybe I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” He said.
The honesty in his tone took me by surprise, and for a moment, the anger I’d been holding onto melted away.
I took a step closer, lowering my voice. “Hunter… what’s really going on here?
He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Caleb. I don’t know how it got this far. One minute I’m warning myself to stay away from her, to not get involved. The next minute, I’m… I’m losing control around her. And I can’t seem to stop it.”
The vulnerability in his eyes made something turn painfully in my chest. I’d seen Hunter angry, ruthless, unrelenting… but never like this.
Never so vulnerable and confused, so torn apart by his own emotions.
“You know she’s more than just a servant to you,” I said quietly.
He flinched, like I’d struck him. “That’s the problem,” he whispered, almost to himself. “She is just a servant. She’s supposed to be…. But when I’m around her, I forget that. I forget everything.”
There it was. The confession I hadn’t expected him to give so openly. But it didn’t bring me any relief. If anything, it made the situation more complicated.
“And what about her?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral. “Have you thought about what all this is doing to her?”
Hunter looked at me sharply. “Of course I have. You think I don’t know what kind of position this puts her in? But it’s not that simple. I can’t just…”
“Can’t just what? Let her go?” I cut in, my voice rising slightly despite calming myself. “You’re making things worse by holding on to her, Hunter. If you really cared about her…”
“I do care,” he snapped, the pressure in his voice startling us both. “I care more than I should. That’s why I can’t just let her go. I want her… and it’s killing me.”
We stood there in silence, the weight of his admission hanging heavy in the air. I wanted to say something that would make this easier for him, but I knew there was nothing I could offer.
This was a mess of his own making, and only he could untangle it.
“You’re the Alpha,” I said quietly. “You’re supposed to be the one in control.”
A humorless laugh escaped him. “Yeah, well… not when it comes to her.”
He looked at me then, really looked at me, and I saw something like desperation in his eyes.
“Hunter, you should get some rest,” I started, my voice calm. “We can talk about this in the morning when you’re sober.”
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do,” he snapped, stopping abruptly. “I know exactly what you’re doing, Caleb.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, frustration beginning to rise in my chest. “I’m just trying to help here.”
“Help?” he spat, a bitter laugh escaping him as he staggered a step closer. “That’s what you’ve been doing right? Helping?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve always done…”
“Bullshit!” Hunter roared, his voice echoing in the hallway, startling even me.
He stepped right into my space, the smell of alcohol and rage coming off him in waves. “You’ve been trying to get me to let her go because you want her for yourself!”
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach, leaving me speechless. For a second, I wondered if I’d heard him right.
When the meaning completely sank in, I felt something twist deep inside me, a mix of shock and anger rising quickly to the surface.
“Stop pretending you don’t want her for yourself!” Hunter added, his voice almost a shout as he stumbled forward.
His face was flushed, and his fists were clenched tight. I could smell the alcohol on his breath even from a few feet away.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I tried to keep my voice steady, to stay calm, but Hunter’s words struck a chord.
“You know what I’m talking about, Caleb,” he sneered, swaying slightly as he moved closer. “You’ve been telling me to let her go, acting like you’re looking out for me. But it’s all bullshit, isn’t it? You just want her for yourself.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I shook my head and tried to turn away, refusing to be baited. “You’re drunk, Hunter. Go sleep it off.”
“Drunk?” He scoffed, pulling me back by my shoulder. “Yeah, I’m drunk. But that doesn’t change what I know. You think I don’t see the way you look at her? You’re just waiting for me to mess up, so you can have her all to yourself!”
His words were like a slap to my face. I took a deep breath, telling myself he didn’t mean it, not really.
Hunter had always been fiery, especially when he was drunk. But something about the way he looked at me now, with raw hatred and suspicion, made me pause.
Was this really what he thought? Or worse… was this something he’d always felt but never said out loud until now?
“Hunter, listen to me,” I started slowly, raising my hands. “I don’t want Faelen. Not like that. I’ve only ever wanted to help, to make sure you don’t ruin things for both of you. You need to…”
“Shut up!” He roared, and before I could react, his fist came flying at me.
The punch landed on my jaw, sending a sharp pain radiating through my face. I stumbled back, tasting blood in my mouth.
“Hunter!” I shouted, anger flaring despite myself.
I clenched my teeth, the urge to hit him back almost overwhelming me. But I stopped myself.
Even now with blood trickling from my lip and my fists ready to swing, I held back. Because this was Hunter… my Alpha friend, my brother in arms.
But he stood there, panting, his fists still clenched, his face twisted in rage.
For a split second, I thought he might swing again, but then he seemed to cool down a little, shaking his head violently as if trying to clear the fog in his mind.
“Go ahead, Caleb,” he spat bitterly. “Fight me. You’re so damn good at keeping your control, acting like you’re better than me. But you’re not. You’re no better than I am. You want her. I know you do.”
“Hunter, stop,” I pleaded, trying to keep my voice even. “I don’t want to fight you. You know this isn’t…”
“Yeah, you don’t want to fight.” He laughed bitterly, a harsh bitter sound. “Because you already got what you wanted. You got to see me look pathetic in front of her, right?”
He shook his head one last time, then turned on his heel and stormed away. I stood there for a moment, breathing hard, the silence of the quiet hallways pressing down on me.
My jaw throbbed in pain, the metallic taste of blood sharp on my tongue. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, wincing as I felt the sting.
Slowly, I made my way back to my chambers. The adrenaline was starting to wear off now, replaced by a dull ache in my lip and a heavier, deeper pain somewhere in my chest.
Sitting down at my small desk, I grabbed a rag and pressed it against my busted lip. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, Hunter’s words still echoed in my mind.
I wanted to brush it off and tell myself that it was just the alcohol talking. But a small part of me felt there was a bit of truth in what he said.
I had liked Faelen from the moment I saw her. I remembered the way she’d looked… fragile and beautiful together. But I’d never let myself think about her like that.
Especially after I learned about Hunter’s feelings for her. And not after I saw how she looked at him when she thought no one else was watching.
But now, sitting here alone, I couldn’t ignore the truth anymore. I had thought about having her before of course.
I tried to bury those thoughts, to shove them deep down and convince myself that I was only trying to help a friend.
But maybe Hunter saw something in me that I refused to see in myself. Maybe I wasn’t as selfless as I thought after all.