Chapter 82: The Pack’s Pressure
Caleb POV
The heavy book slammed shut in my hands as another pack member burst through the library door without knocking. I jumped, my heart racing as the sound echoed through the quiet room.
"Caleb! There you are!" It was Mrs. Henderson from the bakery, her face bright with joy. "I have the most wonderful story to tell you about you and Lily!"
I groaned quietly and set the book down. This was the fifth person today who wanted to "help" me remember my bond with Lily. Yesterday there had been seven. The day before, nine.
"Mrs. Henderson, I really appreciate you trying to help, but—"
"Oh, nonsense!" She plopped down in the chair across from me, totally ignoring my protest. "This story is too sweet not to share. It was last summer, and you brought Lily daisies every single day for two weeks straight. She kept them in a little vase by her window, and she’d smile every time she looked at them."
I stared at her, waiting to feel something. Anything. A spark of memory, a flutter of recognition, even just a tiny happy feeling. But there was nothing. Just the same empty hole where my memories of Lily should be.
"That’s... nice," I said softly.
Mrs. Henderson beamed. "And then there was the time you spent three days making her a little wooden wolf for her birthday. You worked on it every free moment, making sure every detail was perfect. When you gave it to her, she cried happy tears and said it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever made for her."