Fall With Me (UIC 2022)

15 - The Full Moon Festival

Caleb stood in the doorway of his parents' bathroom, watching his father adjust his tie in the mirror. Dad spied him in the reflection and flashed Caleb a wan smile. "I know I'm making us late. Tell your mother I'll be down soon."

"She didn't send me. I just came up here to see you."

Dad turned around. "Before I become the almighty alpha?" he asked wryly.

Caleb grinned and ducked his head, chuckling. "Maybe."

Ryan Stillwater gave up on his tie and walked out of the bathroom. "Listen, Caleb, I know that we haven't talked about this much, especially since you've been occupied with Sawyer and all ..." He sat down on a corner of his bed and patted the space next to him.

Ah, shit, Caleb thought. But his father was right—he spent every non-working, non-sleeping hour thinking about her. "I'm sorry, Dad," he replied automatically, sitting beside his father. "I should have been there for you, too. I didn't realize—"

Dad waved away all of that away. "It was never your burden to bear, Caleb." He sighed and rocked slightly on the bed. "All I wanted to say is that nothing is going to change—between us, as a family, that is." Laughing quietly, Dad shook his head. "There are going to be a hell of a lot of changes to this city, however."

"Good," Caleb replied, relieved.

"Ryan!" Caleb's mother's shout carried upstairs. "We're going to be late!"

Dad glanced at Caleb. "I'm blaming you," he said with a wink.

Caleb grinned. "Go right ahead." They both knew that if Helen Stillwater was truly pissed, the ceiling fan would be swinging with the force of her voice.

His father stood up, paused, then turned around. Puzzled, Caleb stood as well. "I'm proud of you, son," Dad said, clapping a hand on Caleb's shoulder. "You've been a great kid, now you're an upstanding young man with a promising career and you just got engaged. Your mom and I couldn't be happier."

Caleb stared at his father, speechless. His parents had always told him and Naomi that they were proud of them, but for some reason, this time it hit differently. He flushed, suddenly emotional. "Thanks, Dad," he replied, maneuvering around a small lump that formed in his throat.

"RYAN LEON STILLWATER!"

Both men looked up; sure enough, the ceiling fan was swinging slightly.

"Let's go before she brings down the house," Dad said, laughing.

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The Hecate City Fairgrounds were located on the west side of town. The land was several acres in size and hosted everything from craft fairs to concerts, car shows to equestrian competitions.

All for werewolves, that is.

The fair had been setting up for weeks leading up to the ceremony and ran the whole weekend. There were dozens of food and craft vendors, rides and games—basically, anything that could be found at a non-supernatural event was here. The parking lots were usually full by 10 AM with overflow parking in a nearby field.

For years, Caleb had wanted to bring Sawyer here on a date. It was silly, but what he wanted to do most was win her an outrageous, overpriced stuffed animal at one of the carnival games. He'd seen his other friends do it for their girlfriends throughout high school and it upset him greatly that Sawyer couldn't be there to enjoy the weekend too.

Well, he had a couple hundred dollars in his pocket and with Hecate as his witness, Sawyer would be going home with a plushie tonight.

With Dad sitting in the passenger seat, Mom drove her SUV up to the VIP entrance of the fairgrounds. Caleb and Naomi sat in the back, the latter twisting the hem of her flower-print dress between her fingers. Caleb glanced over at his sister, noting how she chewed her lower lip nervously. Naomi was generally gregarious and unflappable, but tonight that tough exterior had more than a few cracks in it. Caleb suspected that part of it had to do with her girlfriend of two years suddenly cutting and running in the week leading up to the festival. He sympathized and even tried to cheer his sister up, but Naomi brushed it off brusquely.