Navy Wolf

Chapter 45

As dawn breaks over the rugged terrain, the wolves retreat into the folds of the wilderness,

their silhouettes a fleeting echo of the night's untamed ballet.

☾

After dinner I showed Kaven around our block. My mom had made Pasta Chicken Alfredo which had turned out to be Kaven's favorite dish. We had eaten, laughed and giggled and my dad even had made a bet with him that his beloved football team would beat Kaven's.

The bet? A bag of skittles.

The entire evening he had addressed my dad as 'Sir' to which my dad had laughed and told him not to call him that, instead he should use his real name, but Kaven had just kept 'sir-ing' him all along, grinning. They watched the first twenty minutes of the game on TV and then I had insisted to free Kaven so we could go for a walk.

The street lights were already lit when we got out and we strolled on the sidewalk up the hill, him holding my hand. The neighbors would look at me weirdly but this time I didn't mind. There was something else that came to the forefront of my mind. I pondered if this was the right time to ask this question. And I hesitated.

He was smiling and curiously listening to what I was telling him. Like the hill we passed and me explaining to him how I rolled it down in my roller skates and almost broke my arm ten years ago. Or the one time I came home late and a dog had scared the shit out of me so much that I almost screamed, which had turned out to be a chihuahua. Kaven listened to it snickering, his thumb caressing the back of my hand. I glanced up at him, admiring his handsome face under the lights. His strands shimmered in a bluish tint and I was reminded of Caleb's comment again.

I'm not talking about him being a fucking wolf.

Suddenly I was scared. My breathing changed. I couldn't draw in a proper breath.
I had to ask. I had to tell him.

"Kaven."

He stopped, turning away from the scenery we had past the hill with the setting sun while the impact of the beautiful view still lingered in his features. He was smiling, until he noticed my face. The sudden concern in his eyes deepened when I grasped his hand firmer.

"What's wrong?"

He should know. He would tell me. 

"I have to ask you something."

I couldn't keep eye contact it was so frustrating. And to top it all off he looked so innocent. Like a puppy again. 

"Yeah?" He side-eyed me, his voice going up. Now I really felt the tension going up through the roof. But I had already started so there was no way back now.

This had to be the right decision.

We should talk about everything, I convinced myself.

Now that I had him in front of me and hopefully open-minded, he would tell me. I trusted him.

"What are you exactly?" I forced out, the worry of him possibly misunderstanding me strangling me to death.
His eyes tapered and he was obviously speechless. After multiple blinks he finally said: "River, what do you mean?"
I swallowed heavily. "I'm not talking about you being a wolf."

Kaven's expression turned blank. With a sharp movement he averted his gaze, his brows coming together.

There was still this unfathomableness on his face, deep and dark like a black hole. Secretive and closed.