CHAPTER 106: THE PERFECT GIFT...

Charis

My heart melted with warmth as I stared at the box and then at Rhett, who had arched a brow at me.

"You don’t have to cry over everything, Charis," he said impatiently. "People will think I’m bullying you."

"I miss you, Rhett," I cried out in anguish, dropping the box on the trunk of his car and rushing into his arms. "These few days without you or Kael or even Slater have been hell for me. I know I messed up really bad, but I didn’t think being ignored by three of you would make me so miserable."

"Slater ignores you?" Rhett asked, pushing me away from him, but not too forcefully, just enough that I get off his chest.

"He’s barely around," I murmured, wondering why he didn’t want any contact. "I think he’s avoiding me, too."

Rhett shrugged. "I’m sorry, Charis, but now I’m engaged, and I value loyalty more than anything. If you had been a boy like we all thought, it would have been easier for me, but you’re a girl, and I don’t want to cheat on Lydia. She’s a sweet girl."

My heart twisted with jealousy, but I hid it with a smile. "I understand," I nodded. "Sorry for coming off the wrong way, and thank you for this," I bent to pick up the package. "I’ll use it well."

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets as he locked his car and made to leave.

"Will you come?" I asked him as he started to walk away.

"Nope!" he threw over his shoulders without looking at me. "Lydia is coming to see me tonight; I’d rather spend time with her than at your party. It would be lame, by the way. Good luck."

He raised his hand and waved.

I watched as he disappeared from my sight. Staring at my wristwatch, I realised I had at least fifteen minutes before lessons would begin for this morning, so I decided to make a quick stop at Slater’s room, where I was staying and drop off the box.

When I entered Slater’s room, the first thing that hit me was the fresh scent of blood mixed with antiseptic. When I turned, I saw Slater half kneeling, half sitting on the ground in the middle of what looked like a makeshift medical station.

Bloodied cotton wool was scattered across the carpet around him, along with open antiseptic bottles and torn bandage packaging. His shirt was off, showing multiple cuts across his upper body, arms and thighs.

When he saw me, he stiffened and tried to hide the ointment behind his leg and reach for his shirt, too, but he wasn’t fast enough.

"Slater!" I gasped, crossing the room to kneel at his side. "What happened?"

He gave me a wide grin, waving his hand like it was nothing. "Relax. I tripped and fell. I’m fine."

I eyed the cuts scattered across his body; some were shallow, while others looked so deep that I could see the white tissue through the cuts. I wasn’t an expert, but only knife wounds could give you cuts like this, and not tripping and falling.

"You tripped and got wounds like this? On your arm, thigh and side?"

His smile faltered. "Y-You know, I’ve always had a left foot and I’ve not had proper rest these days."

If Slater had a left foot, then that would make me an almost abnormal person. I knew he was lying, but I decided not to press the issue. Instead, I nodded in agreement and asked quietly.

"Can I help you?"

He nodded gratefully and settled back on the floor while I knelt beside him. I grabbed a clean cotton ball, dabbed it in the ointment and gently pressed it to the gash on his arm. He hissed a little but didn’t pull away.

I worked quietly, patching each cut one by one, trying not to think about how many questions I had swirling in my mind.

When I was done, I sat back, flexing my tensed fingers. Slater caught my hand in his, holding it between both of his palms.

"My wolf will heal these wounds in less than an hour," he murmured. "Don’t worry too much, okay?"

I nodded faintly, but my heart still clenched with doubt. Ever since I saw Kael at that human club, I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility that the boys were hiding something from me.

I leaned in to pack the used cotton and wrappers, and Slater leaned forward to kiss me. I wasn’t in the mood, so I gently evaded his lips and rose to my feet, murmuring something about going to dispose of the used medical supplies.

When I returned, Slater was holding a big white box, wrapped in a red ribbon.

"Sixteen hours until your birthday, Charis," he said with a bright smile.

I smiled slightly and moved towards him, accepting the box. It was surprisingly heavy, so I set it on the ground to open it properly. When I lifted the lid of the gift box and saw what was inside, a sob broke out of my chest.

Inside was a framed collage of images of me and my twin, Caden, from our baby years to toddler, all the way through to what would have been our eighteenth birthday.

"I showed this amazing illustrator a picture of you and Caden and asked if he could capture each year until the eighteenth. I know it’s nothing like having the real Caden here, but..."

"It’s perfect," I cried out, crawling toward him and throwing myself into his arms. "Slater, it’s perfect. Caden would have looked like that now."

"I’m glad you like it," he whispered, kissing my hair.

I sobbed into his chest, crying for all the hurt and pain inside me. After a few minutes, I pulled back and picked up the collage again, my hands trembling and tears still blurring my vision.

"This is the best gift I could ever receive," I whispered, touching one of the pictures with a teary smile. It showed Caden and me at about age ten, both of us grinning at the camera. "Look at him, Caden could have been such a handsome man."

"He would have been," Slater agreed softly.

He tilted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "It’s time to forgive yourself, Charis," he said gently. "You didn’t cause his death. You can’t spend your entire life atoning for a crime you had nothing to do with. I hope that as you turn eighteen in a few hours, you’ll embrace a new part of yourself—the part that is unapologetically you, without the weight of guilt you’ve been carrying."

I nodded, feeling something shift inside my chest. "I’ll try."

"Good," he nodded and kissed me. This time, I didn’t resist. I wound my hand around the back of his neck and returned the kiss.

When we parted, breathless, I remembered something. "Oh, Rhett."

"What?" Slater asked.

"Rhett gave me something earlier," I explained, scrambling to my feet and rushing to the door where I’d dropped the box.