(Caroline's POV)
By the time morning rolled around, I was well rested. I dreamed of Keegan all night long. When I woke up, he wasn't in my bed anymore. I sat up and yawned, stretching my arms up. I stood and went to my drawers for a change of clothes. After taking a shower, I changed into a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans and a loose-fitting blue blouse, paired with my black and blue Nike running shoes. I brushed through my long hair before deciding to just let it fall to my waist. I put on a light layer of makeup before I grabbed my bag and went downstairs. Keegan was playing with Preston and Danny was in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Hey, Care, breakfast will be ready in two," Danny yelled towards the living room.
"Okay," I replied before I went and sat on the floor with Preston and Keegan. They were playing with Preston's action figures. It was so cute. Preston smiled at me.
"Ninny! Keys is Superman and I'm Batman," he said excitedly. I chuckled before kissing his cheek. He immediately frowned and wiped his cheek off. "No!" he protested.
"Why not Preston?" I asked him. He straightened and crossed his arms.
"I'm a big boy," he proclaimed. I laughed and shook my head at him.
"Keegan's a big boy and he still gets kisses," I said. Preston looked at Keegan doubtfully. I leaned over and pressed my lips against his cheek before looking back to Preston. "See?" I said. Preston frowned.
"I wanna kiss too," he pouted. Keegan and I laughed before I kissed his cheek again.
"Better?" I asked. He smiled widely as she nodded.
"Breakfast!" Danny called. I took Preston by the hand and we all went to the kitchen. Danny had a buffet laid out on the table. After we ate, Keegan and I walked out to my car. I tossed him the keys and got in on the passenger side. I noticed his clothes for the first time all morning. I looked at him quizzically. Keegan drove off to school as I turned towards him more.
"Where did you get the change of clothes?" I asked. He smiled lightly but kept his eyes on the road.
"Gregg dropped it off this morning," he answered me easily. We rode in a comfortable silence all the way to school. Keegan held my hand waffle-style and kissed the back of it before we got out of the car and went into the school. It was odd. People were staring at us like we'd just landed from another planet. It wasn't like we were all over each other or holding hands. We weren't even touching, yet everybody in the school seemed to think something was going on. I didn't even know what was going on. Most of the girls' expressions consisted of glares and scowls. Natasha's expression couldn't put me six feet under. It was that way all the way up through lunch. I sighed and sat down quickly. Mariana and Stacy were grinning at me like idiots.
"What?" I snapped at them.
"What crawled into your underwear this morning, princessa?" Mariana asked. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.
"People have been staring at me all day," I whined. Stacy laughed.
"Yeah, they should. Rumor is that Keegan spent the night at your house a few times. And a few people from his neighborhood saw you at his house. And apparently you were there for hours," Stacy said. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"So?" I shrugged. Their mouths dropped.
"It's true?" Mariana practically whispered. I shrugged.
"It's not like we... well we did kiss last night but that was it," I said. They both went on to grin like idiots again.
"Oh my God, Carol!" Stacy squealed.
"You know I hate it when you call me that... and keep your voice down," I muttered. They both shut up and looked to where I could feel him. I knew he was staring at me without even having to turn around. He slip into the seat next to me as the guys filled in to their spots. Nick looked grumpy and that made me smile. I reached over and pinched his cheek.
"What's the matter Nicky? Is someone's pride hurt?" I said in a teasing baby voice. The guys laughed as Nick swatted my hand away.
"Shut up," he muttered. I laughed and sat back in my seat. Keegan wrapped his arm around my waist and traced the scar on my stomach lightly. I'd got used to him doing that so I didn't mind at all. He leaned over to kiss my cheek but I stopped him with my hand.
"No PDA," I said, wrinkling my nose. I hated when other couples made out in public so I wasn't going to be one of them. Keegan pouted but he didn't argue.
"You should come over again, Holloway. There's no way you can be good at Fifa too," Asher said with a smirk. I smiled innocently.
"Fifa... is that the one about football?" I asked innocently. Nick's eyes went wide as he looked at me.
"Don't fall for it Asher," Nick warned. I batted my eyelashes at him.
"Fall for what?" I asked. Keegan chuckled into my neck. I froze as a pleasurable shiver run up my spine. My eyes closed halfway and I had half a mind to moan, but I didn't. I pushed Keegan away instead. My face turned to his smirking one. "Stop that," I snapped at him softly. He smiled and leaned in closer.
"I'm not doing anything," he said close to my ear. Fine. Two could play this game. I placed my hand on his knee discreetly and he stopped laughing. His breathing hitched. I smirked and ran my hand further up his leg. His eyes closed and he groaned loudly. I burst out laughing along with the rest of the table.
"Do you need a room?" Stacy joked, raising an eyebrow at him. Keegan's cheeks flushed red as he scowled at me. I only smiled innocently. I rolled my eyes.
"Fine, one quick kiss only because that was so funny," I smiled at him. He smiled and leaned forward, pecking me on the lips. Mariana let out a small awe sound as the guys snickered. The cafeteria got really quiet. I finally realized that I probably shouldn't have let him kiss me in one of the most public places in school. My cheeks turned red as I kept my eyes on the table.
"Just ignore it," Keegan said gently. We chatted with the entire table until the bell rang. As always, Keegan walked me to my class. He respected my 'no PDA' rule and we went on like we always did. After school I hung out with him and the guys at his house before I went home and took care of Preston.
~
(Keegan's POV)
I looked around at the elders and chair people of our Lycan parliament. They talked easily with my dad. We were all sitting around in his hospital room. We had it in the hospital room so my dad could be a part of it. He would be making the request on my behalf anyway.
"I've called this meeting to bring to light that Keegan found his mate. His true mate," my dad started. I smiled when the council members started congratulating me. "But... she's a human. She's come and visited me often and I can honestly say that she's a good girl. She would make a great Luna despite the fact that she isn't Lycan," my dad explained. The room got really quiet as the council members looked around the room at each other. I could see that this wasn't going to go my way at all.
"Have you told her about us?" one of the council members asked. He had a scruffy graying beard and matching hair. I shook my head.
"We've just been getting to know each other. She lost both of her parents in an accident. She was there with them when it happened, so now she lives with her brother and his three year old son. They're really good people. My personal opinion is that she's been through a lot. She would most likely be able to handle this life," I said, giving my input. They thought about it silently. I resisted the urge to bounce my leg in nervousness. I had to keep still and show dominance. At least, that's what my training said.
"We've never encountered anything like this before. Are you sure that she is your mate? What's her name?" another one of the members asked.
"I'm positive. Her name is Caroline Holloway," I answered.
"We will discuss this and make a decision at a later time," the council member with the graying beard said as he stood. I stood as well and reached over to shake his hand.
"Thank you," I said. They all shook my hand and my dad's before they left. I sighed in relief. I hoped they would let Caroline be Luna.
~
(Caroline's Point View)
We fell into this simple and easy routine for a few weeks. It was great. I didn't want to take to Keegan about what that kiss meant, but we talked pretty much about everything else. I talked to Keegan's dad, Wes, a lot too. I liked him. He was like my second dad. I didn't want to lose him, just like I didn't want to lose Lena and Keegan. They were quickly becoming my second family. Keegan fit in so well with my family as well. It was safe to say that I was falling in love with him. And I was perfectly okay with that.
We were hanging out at Keegan's house. It was him, the guys, and me. Keegan and I were sitting on the couch watching Nick and Asher go at it on Fifa. They wouldn't let me play anymore because I kept beating them so bad it was embarrassing; fine by me. When they wanted something challenging, they would play me. I was leaning into Keegan's side as his arm draped over my shoulders. My fingers were laced with his. Keegan turned his head and kissed my temple.
"What are we?" I asked softly. Keegan looked off thoughtfully as if he didn't know whether to tell me or not.
"You two are mates," Asher said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. He didn't look up from his game. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Mates?
"All that matters is that you're mine," Keegan said, redirecting my chin with his finger so I was looking at him. He was smiling. I couldn't help but smile along with him. He leaned forward and touched his lips against mine. I smiled into the kiss before I tried to pull away. Keegan wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me on top of him so I was straddling his lap. My squeal was muffled by his lips. I wanted to faint. The way he was kissing me made me want to take him up to his bed right now. His hands pulled my hips closer to him. I moaned when I felt something poking my thigh. His mouth left mine and peppered kisses down my jaw and my neck.
"Keegan, not here," I breathed. He growled and sucked on my neck. I stifled a moan by biting my lip.
"Why not?" he muttered against my collarbone. I couldn't even remember anymore. His hand slid down and squeezed my butt cheek.
"Keegan!" I moaned.
"Okay, the game can wait. I'm out of here," I heard Asher say. My eyes shot open and I slid off of Keegan's lap, despite his protests. My whole face was probably red.
Oh yeah... that's why.
Nick laughed as he watched us before he pouted playfully. "Aw, things were just starting to get good," he joked before he winked at me. My face felt hotter, if that was even possible. I scowled before I started hitting Keegan repeatedly.
"I told you not here!" I yelled at him. Keegan took my hands and pinned me down on the couch. I snaked from underneath him and got to the top of the couch before pushing him forward with my legs. I smiled as Keegan went toppling to the floor. I sat on the couch and watched as he looked around confused before his eyes snapped up to me. The guys looked on amused and shocked at the same time. Keegan's shocked expression turned into a playful smirk as he reached up and pulled me onto the floor. The guys made room on the floor as they just watched. Keegan flipped me over and tried to pin me, but I was quicker. I got the crook of my elbow around his neck. He got out of that and got the upper hand before I gained it back. We wrestled on for a good five minutes. My hair was starting to stick to my face and my shirt clung to my stomach. It was getting impossibly hot, especially with Keegan's body heat. Finally, I got my legs around his neck. He was smirking at me.
"You know, this isn't how I pictured the first time with my head between your legs," Keegan smirked. I loosened my grip as my mouth slacked in shock. The guys thought that was really funny. Keegan took his opening and flung me around on my back lightning fast. I heard a thump as a shooting pain spread from the back of my head. There was something sharp underneath my head. I just laid there. "Yes!" Keegan jumped up happily. I covered my face with my hands as tears sprung to my eyes. My head was really starting to hurt. I didn't want them to see me cry. I started that war and I didn't want them to think I was weak. I tried to gain my composure as the guys all recapped our little fight.
"Oh shit," I finally heard one of them say.
"Crap Keegan. What did you do?!" I heard Nick say.
What the hell were they talking about?
I opened my eyes slowly and everything started spinning. I groaned and closed my eyes again when I felt Keegan's hand on my cheek.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Keegan muttered. There was a pause. "Mom, I need your help," he finally said. What in hell were they making a big fuss about? I tried to sit up, but Keegan's hand held me down. "Don't move," he said panicked. I groaned again and opened my eyes.
"I-I'm fine," I lied. "Why is everyone freaking out?" I asked. It was then that I smelled something metallic. It was very distinctive. I smelled it before... after the accident.
Blood.
I took deep breaths and tried to calm my breathing. I wasn't squeamish about blood or anything; it was just that I was thinking about the accident again. I sighed and reached my hand back to touch the top of my head. Keegan swatted my hand away before I could.
"Don't touch it," he said. He looked nervously towards the stairs. "Mom!" he yelled louder. His worried and scared face turned back to me. A moment later, we all heard her footsteps descending.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Honestly Keegan, you would think you and your friends could take care of-" she stopped when she saw me. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Mom... help?" Keegan asked hopelessly. I saw Lena glare at all of them.
"What are you boys just standing around for? Gregg, get some towels. Trevor, get ice. Asher, grab my scrubbing brush and some rags. Nick, get the bleach and the stain wash from the laundry room," they all frantically did as she asked. Gregg handed a towel to Keegan which he wrapped around the ice Trevor gave him before he lifted me gently and placed it against my head. I hissed in a breath which made Keegan take it away. I took it from him and placed it back on my head. I knew he didn't want to hurt me, but I needed a compress on my head. Even I knew that.
"What now?" he asked looking to his mom. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"You're going to be in charge of this entire... group in probably less than a year, Keegan. You should be able to handle this," she said calmly at him. Keegan only started freaking out.
"Mom! I hurt her! We were wrestling and I went too far. I-I can't... I can't," Keegan was in full overdrive. He was on the brink of hyperventilating as his eyes darted around nervously. I reached my free hand over and squeezed his hand in mine.
"Keegan, calm down," I said softly. His eyes snapped to mine and he did calm down a bit. I rubbed my thumb over his hand and gave him a soft smile. "I'm going to be okay, it's just a bump. But you need to keep it together... for me, okay?" I asked gently. He calmed down more as he nodded. My smile widened a bit. That instantly sent more pain to my head, but I ignored it and tried not to wince at the pain.
"Okay," he croaked out.
"Good, now you said there was a hospital downstairs right? Take me there and whatever doctor is on hand can look at me there. Sound like a plan?" I suggested. He swallowed as his nervousness started evaporating.
"Okay," he croaked out again. He scooped me up before quickly carrying me through the kitchen and down the stairs. His mom went ahead of us and got a room ready for me. The doctor came in only a few seconds after Keegan set me down in the examination chair. It was a middle-aged woman with slightly graying hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was hefty. I guess with all of those guys to take care of, she had to be.
"What seems to be the problem?" she said, mostly to herself as she moved around to examine the back of my head. After a second, she came back around and smiled at me. "Good news, you're going to be fine. It's very small, barely noticeable. Put a little Tuff-Skin on that and it'll seal up by tomorrow. I think you may have a mild concussion as well, so just don't do anything strenuous for a few weeks, like no sports, being upside down, running, and no more wrestling," she said, winking at me. I thanked her gently and tried to keep down to oh-so-obvious blush that tinted my cheeks. Glancing over at Keegan, I noticed that he was still shaking his leg nervously.
"Why was there so much blood?" Keegan asked her. She turned and smiled at him.
"Any cut to the head is going to bleed a lot. There's more blood circulating in our heads and faces because of our brains," she answered sweetly. She grabbed a jar of something and put a swab in the honey colored liquid. It looked sticky. She held it up to me. "This is the Tuff-Skin. I'm not going to lie and say it will be painless. It's going to sting a lot. Afterwards, you can wash it out tomorrow night and you should be good as new," she said. I nodded weakly before I waited as she disappeared behind me. She wasn't lying. As the sticky liquid hit my scalp, I yelped and let out sharp breaths as my eyes watered.
"Ow," I whined. It hurt a lot actually. It was over a little bit later. She gave me a few more instructions about eating and sleeping, and watching out for my concussion in general. I thanked the doctor before she left. Keegan just sat in the chair, staring at the floor and shaking his leg. He looked so worried. I reached out to touch him, but he shot up and out of the room before I could. My heart hurt a little at the rejection.
"What are you doing?" I heard his mom right outside my door.
"I can't do this, mom. I can't put her in danger like this. I can't ask her to be a part of this. I forgot today. We were wrestling and I forgot that she... I forgot, mom. I went too far. I-I," he trailed off into a sob. It sounded like he was panicking again. A tear escaped my eye listening to him. He was scared for me, I got that much, but why?
"Honey, this was an accident. We all know that you would never hurt her on purpose. You would protect that girl with your own life... hell, we all would," his mom said. I smiled lightly at the thought. I eased off of the chair and made my way closer to the door.
"But I need to protect her from myself! Today when I saw her laying there... I don't know. It was like my brain just shut off or something. I couldn't take control. I couldn't think straight because all I could think about was that I couldn't lose her. Maybe... maybe this was a sign. Maybe we shouldn't push our luck with the council or even just being together," he said. I leaned against the doorframe as I eavesdropped. What did he mean?
"Stop it!" Lena snapped at him. I heard her take an exaggerated breath before she continued. "Keegan, she makes you happy... and she makes me happy. Hell, she even makes your friends happy. If you let her go now, you're never going to forgive yourself. You're worse off without her. You need her," Lena said, though it sounded more like she was begging.
"Maybe the council was right when pairing me up with Natasha. She's like us and she would be here, no questions asked," he said defeated. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep the loud gasp from escaping my lips. Tears pricked my eyes and slithered down my cheeks.
"She has an ugly attitude. You're my son, and I love you, but you're an idiot of you let Caroline go," Lena seethed.
"Maybe I should. I don't know. I just don't know what to do. This isn't easy," he sighed. I stepped out of my hiding place inside the room and glared at Keegan. I knew my eyes were probably puffy and red from crying but I didn't care.
"Let me make it easier for you," I choked out hoarsely before I stormed past him and up the stairs.
"Caroline!" I heard him call after me. I was dizzy and my head was spinning, but I didn't care. I gripped the counter when I reached the kitchen. I took deep breaths and closed my eyes. Once I regained myself, I walked into the living room to see the guys trying to clean my blood out of the carpet. They all looked at me curiously and worried when they saw my face.
"Someone... take me home, please?" I croaked. Gregg and Trevor stood immediately.
"We'll take you. Let me just... talk to Keegan-"
"No," I cut him off. They looked at me surprised. "He'll try to stop me, and I really don't want to talk to him right now," I said vaguely. Gregg nodded quietly. Him and Trevor washed the bleach off of their hands before they rushed me out to a car. I sat in the backseat with Trevor comforting me as Gregg drove. The ride was quiet mostly until we pulled up to my house. Gregg stopped the car but didn't let me out just yet.
"What happened?" he demanded. I sighed and looked at the ceiling before I closed my eyes.
"It's over. Keegan couldn't choose between me and Natasha, so I made the decision for him. Did he even really like me? Was this all a joke from the start?" I said, thinking out loud. Trevor immediately started shaking his head.
"Caroline, he-"
"Don't say that he cares or loves me because he doesn't. If he did, he wouldn't have even considered dating Natasha again. If he cared about me, he wouldn't have let me go so easily. If he loved me, he would've fought for me... but he didn't. Now what, I'm supposed to assume that the past four weeks weren't a complete joke to him?" I seethed, getting angrier and louder by the second. Trevor flinched as I rushed out of the car and slammed the door behind me as I entered the house. I had a feeling that Netflix and frozen yogurt were going to be my best friends tonight.