Chapter 103

Celeste

For the past few days, I had been a nervous wreck. Every time my phone rang, my heart would beat so fast that I would get light-headed. I kept expecting it to be the hospital with results of the paternity test.

I wasn’t sure if I was more excited about the results or dreading them. Maybe it was a healthy mix of both. If the crazy man was my actual father, that would change everything. My entire life would be a lie.

And if he was my father, did that mean that Jack had recognized him that day? My brother had been old enough to know what our dad looked like. Surely he would have known. If he did, he lied to me about it and I intended to find out why.

However, all of this was still hypothetical. I wouldn’t be able to do anything until the results came in. So I had busied myself by reorganizing my bedroom and studying until I fell asleep on top of my books.

On the fourth day, I was in the middle of taking out all of my clothes from the closet when my phone started buzzing on the desk. I dropped my clothes onto the floor and tripped over a stray shoe in my hurry to answer it.

Grasping the edge of my desk in a death grip, I answered the phone. I slowly slid into my chair as I listened to the person on the other end. When the conversation was over, my hand dropped into my lap and I just sat there.

I stared at the phone in my hand, my heart pounding in my chest. The call had come from the hospital, confirming the unbelievable truth. The man I had thought was a stranger, rambling on the streets and a kidnapper, was, in fact, my father.

I don’t know how long I sat at my desk for. Time just seemed to slow as my brain tried to process that news. I had a parent. I wasn’t an orphan. And the only family I had ever known had been lying to me.

Once the shock was over, tears ran down my face. I cried for everything I had lost and everything I had yet to gain. I cried for the little girl who had spent nights imagining what it would have been like to have a father. The reality was so much more depressing.

When I couldn’t cry anymore, I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and dialed Matt's number. He was the one person I knew I could rely on for support and guidance in this tumultuous time. I would eventually tell Fiona, but I wasn’t ready for that yet.

"Hey, Matt. It's Celeste," I said when he picked up. My voice trembled with a mix of excitement, fear, and disbelief.

"Hey, Celeste. What's going on?" Matt's voice was warm and reassuring like it always was. I let his steadiness wash over me and I took another deep breath. My heart rate started to slow down.

I wiped my eyes with the sleeves of my hoodie. I was an adult. I could get through this. If I could handle learning that werewolves were real, then I could handle finding out that my dad was still alive.

"I... I got the call from the hospital," I began, my words stumbling over one another. "They confirmed it, Matt. The man that kidnapped me, the one we thought was just a crazy stranger... he's my father."

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. I could practically hear Matt's brain whirring as he processed the information. I don’t think Matt expected it to be true either. I mean, it was pretty fantastical.

"Wow, Celeste," Matt finally said, his voice full of empathy. "That's a lot to take in. I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Tears welled up again in my eyes, both from the overwhelming emotion of the revelation and from the relief of knowing I didn't have to face it alone. I honestly didn’t deserve Matt. He was the sweetest guy I had ever met.

"Thank you, Matt," I whispered. "I... I need to find him. I need to know who he is, where he's been all these years. I need to know why he suddenly decided to reappear now."

I needed him to answer so many questions. I had a feeling that there was something about me that I needed to know. There had to be a reason why Jack was so overprotective of me. There had to be a reason he was lying about the existence of werewolves.

"We'll find him, Celeste," Matt assured me and I could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll do it together. Where do we start?"

I bit my lip. I hadn’t meant for Matt to help me. It was a big risk that I was even calling him. If Jack found my phone records, I was going to be in so much trouble. If Matt and I spent any time together, Jack would know.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer, Matt, but what about Jack? How are you going to help me when he is the way he is?” I asked, not able to hide the apprehension. I didn’t want to get in the way of their friendship.

Matt let out a dark chuckle. “Don’t worry about your brother. I’m helping you. End of story.”

My eyes widened as something lower than my stomach clenched tightly at his words and the way his voice had deepened. My breath hitched. Goosebumps spread up and down my arms. I wrapped my arms around myself and willed my body to calm down.

I hadn’t reacted that way to Matt in a long time. I hadn’t even reacted that way to Alyx. I had kind of assumed that my bodily needs had become dormant, never to be seen again. I guess I was wrong.

“Celeste? Are you okay?” Matt asked worriedly when I didn’t say anything. My face heated and I put my head on my desk, trying to cool it down against the wood.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just worried,” I told him and it wasn’t a total lie. I was worried about not being able to find my dad. I was worried about Jack finding out that we were working together. But most of all, I was worried that I was going to fall in love with Matt all over again and have my heart broken.

“I know, but I promise we’ll find him. I’m a very good tracker, you know? I’ve got a nose for these things,” Matt said and I let out a surprised laugh. Did he seriously just make a werewolf joke?

“It’s good to hear you laugh again, Celeste,” Matt said softly and my heart melted just a little. Why did he have to say things like that? Why did he have to say my name like that? Like I was the sunshine to his blooming flower.

“It feels good to laugh again,” I said lamely because I didn’t know what else to say to that. Although it was the truth. There hadn’t been much to laugh about lately.

“Tell me Jack’s schedule for this week and I’ll come over when it’s safe,” Matt said and so I told him as much as I knew. We made plans to get together for research and when I hung up the phone, hope kindled in my chest.