Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 11

Calliope sat under the shade of a tree with Lea. They sat facing the training grounds, watching as Caleb and Waylon trained. Caleb was strong but aggressive while in wolf form. He pushed hard and never backed down.

When Calliope noticed this behavior weeks ago, she instructed anyone who trained with him to submit early. Though this prevented any injuries, it caused his ego to go unchecked. Caleb would strut around the training grounds, boasting about his strength. How no one was better than him.

Calliope watched Caleb as he cheered after another victory. She did not like his attitude since he moved here, but she wouldn’t confront him. Since the day he arrived, he was distant from her. Their paths would cross occasionally, but he rarely spoke to her. Calliope never pushed him. She just let him be.

Caleb went to drink some water when he noticed Calliope under the tree. He saw how her eyes were glued to him. He smirked to himself. He felt cocky, he felt energetic. He walked over to Calliope and stopped a few feet from her.

“How do I look out there?” He asked as he flexed his muscles.

“You look like you are doing fine,” she shrugged, not willing to add to the fire that was his arrogance.

“Just fine? Don’t you mean I’m the best wolf you’ve ever seen? Especially since I’ve been able to shift for less than a month.”

“You are erratic. Your movements aren't fluid. You leave much of your weak points unguarded. The only reason you don’t get attacked is because your movements are so wild you are hard to track.”

Caleb crossed his arms and huffed.

“Why don’t I ever see you training here, Great Luna?” He scoffed. “Why do you not train with the others? Or with me?”

“I have only had one training partner. And he is dead. But why, Great Alpha, do you think I need to train at 156 years old?”

“Oh, I see,” he replied as he nodded. “I’m not as good as Theo. Just say it!”

“You are young; you have a lot of growing to do.” She replied with a shrug.

“Sure,” he said as he spit on the ground. “Then fight me. You show me how I should do things then.”

“No.”

“Why? I know what you can do! You’re a killer, after all!”

Calliope quickly stood and stomped over to Caleb. She held her hand out to him.

“You’re right; I am a killer. Do you want to watch my memories? Watch me kill?!”

“No,” Caleb said as he looked down. Her gaze pierced him; he couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes.

“Then don’t call me a killer.” She growled at him. She turned and began to walk away.

“I still want to fight you, Calliope!” He called out to her. “I won’t back down.”

“I don’t think you know what you’re asking of me,” Calliope replied, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“All of your warriors are weak! You say my movements are erratic, and I don’t guard myself. Then why do I go undefeated? Fight me, show me I can lose. Or am I that strong that you are afraid you will lose?”

“Fine,” she said as she walked back to him. “I will fight you, but I have ground rules. Number one: no gifts being used. Number two: you submit before you get severely injured. Understand?”

“Submit before I get severely injured? I haven’t had more than a scratch yet!” He boasted.

Calliope shrugged and walked onto the sand. Caleb followed her. The warriors quickly cleared out and surrounded the borders of the training grounds. She stretched her arms, mentally preparing herself for her shift. Caleb watched her, curious as to what she was doing. After a few seconds, she shifted into her wolf.

Giizis looked at Caleb and gave a low, warning growl. Caleb smiled and shifted into his wolf. The two wolves walked around each other, growling and baring their teeth. Giizis never made the first move; she always watched her opponents.

In the years she trained with Theo, she learned his weak points. She saw how he would always favor his left paws, always putting the most weight specifically on his front left paw. And now she watched Caleb; watched his movements. She saw how his shoulders were stiff, which limited his front legs from reaching their full stride.

She noticed how Caleb consistently guarded his left side, rarely exposing it as they walked in circles. That meant his right side was open; she just needed to reach it. And suddenly, she saw it. Caleb moved and lunged at Calliope, impatient after waiting for her to make the first move.

Giizis dodged left, giving her full access to the right side of his body. She lifted her paw and swiped it across his ribs. It caused several gashes, but nothing that went too deep. Caleb stopped and looked at his wound. He saw steam and knew it would heal in a few minutes. He faced Calliope and snarled.

He charged at her and aimed for her neck. Giizis steeled herself and blocked his attack with a hard push from her shoulders. Caleb tried to bite at her, but she forced his head to be at an awkward angle. She bit down on his back and tossed him from her.

Caleb yelped when he landed. He panted as he looked at Calliope. Yes, she was strong indeed. But he knew he was stronger. He just needed to focus. He closed his eyes, trying hard to concentrate. When he reopened his eyes, she was gone. He stood and looked around. Giizis came charging at him from his right and rammed him hard. She didn’t bite or scratch; she just brute-forced slammed into him.

The force knocked the wind out of him. It caused him to shift into his human form unexpectedly. Giizis walked up to him and shifted back into Calliope. She knelt down and touched him gently.

He winced at the pain, but when she touched him, he began to relax. The wounds on his shoulders and back began to heal quicker. He growled as the slashes sealed up.

“I told you to submit before you got really injured,” she scolded him.

“How are you that strong?” He asked as he looked into her eyes.

“My wolf spirit is very, very old. A lot of what I know is muscle memory to her.”

“How do I get as strong as you?”

Caleb wasn’t angry, he was jealous. He saw how she fought, and he couldn’t keep up with her. He wouldn’t admit it to her, but he enjoyed the fight, even though he lost. And then her hands touched him, and he healed quicker. It brought back feelings he had suppressed.

“You train,” she replied gently. She put her hands on his arms and helped him to stand. “I told you that you leave most of your body unguarded. Specifically your right side. All I needed was for you to make a move, focusing more on your attack, and that leaves you vulnerable.”

Caleb brushed the dirt and sand off his body and looked down, embarrassed. He had boasted so much, and now he made himself out to be a fool.

“Let me help you inside; you should rest. Though your wounds seemed to have healed, I slammed you pretty hard against the ground.” She said as her hand slipped into his.

Caleb looked down at their hands and gently nodded. She walked him to the palace, but she went at a slow pace. This was the closest they had been in years. She wanted to savor it.

As they walked through the palace, Caleb stopped at a portrait. It was of Theo and Amarok. Someone had painted them side by side. Caleb studied the image, studied Theo.

“What were his gifts?” He inquired.

“He had the ability to speak with anyone, anywhere over mind link. He could make it a one-way path or a two-way. He could also block people from using their mind links.” She explained.

“The next one was he could get rid of his wolf scent and aura. He could basically disappear from your senses. If you couldn’t see him, you’d think he was invisible.”

“Could you sense him, even when he hid himself?”

Calliope nodded and smiled. “He couldn’t hide from me. Unless if my mind was clouded. Only then was he hidden from me.”

“His last ability was his strength and size. His wolf was bigger than mine, and he was so strong.”

“Was he stronger than you?” Caleb asked.

“No,” she answered softly. “I was still stronger.”

“Did you ever fight him, like how we just fought?”

“Only once.” She said as her voice wavered. Her bottom lip began to quiver.

Caleb noticed, and his heart pained him. He didn’t want to see her cry. But why? Earlier in the morning, he didn’t care about her, so why are his feelings returning? He looked down at their hands.

Calliope looked down at their hands as well. She gently took her hand back. Caleb flexed his hand, and he began to miss her warmth. But he quickly shook his head and pushed those feelings away. He looked back to the painting.

“What was the name of his wolf?” He asked, cutting the silence.

“Amarok,” she answered.

Caleb scrunched up his face as he thought. He had heard the name before. Or at least, he thought. Maybe it was a vague memory of a dream or story. Calliope watched him as he thought to himself. She saw he looked confused.

“Do you feel like you’ve heard his name before?” She asked.

“How did you know?”

“Long ago, the Goddess created many wolf spirits. Some she kept close to her: those were the Great wolf spirits. There is a chance that Altan recognizes the name because he once knew Amarok. But, because of their age and how time works for the Goddess, it becomes a blur for our wolf spirits.”

Caleb nodded as he listened. It made sense to him, so he accepted what she said. He glanced over at Calliope. He had expected her to be looking at Theo’s painting, but instead, she was looking at him. He quickly looked down.

He walked away, leaving her at the painting. If he stayed any longer, he felt like he would melt in front of her. He needed to get away from her, to keep her away. But since she had touched him, he craved her. He craved the static and sparks that came from them holding hands. Curse her, curse this mate bond. It was hard to fight against. He couldn’t give in, no matter how much he wanted to.

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