Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 16

For several hours, Caleb sat with Calliope. At first, they were silent for a while, recovering from their emotional journey. Then, after some time, they began to talk. It was comforting with them being next to one another.

Once it was late, Caleb left Calliope and went to his room. For the first time in a while, he slept peacefully. His body relaxed, his mind relaxed, everything within him relaxed.

When he awoke, he felt like a new person. He dressed and stepped into the hall. He saw Calliope’s door was open, and he sniffed the air. He had thought a lot about last night and about the day before. Though she seemed to accept his apology, he still wanted to do something for her. Something to make her smile, and he had an idea.

But first, he looked for her. He wanted to see her, to touch her hand. But he was hesitant. What if she had regrets of yesterday? What if she was still angry with him? He pushed those feelings aside and sought her out. He sniffed the air until he came to her study. He gently knocked on the door.

Lea opened it, but she instantly frowned. She glanced back to Calliope before opening the door. Caleb understood the look Lea gave him. She was protective of Calliope, something he appreciated. He walked into the room and went to where Calliope sat. She was eating her breakfast. She quickly swallowed her food and motioned to him to sit.

“Are you hungry?” She asked him. Her voice was music to his ears. He did not fight back his feelings of infatuation. He let them run freely through his veins.

“Famished,” he answered as he sat.

Calliope made him a plate full of meats and some pieces of fruit. He noticed there weren’t any oranges on the tray, but then he remembered her saying she rarely eats them any more, though it is still her favorite fruit.

“I’m going to go out to the town market today,” he said between bites. “Would you like to join?”

She thought for a minute before shaking her head.

“Lea, Paige, and I are traveling today. We are going to the Blood Stone Pack. Luna Hope gave birth two nights ago. We will be gone for a few days.”

Caleb looked down at his plate and nodded. That was fine, he had something he wanted to do in the market, something he didn’t want her to see. Not yet.

“But you can come,” Calliope said gently as she reached out to touch his hand. Sparks went flying through their bodies. Caleb closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling before he looked back to Calliope.

“It’s fine, Cali,” he replied with a smile. “I have something I want to look for. Uh, you said the Blood Stone pack? Is that the pack you were talking about last night? The ones with the oath scars across their hands?”

“Mhm,” she nodded, her mouth full of food. She quickly swallowed. “I try to be there for each birth since these children are sworn to me. But Luna Hope had gone into labor a little early.”

“Is the pup ok?”

“They say he is strong, just a little small,” she answered.

She looked at Caleb with a smile. The thought of them having a child crossed her mind, and it caused her to blush. She quickly stood so he didn’t notice.

“I must get going, but feel free to stay and finish eating.” She said as she walked to the door. She gave Caleb one more glance before leaving.

Caleb sighed at her absence. The thought of them having a child crossed his mind as well. He knew it would be some time, but that was if they even had a child. He remembered her saying that the Goddess determined when the Greats had children. Perhaps it would be in 100...maybe 200 years.

He finished eating and made his way to the front hall. Waylon came running up to him. They had not talked since the prior day.

“Hey! There you are. Is...everything ok?” Waylon asked. Caleb smiled and nodded.

“It is good.”

“So, what happened last night? I heard you were in her room for a long time.”

“Nothing happened,” Caleb answered quickly. “I went to apologize, and we talked. It was a good evening.”

“Ok, good, good,” Waylon replied. “Take things slow. Make her want you.”

Caleb growled at Waylon. Waylon stepped back and raised his hands to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to offend.” He said. He watched Caleb head to the door, and he followed. “Where are you going?”

“I am going to the market up the road in town,” Caleb answered.

“Want company?”

Caleb shrugged. He shifted and headed north. Waylon took the shrug as an invitation and shifted to follow. The two only had to walk a mile up the road to get into the town. Here is where the residents of the Royal Moon Pack lived. It was a large town, consisting of a few schools, lots of manors and homes, and a huge central market.

Caleb had been here a few times, but it always surprised him. Growing up in a small village of barely 100 people seemed tiny compared to this pack. Their numbers were nearly at 1000. Many of them were descendants of Gianna and other past Greats.

He walked around the market, stopping at each stall. He was looking for something specific.

“What are you looking for?” Waylon asked curiously.

“I’m looking for orange blossoms and pomegranates for Cali,” Caleb answered as he looked over a stall with fruit.

“Cali?” Waylon asked, with a hint of disgust in his voice. Caleb turned and glared at Waylon.

“Yes, is that a problem with you?” He growled.

“No, no problem at all,” Waylon replied as he lowered his gaze.

His job may have been to be Caleb’s companion, but he had a duty to keep him from falling in love with Calliope. But something had happened the night before, something that softened Caleb to her. It worried Waylon. But with Caleb acting aggressively to him, there was only so much pushing he could do.

“Can I ask why you are looking for these things?” Waylon questioned.

“I want to do something for Cali, to make up for what I did the other night,” Caleb answered.

Waylon nodded his head. Apologizing to the girl is what he needed to do to make her give in to him, to mark him. But he was weary of it. Caleb finally found a stall that sold pomegranates. He purchased one and moved to a stall with flowers. He purchased a small basket of orange blossom. As he prepared to leave the market, he encountered a small confectionery stand. The man was selling candies, including candied orange peels. He purchased the entire jar and added it to his basket. He happily carried his purchases back to the palace.

Waylon broke off from Caleb on his trek home, but Caleb didn’t care. He went through the palace until he found Briana.

“I need your help,” he said to her.

Briana looked up from her stitch work and looked at him. She had heard from Calliope about their talk last night. Though she was hesitant with Caleb, she had some hope.

“What can I do for you, Great Alpha?”

“I want to do something for Cali, I’m just not sure how.”

Briana nodded and went to him. She noticed the basket of flowers, the pomegranate fruit, and the jar of candies. She looked at Caleb with a raised eyebrow. She knew these things, she knew who the scents belonged to. For Caleb to have them in his hands, it was intriguing for her.

“I want to make a perfume pouch,” Caleb explained as he showed her what he bought. “Last night, she said that the little black wolf doesn’t smell like Theo anymore. I want to use these to make a perfume pouch and put it in the toy. But I don’t want her to know.”

Briana nodded and led him out back to a small greenhouse. It was filled with flowers and smaller trees. In the back was a table.

“Calliope doesn’t come in here, so you’ll be safe to make the perfume pouch in here. But you cannot do it in one day. You need to dry out the petals first.”

Caleb nodded and offered the basket to her, but Briana shook her head.

“I’ll help you, Great Alpha, but I won’t do the work.” She said. “Set the basket on the table. You’re going to take each blossom and pull off the petals. I’ll go grab you a bowl.”

Caleb set the basket on the table and did as he was told. He gently took each petal and plucked it from the flower stalk. He placed the petals in a pile. Once done, he put them into the bowl that Briana had brought. She offered him a knife.

“Now cut open the fruit and get some seeds out. Put them on this tray.” Briana said as she pulled a tray from beside her. She set it on the table and watched Caleb.

He cut open the fruit and scooped out two handfuls of seeds. Briana helped to spread them across the tray.

“Good, now carry the tray to the kitchen. Tell the cooks to bake these for about three minutes, then return.”

Caleb nodded and left. After several minutes, he returned, carrying the tray with a cloth. He set it down and looked to Briana.

“What next?”

“Take the seeds and put them in this mortar and pestle. You’ll grind the roasted seeds and then pour it onto the petals.”

Caleb nodded and added the seeds to the mortar. He began to slowly grind the seeds, inhaling the strong, fruity scent. Briana watched him, curious about his intentions.

“Why are you doing this?” She asked him.

“I wanted to do something for Cali. To remind her of Theo. I know he was a better mate, a better Great Alpha than me. So, this is my way of keeping part of him alive, for her happiness.”

Briana nodded her head, but inside, she was smiling. It was a thoughtful gesture. She knew Calliope would love it. Just him putting in effort would melt her heart. If Caleb were to keep this up, he would perhaps be a great mate to Calliope, a great leader.

Once the seeds were ground up, he poured the mixture over the petals and gently mixed it. Briana helped him to lay the petals out on a drying rack.

“Come back here each evening and give the drying rack a good shake. After about a week, you can grind up the petals and add it to a perfume pouch.”

Caleb listened to her. For six days, he came back to shake the petals as instructed. Each day, he grew more excited. He was anxious to see Calliope smile. On the 7th day, Briana was in the greenhouse with the stuffed wolf. She looked up at Caleb.

“I’ve already made your pouch and cut a small hole into the wolf. Insert the pouch and sew it shut.” She instructed.

“But I can’t sew,” he replied with a shrug.

“You can learn, can’t you?” She questioned.

Caleb nodded quickly and took the wolf. He inserted the pouch and took the needle. Briana explained how to set the thread on the end of the needle. She then walked him through how to close up the hole. He listened and followed her instructions. He was slow, but he did a good enough job with the sewing. Briana nodded her head in approval.

“The scent won’t last but about three months. So, you will need to make sure to keep changing it out.”

“Of course, thank you,” he said as he smiled.

He searched in the greenhouse for the hidden candied orange peels. He set the wolf and the jar in a basket and went to Calliope. She was in her study. Briana had called Lea out of there earlier so Caleb and Calliope could have privacy. When Caleb entered the room, his eyes lit up at seeing her. She had returned only a day ago from seeing the new baby.

Calliope looked up at him but saw he wasn’t coming closer. She saw something in his hands and looked at him curiously. She stood and walked to him. Caleb blushed and held out the basket.

“I’ve bought you...made you something.” He said shyly.

It was the first gift he had ever given her, and it gave him butterflies. Calliope looked at him nervously and took the basket. She laughed when she saw the jar of candies. She hadn’t had one of these in years. She set the jar on the table and looked at her wolf. She held it for a second, questioning why it was there.

“Smell it,” he whispered.

Calliope gave him a glance before sniffing the wolf. The smell of orange blossoms and pomegranate hit her nose. It didn’t give her the same feelings of spring as it once had. It didn’t seem as comforting as the smell of Juniper... the smell of Caleb.

But yet she began to cry. She was smelling Theo after all these years. Emotions flooded into her. She ran up to Caleb and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened momentarily before he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest, holding the wolf close to her. He gently rubbed her back, letting her cry as much as she needed. This is what he wanted: to give her the gift of Theo.

As Calliope relaxed, Caleb went to pull away, but she took his hand.

“Look,” she said as she sniffed.

Caleb’s eyes turned red. He saw memories of Theo, Calliope’s memories of him. He saw the first time they met, how serious and stoic he looked in the evening light. He then saw a memory of Theo consoling a young Calliope. The memories went by quickly. They were Calliope’s favorite moments with him.

Except for the last one. She showed Caleb how she...how Giizis fought Theo and won. Even though he was badly injured, he still pulled her into his lap to soothe her. Caleb listened to Theo retale the prophecy of Calliope’s death. He watched as they kissed their last kiss. When the memory was done, Calliope took her hand back.

“It wasn’t my death his mother saw,” she said softly. “It was his death all along. But neither knew it. Theo had pushed me away for years leading up to his death.”

“He thought he was protecting you,” Caleb whispered. “Even for me, you are like a delicate flower: something worth protecting.”

“I know, but it still hurts that my last memory with him is of me fighting him, injuring him,” she said as tears began to fall again. “I can never take it back. I can never apologize for it.”

Caleb pulled Calliope back to him and embraced her.

“He knows you loved him, that you still do.” He replied.

“I miss him,” she murmured as she wrapped her arms around Caleb. Though she missed Theo, being here in Caleb’s arms, it was the only place she wanted to be. Though the memories of Theo were nice, being here in the present was better. Being with Caleb, in his arms, with his scent, was better.

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