Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 17

That night, Calliope had to pull herself away from Caleb reluctantly. Even though he had made this kind gesture, she was not ready to mate with him. She still could not trust him.

But she found herself thinking about him while she lay in her bed. His body radiated with warmth, and now she was cold. Being in his arms felt relaxing, felt right. She thought back to her time with Theo. There was passion, love, and excitement. But something felt different with Caleb. And yet, it felt oddly similar at the same time. She could not put into words how it felt to be near him.

As the sun rose, she began to crave the sparks of their touching. Even if it was just for a brief moment. She wondered if Caleb was up yet. She closed her eyes and looked into his.

She saw him running through the woods. Her heart sank. Where had he gone? Did he speak with Bennett or Waylon? Just as she was about to stop looking, she noticed he was running with others. He was running with Beta Blake and some of the young wolves from her pack. She relaxed, and her breathing steadied.

She dressed and went outside to greet the group upon their return. Lea was outside with her daughter, rocking her gently.

“Did Dawn have trouble sleeping again?” Calliope asked as she gently took the toddler in her arms. She put the child’s head on her shoulder and moved her hips slowly from side to side.

“Poor babe has teeth coming in,” Lea answered. “Momma made her some numbing tonic that she drank. She just fell back to sleep not long ago.”

Calliope gently rubbed Dawn’s back as she held her. Holding her future companion was an odd feeling for Calliope. She had done the same for Lea, Briana, Ginny, Abigail, and Rayne. All of these women are descendants of Riley. All of these women she watched grow up, have children, grow old, and die. Her hold on the child tightened slightly.

“You’ll have children of your own,” Lea whispered, assuming that was why Calliope was sad.

“Perhaps,” Calliope responded.

In the distance, she could see the jogging group approaching the palace. Caleb smiled as he saw Calliope. He wanted to embrace her but stopped when he saw her holding a child in her arms. Lea gently took back Dawn and went to Blake.

“How was your run?” Calliope asked as she looked up at Caleb.

“It was refreshing.” He answered as his fingers gently touched hers. “It’s been a while since I’ve done an early morning run.”

“Are you hungry?” She inquired as she pointed inside. “We can go into the kitchen and get some breakfast?”

“No,” Caleb said with a soft sigh. “I actually want to talk to you about something else.”

Calliope was hesitant but nodded her head. Caleb slipped his hand into hers and walked her away from the others. He was nervous. Calliope looked up at him. His nervousness worried her. Since she did not fully trust him, she did not know what to expect.

“I have something I’ve been hiding from you,” Caleb murmured as he let her hand go. He turned and looked at her, but he could not meet her gaze. “I have a gift I’ve been hiding from you.”

“Oh?” she whispered. Inside, she relaxed. She knew what his gifts were. There was nothing he could say about it that would surprise her, though she would still act it.

“You know about my visions, but I can also run fast. Like, really fast.” He replied as his hands fidgeted. “In my human form, I’m as fast as any wolf. In wolf form, I’m faster than anyone else.”

“How have you been able to hide it?” She asked, trying hard not to smile.

“I have to consciously think about how fast I run,” he explained. “Like just now during the jog, I have to actively think about keeping pace with the others.”

“Can I see?”

“Of course,” he nodded.

He shifted into his moon wolf form. Calliope shifted as well, preparing to run alongside him. She had always wondered if his wolf would be faster than Giizis. Caleb counted over mind link, and the two took off. Caleb didn’t hold back his speed but went at the most comfortable pace for him. He was indeed quick, much quicker than Giizis. In the time it took her to go 200 feet, he had gone double that. She shifted back and smiled.

“You are fast!” She exclaimed as Caleb shifted back as well. She took one of his hands in hers. “Why did you hide this gift?”

“I’m sorry,” he said as he looked down. She reached up with her other hand and touched his cheek. She lifted his face gently so their eyes could meet.

“Don’t be, it’s ok. You’re telling me now.”

“I just hate how I’ve been to you,” he replied. “I hate how I have treated you. This could have all been avoided if I had let you talk to me. You’ve never hidden anything from me, so why should I hide things from you?”

Calliope’s chest felt heavy. He didn’t know she kept so many secrets from him, secrets he could not even fathom. She felt guilty knowing everything about him. She knew all his secrets and his family’s secrets. She knew everything, and he knew nothing.

“I have kept some things from you,” she said hesitantly. But what should she tell him? He was honest with her. Though he didn’t tell her everything, it was a start. “I have a secret about my wolf that I’ve kept from you. And not just you, but from the majority of everyone else.”

“What is it?” He asked gently.

“I have no control when I am in wolf form,” she explained, gripping his hand tighter. She didn’t want him to pull away. “My wolf spirit was the first spirit ever created. She was created as the Moon Goddess’ own wolf. And because she is so old, so feral, I have no control when I shift.”

“I don’t understand. What can’t you control?”

“Just watch,” she instructed.

Caleb looked at their hands and closed his eyes. He saw the memories that she wanted to show. It was of her, sitting in her wolf’s mind. It looked like a small, yet vast room. There was nothing but grays and blacks. He could see how Calliope could move around freely in this room in her human form. But then he noticed how she could see what her wolf saw. It was an odd experience to witness. She was a separate being from her wolf.

“I can’t control where my wolf goes,” Calliope said, talking over the memories. “I can only see, smell, and hear. Giizis cannot speak to me because she was made for the Goddess herself. But we don’t necessarily need to speak. It’s like she knows what I want to do, and I know what she wants to do. Lastly, I cannot use my gifts while in wolf form. Giizis has no gifts, not anymore. I have the gifts and she is the wolf.”

Caleb’s eyes returned to normal, and he looked at Calliope.

“Is this why she is strong?” He asked.

“Indeed,” she answered. “She can still force me to do things that I don’t necessarily want to do. But her strength is what got me through... the past. There are things she can do that no other wolf spirit can do.”

“I can understand why you hide this, even from me,” he said as he moved a strand of hair from in front of her face. “Giizis can seem dangerous to those that don’t understand.”

Calliope smiled as she looked up at Caleb. She wanted nothing more than to tell him everything else she hid from him. She wanted to lay it all out there. She wanted him to know everything about her, but she was still hesitant. But it gave her hope. Caleb pulled her into an embrace, holding her close.

Several months passed, and Calliope had extra eyes on Caleb. She knew he avoided going to the cabin, even when Waylon went. She would watch through his eyes as he refused to talk to or about Bennett with his companion. It seemed like he wanted to separate himself from his former Alpha.

She slowly began to trust him more and more. She no longer saw anger linger in his eyes; she would only see love and infatuation. It warmed her heart with each passing day. And with each day, she came closer and closer to trusting him enough to mate with him. To be with him.

One afternoon, she was walking through her study and her dress snagged on a corner. It caused a small rip down the side. It would be an easy fix, but she must first take it off. She walked to her room and saw Caleb by her bedside. He was struggling to put some thread on a needle. She saw her stuffed wolf was open and lying on the bed. He froze when she walked in.

“Oh!” He said as he jumped back, startled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to come in here.”

“I tore the side of my dress,” she said as she walked over. “What are you doing?”

“I’m changing out the perfume bag,” he answered. “It needs to be changed out every few months to keep the scent.”

“How often have you changed it?”

“This is my fourth time,” he smiled. “But I’m struggling with this thread. I can’t get it started on the needle.”

Calliope reached over and took the needle and thread. She set it on a nearby table.

“I didn’t know you had changed the scent bag. Why never tell me?”

“Not all good deeds need to be announced,” he shrugged as he set the wolf by the needle. “I just like to do nice things for you, but I don’t always need you to know I do it.”

Calliope could not do it anymore. She could not hold back her feelings for him, her love and desires. She approached him, placed her hands on his cheeks, and kissed him—their first kiss. Caleb was taken by surprise but soon melted into her lips. His hands went to her waist, gripping her closer to him. But after a moment, he pulled back from their kiss. He was breathless and his heart was racing.

“Cali...” He gasped. “I can’t. I’m afraid I won’t stop.”

“Then don't,” she whispered as her hands went to the buttons on his shirt. “I want you, Caleb. I want only you.”

Altan growled happily within Caleb. He helped to unbutton his shirt and tossed it to the floor. Calliope reached up and gripped his beard between her fingers. She tugged him to her so their lips could meet again.

Caleb leaned into the kiss, pressing his lips hard against hers. He could taste her, the sweet taste of her lips. It felt like a dream. His hands went back to her waist, then down to her hips. He found the tear along her right hip. His hand slipped in and he felt her bare skin.

“Untie the back,” she instructed, moving her lips away.

Caleb growled and turned her around. He gently took the bottom of the strings and tugged. The knots came undone with ease. He reached up and loosened the dress enough for it to slip down her shoulders. His hands went to her bare shoulders and moved down her arms as the dress fell to the floor.

He kissed her neck and moved down to her right shoulder, the shoulder that he would mark. His hands moved around to the front of her chest and gently squeezed. She put her hands on his, and moved them slowly, showing him what to do. With a moan, she pushed against him.

She felt his pants against her bare skin. She turned around and tugged at the button. Caleb took the hint and undid his pants. He kicked them off to the floor. He looked at her body greedily. Her white milky skin was smooth in his hands. Calliope’s hands went lower on his waist. She rubbed her hands against him, pulling slowly to hear his moans.

After a moment, she backed him to the bed. He laid back and watched as she climbed on top. She had waited so long for this moment and she was taking charge. She knew what she wanted and how she wanted it. She eased herself down on his hips. She gasped at the sensations she had long forgotten. Her arousal, which had been pent up for so long, was now coming out.

She breathed heavily as she rocked her hips. She took his hands and placed them on her chest. He followed her wordless instructions, enjoying the sensations that he was feeling. But as her moans grew louder, his own urges grew. He gripped her hips and pulled her off of him. He laid her on her back and got on top.

He kissed her lips, her neck, her shoulders. His lips and tongue traveled down, wanting to touch and taste every part of her. He listened to her moans and her sounds. He listened for when he found her sensitive spots and when he found a good rhythm. He yearned for every moan from her mouth. He wanted to hear her, to feel her.

Calliope melted under his hands. His movements were slow and methodical. She gave in to him as they climaxed. She gave him everything without fear or hesitation. As Caleb nestled his head on her chest, she gently moved him to expose his right shoulder. She kissed him and gripped his back firmly.

She extended her teeth and bit down into his shoulder, marking him. There was no turning back now. He would now be the Great Alpha. But she trusted him; she trusted that he would not betray her. Once her teeth retracted, she kissed his mark until it healed.

Caleb kissed Calliope fiercely. His kisses went down her jaw and to her right shoulder. He kissed it before he bit down. Calliope hissed but held still. The venom ran deep into her body, burning as it went. She gasped when he pulled away. He gently kissed her shoulder, helping to ease her pain.

He rolled onto his back, but he pulled her with him. He didn’t want to release her. He didn’t want to leave this moment. She was now his, and he was now hers. Nothing was going to change that, not for him.

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