Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 28

Calliope fell through the darkness. She had accepted her fate; she had assumed that her life was ending. But she gasped as she fell onto hard ground. Her body was still sore, still weak from breaking the curse. She struggled to breathe. She rolled onto her side, trying to catch her breath.

She noticed snow; how was she in the snow? Then she looked up. She was where she would meditate to see Giizis. But Giizis was not there. Leaning over in front of her, was Theo. He had his arm outstretched to her.

"Let me help you, little wolf," he said softly.

His voice echoed in her ears, though he only whispered. She began to cry as she took his hand. He helped her to stand and pulled her close. Calliope wrapped her arms around him tightly and sobbed into his chest. But it was different; he was different. There were no sparks when they touched. There was barely any warmth. And his scent, the smell of orange blossoms and pomegranate, did not stir her senses. She pulled back slightly, still keeping her hands on him, but she needed to see him, to see his eyes.

"How are you here?" She questioned.

"I have been here for many years," he answered as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"How?"

"This is the Goddess' realm. This is the land where her wolf spirits run free, waiting for their next human." He explained as he looked into her eyes. "It is also the realm where our wolves sit until we call upon them to shift. This area that we stand in now is Giizis' territory. She is fond of the cold, so she dwells here. This realm is also where the Greats go once we have passed. There is a piece of the Goddess in each of us, and as such, we are brought here upon our deaths, to spend eternity with her."

"Was it you that I have been feeling this whole time? When I tried to walk behind Giizis, was it you that I walked to?"

"It was," he nodded. "But I could not meet with you. It was not time."

"Why," she said as she began to sob again. "Why did you have to die?"

"My little wolf," he whispered, pulling her back to his chest. "You and I were not meant to be. You had a destiny, and it did not involve me. I was only needed to make you the Great Luna, nothing more."

"But I was left with no part of you, not even a child," she murmured as she shook under his touch. Theo slowly stepped back. He placed both of his hands on her stomach.

"That is because the children you shall bear with Caleb are meant to continue the changing of this world."

"How? Why?!" She yelled. "Do they need to die too?"

"No," he chuckled softly. "It is the opposite. You shall have many children. Your children shall have many. On and on it shall go."

"But why?"

"Because Caleb's ability to dual shift shall not stay a gift. It will become genetic. Every child you bear shall be able to dual shift. So shall your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on. In thousands of years, you shall see the fruit of this labor. In thousands of years, every wolf born shall be able to dual shift. There will be no more separate races. Every wolf shall be equal."

"But what about the curse?" She asked as she sniffled and wiped her tears away.

"That was to break their inability to have mates, to have children freely. You broke that curse. You have accomplished everything you were meant to do in your mortal life."

"All that I was meant to do in my mortal life?" She repeated questioningly.

"In hundreds of years, when this mortal body of yours dies, you shall become more," Theo replied as he gently rubbed her arms. "But you shall fight your death. Giizis shall fight your death. Even with me telling you all this now, you shall fight it."

"When your mortal body dies, Giizis shall too die. She shall fade deep into the voids of space." he continued. "She shall cease to be. Her time on this earth shall come to an end with your death. Instead, you shall become the Great Wolf Spirit. You will take over Giizis' wolf. You shall travel between this realm and the realm of the living at will. Your destiny will be never-ending."

"Why me? Why does Giizis have to die? Why can she not live out her time here, with the Goddess?"

"Giizis was never meant to be tethered to a human's soul. She was made for the Goddess, and in connecting her to you, it meant Giizis won't be able to live on. To get you and Giizis to connect, you had to be connected to the wolf's soul. Both of you are connected to one another, in a way that no other are."

"The Goddess knew that this would happen when she created you. But it had to be done. The curse needed to be reversed. It would never have been done if it were not for you. The world would have eventually been destroyed, ruined by the fighting and war."

"But what of Amarok?" Calliope asked. "He was made for her, to be her mate. Now he shall be alone, for all eternity."

"Amarok no longer exists, little wolf," Theo answered slowly. Calliope stepped back, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Is he traveling through the void of space too?" She questioned harshly.

"No, he was reborn," he replied. "Amarok has ceased to be, but he agreed to it. The Goddess took him and the spirit of another wolf and forged an entirely new wolf. One that could create new memories, create a new mate. One that would never lose his mate, for he shall be able to see her, even when she becomes the Great Wolf Spirit."

Calliope froze. She thought of Altan. His face and legs were solid black, but the rest of his body was speckled with whites, blacks, and grays. Amarok was fused and reborn into Altan.

"Altan," she whispered.

"Yes," Theo nodded. "Amarok was fused with a sun wolf spirit. It was what was needed to make the dual-shifting genetic. But Altan won't suffer as Amarok did. And when Caleb eventually passes, he and Altan shall remain here, for all eternity, to be with you in this life and the next."

"So, I shall see him here? Will I be able to see you?"

"You will seek me out, yes. But I shall not be the first you seek, nor the second. With Giizis' spirit, you will outlive a few generations of Greats. When you eventually die, you shall come here, first to seek Caleb, then your child, then your grandchild. But I shall be here, waiting."

"Why put me with you for so many years only to take you away? Why have us love each other for so long?" She angrily questioned.

"That would be my doing," a voice in the distance said. It was the Goddess. She walked up to Theo and Calliope, towering over them. "I may be a Goddess, but I have wants and desires too. And I wanted Giizis and Amarok to have as many years together as possible before both ceased to exist. I was being selfish, and for that, I am sorry."

Calliope looked up at the Goddess. For many years, she had wanted to see her, to look upon her face. She was angry, she was sad, she was happy all at once. The Goddess looked down at Calliope with understanding, knowing everything that she was thinking, everything that she was feeling. But as the Goddess looked at her, Calliope noticed her eyes. They were blue, bright blue, just like hers. She had the Goddess' eyes.

"I see you noticed," the Goddess commented, reading Calliope's thoughts.

"How do I have your eyes?"

"You are a descendant of my own flesh and blood," the Goddess answered softly. "The man who first had Amarok, he and I had one child together. A little girl named Maheegan. I ensured she was kept hidden from the world, from the histories. For all anyone knew, she was just an abandoned babe that he found. And then, over a thousand years ago, when I realized that destruction was coming, I needed to act to fix the curse."

"But the problem was, I did not place the curse myself, the third Great Luna had," she continued. "So, to reverse the curse, I needed another Great Luna to do it. But it could not have been one of the Greats or even Theo's line. I needed someone who could be connected to Giizis. Only someone of my flesh and blood could do that. So, for a thousand years, I molded generations of wolves, to get to you."

"Now, for Caleb, I did not mold him as I did you. Rather, I chose him. When he was conceived and needed a wolf spirit, I knew he was the one for Altan. I chose him for his strength, his resolve, his love. I knew the moment I gave him Altan that he would love you more than anyone I could have created. But I also knew you would love him. I know it hurt to lose Theo, but he was just a stepping stone to get you here. Caleb is your true mate, something even I had not foreseen. He gives you strength, and you give him safety. I wish I could take the credit for you two, but I cannot. The world wanted this change, wanted this curse to be lifted, just as much as I did."

Cali!

Calliope turned her head towards the sound. It was Caleb; he was calling for her. Calliope looked back to the Goddess, but she was gone. It was only Theo. He smiled and walked over to Calliope.

"Cali?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"It is what Caleb prefers to call me," she answered shyly, looking down at her feet.

"It suits you better than little wolf," he laughed. "You are no longer little. But I am proud of you. You moved on. You overcame so much in your short life. But I shall be here, watching all that you accomplish. I shall be here to greet Caleb upon his death. I shall be here to greet your child and grandchild. And then, when you pass, and are ready to find me, I shall be here."

"But you won't greet me?"

"I will be the furthest thing from your mind, little wolf. I know you know this. I know you feel it. What the Goddess said was true. You and Caleb were meant to be together, not you and I. You love him more than me, but that is alright. That is how it should be."

Cali!

"Go, little wolf. Return to the world of the living, and live. Do not regret any choices you make. Please do not dwell on my death. I want no tears shed on my behalf. That is a command." Theo said as he smiled at her. He cupped her face and lifted her head to look into her eyes one last time. "Go."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Calliope could feel herself falling again. She gasped when she found herself in Giizis. She looked through her wolf, realizing that Giizis had been fighting without her there. Giizis had been able to let loose and kill without hesitation. Calliope was not in her, so there was no fear of injuring her.

Calliope! Are you alright?! Caleb yelled over mind link.

Yes! She replied.

She was on her hands and knees, still trying to get her bearings. Everything she had just been told was running through her thoughts. There was so much information to take in. But then, the smell of Juniper hit her nose, causing her to snap out of her thoughts. Caleb.

He was fighting off several wolves, doing his best to keep them off Giizis. Calliope took several deep breaths, trying her best to concentrate on her wolf. She was hurt, but she would heal. But Calliope was still weak; she did not have the energy to fight herself. She still needed to rely on Giizis, on Caleb.

Giizis went forward, lunging at a wolf. She was quick to get her mouth around their neck, ripping it in one swift motion. She made her way to Caleb but found Paige's wolf fighting alongside him. She was helping to keep the wolves from jumping on him, protecting his flank. Lea ran in front of Calliope's vision, slamming into a wolf that was jumping for Giizis.

It wasn't just her and Caleb. Her companions were there; they were not alone. As Giizis stood there, trying to heal her wounds quickly, more of her wolves went running past her. They surrounded her in a protective circle. She recognized some of the wolves but soon realized some were the newly transitioned wolves. They stood by her and protected her when she needed it most. They would not let her fall. She was their Great Luna, their savior.

Giizis gave a howl as the last of her wounds sealed up. Her energy was returning. Her protective circle made an opening for her to run out. For some time, the fighting continued, but Calliope and Caleb were well protected. Their numbers began to outnumber Bennett's army. Slowly, one by one, wolves began to surrender. They shifted into their human forms, not wanting to die as many of their comrades had.

In total, the battle lasted nearly an hour, but it felt like it lasted for days. There were many who had died on both sides. But once the fighting stopped, there were cheers of happiness. For those that surrendered, they were not chained up or shackled; they were welcomed with water and food. They were moon wolves now. They were not outsiders. No one here would ever be outsiders again. The fighting had ended. The war over control was now gone. There were no more sun wolves, just Caleb. But, deep down, Calliope smiled. She knew what was going to happen.

She stared at Caleb as he helped to burn the dead. He carried them, one by one, gently to the pyre that was erected once the fighting had stopped. She watched him, and her heart felt soft. He was her mate, against all odds. They were meant for one another, molded by the Goddess and the universe around them. Her hand went to her stomach. Their children will be the face of change. The world shall now be molded by them: by Calliope and Caleb.

Author's Note:

GUYS... I am crying as I type this 😭😭

Every mystery, every unknown, everything was answered in this chapter, and I could not have been happier with how it turned out.

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