Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 4

Calliope visited the first two rogue packs. She could sense the fear in the wolves when she would arrive in her wolf form. They seemed hesitant to want to work with her. In anticipation of this, Calliope brought with her food and supplies as a peace offering. She wanted the packs to know that she was genuine in her offer for them to join under her. When she left the first two packs, everyone was more relaxed and in happy spirits. But she would constantly notice the smell of sun wolves. She did not see any, but they were there or had been there.

For Caleb’s pack, though, she wanted to ensure there was no fear. She did not want to appear in her wolf form, frightening everyone there. Instead, she walked beside the wagon with Paige. Briana and the warriors remained in wolf form since they were normal-sized wolves. This worked better because children ran up to them as they entered the small village. Calliope took a basket of fresh fruit and offered it to any child who approached her.

She looked into each of their eyes. Green, blue, brown, gray, golden... but no eyes drew her in. He wasn’t here, at least not with this group of kids. She looked around. She was sure he was in his home, being hidden by his grandmother. Why go out to meet the wolf who killed your family? She would do the same thing they were doing.

A man walked up to Calliope. He did not bow nor kneel. Instead, he crossed his arms and frowned at her. Calliope looked back at him. He glared at her, and she returned his gaze. But, as her eyes looked to him, he began to falter. He was a moon wolf, and by his scent, he was full-blooded. This meant he had an overwhelming urge to submit to the power before him. As her gaze began to feel like fire on his skin, he ultimately had to submit to the Great Luna. Her aura and energy were stronger than his own will. His natural instinct was stronger than his own will.

This was the man who the group had chosen to be alpha. In front of all those he led, he tried to assert his dominance over Calliope. A small battle that he ultimately lost because he was the first to look away. Once his gaze no longer met hers, Calliope relaxed, and her aura subsided. Any nearby adults were able to rush over and grab the children, yanking them far from Calliope. The children, not being in tune with their wolves, could not feel the power that seemed to seep from her skin.

“You must be Alpha Bennett?” Calliope asked, breaking the silence.

“I am no alpha, just a leader,” Bennett replied as he looked to the ground. His face burned hot. He was embarrassed. How could he have thought he could challenge the Great Luna, even if it were just a battle of the gazes?

“Why don’t we go somewhere private and discuss that?” Calliope questioned as she walked up to him.

Bennett nodded and led the way to one of the only two wooden buildings in the village. It was his personal home. It was small, just a one-room house. In a corner was a desk and a few chairs. He offered her a chair before sitting behind the desk. Calliope could smell sun wolves as she breathed. She warned Briana over mind link. She did not fear an ambush; they looked too weak for that. But she wanted to ensure everyone was watching, just in case.

“I see you brought charity with you to sway us to bow,” Bennett said through his teeth. He was not happy having the Great Luna in his home. Most of the people here and throughout the outer territories had a story about Calliope. Some are true, others not. But seeing her there made him remember the anger of his family’s past.

“I brought food and supplies for all the packs I have visited,” Calliope explained with an innocent smile. “It is more of a peace offering rather than charity. There are more supplies that I shall have brought here if you’d allow.”

“My pack has done well all on its own.”

“But I can provide your pack with more stability: permanent homes, a school, tools, and other resources.”

“Do you think us poor and weak because our village is run down?” he snapped at her. He gripped the edge of his desk, his fingers turning white.

“I see kids outside who are thin and probably malnourished. I saw a few people that were sick. I am here to help your community grow and prosper. My only goal here is to help, not hinder, not judge.”

Bennett crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He could not argue with her about the state of some of those who lived there. Winter was coming, and losing a handful of people was not uncommon due to disease or the cold. He looked at her face. She looked so young for being a Great Luna, for being someone who was nearly four times his age. He looked down at his desk and gave a gentle nod.

“We would like to apply to become an official pack,” he answered. “But I will not kneel to you, not yet. I want to make sure you are truthful in your promises. And you must also understand that many of my people are descendants of those who once fought against you.”

“Water under the bridge,” Calliope shrugged. “I don’t care who someone once was or what their family may have done in the past. I want no more fighting, no more war. I want everyone to be under the Goddess’ embrace.”

Bennett huffed when she mentioned the Goddess. No one here worshipped her. Most believed she didn’t even exist and probably never had. The moon was just the moon, nothing more. But even if she did exist, what had her embrace ever given them, given their ancestors? Misery, turmoil, suffering? Only a select few were allowed her warmth.

He looked down at a paper on his desk. On it were names that his group was contemplating calling their pack. There were many names, but only one stuck out to him. Only one seemed to convey their discontent for the Moon silently.

“Our pack will be called the Eclipse Pack,” he said as he looked at her.

Calliope smiled and nodded. It was a name that could mean the moon was hidden, but eclipses happened to the sun, too.

“An acceptable name,” she responded. “I’ll have my people write up the charter. You and your mate can sign off on it.”

“I have no mate.”

“Then your Beta. It does not matter who signs.”

“Fine,” Bennett frowned. “Anything else?”

“Yes, one more thing,” Calliope answered. Her heart rate began to race, and she felt nervous. She did her best to push her anxiety back. She did not want to appear weak, not now, not yet. “There is a boy that lives here. His name is Caleb.”

Bennett looked at Calliope with confusion. He leaned forward. “What about him?”

“Caleb is my second chance mate,” she answered, getting straight to the point. Calliope blushed and looked down at her hands. Why did she feel this nervous?

Bennett was shocked at hearing her words. Caleb? He had known the boy for most of his life. How could he be the Great Alpha?

“I want to see him,” Calliope said, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up at her and nodded.

“I have mind linked his mother and father. They will be here in a few minutes.” Bennett replied. “Are you sure? He is just a normal boy.”

“He may look normal, may act normal, yet he is anything but,” Calliope explained. “Every Great comes into their gifts at different ages. I was 5. But others don’t get those gifts until they are near puberty. And he may also have exhibited some gifts, but they seem normal to you and everyone else.”

Before Bennett could respond, there was a knock at the door. Calliope stood and turned to face the sound. She watched with anxiety as the door slowly opened. The bright light overshadowed the three figures that stood at the entry. They walked in slowly.

Calliope could feel it, the pull, the energy. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw his face. His hair was sandy blonde. It laid in waves on his head. Then she noticed his eyes, and time seemed to stop momentarily. One of his eyes was brown, but the other was bright Green, like Theo’s. Then there was his smell. A smell that was warm to her senses. It was Juniper. But why did he smell of Juniper? That was Calliope’s smell to Theo.

And there was a feeling, a feeling of familiarity. She could not understand what it was. She had never seen him before, but everything about him was like a memory. Was it his wolf? Was this a wolf spirit that Giizis recognized? Questions raced through her thoughts, but no answers could be found. And if her wolf had answers, she wasn't going to speak them.

Caleb looked up to Calliope. He felt the pull, the same as she did. But while her feet seemed frozen to the ground, he felt weightless. His feet moved on their own, walking up to Calliope. Their gazes were locked on one another. The room was silent while they stared at each other. Bennett talked to his parents over mind link, explaining what was happening.

Calliope finally moved her arm and offered her hand to Caleb. He didn't hesitate to take it. Sparks fly through their hands, up their arms, and down their spines. Calliope shivered at the sensation. A part of her that had been sealed away was finally opened for her. Emotions, feelings, and thoughts, all flowing through her. A tear slipped down her cheek.

“Mate,” Caleb said. His voice was soft. It sounded beautiful as it rang in Calliope’s ears.

“Mate,” she murmured, her voice wavering at the sound.

His parents finally approach them. Calliope looked up, turning her attention from Caleb. She looked at his mother, Maya. She had the same hair as Caleb, except the waves of her hair were longer, hanging down her shoulders. But his father, she did not recognize him. That is not the man that Caleb had called Dad.

Of course, Calliope thought to herself. He is half sun wolf.

“You must be Caleb’s parents?” Calliope asked. They both nod to her but don’t speak. Calliope turned her attention back to Caleb.

“What is to happen with Caleb?” Bennett questioned. His mother was yelling at him over mind link, but she was too scared to talk out loud to Calliope. Though she had never seen Calliope before, the fear she felt went to her very core. But why did Caleb not feel the fear? He was told the same stories and given the same warnings.

“Nothing, he is to remain here until he can shift,” Calliope answered. “Raise him as you would have prior. Once he can shift, then he shall come live with me at the palace and join the Royal Moon pack.”

“And then he becomes the Great Alpha?” Bennett continued his questioning. Now, the man was becoming curious. There was something in the way he spoke; his tone had changed. And Calliope noticed.

“Not quite. He won’t become the Great Alpha until he and I mate and mark one another. That will be when he is 18, at the very least. He will likely shift before turning 18.”

“So why live with you if you won’t be mating or marking each other for several years?”

“Once he can shift, he will be stronger than any of you here, stronger than most other wolves. I have strong warriors: great teachers and trainers. It would benefit him to learn to focus his energy and strength before he comes into his full power.”

“Full power? Won’t he have his full power when he shifts?”

“No, he won’t,” Calliope answered. Even though she knew Bennett was asking for other reasons, she saw no point in lying. Especially in front of Caleb. “Only once we mate and mark one another will he reach his full potential.”

Bennett glanced over to Maya and Edwyn. He then looked back to Calliope and Caleb. Calliope gave a soft sigh before reaching up to touch Caleb’s hair. She could feel the tension in the air, the fear from his mother. She felt she should take her leave.

“I have to go now,” she said softly to him. “But I will see you soon, ok?”

Caleb frowned but nodded to her. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Calliope’s heart melted further at his touch, his warmth. She knelt on one knee so they could be more at eye level with one another. She embraced him back, savoring their sparks.

She suddenly felt cold when she pulled away from him and stood straight. He was the source of her warmth, of her happiness. And now, she had to leave him here. Is this what Theo felt every time they saw one another when she was a child? It broke her heart when she stepped outside the cabin. Leaving him here, not knowing when she would next see him, was painful. It is almost too painful.

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling Giizis within her. Even though Caleb had the stench of sun wolf on him, Giizis did not seem upset by this. Instead, she was content with seeing him. The smell of juniper, the static, the energy that flew between the two. It seemed to have awoken Giizis from a deep sleep. Her wolf was happy, and Calliope couldn’t help but feel happy as well. He was her second chance at happiness, her second chance at life, but she was also cautious. She could sense something was wrong; she didn’t know what it was. Not yet.

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