Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 7

After the fights were finished, Alpha Bennett came to the platform to retrieve Caleb. With hesitation, Caleb bid Calliope goodbye and went to his Alpha. Bennett took his hand and led him to their tent city. Once in the largest tent, he forced Caleb down on a chair.

“So, what did you two talk about? You were laughing a lot! I watched!” Bennett yelled at him. Caleb sank back into his chair, trying to make himself seem smaller.

“W-we talked about her previous mate,” Caleb answered.

“Why?”

“I was curious. I didn’t know what second chance mate meant, and then I just kept asking about Theo.”

Bennett slapped Caleb across on his right cheek.

“Do not speak his name in front of me. He was a monster, created to destroy us, to destroy you and your family. They are monsters. Or did you forget that when you were enjoying yourself?”

“No! I didn’t forget!” Caleb cried as he tried to hold back his tears. His cheek was red, and its stinging pain lingered.

“Then why bother talking to her?”

“Because I’m supposed to win her trust, right? How do I do that when I stay silent?” Caleb asked.

Bennett growled and paced the tent. He thought to himself. Of course, the boy would have to speak to her. He was supposed to make her like him, trust him. But he needed to keep himself distant so he wouldn’t develop feelings for her.

“What else did you talk about?” He snapped.

“We talked about her gifts,” Caleb mumbled.

Bennett stopped in his tracks. He went up to Caleb and lifted his face by his chin.

“What did you say?”

“We talked about her gifts!”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t know what they were! How can I kill her if I don’t know what she can do!” Caleb answered. He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry and sore. Something in him hurt, but he didn’t know what.

“You aren’t so useless after all, boy,” Bennett smirked as he let Caleb go. “Well, what are they?”

“She said she can give blessings, which strengthens people, but only for a little while.”

“Interesting,” Bennett nodded. “Temporarily increased power... it can be dangerous, but only if she used it on others. She can’t use it on herself, right?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Alright, what else?”

“She said that having a large wolf and being strong is a gift. But, the last one I think is one you won’t like. She said she has great hearing. That she can hear mind links between others.”

Bennett stared at Caleb, trying to decipher if he was lying. But Caleb didn’t falter in his gaze. Bennett nodded and began to pace again.

“So she can hear if we talk over mind link? Did she say how far?”

“No, sir,” Caleb answered. “I’m sorry, I should have asked.”

“No, too many questions, and she would have been suspicious. That is fine; you did well. We will make a rule: no making plans over mind link. We say nothing that can incriminate us. The last thing we need is for her to overhear something and get angry. Do you remember what happens when she is angry?”

“She will kill everyone I know and love,” Caleb replied with a defeated sigh.

“Good. You will do well in remembering that. You are the only one who can prevent our deaths.”

“But aren’t I a monster, like her? I’m going to be the Great Alpha.” Caleb questioned while he trembled.

“You are half sun wolf,” Bennett replied as he touched Caleb’s shoulder tenderly. “You have more good in you than she does. You can overcome the monster within you. I’m sure of it.”

Caleb nodded as one of their warriors walked in. He handed Bennett a note and then walked back out. Bennett read the note before handing it to Caleb.

“It looks like the Great Luna wants to see you in the morning before we head out. Any idea why?”

“Probably to say bye?” Caleb shrugged. “She didn’t mention anything to me. I swear!”

“Fine, you may leave,” Bennett replied, waving Caleb off. Caleb stood but stopped at the tent entrance.

“One more thing, Alpha,” he said. Once Bennett acknowledged him, did he continue. “She said I needed a companion. But I could choose who that person is.”

“Oh yes. I had noticed that a woman had followed the Great Luna around quite a lot. I asked around, and that was her companion. Did she tell you what a companion was?”

“Someone who pledges themselves and their line to follow me, advise me, and the such. She offered to choose someone for me, but I thought you’d prefer to choose?”

“Another good thought you had,” Bennett smiled. “I’ll pick someone out for you once we return home. Now, go rest.”

Caleb left the tent and went to his own small tent. It wasn’t set up by the Royal Moon pack like all the others. It was a makeshift tent just off to the side of Alpha Bennett’s. He laid down on the straw cot and wrapped himself in his blanket.

Though he felt tired, he couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about Calliope and how sweet she was to him. Her voice was soft, her touch gentle, and her smell. She smelled of lemongrass and sage, two plants his mother grew in their small garden. It was relaxing and comforting. He didn’t understand how she could be a monster. But the fear of his family being killed was always in the back of his mind. With all these thoughts, it wasn’t until after midnight that he fell asleep.

Caleb woke up to his tent being dismantled by someone from his pack. He quickly got out of the tent before it fell on him. He noticed everyone else was packed and ready to go. He quickly ran onto the back of the wagon before he got scolded for being slow.

After a few minutes, Alpha Bennett signaled for everyone to shift and head to the front of the palace. It was a slow ride in the wagon as they made their way. Caleb looked down at the wagon floor, not wanting to seem eager to see her again. Only when the wagon stopped did he look up.

Calliope stood at the top of the steps, hands behind her back. She smiled brightly when she saw Caleb. Bennett shifted and helped Caleb from the wagon. Caleb walked up the steps, stopping only one step below her.

“Hello, Caleb,” Calliope said softly to him. “I have made you a gift.”

“A gift?” Caleb replied with his eyes growing wide.

Calliope took her hands from behind her back and showed him a stuffed white wolf. It was similar to her own stuffed black wolf. Caleb reached up to take the toy. When their hands touched, his eyes went dark red.

Caleb’s vision blurred, and he saw a little girl holding a small black wolf. The girl had hair like Calliope with the same bright blue eyes. She held it close as she smelled it.

It smells like Theo, the girl said.

Caleb watched as what he saw flashed and changed. Suddenly, he saw the girl lying in bed, holding the wolf in her arms. She petted the wolf as she fell asleep.

Caleb gasped as his eyes returned to their normal brown and green color. He looked up at Calliope in shock.

“What’s wrong?” Calliope asked in concern. She had noticed his eyes but couldn’t tell what was happening to him. What gift was he using?

“I saw a little girl! She held a wolf like this, but he was black. And she looked like you!” Caleb exclaimed.

Calliope bent over to get eye-to-eye with Caleb. Bennett ran over, noticing something was wrong. Calliope breathed heavily as she processed what Caleb said.

“You saw what I was thinking,” she finally gasped.

“What’s going on here?” Bennett questioned.

“I saw something when she handed me this wolf!” Caleb explained. He turned to look at Bennett but then lost his smile. He saw the anger in Bennett’s eyes.

“Is that a gift?” Bennett asked Calliope.

“I believe it is,” she nodded. “His eyes changed when it happened. Him seeing the memory I was thinking about, it is a gift.”

Caleb’s mother shifted from her wolf form. She frowned. She wanted to yell at Bennett, but she feared Calliope listening in. Caleb was not to tell her about his gifts, and he does it anyway! It made her furious.

Calliope offered Caleb her hand again, but he could not replicate seeing her memory. Bennett tried, but nothing happened. Calliope sent Briana inside for some books.

“It is alright, Caleb,” she told him reassuringly. “It took me many, many years to get control and master my own gifts. My companion is getting you books on meditation, among a few others. Meditation is what helped me with my gifts, and I’m sure that’ll be the same for you.”

Caleb gave her a smile and nodded. When Briana returned with a stack of books, Bennett took them and placed them in the wagon. Caleb stayed with Calliope. He looked into her eyes, not wanting to leave.

“I’ll see you in three months,” she said as if she could read his thoughts. “I’ll come see you in your new house, and you can show me all your favorite places to go.”

“Ok!” Caleb said happily. He gave her hand one last touch before heading back onto the wagon. He sat down in his seat and held the wolf close. His mother climbed onto the wagon and sat across from him.

Once a few miles down the road, Maya slapped Caleb twice, once on each cheek.

“How dare you tell her about your gift!” She yelled at him.

“That’s enough,” Bennett said as he shifted. “She said she noticed his eyes. There is no hiding it when she can plainly see. So leave the boy alone.”

Maya crossed her arms and glared at Bennett before looking at the stuffed white wolf.

“Throw that thing into the woods,” she instructed Caleb.

“But, she said she will come to see me in three months!” Caleb argued. “She said she wanted to see my new home, and what if she asks to see it.”

“She is coming to visit you?” Bennett asked. “And she said she wanted to see you in your new home?”

“Yes, alpha,” Caleb answered quickly.

“Fine,” he nodded as he looked at Maya. “The boy is to live with you again. No arguments! Boy, hide that wolf once you are home. You should understand how it will upset your mother.”

“Yes, sir,” Caleb nodded. He grabbed his bag and slipped the wolf inside to hide it from sight. He looked up to his mother, but she refused to look at him. He sighed as he looked down to the wagon floor.

From the palace, Calliope stood on the steps, her cheeks red from the slaps that Caleb received. Her blood boiled with anger, and Giizis threatened to come out.

But she knew that her visiting every few months would be better for Caleb. They wouldn’t mistreat him as much if they knew she was coming. Plus, this got him out of the barracks tent and into the home she had built for him. She even ensured he had his own room, his own space.

His leaving hurt her worse than she ever expected. She would let him move in with her if he ever asked. She would take him far from his family. But he loved his mother and father, no matter how much they pushed him away. This love he had for them was the only reason she held back. She couldn’t have him hating her.

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