Calliope's Mate - Book 2
Chapter 9

Caleb opened his eyes, startled to see his surroundings. He stood on a dirt path in a wooden area. Off in the distance, he saw a mountain with a snowy peak. He blinked his eyes, trying to adjust them. He was just in bed moments ago, but now he is here again.

In the distance, he saw a man with his three children rushing down the road. The two younger boys held bags over their shoulders. The man had a large bag in his left hand. His other hand was wrapped around the hand of the teenage girl.

Caleb watched them and called out to them, but he made no sound. He could not move. He tried waving at them to get their attention, but they didn’t notice him.

He suddenly gasped as a large, white wolf walked through him as if he was just mist. It was Calliope in her wolf form. He watched her as she approached the family. He again tried calling to her to stop, pleading through tears, but she couldn’t hear him.

He watched as Calliope paused and looked at the man. The man threw down his bag and ran left, into the woods. Calliope was quick to chase after him. Other wolves surrounded the children, keeping them from chasing after the man.

Caleb fell to his knees. He could hear the man’s screams, his begging. But he couldn’t stop it. He watched as the kids huddled together, crying out for their father. It seemed like hours that he listened to their cries and the man’s screams. Until finally, there was silence.

The kids stopped crying for their father long enough to realize he was dead. That his own screams had stopped. The girl tried to run into the woods but was pulled back to the road by a woman.

He listened as the girl begged and cried to go see her father. But the woman kept her there. He watched the woman try to console the children, but how do you calm down kids who heard their father’s death?

Caleb watched as Calliope exited the woods. Her white fur had red stained across it. She looked at the kids before heading back down the dirt path. He watched her leave the kids for the woman to handle.

With a start, Caleb sat up in his bed. His breathing was erratic as he looked around. He was in his room, in his bed. No longer in the woods, no longer in his dream. He threw the covers off of himself once he noticed he was sweating. He glanced at the window. It was still dark out.

Caleb’s sandy hair was sticking to his face. He brushed it out of the way. His hair hung down to his shoulder in waves. He looked down at his hands. For months now, he has had this same exact nightmare.

Not long after turning 13, he was able to use his memory-viewing gift at will. For years, he had trained, focusing on his internal energy. And now that he could use it, he was viewing the memories of the older generations.

At first, it was to see battles, critical learning moments, and the like. But then his grandmother finally broke down and showed him her memories.

She started with the happier ones: memories of her childhood when her mother and father were both alive. Of her living in a valley under the Blue Tip Mountain. But then, after a few weeks, she showed him the memory that changed her. The day Calliope killed her father.

He watched the entire memory, watching what she saw. It nearly broke him. It still might. Seeing this memory caused him to hate Calliope. What she did to his family was unforgivable. Killing an innocent man, one who was running to safety with his children, was gruesome.

Since the day he saw the memory, it haunted him. He rarely trained, stopped meditating, and refused to study. The memory tore him apart from the inside. For years, he thought of ways not to kill Calliope, trying to find ways to make everyone happy. But now, he only thought of her death. He used the pain it caused him to fuel his anger.

With a huff, he got out of the bed. He dressed in a light training outfit. He stepped outside and began to run. Running helped him to clear his mind and made it easier for him to think.

But as he ran, he got faster and faster. This was his newest gift: the ability to run fast. He was faster on foot than anyone else in their human forms. He was also almost as quick as the wolves. Many told him that once he could shift, his wolf would out-speed all others.

But he did not care about his speed during this early morning run. He just wanted to run. To run away from the nightmare, from his thoughts, from his pain. He needed to clear his mind, for today Calliope was visiting.

It would be her first visit since he saw his grandmother’s memory. Today, he was going to push her away from him. He did not want to see her; he wanted her far from him. He didn’t care if she was his mate. He would do his duty once he could shift, but he wanted to be left alone for now.

This was something that Alpha Bennett supported. Since having the nightmares, Bennett has been Caleb’s go-to for advice. He told Bennett everything, holding back nothing from him anymore. And for this, Bennett was gentler to him, more supportive. He knew Caleb was vulnerable, and he took advantage of it.

Caleb ran until it was daylight, but he did not stop. He ran and ran, only stopping when he smelled her... when he smelled Calliope. Her scent relaxed him. He hated it. He hated that he felt like he needed her. He hated being her mate. It forced his mind and body to act in ways he didn’t want.

He ran up to the rocky ridge. For years, she would meet him here before going into the town. For years, it was their secret; to meet here to speak and meditate together. They were able to speak freely there, no worries about others hearing. Caleb had confided in her, but no longer. It stopped today; he would see to it.

Once at the top, he saw her. Curse his heart for melting at the sight of her. No matter how much he hated her, he could not deny she was beautiful. He furrowed his brows. But she was a monster.

He stopped when he was a few feet from her. She greeted him with a warm smile and walked over to embrace him, but he stepped back.

Calliope frowned, slightly hurt that he moved away from her. But she noticed he was sweating; he had been running. Perhaps he didn’t want her to touch him in this state? But she could feel something coming from him. His aura felt hot... it felt angry.

“Is everything alright?” She asked as she stepped back from him.

“No,” he answered curtly.

“What’s wrong? Do you need me to fix it?”

“I don’t need you! I hate that I feel like I need you! You’re a monster!” He yelled at her.

Calliope stumbled back, surprised by him yelling at her. He was always gentle, his voice always soft to her. But now, something had changed. Had something happened when she wasn’t watching him? As much as she wanted to keep looking through his eyes, she still had to be a Great Luna to everyone else.

“What have I done?” She asked.

“What haven’t you done?! I’ve seen memories! Memories of the destruction you’ve done! I’ve seen how you killed my Great Grandfather!”

“Caleb,” she whispered as she tried to reach for his hand. “Let me explain.”

“Don't!” He yelled as he hit her hand away.

Giizis growled within Calliope. But on the outside, Calliope looked hurt. She was hurt. Her heart was breaking. For a split second, it almost reminded her of when Theo died. The pain, it felt similar. She held her hands to her chest.

“Caleb-”

“No! I don’t want to hear your excuses! I don’t want to see you anymore! Please do not come here and visit me again! I forbid it!”

Caleb’s voice was powerful and commanding. He could command many of those within his pack, but he could never command Calliope. Giizis did not bow to any other wolf. But, even still, his words made her tremble. It caused Giizis to grow angry. But Calliope looked down, not wanting him to see her tears.

“Fine.” She mumbled.

She turned her back to him. Her heart felt heavy. She wanted to talk to him, explain what had happened. But to explain it to him completely would mean she would need to show him her memories. She would need to explain to him how she lied about her gifts. How she can actually see through not only Theo’s eyes but his. But if he found out she lied to him, it would only worsen things. She knew it.

“I’ll return for you when you can shift. I don’t care how much you hate me now; you are still the Great Alpha.” She said firmly.

Before he could speak, she shifted. Giizis shot him a glance before running down the ridge. Caleb watched her run, watched her leave. Once he could no longer see her, he sank to his knees.

“I hate how yelling at her makes me feel.” He said to nothingness around him. “I hate that I feel a pull to her. It is a curse to be her mate.”

“It is a curse indeed,” Bennett said as he walked over the ridge. Caleb stood to greet him, but Bennett waved him down. “I saw you two up here talking; sorry if I scared you.”

“No, thank you for coming,” Caleb said as he sat back down. “She was distraught when I yelled at her. And my heart, it hurts so bad.”

“No matter how hard you fight, you still have the pull of the mate bond. Only killing her will free you from its shackles.”

“I know. But I still have nearly five years before I’m 18. And she said she would come for me when I shift. What if that is years before I turn 18?”

“You still have to play nice with her if she is to trust you,” Bennett explained as he sat beside Caleb. “Sometimes you must create a truce with your enemies to reach your end goal.”

“What if I falter? What if the mate bond is too strong? What if we mate and I physically cannot kill her?”

“That is why you have me, your parents, and Waylon here to help. Do you remember that cabin we passed by last year on our way home from the Moon Festival?”

“The run-down one? Yeah.”

“Once you do shift, you can meet us there every three months,” Bennett replied. “If you’re having problems, we can talk about them then. If it comes down to it, you can lure the girl there, and we will finish her off.”

Caleb looked at Bennett. He smiled at him. Though Bennett was once cruel to Caleb, he now saw it was to make him stronger. Caleb needed to be stronger, for his family, for his pack. He needed to protect them. And he knew why now. As a child, he didn’t understand. He never saw Calliope's cruel nature. But now he knew. It was like puzzle pieces were fitting together in his mind.

“Thank you, alpha,” Caleb said. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won't,” Bennett agreed as he patted Caleb’s shoulder. “I know.”

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