Calliope - Book 3 - A collection of Short Stories

Eli sat high up in a tree, resting on a large trunk, looking up at the sky above. He watched the clouds as they rolled by, dotting the bright blue skies with whites and grays. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the cool air.

It had been nearly 50 years since he first fell from a tree, when it was revealed that he was the next Great Alpha. And now that he was in his 60s, he had taken over many of the responsibilities from his father. From running the Elder council meetings to being the one who participated in the Moon Festival challenge. But the ultimate power, the final word, always belonged to his mother, Calliope.

He glanced down toward the ground. He could see his father and their companions gathered around a small fire. They have been traveling around, visiting the packs to the north of the palace. The region had experienced extreme blizzards the previous winter, leaving behind damaged homes and some dead. Many of the Alphas and Lunas had called upon the Greats to help fund reconstruction. They had one last pack to visit before returning to determine how much funds to pull from the treasury.

He looked back up to the sky with a sigh. It was not his first outing as a Great Alpha, but it was the first one without Calliope. She was back home, caring for his youngest sister as she neared the end of her pregnancy. But many of the wolves they came across asked about her. They trusted her word above all others. Eli found it frustrating. He would second guess his choices as others asked if that was what his mother would do.

Hey, Squirrel, we are packing it up down here! His companion, Zeke, mind linked to him.

Eli grumbled as he began to climb down from the tree. He hated the nickname that his second companion had given him. Even though Zeke was just a child when he said it, the name stuck. It also did not help that his wolf, Dirge, was gray with a slightly curved tail.

He took one last look around the horizon before climbing down from the tree. He landed on the ground with a thud as Zeke covered the small fire with dirt. When Zeke heard Eli, he tossed him a piece of dried meat.

“I saved you some food,” he stated with a smile.

“Thanks,” Eli mumbled as he took a bite of the tough meat.

"You could have had something warm if you were on the ground," Caleb chuckled.

"I'll be fine," Eli shrugged. "I just wanted to be up in the tree today."

"Did you see anything?"

"Just the clouds," he answered as he looked at the piece of meat he was gnawing on. He had a reason to go up into the tree. There was an urge, something calling to him. But once he was up there, it was gone. Noticing that everyone was waiting for him, Eli quickly finished eating.

The group shifted and began to follow the well-worn path through the woods, making their way toward the Nightshade pack. This was an old pack, one that had been fiercely loyal to the Greats since Theo’s reign. The group passed through a small village with buildings that had collapsed roofs. The snowfall had been significant this far north, and the old roofs could not withstand the weight. They continued through a thick forest, heading toward the pack’s capital.

Dirge stopped in his tracks abruptly. His nose went into the air, and the scent of sweet peas and lemon filled his nose. The smell was strong and addicting. It sent electric shivers down the spine of the wolf.

Mate! Dirge yelled to Eli. She is nearby!

Eli growled as he pushed his wolf in the direction of the scent. His sudden stop and change of direction caught the attention of everyone else. They called out to him over mind link, but he ignored them. He was concentrating on his wolf, on the smell that filled his entire body with warm feelings. Every fiber of his being was focused on her: his mate.

He shifted into his human form when he came to a clearing. He noticed a dilapidated cabin to the far side. His eyes continued to wander until he saw a woman leaning over a basin as she washed clothes. The sound of her humming filled his ears, causing Dirge to growl happily within Eli.

Caleb shifted and stood next to his son. He looked from Eli’s face to the woman, and he instantly knew. Eli had the same look in his blue eyes that Caleb had when he looked at Cali. It was the look of yearning, of desire and need. As if moments before, he was only half a man, and the woman before him was the missing piece.

“Go talk to her,” Caleb instructed as he touched his son’s shoulder. “We will wait for you.”

Eli licked his parched lips. His mouth had gone dry as he looked at the woman. He could not remember the last time he felt this nervous. He wiped his hands against his pants, drying off the sweat that had quickly formed. With a heavy sigh, he took a step toward her.

The woman had her back to the woods, unaware of the men who were looking at her. Suddenly, the smell of mint and pine filled her nose. She paused her scrubbing as she furrowed her brows. She held up the soap, giving it a sniff, but that was not it. But the scent was strong, bringing a cooling sensation to her chest. She closed her eyes, enjoying the smell.

“Hello,” Eli uttered when he was a few feet from her.

The woman gasped, standing quickly to face Eli. When their eyes met, a shiver went through her body. Her heart began to race, hurting as it beat within her chest. Though the man in front of her was smiling, she was scared. Fear washed over her face and kept her frozen in place.

“I’m Eli,” he continued as he took a step to her.

The woman sidestepped closer to her home. Everything that she felt, everything that raced through her mind, was foreign, and it frightened her. But Eli did not seem to notice how she trembled like a leaf ready to fly in the wind. He did not seem to hear her heavy breathing. He was too focused on her being his mate. As he took another step toward her, she sprinted and ran inside her home, quickly locking the door behind her.

“Wait!” Eli called out as he chased after her. He was met with a wooden door in his face. He placed his hand on it, yearning to see her. “Please, let me in.”

“Go away!” She yelled at him.

“I can’t do that,“ he replied, leaning against the door. “Please, can we just talk?”

“Leave me alone!” She shouted.

“Eli,” Caleb said as he ran up to him.

“She locked herself in her home,” Eli growled as he looked at his father.

“She is scared,” Caleb whispered, pulling his son away. “Could you not see it? You have the best eyesight of any wolf, but could you not see her shaking in fear?”

Eli’s eyes went wide as he looked at Caleb. He shook his head. He had not even noticed. He was so focused on his own desires, on his own needs, that he had not even seen, though he stared right at her. He looked down at his feet and felt regret hit the pit of his stomach.

“Let’s just go to the Nightshade pack house,” Caleb suggested gently. “We can come back tomorrow, with calm heads, to try and talk to her.”

Eli nodded as he looked at the door. He softly knocked on it with a fist.

“I’ll come back tomorrow,” he stated.

“Please, don’t,” the woman begged.

It hurt Eli to hear her say that. It hurt that she ran from him. Did she not feel the same things he felt? Did she not feel the same pull? He took a step away as Caleb tugged on his arm.

“Come, son. It is getting late.”

“I don’t understand,” Eli muttered as he followed his father. “How could she push me away?”

“She has her reasons,” Caleb sighed. “But, I understand more than anyone what you are feeling. Your mother kept me at arm's length for the longest time. However, she was right in doing so. I'm sure the girl has a reason to be afraid.”

Eli refused to shift as he continually glanced over his shoulders. It was hard for him to leave the one person he was supposed to be drawn to, to be inseparable from. But his father was right. His eyes and mind were so clouded over that he did not realize that his mate was scared of him.

As they walked down the road, he began to look around. The cabin was all by itself. There was no one… nothing was near her. And the cabin. It looked as if it was older than his mother. It was crumbling; the wood was rotten. How it survived the blizzards, he did not know.

The more they walked, the more the silence became deafening to his ears. His mind kept wandering, kept thinking about what was wrong with the woman. She did not seem to notice him; she did not have a pull. It did not hurt her to send him away. He wished that he had taken the time to watch her longer. Eli could not remember if he smelled a wolf in her. Was she human? Was she wolfless? What was wrong with her?

Within a few hours, they were at the main pack house for the Nightshade pack. It was evening, and the sun nearly set. The alpha was the first to greet the group with a deep bow.

“Welcome to our humble pack,” Alpha Tate greeted. “Please, come inside.”

“Can we go somewhere private to speak?” Caleb inquired as only he and Eli stepped forward.

“Of course,” Tate nodded, giving them a quizzical look.

He led them inside the pack house and went directly to his study. Once everyone was inside, he shut the door, preventing any unwanted eyes or ears from eavesdropping. Eli sat down in a chair with a thud, but Caleb remained standing behind his son.

“I’d offer drinks, but you two look like something is wrong,” Tate stated as he sat in his chair.

“On the way here, Eli caught the scent of his mate. It was a girl several miles from here in a cabin.” Caleb explained.

“Did you speak with her?” The alpha inquired as he leaned forward against his desk.

“I tried,” Eli shrugged. “But she ran into her home before I could really say more than a sentence or two.”

“I know the girl that you speak of,” Tate scowled.

“What can you tell us about her?”

“The girl has been a loner her whole life,” Tate said as he leaned back into his chair. “Her parents were once sun wolves, the same ones that the Great Luna changed. They fought in the desert against her, but they surrendered. When the law was passed around accepting all former sun wolves, my pack offered to take in a little over a dozen.”

“Her parents were combative from the start,” he continued. “They were bitter and angry. But they kept to themselves. It wasn’t until many years later that they had Alice. They became more isolated after her birth.”

“Alice? That’s her name?” Eli questioned as he perked up.

“They must have been older when they had her,” Caleb interjected.

“They were,” Tate nodded. “Alice should be about 20 years old now.”

“Where are her parents?”

“They died when she was 12, perhaps 13,” Tate shrugged. “My mate at the time tried to get Alice to move into town with another family, but she refused. She kept saying she was happier being out there.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Caleb interrupted as he growled. “So you’re telling me that you let a young girl live in the woods on her own?!”

“What would you have me do? She would run anytime we tried to catch her. She is a wild, feral child. So much so that she had a pup with some random, unknown man when she was 16.”

Eli growled at the thought of his mate having a child, of her having slept with another man. A child… Greats struggle for years to have children.

“Does she have a wolf?” Eli questioned suddenly.

“I don’t know,” Tate shrugged. “No one has ever seen her shift.”

“Did you not see her wolf when she became a member?”

“That is the problem; she is not an official pack member,” Tate answered as he looked at Caleb. “I have made requests to make her a rogue, but they keep getting denied by the Great Luna.”

“Are you saying that Calliope is wrong for denying your requests?” Caleb growled angrily.

“No,” Tate sighed as he leaned down due to the heavy aura that was coming from Caleb. “No, Great Alpha. I am not saying that.”

“Dad, calm down,” Eli said as he looked up at Caleb. “Just think about what Alpha Tate has said for a moment. They have never seen her shift; I don’t recall smelling a wolf in her earlier.”

“And she is supposed to be your mate? The next Great Luna?” Tate inquired. “I’m not saying that you are wrong, but perhaps the Goddess is wrong with this one?”

Caleb was quiet as he looked out of a window. He found it difficult to believe that Eli could be mated to a wolfless girl. He knew that night he would have to mind link with Calliope. He sighed, wishing she was here. She knew how to handle these odd situations. But she would also be able to tell before anyone else if the girl was truly the next Great Luna.

“We will go talk with the girl tomorrow,” Caleb finally said after a moment of silence.

“Why bother?” Eli scoffed as he crossed his arms. “At this point, I don’t even know if she is worth the effort.”

“You don’t even know the girl,” Caleb argued. “You can’t tell me that you are ready to reject her based on your short interaction with her?”

“What is talking to her going to accomplish? She has no wolf! But she has a child with some random man? Does that not strike you as odd, seeing how you and mom would go years without getting pregnant? And yet, that girl can get pregnant with some strange man before turning 18? I am to be the Great Alpha! Do you expect me to have a mate who has been with someone before? She is used-”

Eli’s words were interrupted when Caleb grabbed his son by the throat. Caleb lifted Eli from his chair, slamming him violently against a wall. Caleb was steaming as Altan threatened to come out.

“You forget yourself!” Caleb growled as his hand pressed harder onto Eli’s throat. “I am your mother’s second mate. Do you think for one moment I thought about her as used?! Do not, for your safety, repeat those words in front of your mother. I fear what she would do to you.”

Eli fell to the floor when Caleb released him. He was gasping for air, trying to fill his lungs with the oxygen that they were deprived of. But Caleb said no more to him. He stormed from the room, refusing to talk to his son any longer. For the rest of the evening and into the night, Caleb was away from the pack house. He spent most of the night in the woods, watching the cabin while mind-linking with Calliope. She wanted Caleb to invite the girl back to their home. If she had a wolf, and if it was another Great Luna, Giizis would know.