Calliope's Mate - Book 2

Caleb.

Calliope swung her legs to the side of the bed. She placed her feet on the ground but quickly found she didn’t have the strength to stand. She fell back onto the bed with a thud. She sat up and gently rubbed her legs.

After a few minutes, she closed her eyes. Calliope tried to see through Caleb’s eyes again. But she couldn’t. She tried to concentrate, tried to focus on him. But nothing: there was nothing.

When she couldn’t see through his eyes, she tried to concentrate on Giizis instead. She tried to meditate, to see her wolf. But even that failed. It was like the energy in her was drained. Her whole body was exhausted, whether or not she wanted to admit it.

Ladies! She called out to her companions, Ginny, Briana, and Lea, over mind link.

Lea was there first. She had been down in her room, talking with her mate about the blessing their baby had received. She ran up and knelt in front of Calliope. She gasped when she saw her blue eyes.

She was at a loss for words. Her usual chatty nature was overcome with shock. She had only read about her eyes. How the blue was so bright, they seemed to glow. Lea took Calliope’s hands in her own.

Briana came in with Ginny. With her age, Ginny was slow and needed assistance to get up the three flights of stairs. When Calliope looked at them, Ginny suddenly struggled to breathe. The air felt as though it was caught in her lungs.

She walked over as fast as her old legs could go. She took Calliope’s cheeks in her hands. She studied her eyes and began to cry.

“I haven’t seen those eyes in 62 years,” Ginny said through tears. “They are just as blue as I remembered. Can you see? Is this real?”

Calliope nodded, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She looked around at her companions. She could see them through Giizis, but seeing them up close, at the same height as them, they looked clearer and more colorful.

“How?” Lea questioned.

“I-I have a new mate,” Calliope explained. Tears finally fell down her cheeks. Saying it out loud made it more real. Made her pain for Theo resurface.

Everyone looked wide-eyed at Calliope. In the thousands of years that Greats have existed, none before have ever had a second chance mate. Even though they lived long lives, if their mates died, they would spend decades, if not hundreds of years, alone.

“Are you sure?” Ginny asked as she sat beside Calliope on the bed.

“I am,” Calliope answered. “His name is Caleb. I saw he was running with other young boys. One of them called him out by name.”

“Did you see where he was? Did you recognize it?”

“No, I don’t know where he was. But I think it was near a mountain. He ran over this rocky ridge. When he reached the top, I saw a small town. Two buildings and the rest were tents. The ground looked barren, mostly rocky, some grass.”

“Can you look again? Get a better idea of where he might be?” Lea asked.

“I don’t know,” Calliope said as she touched her forehead. “My head hurts a lot.”

Ginny stroked her arm gently. “You spent so many years looking through your mate’s eyes. I’m sure you need rest.”

“I feel like a child again,” Calliope scowled. “I can’t walk, I feel weak, and I can’t use some of my gifts at will.”

“But you can see!” Lea teased.

Calliope waved her hand, freezing Lea. That gift still worked, at least.

“Help me dress,” Calliope said to Ginny and Briana. “She can stay like that until we are done.”

Briana laughed at her daughter as she helped Calliope off the bed. Calliope had to put most of her weight on Briana, afraid she would hurt Ginny if she leaned too much against her. They took her across the room to her vanity. The black dress that Lea made was there.

Calliope smiled as she touched the fabric. It was soft, and the threading was well done. Calliope then looked into the mirror. She, indeed, had not aged. Her face was smooth, her freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, and her hair was bright as ever. She sighed.

I still look like I’m 19 or 20. How long am I going to be living? How much more suffering do I have to endure? She thought to herself.

After a minute, she raised her arms in the air. Her companions helped undress her and redress her. Calliope looked in the mirror. The dress was slightly oversized on her.

“I guess I lost weight since she last saw me,” Calliope sighed. “But she did a wonderful job, didn’t she?”

“Indeed she did,” Ginny agreed. “Maybe she can help take it in once you free her?”

“No, let’s leave it this size. Now that I can see, maybe I will want to eat more. Maybe I can put some weight back on me?”

And muscle! Lea shouted over mind link.

Calliope shot her frozen companion a look. Lea looked as if she was smirking.

“Take me to my study. Summon my advisors and Beta. I need to let them know what has transpired.”

“What about Lea?” Briana asked as they walked out into the hallway. Calliope scowled and waved her hand. She heard a thud and laughter in her room.

“Why didn’t you have another daughter?” Calliope asked Briana.

“She was too much to handle as it was,” Briana replied with a small laugh. “You are an old soul, and she is just too childish for you.”

Her companions walked her halfway down the hall and to her study. She had not come in here often. Giizis was too large for this room, so meeting in the larger council room on the first floor was easier. But nothing seemed to have changed since she was last here.

Calliope squinted at the bright light that came in through the windows. Ginny noticed and went to close the curtains. Calliope’s eyes adjusted once the room was darker, and it was less painful for her. They helped her to sit down in a chair.

Calliope sighed as she rubbed her thighs. She was hurting, but there was no steam to relieve her of her pain. Beta Blake was the first to walk in, along with Lea.

“So it’s true? Lea wasn’t lying to me about your sight?” Blake asked as he knelt in front of Calliope. He studied her eyes and looked at her in awe.

“Stop gawking and move away,” Calliope growled. She didn’t want to be an attraction for all to stare at her.

Blake nodded and stepped back. He looked to Lea, who went to stand by Calliope. After a few minutes, her other advisors entered. Two of them bore the scar from Heidi’s oath. Even if they tried, they could never betray Calliope. The last advisor was a distant cousin from her Mother’s side. The sister to the current Alpha of her family pack. These people in this room were the ones that Calliope trusted without question.

“As you can tell, I can see again,” she starts. “For decades, I have been looking through my mate’s eyes, looking at darkness. But this morning, when I opened my eyes, I saw light for the first time. I saw the outside world and things my human eyes haven’t seen in so long. But why is that? It would seem the Goddess has given me a second chance mate.”

Her advisors smiled excitedly, but their smiles faded when they noticed that Calliope didn’t look pleased.

“The problem is I don’t know where he is, and it appears that I cannot use some of my gifts for the moment,” she frowned.

“You’re weak,” her advisor, Paige, said. She was the wolf from Calliope’s family pack. She was known for her blunt honesty; one who didn’t beat around the bush or flatter to get to the point.

Lea growled and stood in front of Paige.

“I will fight you if you dare to insult My Great Luna again,” Lea spat.

“Down Lea,” Calliope scowled. “She didn’t lie, she just stated a fact.”

“You’re not weak; you are still stronger than all of us,” Lea argued as she returned to Calliope’s side.

“You can think that all you like, but I can feel it. I’m weak.”

“You are skinny and malnourished. You can’t get into the correct headspace to use your gifts in this condition,” Paige continued.

Calliope looked down at her bony hands. She flexed her fingers. They felt so foreign to her. Her hands didn’t look like her hands. Didn’t feel like her hands. She sighed as she nodded.

“You’re right,” she finally replied. “What do you suppose I do then?”

“Heal,” Paige answered. “Eat. Once you feel strength come back, train. In the meantime, we can do what we can to find your mate. What can you tell us about him?”

“His name is Caleb. I’m not sure of his age or looks. I saw him running with other boys. Maybe 8 or 10 years old? They had to be either in or near a mountain or mountain range. He ran over this rocky ledge, and at the bottom was a barren valley with a small village. I didn’t recognize it, but I also didn’t study the area either. I was more in shock that I was seeing.”

Blake brought over a map and unfolded it on the table. He and Paige began to mark all the mountain ranges in and out of their territories.

“Well, that’s a lot of ground to cover,” Blake said as he ran his hand through his hair. “And what if it is a rogue pack? It could be one of those roaming packs?”

“That’s promising,” Calliope replied sarcastically.

“How about this, we split up the packs, and do an inquiry on any boys named Caleb? Then we can narrow it down based on their locations.” Paige suggested.

“Perhaps,” Calliope shrugged.

“Won’t people question why we are looking for a single boy named Caleb?” Blake questioned. “It could put him at risk.”

“A Census!” Lea exclaimed. She paused and shrunk back when no one shared in her excitement. “Sorry.”

“No, no. It’s not a bad idea.” Calliope replied after she thought to herself. “We haven’t done one in, what, 15 years?”

“But a Census takes weeks, maybe even a few months to complete,” Someone said with disappointment.

“That will give the Great Luna time to heal and get stronger,” Paige added. “It’s the best plan we have. We can’t put the new Great Alpha at risk. Yes, it’ll be a slow process, but that’s ok.”

“Then it’s settled,” Calliope said as she stood on her weak legs. “Paige, I want you and Blake to lead this census. I want weekly reports on where we are at. When a completed census from a pack comes in, I want it on my desk first.”

Her advisors and the Beta bowed to her before leaving. Calliope looked over to Lea.

“Didn’t you say you were making me an orange cake today?” She asked teasingly.

Lea nodded her head and wrapped her arm around Calliope’s. The two women slowly walked to the kitchens, followed behind by Briana and Ginny. All morning, Calliope had forgotten what today was. It was her 150th birthday, and the Goddess had given her a gift of a second chance. Though deep down, she wished it was Theo, not someone new. But the Goddess had her reasons. Calliope had a purpose in this world after all. Perhaps this new mate would help her with that purpose?