ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Four | Part II

Chapter Notes: Caleb's POV

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-  '. . .we will stand tall, face it all together.' -

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     I had barely managed to make it out of my apartment before Kane laced into me. "Don't tell me that you're actually planning on claiming her, brother." Kane, who usually knew better than to question or argue, chose at that exact moment to make his feelings known. His expression was serious but his tone had carried traces of concern.

     "She's his mate, Kane. Whatever he does with her is his business." Chase challenged Kane, his tone defensive. Chase stepped to him but Kane didn't back down. With my back pressed against my condo door, I simply watched as my betas enforced their dominance on one another. However, the scene in front of me failed to distract me from what laid behind that door, the sleeping body I had left curled up in my bed.

     "And what about the pack, Chase? Or have you forgotten about what him claiming her will do to us? It's nothing against her, you know me better than that, Caleb. But you've heard the whispers of the yellow. This," he pointed towards my condo, "this will only give them another reason to spark a war."

     "It's not like you to be frightened by whispers nor the threat of a war," Chase replied. "Have you gone soft on us, Kane?"

     "Careful, Chase. I'm still hard enough to keep your ass in check!"

     "Enough!" I finally intervened, and without having to be told twice, the two separated. "I didn't call you both here to discuss my love life." Love life? "What did you find out about the pup that attacked her?"

     "Not much," Chase forced himself to break his staring contest with Kane and turned to face me. "He hasn't been claimed, so you were probably right about him being a rogue. Most likely a T&D. The area is too domesticated, free from any real wild life. He must have known the area, maybe even knew Ava-Rain. That, or he probably smelled your scent on her."

     T&D stood for 'turned and deserted', the appropriate term for a human that had been turned into a wolf and then left on its own. As bad as it is to say, his death was the best thing for him. He had not been given the chance or opportunity to learn about his new nature and had not been taught how to to tame and control his beast. Had I not put an end to his life, he would have surely received the gift from another. After your first shift, both your senses and emotions were heightened. It was an overwhelming experience and the degree of difficulty in possessing and maintaining control was extremely high. The help and assistance of older and more experienced wolves was vital because they were the only ones that could teach you how to become one with your wolf.

     The pup had not been given the chance to learn how to maintain a balance with his wolf, a quality especially necessary for a human turned wolf, which in itself was a rarity. Even if he had known Ava-Rain, the boy and the wolf were two different entities. The boy had been too far gone and in his place was the wolf, who had probably viewed Ava-Rain as nothing more than a meal.

     "How is she doing?" Chase asked.

     "She's good at pretending," I admitted and thought back to the day's earlier events.

     Words could not explain the feeling I felt when Ava-Rain ran straight into my arms after being kicked out of her house. I must have felt everything ranging from surprise, concern, confusion and ultimately anger as she cried in my arms. I knew something had not been right minutes after she entered her house and it was why I had remained parked in her driveway. I felt faint traces of her anguish and despair. It was like my whole being was linked to her just like the night she had been attacked.