ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Notes: Caleb's POV

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- 'Moonchild, you shine, when you rise, it's your time. . .' -

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The night air was cold, a drastic change from the day's earlier warmth. From the backyard of the den, I stared out at the acres of land that had belonged to my family for generations. Land that stretched as far as the eye could see, creating the illusion of freedom, but, in actuality, was and had always been a sort of prison. Not just for me but for many wolves that came before me. Even so, spending most of my life shackled and barricaded inside of its confinements could not change the fact that this place was my home.

     Mine, the pack's, and Ava-Rain's.

     I had sworn to them all that they would be safe here. That I could protect them here. But the more my eyes rolled over the dips and bends of the hills and scanned the thousands of trees that lined the outskirts, the more I wondered if this land truly was a home or if it had been my desperate need to belong somewhere that made it into something it was never meant to be.

     'We're not stupid. We're heirs of the yellow, which means we have the ability to think a lot more logically and rationally than most. This wolf was willing to kill a human for your sake, which means there's something about you that's worth killing for. Something about you that's more important than the life of your true mate; a secret that someone is willing to go to great lengths for to protect. Who are you? What are you?'

     Gray did not get the answer that he probably, in all honestly, did not truly care to hear. Not because I was a lowly mixed blood with mixed blood problems that his privileged self could never relate to, but because, as an heir of the yellow, he was not stupid. Like he said, my secret was one that could get somebody killed if they came to learn it. He had, after all, been instructed to kill Ava-Rain by his alpha to protect that very secret. Curiosity would only end up getting him killed, and although I would not shed a tear if he were to meet his end, I swore a long time ago that no wolf would ever die for my sake.

     Never again.

     As the thought crossed my mind, a shiver ran up my spine but was quickly chased away by a flood of warmth that spread throughout my entire body. I sensed my mate's presence before she made herself known, as I had learned some time ago that watching me in silence was a favourite past time of hers. Smiling to myself, I gave Ava-Rain no more than a minute before calling out to her. My need to hold my mate close was far greater than her need to observe me from afar.

     "Come here." Without even turning my head in her direction, I reached out my hand for her to take.

     "Creepy," she replied. Her hand slid into mine within seconds as she walked around to stand in front of me. "How did you know that I was standing there? Were your spidey senses tingling?" She lowered to her knees, a bright smile on her face.

     After the day's earlier events, it was good that she was smiling.

     "I always know when you're watching me."

     She scoffed, knowing full well that she was caught. "I don't know what you're talking about." She turned her body as if to stand, but because our hands were still connected, I gently tugged her back so that she fell into my embrace.

     "Liar," I wrapped my arms securely around her waist and buried my head in her neck, inhaling her scent mixed with my own thanks to my hoodie she was wearing. "Tell me, what do you think about when you're watching me."