ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Notes: Caleb's POV

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- 'We're made to run wild, live free, love strong, you & me.' -

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"What should we do?" Kane was the first to break the silence.

Both he and Chase stayed behind with me inside of the library after our urgent pack meeting ended. The rest of the pack were out patrolling the estate, while my parents prepared to see Angelie off as we really had no reason to keep her at the den any longer. Upstairs, Ava-Rain still slept.

Soundly, I had hoped for my sake more than her own.

As soon as Gray's call came in and he informed us that his alpha was willing to meet, we had to discuss how to move forward with this new information and the best course of action for us to take. Unfortunately, that meant agreeing to Gray's terms and taking Jennifer under our protection. A decision I had promised would be Ava-Rain's to make.

But from what we already learned from Gray earlier in the day, sitting idly by while there was a threat against Ava-Rain was no longer an option. And this meeting with his alpha, if we wanted it to happen at all then it had to happen as quickly as possible. Everything from this moment onwards had to be quick because time was no longer on our side.

And lack of time meant I had to decide what was best for Ava-Rain, without her input. Lack of time meant putting her in a position in which her right to choose and decide for herself would be taken away. I wasn't happy to have done so, but I no longer had any time to spend regretting my actions. Lack of time meant possibly sacrificing everything we had just built between us in order to protect it.

That's how I saw it. That's how I had to see it. Whether Ava-Rain saw it that way or not, whether she could understand it or not, she would always be the reason behind every choice that I made.

"You think there will be more to come like Gray said?" Chase asked next. "Caleb, if that happens then we need to be prepared."

"We'll need to start making alliances," Kane added. "Gather as many mixed bloods as we can. If more pure bloods come, you know they'll bring a fight and we can't fight them alone."

"And ask them to die for me? To fight a fight that's not theirs? I can't do that. I won't."

"This is all of our fight, Caleb. Someone might have it out for you, but they've been terrorizing mixed bloods for months. You don't think they'll want to fight? That they won't answer your call?"

"So, what? We start a war against the pure bloods? Against The Council? Gray said it may not even be the entire Council, but a lone wolf."

"A lone wolf with enough power to make an entire pack of pure bloods jump ship. This shit is real, Caleb, and it's going to get a whole lot more real. They've targeted Ava-Rain—"

"Exactly! And I need to find out why that is!"

This meeting with Gray's alpha was our only lead, our only shot at finding out why any of this was happening. Why there was a target on my mate's back.

"Ok, let's calm down for a second," Chase tried to reason. "Look, Gray said that this wolf is protecting you. Is it possible that he or she knows that you're an heir of the four?"

"If they do," Kane answered, "then why is that a secret they're trying to protect? I hate to say it, but why would Ava-Rain be the target and not you, Caleb? It just doesn't make any sense."