27. Caleb

**Caleb**

I wake up, my claws digging into the cement floor. "Get out of my fucking head!" I roar.
**'One day, we will kill Sinn for all he's done to us!'** Raven says.
*'And Tristan for betraying us!'* I promise.
"Caleb, are you alright?" I hear Jordan's voice coming from one of the cells.
My heart pounds in my chest, my head feels like it will split in half anytime now, and the pain is my new friend.
I look at the tiny window of the cell and see it is already dark outside.
"Just a nightmare. Go back to sleep," I say.
Jordan snorts. "I wasn't sleeping. Do you need anything? You sound like you are in a lot of pain."
I groan. "Some rut suppressors would be nice. Too bad they don't exist."
"Your rut is not normal. You should let the doc see you," Jordan says.
I don't need Reyes; all I need is Red. But I can't be with her right now because I won't be able to keep her safe from me. I prefer to endure this nightmare on my own than to put her in danger.
"It will pass," I say.
I close my eyes and imagine Red. Damn, she is so beautiful. Her eyes sparkle when she smiles. But when she laughs is like hearing angels sing. I have never heard anything more beautiful in my entire life. Her skin is so soft, and her scent is the best I have ever smelled.
I wonder what I have done to deserve such a wonderful soulmate. For my Red, I would destroy the Universe, reshape it and make a new one.
**'You won't be able to do shit because you don't have a TARDIS!'** Raven says.
*'I'll build one!'* I snap.
I try to move into a more comfortable position, and pain hits me with the force of an earthquake. My groans chase away the silence.
Jordan moves inside his cell. "Caleb! Are you alright?"
"It burns!" I say.
"What does?" Jordan asks.
"Every-fucking-thing!"
I am burning. The cell is burning. The Earth is burning, and I am sure the Universe is also burning.
"What can I do?" Jordan asks.
"Just whistle! It takes my mind off the pain."
I don't expect Jordan to do that for me, but to my surprise, he starts whistling. I never expected to lay on a cold cement floor, listening to Jordan Reed whistling while I am in a rut. I laugh.
"What's so funny?" Jordan growls.
I look at the ceiling. "The whole situation. While in a rut, I am sitting in a cell, listening whistling to the fucker that almost killed my soulmate!"
Jordan laughs bitterly, "If someone had told me last week that I would be in a cell talking to Caleb Black, the rogue who stole the female I love, I would have told that person to see a shrink."
"I didn't steal her! I found her, dying, covered in blood and bruises!" I say.
Jordan inhaled deeply, "I fucked up, didn't I?"
"Royally!"
"Do you love her?" Jordan asks.
"Would I lay here, suffering if my heart didn't belong to her?"
Jordan thinks a long time before talking again. "Will you take care of her?"
"From the moment my eyes saw her, I've taken care of her, and I will take care of her until the end of my days."
"Your a good male, Caleb Black," Jordan says, and I snort. "I might be a fucker, but I have seen how you look at her."
"And how do I look at her?" I ask.
Jordan moves around his cell. "As if she is the best thing that had ever happened to you."
"Red is the Sun of my life."
"Make Rain suffer, and Titan and I will rip you to pieces!" Jordan says.
"You know, Jordan, I would like to think that we would have been friends if we had met if different circumstances. Too bad I hate you for what you did to Red."
"Trust me; you are not the only one. My wolf, Titan, won't talk to me. And I am not a big fan of myself right now."
My body still feels like burning, and I shift, pressing my cheek to the cold floor.
Even if the cells are not heated like the rest of Pack House is not cold down here. But I feel as if I am in a furnace.
"How was Red when she was little?" I ask.
"Strong. I remember seeing her many time on the verge of crying, her chin trembling, but she refused to show her weakness in front of the pack. I should have known since then how special she is. She will make a great Luna."
"The more I hear about how your pack members made Red suffer, the more I dislike them," I say.
Jordan is silent for a long time.
Every cell in my body hurts, and I hope this will pass fast.
"Caleb?"
"What is it fucker?"
"Can I learn from you and your pack? I know my pack is not the best, but I want to be a better Alpha and male."
"Before I give you an answer, I want to know what happened to the one that abused Red and the other females."
"He was sent to the Paranormal Prison a day before I came here. I am yet to receive a notification that he arrived there."
I am silent a long time before giving him my reply. "I will think about it."
"I hope you give me a reply before you die of blue balls!" Jordan chuckles.
I growl. "Fucker!"
"Blue balls!"
"I will send Conon with you the day you return to your pack!" I say.
"Is that a threat?" Jordan asks.
"That's a promise!" I say.
Jordan growls, "I don't think my pack would know what to do with him. You better keep him." He is quiet for a few seconds. "You better sleep. If it's not too hard for you."
I close my eyes, but the pain won't let me rest. Sweat covers me, and from time to time, a groan escapes my lips.
Sometime later, Jordan starts whistling again, and I lay there listening to him while pain like I had never felt before ravages my body and mind.
In the morning, Conon comes to cheek up on Jordan and me. He brings some food and water, and he helps me drink some. I refuse to eat.
Jordan's rut is gone, and he comes into my cell. I feel even worse than yesterday.
"You don't look so good," Conon tells me. "And you have a fever!"
"Conon, I am fine," I say. "How is Red?"
Conon snort. "She is fine! The suppressors helped her, and she went back to her room. You should worry more about yourself."
"If Rain's heat is gone, why is Caleb still in a rut?" Jordan asks.
I lick my lips. They are dry. "Conon, call Tatiana! I am not filling too well."
"No shit Sherlock!" Conon says before leaving.
I look at Jordan. He looks back at me with a worried face. "If anything happens to me, take Red to the—" I say, but everything fades to black before I can finish my sentence.
My body is no longer burning; it became the fire—the irony. I am not fire; I am ice.
Hands touch me, and I am once more in the Vampire Palace. I try to fight them, but they are stronger, and they overpower me. I am taken in front of the Court, tortured and fucked, and forced to fuck for hours. When I think I am going to die, Red enters the Court.
No!
I wake up with a jolt. My heart pounds with the speed of light. I am in my room, in my bed. The pain and the fire are gone from my body. So is my rut.
"Caleb!" I hear a voice coming from my left.
I turn my head and see Red. She lies next to me and looks at me with worried eyes.
"What happened?" I ask.
Red kisses me. "How are you feeling?" she asks me when she lifts her head.
"Better," I reply.
She slaps me. Hard. "Lie to me again, Caleb Black, and I will make you regret it!"
"When did I lie to you?" I ask and frown. My cheek stings but I ignore it.
"There are no suppressors for Alphas!" she snaps at me. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been for you?"
"Red," I say.
"You should have told me the truth! Instead, you suffered like a fool!"
"And what would you have done if I would have told you the truth?" I ask Red.
She bites her lip. "I would have had sex with you," Red says after a while.
"And I wouldn't have taken you to my bed, Red!"
Red looks at me as if I have hit her. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want our first time to be because of your heart or my rut! And because you would have hated my touch if I had made you mine during my rut! I am not touching you until you are ready to have sex with me!"
Red breaths hard. She kisses me again, gently. "I want to be ready," Red says, "but I still need time."
I cup her cheek and stroke it with my thumb. "I know you do."
We are about to kiss again when the door to my room opens, and Tatiana, Conon, and Jordan enter. Pain flashes on Jordan's face when he sees Red and me. A second later, he is forcing a smile on his lips.
"Blue balls is finally awake!" Jordan says, and Conon laughs.
Tatiana looks at me with angry eyes.