39. Caleb

**Caleb**

I have been trying to get out of bed since I woke up last night, but with no use. I look out the window and see that it is almost morning.
**'We have to find Red!'** Raven growls. **'What if something happened to her?'**
*'We will find her,'* I promise.
Reyes has told me I am lucky I haven't died, and if the bullet had been just half an inch to the left, I would not have made it. But I don't feel lucky, far from it. I promised Red I would always protect her, and the first time she was in danger, I failed her. How will I look at her and tell her she is safe with me?
Alphas are supposed to be strong, but I am a fucking failure. First, I get captured by the vampires, and when Red needs me the most, I get shot like a fucking idiot. No wonder my father used to call me a piece of trash.
If something happens to her, I will never forgive myself.
I look to my left. Tatiana is sitting on a chair, working on some blanket or something like that.
"Could you stop knitting and let go of me so I can look for my soulmate?" I ask Tatiana between gritted teeth.
The damn witch has been sitting in the same chair since I opened my eyes and used her magic to keep me bound to the bed. I tried talking to her; I even begged, but she pretended she didn't hear me.
Tatiana stops knitting, looks at me, and points with some sort of a hook. "It is called crochet, not knitting!" she says in an angry tone.
"Crochet. Whatever! I need to find Red!" I say impatiently.
The witch snorts. "You still need to rest. I don't know how many more times I have to save your sorry ass!"
"Tatiana, listen to me! I need to find Red! She is in the hands of that fucking abuser, and who knows what he is doing to her!"
She is still pointing with the hook. "If we weren't related, I would have abandoned you a long time ago!"
**'Here we go again!'** Raven says. **'Where is a good Dalek when you need him?'**
*'You do realize they do not exist, you Doctor Who? fanatic!'* I say, but Raven ignores me.
"I could be related to Hades, and I could care less!" I snap. "Tatiana, I swear if something happens to Red, I will hold you responsible!"
Tatiana stands, puts the blanket on the chair, and comes to my bed.
"Calm your tits, wolf boy! Do you understand how close you came to dying? If Conon had not found you in time and had I been one second late, you would be dead right now! As for Rain, I have everything under control!"
**'Did she just tell you to calm your tits?'** Raven asks.
I swear, this witch is crazy.
"When you will find your soulmate, Tatiana, and something happens to him, you will understand how I feel right now!" I say.
Tatiana looks at me. "Rain is fine! I would never let anything happen to her. She is part of the family; witch blood runs through her veins."
"What if Rain and I had been normal werewolves, would you still have helped us?" I ask.
"I don't know the answer to that question, Caleb, but I would like to think that yes, I would have still helped you!" Tatiana says. Her eyes tell me she is telling me the truth, and I nod, letting her know I believe her.
The door opens, and Conon enters. He looks at me and smiles. "Hurry up and get well! The pack needs you!"
"And I need Red!" I say.
I swear I am getting tired of how many times I repeated myself. If not for Tatiana's magic, I would have started looking for Red the moment I opened my eyes.
Conon shoves his hands in his coat pockets. "About that. I have some news for you, but you won't like it!"
Raven growls inside my head, and I feel as if I will be sick. I don't like how Conon sounds.
"What happened to her?" I ask in a loud tone. "I swear if something bad happened to my soulmate and you are hiding it for me, the moment Tatiana stops using her powers on me, I will go feral!"
"Before you go nuclear," Conon says, "I want you to know I had nothing to do with this! Sweet-Cheeks is fine!" He looks at the door and says in a loud tone. "You can enter."
The door opens, and I inhale deeply -her perfect scent of apple and caramel fills my lungs. But then other smells reach my nose, and I growl so loud my beautiful soulmate stops in the doorframe.
I know I should be happy to see Red, but that irration part of me takes over.
"What the fuck are you doing in my pack?" Red flinches, but I can't stop myself from talking. "Who the fuck gave you permission to enter my territory?" She opens her mouth to say something, but I keep talking. "Get the fuck out before I kill you!" I yell, and Red turns on her heels. Tristan moves to a side, and Red starts walking away. Fuck! "Tatiana, let go of me right now!" I say.
"Now Caleminator is mad," Conon says.
The magic that kept me tied to the bed disappears, and I rise as fast as I can. My chest hurts like hell, and I feel dizzy, but with the help of Raven, I make it to Red before she leaves. I wrap my arms around her waist and bury my face in her hair.
She is shaking. "I am sorry," she whispers. "I will go!"
"I wasn't talking to you. I am sorry for yelling. Just let me explain." Red turns around and looks at me. I kiss her forehead before looking at Tristan. "You really have a death wish!"
Zeke and Xenos move next to the leech prince.
"We are here only because—" Tristan says, but even the sound of his voice makes me remember his betrayal.
"The moment you set foot in my pack, you defiled my home! Leave! I will have to exorcise this place as soon as you are gone!" I growl.
Conon howls. "They are vampires, not demons!"
"I don't see any difference," I say.
Red grabs the hospital gown I am wearing. "Caleb, the vampires are the reason Elton and I are back in the pack!"
I look at Red. She has black bags under her eyes, and she is thinner than before. Fuck! Reyes has to take a look at her.
"Let the Chupa Sangre talk!" Tatiana says. "And get back in bed before I make you!"
Still looking at Red, I say, "Come with me." She nods, and together, we enter the clinic room. I lay on the bed, and Red sits next to me. "Tell me what happened!"
Red looks at me. "Promise you will listen to everything I have to say before you decide to kick Tristan's ass."
She starts telling me what happened since I got shot. While Red talks, everyone else listens.
Once Red finishes talking, I look at Conon. "Tell Reyes to come and look at Red."
"Reyes is with Elton, and I am sure he will come once he finishes examining Elton."
I look at Tristan and his knights. "Thank you," I say. "But I still want you to leave! You are not welcome here!"
Tatiana, who is sitting on her chair, knitting, or whatever that craft is called, looks at me. "I think it is time for you to know what happened that day! Tristan never betrayed you. It was Sinn. He had followed Tristan for some time, and when Sinn saw that you and Tristan were friends, he alerted the Vampire Queen."
I open my mouth but close it immediately. I look at Tristan—his red eyes are sad. Tatiana would not lie to me, not with something so important. "Why haven't you told me this before? You left me to believe you betrayed me!" I say to the one that once had been my friend.
Tristan shrugs, "I tried, but every time I opened my mouth, your hatred grew."
"Too much had happened, and I hated you for years. Those feelings won't disappear overnight. But, for now, Zeke, Xenos, and you can stay in the pack if you want." Tristan nods. I look at Conon. "Can you show them where the cabin is? They can stay there for the moment."
Conon nods. "Leave it to me, boss!"
Tatiana laughs, and Red chuckles. I look at her. I can hardly wait to be alone with her.
Once my Beta, Tristan, and his knight leave, Tatiana stands.
"How are you feeling, Rain?"
Red, still sitting next to me, looks at Tatiana. "Like shit, but glad to be home."
Tatiana nods. "I am glad nothing bad happened to you. I will go look for Reyes."
Once the witch is gone, I look at Red. "Ever since I woke up, I wanted to go and look for you, but Tatiana kept me bound to this fucking bed! I thought I was going mad not knowing about you!"
Red cups my cheeks. "I missed you like hell also. When I entered the room, and you started talking like that, I was afraid you didn't want me anymore."
"I will always want you. Never doubt it! You are my soulmate!" I say.
I wrap my finger around her wrist, and she hisses in pain. My eyes go to her hand, and when I see the caked blood and the burns, I start to curse. "Do you have any more wounds?" I ask Red and look at her.
She shakes her head. "Alpha Ben never touched me. Only my wrists are injured because I had silver manacles. But he tortured Jordan and Elton daily."
"He is not an Alpha. He doesn't deserve that title. He is a sick and depraved person!" I say. "I don't know how Safia pushed your memories into his mind, but I hope he suffers for eternity!" I say. I hate that male more than I hate the Vampire Queen. It is the best punishment he could have received.
Reyes comes in and looks at us. "Rain, I am so glad to see you and Elton are back in the pack."
"How is Elton doing?" I ask.
"He is fine and back in his room."
I hate that vampires tortured Elton for almost two weeks, and I hope he will talk about what happened in therapy.
Reyes looks at Red. "I have to examine you and run some tests. You lost weight, and I don't like how your wrists look."
An hour later, Reyes finishes checking her. While Red is taking a shower, I look at him.
"How do you see Red and Elton?" I ask.
"They are shaken by what happened to them, and it is natural, and it might take some time for them to get over what happened," Reyes says. "Because they had the manacles for so many days, I am afraid both of them will remain with scars around their wrists."
I know silver leaves scars on werewolves, but I hoped it wouldn't be the case with Elton and Red. They already have been through so much. I just hope that seeing those scars day by day won't send them back to that basement.
**'That feral wolf and the vampires should have suffered more,'** Raven says, and I agree with him.
"When can I leave?" I ask because I am already sick of the clinic.
"You are healing well, but since that bullet was not only made from silver but also contained wolfbane, I would like for you to stay at least three days more."
I stand. I get dizzy once more, and I have to use the bed to steady myself. "Hell no! I am going back to my room!"
"Caleb, don't be so stubborn!" I hear Red talking from behind me. I turn to look at her. She is wearing a bathrobe and a towel around her head. "I will stay with you, so listen to Reyes. I don't want anything to happen to you."
I nod. "If you are with me, I think I can stay until tomorrow. Reyes, you can leave!"
"I have to bandage her wrists, and I will leave," Reyes says.
**'Can I chase him away?'** Raven asks.
*'Once he takes care of Red's wrists, he is all yours!'*
My eyes are on my soulmate. Fuck, she is so beautiful! "Be quick!" I say to Reyes.
Lucky for him, Reyes listens to me.
Once he is gone, Red and I lay in bed, on our side, facing each other. "My little Fire Luna," I say. "I missed you so much!"
"Fire Luna?" Red asks and tilts her head.
"My Fire Luna! Mine and mine alone!"
**'And mine!'** Raven says.
A tear falls from her eye, then another and another. I pull her into my arms. Red clings to me until she calms down.
"I am sorry," I say.
"Why are you sorry?" she asks in a confused tone.
"Because I failed to protect you!"
"You didn't! I missed you so much," Red says, looking at me. "When you didn't show up in my dreams anymore, I was afraid you were dead."
"I tried to return, but I couldn't. For a long time, I was afraid I would never return to you, but Raven fought hard. And I also had the help of Tatiana. Without her, I would be dead."
Red looks at me, and I can't help myself from lowering my head and brush my lips against hers.
"I know you asked me for a month," Red says. "We have been robbed of—" she frowns, "—how many days?"
"Thirteen days," I say.
Red chews her lip for a few moments. "Caleb, I want you to take me to the Ritual Stones and mark me!"

*Hi! I hope you are enjoying Caleb and Rain's story! Hope you give my other stories a chance also!*