41. Caleb

**Caleb**


While I dress, I wonder who could be looking for me. Conon said it is a female with a child, and the child has a Crown of Water on her hand. I wonder if the female has been abused by her mate because they have a child with magic power. Usually, the magic won't manifest until the child is thirteen years old and she receives her wolf. That's how it was for me–the moment I got Raven, I felt my Ice in my veins, but I couldn't use it because of all the wolfsbane and silver gas that was used on Raven and me. I don't know when Red got her powers because I haven't asked her, but I guess she should have been thirteen as well.
The female and her child will be safe in my pack. Everyone will make sure both of them feel welcomed and safe.
Before I go to the door, I go to Red. Her eyes are sad. "Do you need to talk to someone about what happened while you have been in that basement?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "Red, you have been kidnapped, forced to use silver manacles for days, treated like a maid, and not to talk about the fact that you had to watch two werewolves being tortured daily—werewolves you have a connection with. One is your Theta Knight while the other... forget about him. Since you returned, you barely left my side, and now you are moving all your things into my room. Our room."
Red looks a few seconds at me. "If you don't want me here, I can go back to my room."
"You are not listening to me," I say with patience. "You are still processing what happened. But I can't help if you don't tell me how you are feeling."
She shrugs, "I just feel safe with you."
I kiss her forehead. "Will you come with me?"
She looks at her luggage bag–I am so glad she decided to move in my room–before she looks at me. "I still have to put away my things and clean this room! It's a mess! And that couch has to go! It is torture to look at it! I will see it on fire before my eyes decide to divorce me!"
I try not to laugh, but I fail.
**'She is not wrong, you know!'** Raven says. **'Each time you sit on it, a spring tries to enter your ass!'**
I show Raven my middle finger. *'Red and you have allied against me, haven't you? Besides, I like that couch.'*
**'Wait until Red sits on it and one of those springs–'**
I growl. Red arches an eyebrow. "That couch is history! You are not going to sit on it!" I say in an annoyed tone.
"What crawled up your ass?" Red asks.
**'A spring!'** Raven says.
*'You are such an ass!'*
Raven chuckles. **'And you are the hole!'**
I close my eyes and inhale deeply. Being a werewolf and always having a voice inside my head talking to me makes me feel like a psychopath.
**'Who said you aren't one?'** Raven asks. **'What if you are suffering from schizophrenia?'**
*'Then you are just a product of my sick brain, and I get to keep Red only for me!'* I say.
Raven growls.
"Caleb?" Red asks, pulling me out of my conversation with Raven.
I smile at her wanting to let her know I am paying attention to her.
**'She still can't see your stupid face no matter how many times you smile!'** Raven says.
*'You do realize you have my beautiful face when I let you take over my body.'*
Raven grooms himself for a few seconds. **'I am better looking than you will ever be!'**
*'Whatever you say, wolf. But at the end of the day, you are the one that has a hairy ass!'* I say.
**'I have fur, not hair! So my ass is furry! You are the one with all the hair!'**
I ignore Raven because Red is still waiting for my reply. "Just talking to Raven for a sec. I want you to come to the office with me because you need to learn about what a Luna does."
Red drums her fingers on her thigh. "One of my responsibilities is to babysit you?"
I chuckle. "That is the most important responsibility! What if something else happens to me?"
Red inhales deeply, and I realize my mistake.
**'You really are an asshole!'** Raven mutters.
"Sometimes my mouth talk before my brain has a chance to think," I say.
"That's not funny!" Red says. She glares at me, and I nod.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Fine, I will come with you! I will finish unpacking later."
I take her hand into mine, and we go to the office.
My chest still hurts, but it is much better than yesterday. I guess that in a few days, the pain will be a forgotten memory, and the only thing that will remind me how close I've come to dying is a new scar on my body.
When we are in front of the office's door, I sniff the air, trying to catch the scents of the female and her child. When I smell gardenia, I freeze.
**'It can't be the only female with the gardenia in her scent,'** Raven says.
I hope he is right.
I open the door and let Red enter first. Once we are inside, I close the door behind me and look at the sofa, where Tatiana and two more females are sitting.
Red goes over to them and sits on a chair close to Tatiana.
The child is playing on a tablet, and I can't see her eyes, but the female is staring straight at me.
"Katherine," I say. I look into her eyes. The past knocks on my door only to bite my tail. "How have you been?" I ask her while I try to control my feelings because all I want to do is to kick her out of my pack.
She shrugs, "Busy. Safe."
Red looks at me, "You know each other?"
Katherine nods but doesn't say anything else.
"From the Palace," I say, looking at Red. "She was one of the Queen's favorite slaves. Until she disappeared about eight years ago. I thought the leech Queen killed you, but you are still a waste of space."
"Did you—?" Red asks but never finishes her question, but she doesn't need to because I already know she wants to ask.
I approach Red. "Never! But the Queen had Katherine torture Raven and me many times."
Bile rises inside me while I remember endless torture sessions whenever I did something 'wrong.'
Red looks back at Katherine. A growl escapes her lips. "You tortured my soulmate?"
The child lifts her head and looks at Red before looking at me. I forget to breathe as I stare into her big, round silver eyes.
I look at her—her hair is strawberry blonde, and she smells like freesia and lily.
**'She smells like Daphne,'** Raven says. **'But her eyes.'**
Only one werewolf line has pups born with silver eyes—my family.
"Hi," she says. "I am Sky." Even her voice sounds like that of her mother. Sky tills her head. "You have the same eyes as me."
**'It could be a coincidence,'** Raven says. **'We are not the only ones with silver eyes. Remember you have four brothers.'**
*'All mated,'* I reply. Or I think they are. Not that I talk to them or my parents.
Red is talking to Katherine, but when she hears what Sky said, she looks at Sky.
"I am Caleb," I say to Sky. My eyes go to Katherine. "Is she Daphne's daughter?" I ask, and Katherine nods.
I feel the floor spinning with me. Sky is a hybrid—the child of a werewolf and a vampire.
Red stands and touches my arm. "Caleb, what's going on?"
I look at her. "This is what I am trying to find out."
The door to the office opens, and Conon, Tristan, and his knights enter the office.
Sky jumps off the sofa and runs over to Tristan. They hug in the middle of my office while Zeke and Xenos look at me with wary eyes.
"Father!" Sky says.
Tristan ruffles her hair. "So glad you are safe and finally here." He looks at Katherine. "What took you so long?"
Sky hugs Zeke and Xenos next.
"It wasn't as easy as it sounds!" Katherine snaps.
**'Still a bitch after all this time!'** Raven mutters.
Conon looks at Sky and then at me. "Caleminator, she has your eyes!"
Suddenly everyone is talking at the same time, giving me a huge headache.
I look at Sky. She isn't Tristan's daughter.
Sky's hair is the same shade as that of Daphne. Even her smile is the same as that of her mother. But her eyes... It can't be a coincidence.
"Quiet!" I snap. "I can't even hear my own thoughts!" Silence falls, and all the eyes are on me. "Much better!" I look at the vampires. "Sit down!" Conon is next. "If I hear one word from you, I will ducktape your mouth!" My eyes go to Sky. "Would you like some to eat?" When she nods, I look back at Conon. "Could you take her to the kitchen and ask Blade to make a hot cocoa for her and something to eat?"
Conon. "Sure thing, boss! Come with me, princess," he says and holds out his hand for Sky.
Once my Beta and Sky leave the office, I look at Tristan.
"Who is her father?" The leech prince is quiet. "Talk!" I snarl.
It is Zeke who replies. "You already know the answer."
I run my fingers through my hair and start pacing around the office.
Raven snarls. **'We have a daughter! With Daphne!"**
*'Fuck! How do we start to explain this to Red?'*
I keep pacing for a few more minutes. Everyone is quiet, probably waiting for me to calm the fuck down.
I stop moving and look at Tristan. "How old is Sky?"
"Eight!" he says.
I run my hand through my hair once more. "Shit!"
That means I was fifteen when Daphne got pregnant. Before Sinn made sure I won't be able to have children.
"Caleb is Sky—?" I hear Red asking.
How the fuck do I explain something I had no idea happened?
"Mine," I snap. "My child with a leech!" I say with anger in a loud tone.
"She was not a leech!" Katherine says.
I look at her. "Of course, you would say that! After all, she is your friend! Where is she anyway?"
"She died giving birth to Sky," Xenos says.
I go to my office chair and sit. My head feels like it will explode at any time. I look at the others—Tatiana is studying her nails, the vampires look at me with scared eyes, Katherine looks at the floor, and Red, fuck! Tears fall down her cheeks.
**'We just made our soulmate cry,'** Raven says.
I stand, go to her and kneel in front of her chair. "Red?" She is quiet. "Talk to me!"
She doesn't look at me as she replies. "I need some space to think."
I know it is a lot for her to process, but I am afraid to let her go without talking to her.
"I want to talk to my soulmate! Alone!" I say, and the others hurry to leave.
Before getting out, Tatiana looks at me. "The Heir of Water is finally home. Remember that!"
"Katherine, if Daphne is dead, who raised Sky?" I ask her when she is almost out of the office.
"I did!" she says. "It is my way to say sorry for all I did to you!"
**'The irony, the one that tortured us raised our child,'** Raiven says.
Katherine goes after Tatiana, and I look at the vampires.
"You are not leaving the pack until you will explain to me why you kept my child away from me for eight years!"
Tristan looks out the window. "Daphne knew how much you hate my kind, and she never wanted you to find out about Sky. She feared you would hate her. Daphne made me swear I would never tell you about Sky!"
"What changed?" I ask, wondering why Tristan suddenly decided to let me know about my daughter.
"I no longer can keep Sky safe. I did my best to keep her hidden from danger, but I failed. She is also growing and soon will start asking questions I don't know how to reply to. And Sinn knows about her!"
I growl. "He knows about my child?"
Zeke rests his hand on his sword pommel. "I don't know if he suspects Sky is your daughter or Tristan's, but he will come after her. And you need to be ready when that happens."
I look at Red. She stopped crying, but she still won't look at me. "Let him come! Let him try to take Sky from the pack!" I say while my eyes are still on Red.
"Caleb?" Tristan says, and I look at him. "I am not going to stay too long here. As soon as Oana returns, I will return to the Palace."
"Can't live without all your luxuries?" I ask.
For the first time in a long time, Tristan looks at me with angry eyes. "You still think I am like most vampires, don't you?" I shrug. "I am going back because Sinn has Emma, and he keeps hurting her, and I can't take it anymore!"
"Tristan," I say. "Do you still—?"
"I never once stopped loving her! And one day, she will be my bride. Seeing you do that broke me, but I never once hated you because I knew Sinn drugged you each time! Otherwise, you would have never done it!"
I close my eyes and feel Red's hands combing my hair.
"Don't leave until we speak. I want to help you!" I say and open my eyes. Tristan nods before closing the door behind him.
I rest my forehead on Red's knee. "I didn't know about Sky. I am sorry for upsetting you!"
Red snorts. "You think I am mad because of Sky?"
I lift my head and look at her. "Then why did you cry?"
"You yelled at me, Caleb. I can't—I can't deal with screams!" Red says.
"Fuck, Red! I never wanted to raise my voice at you! I am trying to deal with everything that is happening, and I ask you to have a little patience with me until I sort out everything!"
She nods. "I am proud of you for wanting to help save Emma!"
"I can't let Sinn keep hurting her! Tristan kept Sky safe when I didn't know she existed. Even if I swear never to return to that cursed Palace, I still want to help Tristan!"
"So, you have a daughter? I thought you couldn't have children," she says.
I stand, pull Red up, and sit on the sofa with her on my lap.
"I think Daphne got pregnant with Sky during my first rut. The leech Queen asked a dark witch to force one on me, and I remember being in so much pain. Sinn locked me in a cell, and I felt as if I was dying. Daphne came to see me when everyone was sleeping. She helped me with the rut. I think Sinn suspected something because a few weeks later, he sterilized me—his words, not mine. Daphne disappeared two months later, and I haven't thought of her until today."
Red looks at me for a few seconds before kissing me.
**'Ah, fuck, I think she forgave us,'** Raven says.
"Caleb, ready or not, we are parents!"