82. Caleb

*This chapter will contain suicide thoughts and attemps.*

**Caleb**

I finally finished building the house I promised Red. It took me a long time and many sleepless nights to get it done, but I am proud of my work. I walk around the empty house and inspect it, making sure it is perfect, just as she imagined it. It even has a small fence in front of it, painted black. On the bottom floor, there's a big kitchen, a living room, and a studio room. A new piano and art supplies wait to be used. 

On the top floor are the bedrooms, and with a heavy heart, I climb the stairs.

 I enter Sky's room and look at the desk; books that Red loved to read to our daughter rest on top of it. A teddy bear is on the bed, waiting to be hugged while my daughter sleeps peacefully in her bed. Next, I go to the little room I made for Red to use as a nest. Blankets, pillows, and clothes I wore and used are in the middle of the room.

When I step in front of the master bedroom, I swallow hard before opening the door. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, and for a moment, I smell her scent. A bassinet is next to the bed. On the nightstand are books about pregnancy and how to take care of a newborn pup. I have read all of them multiple times.

Raven whines inside my head. 

Lastly, I visit the nursery. A simple white crib sits close to the window; a rocking chair is next to it. My mind conjures up an image of Red sitting in it while nursing our baby and I break down crying. I tried to claw my heart out of my chest many times, but I promised Red I would build her a house.

Raven is as miserable as I am.

When I manage to get my emotions under control, I walk out of the house and leave the door open. 

*'It is time,'* I say to Raven. 

He doesn't say anything as I grab the gasoline canister and throw the flammable liquid on and inside the house. From my pocket, I take out a lighter, and the house starts burning fast. 

I stand in front of the house and watch how fire swallows it. The red and orange flames remind me so much of my soulmate, and I walk back inside calmly, hoping for the fire to consume me. 

Not that I haven't tried before, but fire refuses to harm me. It is like meeting an old friend.

I get out of the house and observe how it is reduced to nothing. It is almost morning when the house is gone, just like all my hopes and dreams. 

I turn my back on the remaining embers and look at what is left of the Rogue Village—only ruins. Except for the house I made for Red, nothing had been rebuilt in what was once my home. 

As I head to the forest, the gentle summer breeze spreads the ashes from what is left of the house, and fearing the forest may catch fire, I use my magic, and snow begins to fall from the sky. The morning is hot, and the snowflakes transform into water. Rain and ashes fall on me.

***Rain and ashes.***

My feet take me away from what once used to be Rogue Village. After that night, when Red and I fought the Demon King, and the Leech Bitch took advantage of a moment of distraction on my part and attacked my soulmate and threw her in the portal, I barely had the energy to get out of bed and work on the house I promised her. 

I am glad Tristan, Emma, and many others helped me with Sky when I could barely function. They would get worried each time I left the Werewolf Palace—Tatiana and Naomi created a stable portal for me between the Rogue Village and the palace—and breathed easier when I returned. If I wasn't in my room drowning in alcohol or building Red's house, I was down in the dungeons, torturing that fucking Vampire Queen that ruined my life and stole the love of my life from me. I finally killed her earlier today after eight months of torture. 

Two months after that tragic night, my fucking mother contacted me, telling me how sorry she was for what happened when I was a child. I told her I was not interested in hearing what she had to say, and if she ever tried to contact me again, I would lock her up in a cell as I did with my sperm donor. 

Soon after the incident with my mother, my brothers called me. I don't have anything against them; they were already living in other packs by the time I was born. They told me our parents told them I was a problematic pup and that I had run away from home. Four of them live in the USA, while the last one is in Japan, and we video-called a few times, and I got to meet my SILs and nephews and nieces. They all know about what happened to me and Red and Sky, and they expressed how sorry they are for my loss. They even offered to fly in and spend some time with me, but I refused. I never planned to live much longer than my soulmate. I didn't put an end to my miserable existence until now because the house was not ready. 

As for my father, a trial was held three months ago, and he was found guilty on many charges and sentenced to a hundred lashes with a whip with a silver point. He only made it to seventy lashes before he died. 

Red's aunt and cousin are still in prison, waiting for their hearing.

I touch the pistol, wanting to be sure it is still in my pocket.

A silver bullet is in the revolver, and tonight I am going to use it to blow my brains out. 

**'And we can finally be with our soulmate and baby,'** Raven says. 

I know many will call me a coward, and I should try to live for my daughter. I've tried it for eight months, but I can't do it anymore. The guilt I have carried since that night is eating me alive, and enough is enough. I knew the prophecy and the risks, but when I saw the fucking Leech Queen stabbing Red, my mind went completely blank. Instead of trying to reach for Red, I tried to kill that fucking vampire, and in the process, I lost my soulmate. 

*She who loves the Demon King will fight with the Luna Supreme; the blood of the innocents will fall on the portal, destroying it so the Red Queen can never use it again to* *summon the Demon King. The Alpha Supreme will have to choose between saving his soulmate or killing the Red Queen.*

Those were the last words of prophecy. I made my choice, and I have dealt with the consequences. 

Before I left the Werewolf Palace, I left a letter for Conon in his room, telling him what I was about to do and asking him, Katherine, and the others to take care of Sky for me. I emailed my brothers and told them I wished we had more time to get to know each other better and how sorry I was that I would never get to meet them in person. 

I want to see the magic grove one last time before I depart from this world, but as I enter the forest, my legs buckle, and I fall to my knees. I take out the pistol, put it at my temple, and press the trigger. Nothing happens. I press again. And again. And again. And again...

No matter how many times I pull the trigger, I am still alive. 

I remove the pistol and check the barrel, thinking I forgot to load the silver bullet, and when I see it is there, I put the gun back at my temple, and I am about to press the trigger once more when a scream echoes in the forest. It sounds as if someone is in excruciating pain. 

Not just anyone but a female.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and an uneasy feeling gets a hold of me. The pistol falls from my hand.

She sounded as if she was dying.

I forget about taking my own life and jump to my feet. 

Another scream reaches my ears; this one is louder than the last one. 

My heart pounds in my chest as I start running, wanting to get to her as soon as possible. 

"Where are you?" I yell, but the only reply I get is another terrifying scream.

My instinct tells me to hurry, and I do that. I run faster than ever, and I reach the magic grove in a matter of minutes. I am not sure why I came here, but in the middle of it, with her back leaned against the rocks, is the female that had been screaming. 

Her long red hair covers her face, and she is dressed in rags. Despite that, she seems to be clean, and she smells like fresh apples and caramel. And coconut. I frown and shake my head. Impossible! Only Red had that scent—hers mixed with mine—when she was pregnant.

My eyes fall on her stomach—it is very large and round. She arches her back and screams again. A few seconds later, she stops making any sound, and her back falls on the rocks. Her hands pull at the grass around her while she is breathing hard. Suddenly, she turns her head in my direction, and her hair still covers her face. She whimpers as if she is in great pain—pain that somehow I can feel through the matting bond I have with Red. I shake my head, not understanding what is happening. I block the bond.

**'She is in labor!'** Raven says. **'We have to help her!'** 

I rush to her, kneel next to her, brush the hair from her face, and I freeze. My lungs stop working as I feel sparks all over my body. My eyes lock hers green ones, and I gasp.

**'Red!'** Raven yells happily in my head. 

I grab her face between my palms and look at her, and I don't know if this is a miracle or a cruel joke from the gods. 

She grabs one of my wrists, her nails digging into my flesh. "Caleb!" she pants. "The babies!" I close my eyes, thinking it is not real, that it is only my imagination. "Open your fucking eyes and help me get these babies out!" she screams through her pain.

**'Do something, you idiot!**' Raven snarls. **'Our soulmate is here, and she is in labor and... Shit, did she just say babies? How does she know?'**

"Safia told me!" Red replies. "Caleb, please!" 

So many thoughts race through my mind as I struggle to understand how Red appeared in the magic grove alive and pregnant.

Wind rustles the trees' leaves, and it sounds as if they are whispering something. ***Love.***

"Caleb!" Red screams my name, her back arching.

I snap out of my trance only to panic because I don't know what to do. 

"What do I do?" I ask her. 

"Help me get my pants off!" 

I help her lie on the grass before I take off the rags she is wearing. I take off my t-shirt and help her put it on. After that, I take my phone out of my pocket, turn it on and pray there is a signal. When I see three lines, I call Conon. 

"Where the fuck are you, you fucking moron?" he barks at me the moment he answers. "And what is the meaning of that letter?"

Katherine is with him, and she tries to say something, but he shushes her. 

"In the magic grove!" he tries to say something else, but I keep talking. "Tell Reyes to get ready to deliver two babies!"

"This is all your fault!" Red screams as a new contraction starts. "You will never touch me again!" 

"What babies? Who are you with?" Conon asks. 

I close my eyes. "Red. She is here. I know how it sounds, but I am not making it up!" 

"Caleb!" Red pants. "It hurts!"