Chapter 46 Callisto
Chapter forty-six
Callisto
My heart ricochets off my ribcage, pounding so hard it seems to rock my body. No alpha in the world could misinterpret Zack’s rising scent and the aura that sharpens around him.
I step forward, my back straight and hands slightly curled. “I’m here,” I say.
“What’s going on?” Red asks, voice edgy.
“Ohm-ee-ga stay back,” Zack warns, pointing to her. His motion trains toward Rickon. “White Mine, too.” His gaze transfers to me, brimming with intensity. This battle-hardened alpha isn’t playing around.
I shiver, my alpha nature rising instinctively. But it doesn’t stop me from approaching. Whatever he has planned needs to happen for us to sort out our uncertainties. I don’t want to keep living at arm’s length.
Zack crosses his arms, assessing me. “Zack say Cal-ee not pack.”
I vibrate with a barely suppressed growl. Those words tormented me endlessly over the past months, even if I deserved them.
The bristling alpha catches the low noise and steps forward. “Does Cal-ee disagree with I?”
Fuck yes, I do. My heart and soul long to join them. My body aches for it too. He might’ve been justified in throwing me out, but despite his hostility, Zack seems willing to give me a chance to plead my case.
I straighten. “You were right to reject me that day. I turned Red away when she needed me most, and I was trying to come back to her the wrong way.”
His nose wrinkles. “No one cages Mine.”
I spread my hands. “But I’ve learned my lesson, and I’m growing. Just like Zack’s learning about laws, I’m learning how to treasure people.”
He cocks his head, eyes narrowing. Maybe I used words he doesn’t understand.
Pressing one hand to my chest, I add, “Treasure is treating people as the most important thing. Putting the pack first.”
Tremors run through my hands, nerves mixed with an instinctual alpha response to his dominating aura. Adrenaline crackles through me, straining my muscles with readiness. Even the acting feral at the rehabilitation training didn’t set my instincts on alert like this.
Zack’s lips roll back, revealing his teeth.
“Zack not know treasure. Only know strength of heart.” He juts his chin toward the spectators.
“Ohm-ee-ga strong—survive Ray. Ri-ckon strong, use powerful magic. Zack strong, survive many challenges.” He shoves his chest forward and lifts his finger in my direction.
“Cal-ee strong in laws, but Zack not know laws. So, prove heart to Zack.”
He strips off his shirt and kicks his shoes free before slapping his chest. The growl that rolls from him sounds unmistakably primal.
The old Callisto would’ve hesitated; would have worried about what injury might do to his career. Not me. I don’t want to be alone anymore.
I kick my shoes off and loosen my tie.
“Callisto!” Red shouts as she runs forward. “No, you don’t have to do this! Give it few months and he’ll learn another way—”
I press my finger to her lips without taking my eyes off Zack. “Red, I never did right by you, but if Zack gives me a second chance, are you willing to take me as your alpha?”
I risk a glance. The omega’s eyes brighten with emotion, tears close to the surface. “Yes. You’re my alpha, and I already forgave you.”
My heart swells. Gently I lean down and kiss her forehead. “Then listen to Zack and step back. This is something we need to do to make things right.”
“I know.” She whines softly. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I like it!”
Her concern washes over me, and I smile. “Like you said, sweetheart, you’re not the only person in your pack now.”
I glance over her head. Rickon wears an expression of such tortured longing that I feel like crying. I flick my fingers for him to come and collect Red.
Red’s grip tightens on my arm as Rickon gently takes her shoulders. Her jaw sets stiffly, and then she reaches up and undoes my tie. I grin and take the ends from her hands, draping the silk length around her neck. “I’ll be back for this,” I whisper before pulling away.
Despite my words, I don’t feel the same certainty as I follow Zack onto the lawn.
He’s bigger, stronger, more ruthless and experienced than I am.
Every alpha gains a certain sense of other alphas around them, through subtle cues of scent and willpower, and that ingrained sense says Zack trumps me in every way. And, he’s an alpha who fights to kill.
But he told me to show him my determination, not my skill. If he’s really giving me a second chance, then I’ll give everything I have, down to my last breath.
I strip off my vest and toss my phone and keys on top and then roll up my sleeves.
Zack lifts his fists.
I’ve spent my adult life using my words, but I was scrappy enough to fight in high school. And I’ve got years of Judo lessons going for me, and a couple of alpha rehabilitation classes. Maybe I can survive this beast’s onslaught.
I widen my legs and breathe in, moving my hands up to chest height and then down to my belt, centering myself. After two more deep breaths, I shift one leg forward and lift my hands into the guard position.
Zack rushes forward, growling and throwing a heavy right hand. I fend it off on my arm with a grunt and counter, surging in. Zack lifts a knee, driving into my belly. I skip back, catching just the edge. Even stripped of full force, the blow’s intense.
I straighten, a growl slipping through my throat.
Zack comes in again, driving with powerful jabs. I guard, but his unpredictable movements keep me on the back foot, retreating more than attacking. He’s fast and slippery without a shirt, and I can’t seem to get a hold on any part of him to throw.
How can I prove myself when I can’t even catch him?
Zack grins, and since he’s still rumbling with alpha challenge, the duality sends shivers down my spine. Taking me down is child’s play for an alpha who cut his teeth on death matches.
I step back, arms aching from defending his ruthless blows. Forcing myself to breathe evenly, I recall the principles I learned in the dojo; efficiency, off-balancing the opponent, and posture. I need to turn this match to my favor, and a straight-up fight will get me nowhere.
I circle Zack on the grass, bouncing on my toes. There might be only one place in this entire mountain that wouldn’t be in Zack’s favor.
“Is this all Call-ee-sto’s will?” Zack asks, sneering at me.
“No!” I snap back. I launch forward, striking hard. Zack blocks my punch easily, but I throw myself in and grab his waist, twisting and heaving the heavier alpha over my hip.
Zack huffs in surprise, but the moment he hits the ground, he rolls to his feet. The bored look in his eyes disappears. “Ohm-ee-ga needs strong alphas,” he mutters, circling me again.
“She has strong alphas,” I hiss, flexing my hands once. “You’ll see.”
I lunge, aiming to get inside his guard. Zack spins, and even though I see it coming, my inertia carries me right into his kick. The sky spins overhead as I soar across the grass.
It seems to take forever before I connect with earth. I roll roughly, years of muscle memory helping me to slap the ground and move with the momentum. I brace my weight up on my hands, gasping for breath and stinging all over. A kick like that could’ve splintered my ribs with a little more force.
I growl, a battle haze slowly closing around me. This alpha stands between me and my pack; I won’t go down.
“Enough?” Zack asks.
“Never,” I say, rising to my feet. “Not until you accept me.”
He shakes his head. “Not enough. Not sense Cal-ee’s heart.”
My heart? I sealed that away when my father died, but look where it got me? A packless workaholic. Well, at least that life taught me one thing; I’m not a man who gives up.
A darkness surges through me, and I straighten. “You’ll have to kill me before I’ve had enough,” I tell him, clenching my fists tight.
He assesses me, blue eyes hard. “Ri-ckon say not kill; but I will always defend my pack from threats.” He moves so fast, it’s like he’s made of wind. Zack’s fists descend, pounding into my flesh from all directions.
I step back and back, desperate for distance. My arm muscles scream from the effort of blocking his iron fists, and that’s even after a few weeks of conditioning in the gym. He’s a monster. Nothing like the one I fought who was acting.
“Give up,” he hisses, breath finally sounding rough.
“No,” I spit back.
His knee lands in my abdomen, dangerously close to my liver. I hunch inwards in defense. His aura flares as violently as his hands, warning me with every lungful of his scent that he means business.
I could die here today.
Primal instinct consumes me, and I lash out with both hands.
I catch him around the torso, and we grapple, fighting for position.
But even when I secure a hold, he’s so solid I can’t seem to rock his foundation.
Growls pour out of me, so fierce an inner part of myself can’t believe I’m capable of such animalistic noise.
A flock of jays flee the trees, shrieking a warning.
Zack huffs and shoves, his raw strength threatening to pitch me way off balance.
I jerk backwards and slam into the pool fence. Zack surges in with a roar and lashes out. With immense effort, I grip the top railing and hoist myself over the fencing, landing on the sandstone slabs beyond. The fence rattles as Zack crashes into it, fists first. His knuckles come away bloody.
I stand for a moment, panting, but Zack doesn’t give me time to catch my breath. He sizes up the fence and launches over it, graceful as a cat. The blood on his knuckles gives me little joy; he’s not gasping for breath as I am.
My nerves quiver, like the onset of a panic attack, but I hold my ground.
The desperation in my heart and my alpha rage mingle, tightening until my senses feel sharp as razors.
Zack’s steps, the distance between us, the thumps of his footsteps on the pavers that echo my heart, the whistle of our breaths—all a soundtrack to a stubbornness that won’t ever let me quit.
No matter the pain.