Chapter 17 Caleb
CALEB
The second I reach my father’s pack house in the North, I’m filled with uneasiness.
I’m sick of him showing up out of the blue, so when he asked me to see him, I made the executive decision to visit him instead. The atmosphere within my pack changes when he shows his face, and I want to protect their peace.
After getting past Ryker’s guards, who say nothing but glare at me, I’m met with Oscar, my father’s second-in-command. They share the same values, and from the look on Oscar’s face, it fills me with instant dread.
“Caleb,” he drawls. “Long time no see.”
I give a tight nod. “Oscar.”
“Your father isn’t here at the moment.”
My forehead pinches. “Great,” I huff.
“He said to wait for him in his office,” Oscar says as he invites me in.
“How long will he be?”
“As long as he wants to be.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his statement. Everyone is forever an inconvenience to him.
After heading inside and being shown to his office, I stand there for a minute and take it all in.
It’s nothing special, messy mostly. I’ve not really seen any of his pack members apart from his guards, but I try not to think too hard.
His pack is none of my business. I’m here to see what he has to say and get out as quickly as possible.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes tick by, and I start to become restless. It seems like this is a test for him—a game I don’t even know we’re playing.
I stand from my seat and begin to pace. I know better than to snoop, but I can’t stop myself when my eyes latch on to a beaten brown box tucked away in the corner of the room. I’m immediately drawn to it, and I walk across the office for a better look.
My knees bend, and I flick open the top, a thick layer of dust puffing into the air. I pause when I find a chipped black frame. I take it in my hands before staring at the picture for a long moment.
It’s a family photo of my mother, father, brother, and me.
I don’t even remember the picture being taken.
I can’t have been older than five. My gaze immediately flicks to my mother and the sad smile on her face.
Anyone would look at it and think she was happy, but I knew this expression well.
To me, she was never good at hiding her emotions, and I could always read her like a book.
Her eyes are hollow as if her soul has long been taken from her, and the curve of her lips is so forced that I wouldn’t be surprised if my father had said something to her moments before.
Ryker’s hand is clutching her shoulder, and from the looks of it, it’s not an affectionate gesture; it’s tight and pinched, and seems more likely to be possession and control than anything else.
I run my thumb over her face delicately, brushing off the speckles of dust. My heart lurches in my chest at how badly I wish to hold her one last time.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Mum,” I murmur through clenched teeth.
It’s strange to me that Ryker still has this, considering he was never a family man. I know it belonged to my mother, but why would he keep it?
I lower the frame back into the box as my fingers brush a stained envelope. I glance over my shoulder quickly to check that Ryker isn’t lurking. I shouldn’t be digging around my father’s belongings, but right now, I couldn’t care less.
I pull back the envelope to find my name written on the front in my mother’s handwriting. I waste no time in taking it out and opening it up to find a handwritten letter inside. I’ve never seen it before, and it makes my eyes burn knowing it’s been kept from me.
My head lowers at the sight of her beautiful handwriting. It’s neat and small, and has a natural swirl to some of the letters. I close my eyes and take a steady breath before I pluck up the courage to read.
My boy, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You have always been my light in such a dark place—without you, I have no idea where I’d be.
Every word is imprinted in my mind, and I try to rack my brain to remember when she wrote this for me and why. Almost like she was pre-empting her death.
“Goddess,” I grunt as I roll my fingers over my forehead.
I take a second before continuing to read.
I pray the world is kind to you. I want nothing more than for you to be loved, to experience happiness, and not live with any regrets.
There’s a sudden stabbing sensation in my chest.
This life is yours, Caleb. Take it and do everything you’ve ever wanted, and never let anyone walk over you. Do things that scare you, challenge you, make you feel alive. Live a life filled with joy and nothing less. I’ll forever be proud of you. I love you more than life itself.
My fingers tighten around the letter as I heave out a breath. The only love I’ve ever known was hers—it’s the only thing that kept me alive when I was young.
But I want more than just her love. I want to feel love in its rawest form. The kind that makes you forget everything else exists, the kind that has butterflies swarming inside your stomach, the kind that makes you have faith in the world again.
The kind I’ve never had the chance to experience, but desperately want to. My heart thumps when an image of Evan flashes in my mind. Goddess, I push him away, and I hate myself for it. But if I bring him close, I’ll hate myself even more for putting him in a compromising situation. I can’t win.
After shoving the letter back into the envelope, I contemplate putting it back, but it has my name on it, and I’m entitled to have it in my possession. I slide it into my pocket instead and dust myself off, just in time for the office door to open.
My entire body turns rigid as Ryker steps inside and flicks his eyes over me.
“You’re still here,” he states.
“Oscar said you were busy.”
“Indeed. What were you doing?”
“Nothing,” I murmur.
Ryker’s brows raise as he walks towards his desk before staring down at the box beside my feet. I say nothing as he leans down to take the picture frame between his hands.
His gaze flicks over the photo, and for a split second, I swear I see something other than hatred, almost like his eyes come alive. I know he’s taking in my mother, but he never deserved her.
My heart races as he continues to stare, and I wonder how long it’s been since he’s looked at this photo. “Snooping around my stuff, huh?”
“You still have it.”
Ryker’s eyes are drawn to mine, but he remains silent.
“You wanted to see me,” I clear my throat as the letter burns a hole in my pocket, and I force myself not to think about it by slamming up my mental barriers.
Ryker nods before walking towards his cluttered desk. “There will be a formal party this weekend, including all the packs in your district.”
I blink. “Why?”
“It’ll be a great opportunity for us to be seen together to show the district that we mean business. The women will see that you’re on the market, and hopefully, there’s an influx of them who want to have your children, so you’re ready to settle down, and soon, we’ll start a legacy.”
My face remains blank as I clear my head. “Settle down?”
“You’re twenty-seven, Caleb. You’re overdue to settle down, and I already have someone lined up,” he says with a smirk. “But I doubt you’ll struggle to find someone; it’ll be swarming with pussy.”
I grimace internally at his choice of words. “So another of your match-making events then?”
“If that’s what you want to call it.” He waves a hand that’s almost dismissive.
“If you want an heir so badly, why don’t you find a woman to lay with?”
Ryker’s face twists as if I’ve disrespected him. “Because the history of our family bloodline points to your son having powers. Could you imagine a world where our powers take over? We’d be unstoppable.”
I narrow my eyes a little. “And what if it was a girl?”
“We’ll deal with it if it comes to that,” he mumbles casually as if he’s talking about a kitchen clear out. “Women weren’t made to rule this world.”
I grit my teeth at his answer.
Ryker curls a brow at me. “Problem, Caleb?”
I breathe out through my nose and choose not to comment. There’s no use, he’ll never see the world from my eyes. And I’ll be damned if he tried to use my son as a pawn in his game for world domination, let alone get rid of my daughter. Hell would break loose.
“What else did you need to discuss?”
The faster I can get out of here, the better.
I watch him as he slips into his chair. “I want an update on the pack.”
“They’re fine.”
“Are they?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t sound convincing.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m doing the best I can.”
All he does is hum in response.
“The pack needs me back soon.”
“Fine,” he says before handing me a stack of papers. “Here. Read these.”
“For what?”
“Harrison gave them to me.”
My brow curls. “Harrison, the district ambassador?”
Ryker rolls his eyes. “Who else?”
“What is it?” I ask as I flick through the pages.
“Reports on how you’re doing and what you need to do to keep your position.
I heard about your probation, which is quite frankly embarrassing.
” He shakes his head. “So, I asked for an update, and he gave me these. I’d read over them and put it into place so you don’t lose respect as their Alpha. You’ll never live it down if you do.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I’m going now,” I grunt as I crumple the papers in my hand. “Goodbye, father.”
“I expect you to be on your best behaviour this weekend,” he calls out as I step into the hall.
My nose wrinkles. He still acts like I’m a child, and I’m fucking sick of it.
I slam his office door on the way out. It’s immature, but I’m too riled up to act rationally. And now I have to get my head in check to attend a party when I’d rather repeatedly run myself over instead.