Chapter 62 Caleb
CALEB
After a heartfelt farewell with Fi and Lula, we promise to see one another again when we’ve adapted to normal life.
I set the other prisoners free and let them on their way.
I take a minute to hover over Dominic’s body before bending down and pressing my fingers to his eyes so they remain closed, and he can rest.
“Your bravery didn’t go unnoticed,” I whisper. “I’m sorry it had to end this way.”
I make a mental note to try and find his family so they can be aware of his passing, but right now, I’m running out of energy, and I need to make it home.
My legs carry me for what feels like days. Dehydration kicks in as my vision becomes hazy. Using only my instinct for direction, I start to doubt myself.
After weeks, if not months, of lack of food and water, my body begins to shut down, but I keep going. I have to. The last drops of energy come down to this.
Too weak to mindlink from such a far distance, my only choice was to walk and think about seeing Evan again, my pack, my home—everything I’ve missed so dearly.
As soon as I get close enough to my territory, my legs start giving out. My chest heaves, and when I spot one of my perimeter guards charging towards me, calling out my name. I crumble to the ground, knowing I’m finally home and safe.
“Alpha,” I hear. “Alpha.”
The next few moments are a blur. I’m being tugged up onto my feet and dragged towards the house.
“Caleb?” Zara’s high-pitched voice screeches. “Goddess.”
They take me into the house, lower me down onto the floor, and prop me up against the kitchen counter. I blink up at Felix, seeing double of him.
“Shit,” he curses. “Get him some water.”
My eyes fall droopy as a glass is placed against my lips. I let the liquid slip into my mouth before coughing.
“Come on, Caleb,” Zara says with shaky hands. “Drink.”
My mouth opens again as I take small sips. After a few moments, my head falls back onto the counter, and everything fades to dark.
I snap my eyes open as I lurch forward. My heart races as I look at my surroundings to find myself in the infirmary. I blink over and over to make sure I’m not dreaming.
That I really escaped.
My father is dead.
The door creaks open, and I glance at Zara, grogginess taking over my body.
“You’re awake,” she says as she beams, bringing me a plate of food and fresh water. “We were so worried about you.”
Felix follows closely behind her as they approach the bed. “We’re so glad you’re back,” he says sincerely. “How are you feeling?”
“Crap,” I rasp, the word barely audible. “How long have I been gone?”
Zara purses her lips. “Well over two months.”
Fuck.
“Evan,” I murmur. “Where is he? Is he okay?”
“He’s—” she pauses, and it fills me with dread. “He’s okay. I mean, not okay, okay. He’s been struggling. He was here yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
“He wanted to look for you,” she whispers. “And he did.”
My nostrils flare. “I know. Ryker broke his leg. Please tell me he’s recovering.”
Felix frowns as if wondering how I know. “He’s recovered well, considering. We tried to be careful.”
“Careful?” I blurt. “There is no such thing as being careful around Ryker. He could have killed you both.”
Felix sighs. “Caleb, he was in despair without you.”
My eyes start to burn. “I told you—”
“I don’t care what you told us,” he says harshly. “Evan was going to do it with or without our help. And I knew I had to watch over him for you.”
I suck in a jagged breath, trying to digest what he’s saying. “I need to see him.”
“You need to rest first. You’re too weak right now,” Zara says. “Get cleaned up and have the doctors check you over.”
But I don’t want to. I need to hear his voice. See his face. Know he’s okay.
Pups. I call through our mindlink.
Realisation dawns on me when it vanishes into thin air. A sharp pain rockets through my chest, knowing our matebond doesn’t exist. I drag a hand over my dirty shirt and clutch at the fabric. It doesn’t make the ache go away; it intensifies it.
“What happened? How did you get back? Is Ryker still alive?”
I lick my dry lips and take the cup from Zara to gulp.
“Easy,” she warns me. “Take it easy.”
Once I feel the cool liquid slip down my throat, I inhale a deep breath. My eyes burn, and I’ve never felt this defeated in my life. They both stare at me, waiting for answers.
“He’s dead,” I croak. “I killed him.”
Zara’s eyes widen. “What did he do to you?”
“K-kept me locked up,” I murmur. “He had a whole building full of innocent people he was using for sacrifices. He had gone mad.”
“How did you kill him?” Felix asks.
I glance at my Beta. “I figured out that I have the same powers he did,” I state. “I don’t know how I didn’t know earlier, but they’re driven by intense emotion. And after what he did to Evan, forcing me away from all of you, it gave me a new purpose to stick by my promise of coming back.”
“Fuck.” Felix’s mouth falls open. “Seriously?”
I nod. “Where’s Carson?”
Felix frowns. “Not here, he said he had something to do a few nights ago. Why?”
“He’s the traitor. He’s the one who told Ryker about the attack and my relationship with Evan.”
His face twists into fury. “That motherfucker. How do you know?”
“He turned up, but ran off before I got the chance to question him. We’ve got to keep an eye out in case he tries to come back. I’ll fucking kill him if I see him again.”
I don’t care what Ryker threatened him with. You don’t go against your own pack, let alone Alpha. It’s one way to get yourself killed.
“Only him?” Felix arches a brow.
“From what I know so far,” I sigh. “Could be more, but Carson knew everything. It makes sense that it was only him.”
He hums. “I’ll ask around, see what people have to say, and get to the bottom of it.”
My eyes flick over the meal, and as much as I want to eat, I barely have an appetite.
“Eat something,” Zara says. “Then shower, and then you can go and see Evan. You know it’s the right thing to do. He’s okay. We promise you he’s okay.”
I stare down at the food and grunt as I reach for the sandwich and take a small bite. Never has it taken me this long to try to eat one half, but my mouth feels like sandpaper, and my throat is hoarse, making it hard to swallow.
Once the doctors have come in to do an examination, it’s obvious I’m dehydrated and malnourished, but I’m alive, and I’m not letting anything stop me from seeing my mate.
Felix helps me to the shower where I rinse away dirt, blood, and whatever else I’ve been lying in for more than two months.
I allow the water to pour over me until I’m clean, even though my legs feel heavy and unstable.
The second I step out of the shower and wipe the condensation on the mirror, I nearly fall over at the sight of myself.
My face doesn’t even look like my face. It’s sunken and frail.
The lines of my ribcage show through the ink, my skin deathly pale.
I stare for so long that I barely even recognise the person in front of me.
He might have done this to me, but he didn’t break me. That’s one thing I’ll always hold onto.
When I step out of my en-suite, I find Felix waiting for me. I quirk a brow at him. “You gonna help me wipe my ass, too?”
“Shut up,” Felix murmurs. “I’m making sure you didn’t pass out.”
The room turns silent as I dig through my clothes to put something on.
“It’s good to have you home, Caleb,” he says. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help. I would have done everything I could.”
I release a grunt. “You already did. I gave you an order, and you went behind my back.”
“To protect Evan.” He folds his arms over his chest. “What did you want me to do…chain him to the wall? He was adamant about seeing you again. You would have done the same for him. Put yourself in his shoes.”
I can’t argue with that. I would have destroyed everything to find him.
Once I’m dressed and somewhat presentable, although despising what I see in the mirror, I head over to Jaxon’s pack without hesitation. The doctors suggested that I remain in bed, but I need my mate to remind me we’re both safe.
The guards around Jaxon’s perimeter stop me in surprise and guide me towards the house, where Jaxon steps out of the front door of his private annex.
“Caleb?”
“Hey,” I rasp.
Jaxon heads towards me before wrapping his arms around me. The action takes me by surprise because he’s not an overly affectionate man unless it’s for Ava and Aurora.
“You’re back.”
“I’m back.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
After I pull away, I nod. “I’m okay,” I confess. “Where’s Evan? I really need to see him.”
Like my life depends on it.
“He’s inside, he—”
I don’t hear the rest of his sentence as I take off into the house.
“Evan?” I call out, my heart pounding in my throat.
Silence washes over me before I say his name, again and again. Then a figure appears at the top of the stairs. My head tilts, and I lay my gaze on blond hair and blue eyes. I tremble at the sight of him as he stands there. My eyes start to burn because this is all I’ve been dreaming of.
“Caleb,” he whimpers.
Then he’s charging down the stairs.