Chapter 152

Caleb stays with Harper for a time. Curled up against him, she sleeps soundly, her body damp with sweat but relaxed.

He is pleased that she enjoyed her punishment. Blissful torture is often the best kind. She will undoubtedly be furious when she wakes up and continues to find herself chained to this bed. He wasn’t lying when he told her she would remain here.

This wasn’t the first time Harper endangered herself for his benefit, but he would see to it that it would be the last. If that means that he has to keep her a prisoner here, then that’s what he will do.

Finally, after a time, he starts to pry himself away from her octopus limbs. He’s exhausted her so thoroughly, she doesn’t wake up, despite his jostling. He rolls her onto her side away from him, then tucks a pillow up against her back where he would have been.

After checking to make sure the chain anklets aren’t too tight, he gathers his clothes, changes, and heads out of the room.

He has a destination in mind, but he doesn’t want to head there smelling of Harper and sex. So he heads to his room first to shower and change. Once he is mostly free of Harper’s scent, he walks back into the hallway, and heads toward the guest wing.

He finds his father in the room designated for him. Hector seems annoyed when Caleb enters without even knocking. Looking up from his meal, he glowers at his son.

“I don’t care if you are the Alpha King now, it’s rude to impose yourself into the rooms of a guest without even knocking first.”

Caleb has no time or patience for false pleasantries. He walks right up to the edge of the table and glares at his father from across it.

“Did you lie to me about Evan?” Caleb asks. “You told me that he was unstable. You said it was for the good of the kingdom that he be dethroned before the coronation.”

“All of that is true,” Hector says calmly.

“Did you know about Summer?” Caleb asks.

With a sigh, Hector lowers his cutlery.

“Your little whore was snooping around,” Hector says. “Is she the one trudging up this ancient history? You should know better than to listen to slaves.”

A growl emerges from the back of Caleb’s throat. He doesn’t much care for the tone Hector takes when he talks about Harper, or the crass words he uses.

Harper is indeed a member of Caleb’s harem, but that is far from all she is. She has saved Caleb and cared for him. That alone makes her worthy of respect.

Caleb suspects Hector is being difficult on purpose, to redirect him from his initial questions. He won’t let that happen.

“You knew her then, Evan’s omega mate?” Caleb asks.

Hector slams his hand down hard on the table top, causing his plate and cutlery to clatter. “Do not call her that.”

“They were fated mates,” Caleb continues. “He loved her and wanted to make her Luna. Admit it, Father. Tell me the truth for once.”

“What good would it do? Evan is dead.”

“You let me believe he was a villain. You let me think that he had to be put down…” Anger rises hot and furious within Caleb. His hands curl, claw-like. His teeth begin to elongate. His eyes flash red. “Admit it.”

“You want to learn the truth, even to your own detriment? Fine. Yes, Evan took on an omega lover, bringing disgrace to us all. But then, worse, he wanted to marry that lowly creature. He said he loved her and they would be together, to the hells with the rest of us or how weak that would make us look.”

“You are vile.”

“An omega is vile. They are not meant to procreate at all, especially not with a prince! Evan was going to be King! He wanted that thing as his Luna! We couldn’t allow this. I couldn’t allow it.”

In his rage, Hector pushed himself up to his feet so quickly that the chair behind him flew back and toppled, crashing onto the floor.

“You are Alpha King now, Caleb. You know that an omega could never be Luna! The shame… the humiliation!”

“I would accept an omega sister over a dead brother,” Caleb snaps. “You had me kill him for nothing.”

“I had a reason!”

“Not a good one!” Caleb growls. A werewolf could not help who their fated mate was. For Evan to want to be with this omega, to be willing to risk it all, he must have loved her.

And Caleb killed him. For what? His father’s pride?

He would never forgive himself for believing Hector’s lies, but perhaps he could start to work toward acceptance by tearing out Hector’s throat.

“Don’t be crass, boy,” Hector says, his voice becoming gravelly as he starts with his own shift. “I may be older, but I am also an Alpha. If you wish to fight me, you will find that it will not be an easy battle.”

“Evan should be alive,” Caleb says. “That he’s not is your fault. I will have my revenge.”

“Come then. Try to take it.”

Caleb, with a roar, jumps across the table toward Hector. Halfway through the air, he totally shifts. His limbs extend, his claws grow sharp.

Hector shifts too, ready when Caleb collides into him.

Caleb is the bigger wolf, but Hector has him matched in experience. Scars cover Hector’s wolf body, including a cross shape over his chest.

Caleb claws at him, and Hector dodges, then pounces. They grabble, shoving, clawing, and biting at each other.

The furniture in the room breaks in the fight. At one point, Caleb flies down through the table, smashing it to the ground.

He bounces back quickly, pouncing toward his father once more.

Soon, they end up near the windows. A moment later, Caleb shoves Hector through them. The glass shatters, but Hector lands on his feet. He growls, ready when Caleb jumps through the broken window to chase him.

Hector has gotten away with his treachery for too long. Caleb was going to end him, or die trying.

As is the werewolf way.

I wake up sore but satisfied. Recalling the night before, a blush forms on my cheeks. It’s short lived, however, as Bethany storms through the door.

“Harper!”

I’m happy to see her up and about, but not quite like this – when I’m naked in bed. She looks stricken though, and not from my nakedness.

There’s a bandage around her shoulder and her arm is in a sling. But that doesn’t seem to concern her right now either.

Approaching the bed, she says in a rush. “We have to get you out of here. You have to stop Caleb!”

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s fighting Hector. They’re tearing up the courtyard. Harper, I think they mean to kill each other!”

Oh, no.

I tug on my chains but they are solid.

“He’s chained me… Bethany, I can’t go anywhere.”

Bethany too, grabs the chains and tries to pull them.

“We have to find a way to get you out of these. If you don’t stop Caleb…”

He could kill his father. And then the guilt would kill Caleb.