Calliope - Book 3 - A collection of Short Stories

Jace awoke the following morning, feeling like he had not slept much. He changed his clothes and stepped outside his hut, wincing as his eyes adjusted to the morning light. Nearby, he noticed Calliope with several people. She was holding their hands, creating mate bonds. He could feel his wolf, Rhys, growling from within himself.

Mate... Rhys growled slightly. Where is she?

I know, bud, I know. Jace sighed back to his wolf. He looked around, his eyes landing on Tegan as she worked nearby. What do you say? Should we forge our own destiny with Tegan?

They stood in silence, watching her. Deep down, there were thoughts on whether she liked him, whether she would be willing to leave with him. Or perhaps he was being foolish. She was being nice to him, and he was reading too deep into it. Someone touched Jace’s shoulder, startling him.

“Come,” Theo said as he smiled at Jace. He could clearly see who his companion was staring at, but he did not want to embarrass him. “We are about to shift for the village. I want you to stand with Riley to ensure no one comes near Giizis.”

“Of course,” Jace nodded as he followed Theo to an open part of the beach.

There was a crowd gathering, excited about seeing the wolves of the Greats. For them, stories of the Greats were told like fairytales. They lived so far from the Royal Moon pack, from any other packs. They would only receive news when something happened, such as when Calliope was named Great Luna, and that was over 30 years ago.

Theo shifted first into Amarok. Everyone gasped at the large black wolf that stood on their beach. Some of the children hid behind their mothers in fear. Jace put his hand on Amarok’s fur, petting him gently. He tried his best to reassure the children that he was safe and would not harm them. But the children did not trust him, a stranger in their village.

Jace sighed and looked around the crowd. He noticed Tegan was not even sparing a glance. As if the giant wolf was nothing new for her. Even after Calliope shifted, all Jace could see was her back and her dark hair waving in the wind. He watched as she grabbed rope and began pulling a sled through the sand. He stepped away from Amarok as he watched her disappear down the shoreline.

Go on, Theo scowled over mind link.

Jace gave Amarok’s side a few pats before running off. He ran down the beach, catching up to Tegan. She picked up driftwood from the sand and placed it on the sled. She barely glanced at Jace as he approached her.

“What can I do for you, wolf?” She questioned.

“I came to see if I could help you,” he answered as he leaned over, picking up pieces of wood.

“Why are you not showing off your wolf with the others?”

“My wolf isn’t anything special, unlike Theo and Calliope’s,” Jace replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh right, no individuality,” she mocked as she picked up the rope, dragging the sled through the sand. Jace stepped up, taking the rope from her hands. She rolled her eyes as she kept walking.

“That isn’t fair. It would be like comparing you against your father,” he scowled as he followed her. “He is huge, with muscles that rival that of giants. And you…”

“What about me?” She interrupted as she turned to look at him. Jace smiled as he walked up to her.

“I doubt you could toss me across the beach like he can.” He smirked.

“Bold of you to assume that I can’t,” Tegan frowned as she stared into his eyes.

“I’d love to see you try,” Jace growled softly as he leaned in closer to her.

“You would only struggle,” she scoffed as her eyes darted from his face to his chest that neared her.

“I do love to fight, but I would not fight you.”

“Why? Because I am a woman? Are you one of those wolves that abhors harming women?”

“No,” he whispered as he leaned in close to her ear. “Because I would win.”

He kissed her cheek before continuing down the beach. There was more that Jace wanted to say, but he stopped himself before he lost his confidence. Being that close to her, smelling the salt in her hair, he felt as if, at any moment, he would break. It took everything in him not to fumble with his words as he whispered into her ear.

Tegan stood there, frozen in the sand. Her heart raced with his closeness. She could not understand herself or what her heart was doing to her. He was a stranger to her, someone who, come tomorrow, would be gone. But he was handsome; she could not deny it. It was why she gave him the flower crown the previous night. It was why she sought him out after the celebration. Something drew her to him. Perhaps it was because he was different, unlike other men in her village. Or maybe it was how he was always quiet but always watching everything around him.

“Are you coming?” Jace called out to her. She turned around, looking at him with her usual frown. She gave him an exaggerated eye roll before following him.

After a while of walking, they returned to the village with a pile of driftwood. Jace helped to unload it at her father’s home, not allowing for Tegan to do much of the work. But when they were done, Jace had to return to Theo’s side. This allowed Tegan the chance to slip away from his piercing gaze.

For the rest of the day, Tegan stayed away from Jace. But she kept her eyes on him. She would watch as he occasionally scanned the beach, looking for her. Watching Jace, looking at his face, at the rest of him, caused fluttering in her stomach. It caused her to blush as she ducked behind a hut, hiding from his wandering eyes.

Later that night, once all were in their beds, Tegan ventured from her father’s home. She went first to the hut Jace was given, but before entering it, she noticed someone sitting by the water. It was Jace, watching the waves as they washed up upon the shoreline. She smiled as she walked up to him.

“What are you doing out here so late?” She questioned curiously.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied, looking up at her.

“I came out here for a night swim,” Tegan shrugged as she walked to the water.

She unwrapped the skirt from around her waist, letting the cloth land in the sand. Jace’s eyes widened as he watched her continue removing her top. He looked at her naked backside, frozen in place. Rhys began to stir, wanting to take her, to make her his. He parted his lips, but his mouth was suddenly dry.

“Are you going to join me, wolf?” She inquired as she walked into the water. Her hands hovered over the surface, feeling the waves that went by her.

“You’re naked,” he stated, unsure what he should do. Unsure what she wanted from him. He had been told all of his life what a mate bond would feel like. How the woman destined to him would love him, and he would love her. But this was different. There was no mate bond between them. She flirted with him, something he had never experienced. It was all new, all uncharted territory for him. He feared that he would go too far, that his urges were more than her own.

“Do you swim with clothes on where you are from?”

“N-no.”

“Then, what are you waiting for? Come join me.”

Jace quickly stood to his feet. He pulled his shirt over his head but paused at his pants. He was hard; he did not want to scare her. What if she genuinely wanted to swim, nothing more? What if she wanted to do more than swim?

“Don’t feel shy,” she chuckled.

He looked up, noticing she was standing up to her waist in the water. And she was staring at him. Jace took a deep breath as he undid the button on his pants. He slipped them off, tossing them to the sand. Tegan could not help but bite her bottom lip as she watched him enter the water. She could see the muscles that his clothes had hidden. The staff that stood out between his legs.

As he approached her, his hands went to her waist. He felt her skin, gripping her curves tightly as he stood inches from her. Her breathing became heavy, and he could hear her heart beating out of her chest.

“What are you waiting on?” She questioned as she ran her hands up his arms.

“You,” he replied as his voice wavered. “I am waiting for you. I-I don’t know if you want what I want. I don’t know what it is I should do.”

“Kiss me,” she whispered as her hands went up to his trimmed beard. “Start there.”

Jace leaned down, his lips meeting hers. He could taste the honey on her lips, and he yearned for more; to taste more of her. He moved to peppering her chin and jawline with kisses. His lips went down her neck, finally settling upon her shoulder. His canines threatened to come out as Rhys growled happily within him. To appease his wolf, he gently nipped at her shoulder, his teeth barely grazing her. He gripped her waist tightly, pulling her flush with his body.

A moan escaped from her mouth as she felt his member press up against her lower abdomen. While Jace kissed her, she lowered one of her hands down his chest. Her fingertips ran through his chest hair, following the trail of hair further down. A low growl escaped Jace as her hands wrapped around his member, around the hardened girth that was pressed between them.

“I want you,” he hissed as she stroked him.

“Then take me back to your hut,” she replied as her grip slightly tightened around the tip.

He quickly lifted her by her waist, causing her to squeal as she wrapped her legs around him. Her arms went around his neck as he carried her from the water. She knew he had to be a strong wolf, but he seemed to carry her across the beach effortlessly. When he entered his hut, he slowly sank to his knees, gently laying her back on the reed mat. Her legs remained wrapped around him as he leaned forward, kissing her.

His hands finally left her waist, traveling up her sides. He loved how soft her skin felt against him. How goosebumps formed with each little touch he did. His hands finally ventured forward, gripping onto her breasts. She moaned as he massaged her globes. He ran his thumbs over her hardened nipples, eliciting another moan from her mouth.

He kissed down her neck, her collarbone, and then between her breasts. He glanced up as one of her hands gripped his hair. She was not pulling him away, but rather, her breathing seemed to encourage him. He kissed the side of her breast, slowly making his way to her nipple. As she groaned under his kissing, he moved to her right breast, doing the same thing.

Jace reached for her legs, which were still wrapped around him. He pulled them away, allowing him to slide down the mat. He ran his hands up her legs, his thumbs pressing against her inner thighs. He licked his lips as he leaned in closer to the wet core that was between her legs. He had a hunger that he had never felt before. A desire to hear her whimper, to bring her to the edges of ecstasy and pleasure.

Using his tongue, he explored the salty wetness that lay between her legs. He licked up from her entrance all the way to the sensitive bud that lay near her soft mound. He smiled, hearing her gasps and moans. Though he had never done this before, he had heard how the other wolves talked. He would listen as they relived their nights with girls or their mates. He was good at that, good at listening. He was always quiet, so much so that he could disappear in a room, even when he stood in the center.

His licking increased as she began to whimper. He wrapped his arms around her legs, pulling them away as they tried to close on his head. He could feel her shaking under him, her whimpers slowly becoming pleas.

"Jace!" She exclaimed as a wave of pleasure rushed from her. "Oh my goddess!"

He smiled as he lifted his head to look at her flushed face. He released her legs as he moved back up her body. He kissed her lips as he lined his hip up with hers, as his member lined up against her entrance.

"Repeat it," he commanded as he pushed slowly into her. "Say my name."

"Jace!" She gasped as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He grunted at hearing her voice. It was a drug to him. It fueled him to thrust into her, to claim her as his. After a few minutes of thrusting, he could not hold back. He grunted as he reached the height of his pleasure. He looked down at Tegan's face as he panted above her. She looked content, happy, as she looked up at him. She reached up, cupping his face in her hands. She pulled him to her so she could kiss him.

Mark her, Rhys growled from within him.

His canines began to extend as he moved to her shoulder. But he hesitated. He could not do it, not without knowing she wanted it. Not without making sure that she would leave with him. He growled as he rested his forehead against her chest.

"What is it?" She inquired softly as her hand went up to his hair.

"Stay with me," he whispered as he leaned up, looking her in the eyes. "Come back with me to the Royal Moon pack."

"What?!" She questioned as she frowned.

"Please," he pleaded.

"I have my entire family here," she replied, pushing him off her. "Do you really expect me to leave them?"

"I-I..." he voice trailed off. He sat back, his gaze going to the floor. He needed to find his words and the will to speak them. He wanted her; he wanted to make her his. "I want you to be my mate."

"You don't even know me!" She gasped as she sat up. "What is it with you wolves and falling in love instantly?"

"Tegan..."

"No! I want to know why. What is it about me that you want? Is it because I let you have sex with me?"

"No, it's not," he uttered as he looked away from her gaze. "It is because of how I feel when you are near me. How you make me feel so flustered because of your beauty. How you make me question every fiber of my being. You make me question destiny and fate and even the Goddess. You make me want to stop looking for my mate and take you instead."

Tegan looked down as she listened to his words. She could not deny that he, too, made her feel flustered. That he made her question everything she knew. But unlike Jace, she was not ready to spill her heart to him. She needed time. She needed to think about things, so she stood, leaving his hut without saying anything. Jace did not try to stop her; he let her go. He covered his face with his hands, feeling as if he was wrong. This was not what he thought it was. She did not feel the same for him.

The next morning, Jace was awoken by Tegan’s three brothers. They grabbed him quickly, carrying him from his hut. He quickly mind-linked to Theo and Calliope as he was dragged into Kai’s house. He was forced to his knees before the chieftain. He was growling as he looked at him, but then he stopped. He saw Tegan standing beside her father, crying. He tried to stand, to go to her, but her brothers held him down. He thought about shifting for a moment, but it would hurt her brothers, potentially even her, since she was close. He looked over his shoulder when Theo and Calliope rushed in.

“What is going on here?!” Theo demanded as he saw his companion on the floor.

“This boy slept with my daughter!” Kai declared as he stood from his mat.

“Jace!” Theo growled.

“It was consensual!” Jace argued. “She wanted it just as much as I did!”

“It does not matter to me!” Kai bellowed as he picked up a spear. “You took something that did not belong to you!”

“Put the weapon down,” Calliope warned as she began to steam. Giizis was preparing to shift. She had no qualms about who it hurt. Protecting her people came first.

“Daddy, please,” Tegan pleaded as she grabbed Kai's arm. “I wanted it. I want to be with him. I want to be his.”

“You do?” Jace uttered as he looked at her.

“Yes, I want to be your mate,” she whispered as she looked at him. Tears fell down her cheeks as her grip tightened on her father’s arm.

Kai scowled as he tossed the spear away from him. He looked at his daughter and then at Jace.

"Do you love her?" He questioned.

"No," Jace answered honestly. "But I want to. With every part of my being, wolf and all, I want to love her. I want to fall in love with her, something I never thought I would be able to do. But I want her; I want to become hers. I want her to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night."

"She is my only daughter," Kai said through gritted teeth as he looked at Theo.

"I can assure you that Jace would take care of her," Theo replied softly. "He is a good man, kind, and patient. But he is also strong and can protect her."

"Daddy," Tegan murmured.

"Fine!" Kai yelled as he looked back at Jace. "But you must participate in the courting tradition of our people."

"I'll do anything!" Jace insisted.

"To take my daughter, to make her yours, you must present her with a rare gift of the ocean," Kai explained as he grabbed a shell and held it up. In the shell was a white pearl that sparkled in the light. "You must go dive in the waters just off the shore and bring an oyster back, unopened, to my daughter. If there is a pearl in it, you may have her."

"And if there isn't?" Theo questioned.

"Then he does not get to take her," Kai stated curtly.

"That isn't fair!" Jace exclaimed. "How am I to know if there is a pearl in it if I cannot open it!?"

"That is our tradition, and those are my terms. Take them or leave."

Jace looked at Tegan. Her tears had increased, knowing the impossible task that her father gave him. Yes, it was their tradition, but the men here would be allowed multiple chances to dive. But her father was giving him one. The odds of him finding an oyster with a pearl were slim. They were rare in these waters.

"I'll do it." Jace finally said.

Tegan's brothers finally released their hands from him, allowing him to stand. Kai stepped between Tegan and Jace, preventing them from going to one another. He pointed to the door with his head. Jace growled, but he walked outside. He went straight for the water, not even removing his clothes before diving in.

The others stepped outside to watch. Tegan's brothers laughed at Jace. They watched as he had to resurface often to get air. He was not used to swimming or diving as they were. Tegan hissed at her brothers, causing them to quiet down.

Jace swam under the water, trying his best not to be pushed by the waves above him. He looked down at the ocean floor, his eyes searching the oysters and clams that dotted the sand. He did not know which one to choose. He had one chance, and everything within him was scared to be wrong.

That one! Rhys said as he spotted a shell that was a distance from all the others.

This oyster was in deeper water, deeper than Jace had ever gone before. He surfaced for a second to fill his lungs once more with air. He then took a deep breath and dived back under. He swam as fast and as hard as he could. He reached the lone oyster, gripping it tightly in his hands. It was not large, but something about it caught his wolf's eyes.

Once at the surface, he gasped for air. His head began to hurt, but he pushed through the pain, swimming to shore. Tegan ran down the beach to him. He smiled when he saw her approach him and held out the shell. She took it with a sigh. It was small. Small compared to the oysters that pearls were found in. Even her brothers laughed, knowing that Jace had failed. Kai held out a knife to his daughter, urging her to open the shell.

Tegan's hands trembled as she took the knife. She gingerly opened the shell, making sure not to damage it with the blade. She slowly opened the oyster, readying herself for the heartbreak. But she froze. Inside the small oyster were five tiny pearls. They were pink in color, and they were perfectly round.

Kai was in shock seeing the little pearls sitting in the oyster. He took the shell to examine it himself. He picked one up and began to laugh.

"I thought you would fail," he said as he looked at Jace. "Never once has anyone come up with an oyster with pearls so tiny. But they are pearls. I cannot deny that. Nor can I deny you my daughter."

Kai scooped the pearls from the oyster and placed them in Tegan's hand. She held them tightly as she hugged her father. She began to cry in his arms. She was happy that she could go with Jace, that she was able to forge her own destiny, her own path in life. But it was still bittersweet, having to leave the ones that she loved—having to leave the home that she had known her whole life.

Tegan became the first human to live at the palace permanently. She was the first human mate to a companion. And though adjusting to her new life was bumpy initially, she was happy. She and Jace were happy. They slowly fell in love with each other as time passed. And they ended up having five children together, one for each pearl that he gave her. Naveah, Lilly, Zachary, Adrian, and Tressa. Five beautiful kids for five beautiful pearls. Perhaps it was fate, after all?