Calliope - Book 3 - A collection of Short Stories

Calliope sat in a chair, her arm stretched out, holding onto Caleb’s hand. He was lying in bed, slightly propped up with pillows to help him breathe. Calliope reached over, smoothing out his gray hair. She smiled warmly at him. He had aged far quicker than she had. While she looked as if she was 30, Caleb was old. In the last few decades, his body had become frail and wrinkled.

“They say that Celeste is going to give birth any day now,” she announced.

“Which one is she again?” Caleb inquired as he turned his head to look up at the ceiling.

“She is a descendant of Leanna,” Calliope answered softly. “Do you remember her?”

Caleb’s eyes flashed red momentarily as he viewed Calliope’s memories. He saw the birth of the twins, and within a few seconds, he watched as they aged, becoming adults.

“I do,” he nodded. “She was our second daughter, right?”

“Yes,” Calliope nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“Liam was her twin!” He exclaimed before he started to cough. Calliope helped him to sit up, rubbing his back so he could breathe better. When he laid back against the pillows, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. “What is wrong? Has something happened?”

“No, nothing happened,” she murmured.

“Are you thinking of Theo?” Caleb questioned softly. “It’s alright. I understand that I messed up. I could never live up to him.”

“No!” She cried as she gripped his hand tighter. “That is not true! You have made up for your mistakes, for the pain that you’ve caused. You and I have had nothing but love and happiness in these many, many years.”

“I… I don’t remember,” Caleb admitted as he looked down at the bed. “I’m sorry, Cali.”

“I can show you. I will show you every day, twice a day if I need to,” she insisted.

Caleb nodded his head as his eyes turned red again. Calliope showed him memories of the births of their children, of their nights on the Great Hill. She showed him moments of them cuddling, of them laughing until they cried. She showed him all the times he surprised her with flowers or small trinkets he found.

When his eyes returned to their normal colors, he saw Calliope smiling at him. He reached out, caressing her cheek. He noticed his wrinkled hand against her soft, smooth face. It made him frown as his mind pieced together what he was seeing.

“You’re still so young,” he remarked sadly. “And I am old.”

“And? I still love you as much today as I did when I first saw you.”

“Oh… I was hoping you would love me a little more by now,” he replied with a smirk.

“You are the best thing to ever happen to me,” she whispered as she leaned closer to him. She kissed his cheek and rested her head against his. Her lips began to quiver again, and she had to do her best to hold back her tears. “I don’t know what I will do without you.”

“You are going to keep your head held high,” he said firmly. “You are going to continue to lead our people, to teach the new generation of wolves and Greats.”

“But I won’t be happy because the love of my life will be gone. My reason to live will be gone.”

“Then you find another reason to keep going,” he replied angrily. “I forbid you from living out the rest of your days miserable and lonely. You are to move on, to find happiness in others. Whether that be with another man or with our family. That is not a request; it is a command.”

“As you wish, My Great Alpha,” she said as she sat back in her chair.

“Come here,” he instructed as he patted his lap. “Let me hold you.”

“I would hurt you,” she insisted as she shook her head.

“Calliope, don’t make me repeat myself.” He said sternly.

Calliope looked up at his face, noticing how serious he was. She sighed as she slowly got onto the bed. She sat in his lap gently, doing her best not to put too much weight on him. But then he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to lay against his chest. In this position, she could hear his lungs. She could hear how labored his breathing was, how it rattled with each breath. Then, she could hear the beating of his heart. How it was weak and thready.

She could not hold back the tears anymore. She gripped onto his shirt, sobbing into his chest. But Caleb did not care. He held her, rubbing her back and arms gently. Though he knew he was the one who was dying, he could not help but want to comfort her. When he was gone, when his soul left his body, she would be here, alone. He knew this; even with his mind scattered, he was aware of how hard it would be for her.

After a few minutes, Calliope tried to pull away from him. She could tell that he was deteriorating further. But with what little strength he had, he held firm onto her.

“Don’t leave me, please,” he whispered in a raspy voice. “Stay.”

“I’ll stay,” she replied.

“I love you, Cali,” he stated as he closed his eyes.

“I love you, too, Caleb.”

She rested her head against his shoulder and placed one of her hands on his. While sitting there, she mind linked to Eli and Alice, letting them know the end was near. Soon, others began to come in, gathering around the bed. But Caleb did not seem to notice. With what little energy he had left, he focused it on Calliope. On feeling her warmth, on smelling her scent of lemongrass and sage.

With each passing second, she could feel his breathing becoming more shallow. He could not breathe in as deeply, and his heart rate began to slow down. Then, the arm he had wrapped around her slipped down to the bed. But she held firmly onto his other hand. She held it as his breathing finally stopped, as his heart finally rested. Even as his skin began to cool, she held it. She did not want to let him go now that he was gone. He was her mate, the light of her life. He was the reason she found hope and happiness again. The memories that she had with him, she would cherish them. Until they met again.

Caleb felt as if he had gone to sleep, but his mind was awake. He tried to open his eyes, to move his arms, but it was as if his body was not there. There was only darkness, no hot or cold, no wind or sound. The pain that he had felt moments ago was gone.

Gone. Everything was gone. Everything except for his memories. Memories of happiness, of love and sorrow. It all seemed to rush and flood his mind. As if the memories had been stored away, hidden from him somehow. But all he wanted to see, all he wanted to remember was Calliope. When he saw her, he could smell her as if her scent lingered within his soul. She helped to bring him warmth, to bring him peace.

Caleb floated through the endless darkness. He did not know how long he had been there. He knew he was dead. After some time of reliving his memories, he saw his last moments again—the final seconds of his labored breathing, of Calliope holding his hand, of him holding her. And yet, he was oddly calm. He was content with staying within the confines of his memories, all while floating through the darkness.

“Caleb.” A voice called to him.

Suddenly, he could feel himself floating downward. He could hear his name being repeated. The voice was calling for his mind and soul, but to where he did not know. There was still only darkness, only emptiness. Until finally, he could feel the ground beneath him. For the first time in a long time, he could feel his body. He could feel his chest as he breathed, his heart as it beat again. And then, he opened his eyes.

Caleb sat up, taking in the land around him. He was in a desert, with a red sun setting in the distance. He recognized where he was; this was where Altan, his wolf, would sit waiting to be called. The sand beside him shifted as someone sat beside him. Caleb looked to his left. The person next to him was one he had seen many times but never once met. It was Theo.

“This desert was an interesting setting for your wolf to choose,” Theo remarked as he looked across the sandy dunes. “Most wolves choose forest regions.”

“Is that so?” Caleb questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

“Mhm,” Theo hummed as he nodded. He glanced over at Caleb. Gone were the wrinkles and gray hair that he had in his mortal life. He looked young once again. “But Altan is not your average wolf.”

“Cali told me once that your wolf was fused with another to create Altan,” Caleb replied.

“Indeed, Altan is a fusion of Amarok and another wolf spirit briefly named Einar,” Theo explained as he looked back at the setting sun. “Einar was the first sun wolf spirit that the Goddess created.”

“I suppose that was so the dual shifting could become hereditary?”

“Exactly. The sun wolf spirits that were around previously were not her creations. So, she was unable to make the fusion she desired.”

“Why the dual shifting?” Caleb inquired curiously. “I never understood why the goddess would want us to be able to do both.”

“It is because she did not want to totally erase history. She did not want to risk others going against her, just to become sun wolves again. If everyone has the ability to dual shift, then there will be no different wolf races. Over time, everyone shall be equal in what their wolves can do. Leaving only the Greats who stand out with their gifts.”

“Until another God intervenes and grants someone the ability to do something new,” Caleb scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

“Not quite,” Theo laughed. “Sun wolves were not created by another God, contrary to the stories you were told as a child. The third Great Luna was the one who placed the curse on the moon wolves who attacked her and her family. There is no Sun God or any other God or Goddess for the moment.”

“But even my father told me stories of the first wolves who traveled to pray to the Sun God,” Caleb argued.

“Again, it was just a story. A lie someone told to make the Moon Wolves fearful. In reality, they were simply cursed, nothing more.”

“So, you’re telling me that everything that I have ever known about my own people was a lie?”

“The history behind your people was a lie, but not their experiences. A lot of the hurt, the trauma and sorrow could have been prevented had there been compromises and forgiveness.” Theo stated as he sighed. “I watched the histories of our past, and every single thing could have been fixed had there been a conversation. Even I was one of those foolish people. I thought I was helping by keeping secrets to myself, but in actuality, I hurt Calliope. I was a fool to think that she would not notice.”

“She still loves you, you know?” Caleb said as he looked down.

“I know,” Theo nodded. He reached out, placing a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “But she loves you more than she did me. I could see how her eyes sparkled when she would see you enter a room. How her heart fluttered each time you kissed. You saved her from herself. She was in a dark place when you were born. Seeing through your eyes for the first time gave her hope when there was nothing left for her. You are her everything.”

“You say you can see her? Am I able to see her too?”

“No,” Theo answered gently. “Only two people can look upon the mortal world. The Goddess is one, and then I am the second.”

“Why?”

“My destiny has taken an interesting path. I shall explain more to you later, but for now, there are things I cannot tell you. All I can say is that I was rewarded for my sacrifice.”

“Then, if I cannot see Cali, can you look at her and tell me if she is alright?” Caleb questioned.

Theo nodded his head and looked off into the distance. His eyes turned white, similar to Calliope's when she used her gifts. He was silent for a while as his eyes searched through the world.

“She is mourning you,” Theo finally said with sadness in his voice. “But she is not alone. Eli is with her, along with his mate. There are so many of your descendants around her, including a baby boy who was born the day after your death. He is apparently named after you.”

“Poor thing,” Caleb joked as he smiled.

“Indeed, Theo would have been a better choice,” Theo added with a smirk.

Caleb could not hold back his laugh. For the first time in a long time, he laughed until his sides hurt. But, after a moment, his thoughts returned to Calliope, causing him to lay back with a sigh.

“How long before Calliope becomes the wolf spirit?” Caleb inquired.

“Not for a very long time.”

“What about Eli? How much longer does he or Alice have?”

“Eli shall join you in just over a century,” Theo answered. “Alice shall live another 50 or so years past him. She and Calliope shall be Grand Lunas together, comforting one another.”

“Will Calliope outlive Eli’s successor, Darian?” Caleb continued his questioning.

“She shall outlive Darian and his mate,” Theo nodded. “She shall not pass until the reign of Darian’s successor.”

“But why? Forcing her to live that long of a life is going to hurt her!” Caleb yelled as he sat back up. “How could you do that to her!”

“It shall not be me keeping her alive,” Theo growled lowly. “Do not blame me as if I am responsible for her choices.”

“What do you mean her choices?”

“As she nears her death, both she and Giizis will fight it. I know she has told you that once she dies and becomes the Great Wolf Spirit, that Giizis shall be no more. The two of them will feel Calliope’s death near, and they shall prolong it because they do not wish to split. That is the choice that she makes.”

“I’m sorry; I should have known that her stubbornness played a part in it,” Caleb sighed.

“It is fine. I understand you were upset because you love her. I would have done the same had I not known the truth. But, I will say, I told Calliope the same thing that I am telling you. And even knowing the future, she shall not change her actions. Though things are not predetermined, some are just set in their ways. Calliope is one of those. But that is something that we both love about her. She is strong, she is stubborn, but she is passionate about everything she does. And I know you shall sit here without her for some time, but hundreds of years for her can go by so quickly for you. You shall reunite with your mate once again, Caleb. This much I can promise you. And when she is not in the realm of the mortals, you shall be here with her. Never again will you two have to separate; never again will either of you have to be lonely and lost. You two shall remain together until the end of time, and who knows, perhaps even after that.”

Author's Note: That first half had me in tears 😭. Man... wrapping up Calliope's story has been hard on me.

Anyone have any theories on what Theo's future holds??

One more chapter to go!