The Alpha Heir (Kingdom of Askara Book 2) Page 9

  “It may actually cause him physical pain to be in your presence.”

  Caleb drew in a sharp breath. He remembered how bad Warwick had looked at the choosing.

  “I’m guessing the witch intends to use the sacrifice to Surya to call on the Alpha powers,” Silas said after a second.

  “But why can’t Mason just challenge Caleb?” Taegan asked. “I thought you said that was what happened.”

  “Because it wouldn’t be a rightful challenge,” Silas answered immediately. “Caleb can’t shift. There are a lot of ancient laws governing Alpha succession and I doubt they would risk Mason’s status if they were already having problems with Warwick.”

  “But why not just kill me in the ring?” Caleb asked. “Why keep me alive?”

  “Because if you were killed before Mason became twenty-five and unable to be Alpha there is a chance the powers would not transfer. If that happened he would be open to any other werewolf challenge. You had to be killed by a human to make it a fair fight and it had to be once Mason was twenty-five.”

  Caleb shivered and stared at Silas. “I was always meant to die?” Six years. He had been kept alive for six years just to be sacrificed. Breathe. He’d always known but hearing it confirmed by someone else made it even worse.

  Silas looked at Taegan “What do you intend to do?”

  A beat went by and Caleb turned to look at him. Taegan’s eyes were dark, stormy, and he took a breath. “According to the slave, the children are heavily guarded in the cellars under the pack house and freeing them from there is impossible.”

  “You intend to take them when they are first released,” Caleb said instantly. It wasn’t a question.

  “Exactly. The wolves will give the children some time before they shift or it would be over in seconds. They will be over-confident even when drunk, but two small children will still have no possible chance. My problem is how to get them away without the wolves having time to chase.” He paused. “And we would need some diversion.”

  “Horses,” Silas mused. “But even then you will have to be quick. I can arrange for a special gift of wine to be sent. Dashel makes a blend that is so potent humans would be lucky to be standing after one glass, but it will take a while for the wolves, and there will be many gammas not drinking, even as over confident as they all are.”

  “We still need another diversion though to give us time,” Taegan mused.

  “Me,” Caleb said softly.

  “Absolutely not,” Taegan retorted quickly and Caleb stared in confusion.

  “Why? I wouldn’t need to fight them.” Mason would be overjoyed to get his chew toy back.

  “We wouldn’t be able to get you out. I don’t know if or when we would get the chance.”

  Caleb shrugged. He felt numb. He wouldn’t live long enough to worry about that.

  Taegan carried on as if Caleb hadn’t spoken. “We need to be able to come up with a distraction to buy as much time before the wolves shift as we can possibly get. Do you have any idea what your aunt will do?”

  Caleb shook his head miserably. “She visited me occasionally while I was being held. S-sometimes the gammas would hold me down and draw blood.”

  “Blood?” Taegan repeated woodenly, and Silas’s head shot up.

  “Blood?” he repeated.

  Caleb nodded miserably. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and bared his forearms. They were ugly, crisscrossed with a myriad of scars. “The inside of my thighs are worse.” He didn’t want to look at Taegan. He was sick of seeing the looks of horror on people’s faces when they saw him. He glanced over at Silas. The wolf looked worried.

  “Did she collect your blood or simply spill it?”

  “Collect,” Caleb whispered. “Sometimes I wished she would just take it all.”

  Taegan made a noise in the back of his throat and Caleb looked at him, realizing what he had said. He hadn’t meant to speak that last thought out loud. He sounded pathetic and needy even to his own ears and he was ashamed. He might not have a wolf but he was still his father’s son and he felt a faint glimmer of something resembling pride. And again, the feeling of something stirring inside of him. He had a chance to help — for the first time he had the chance to be his father’s son, and while the thought of being Alpha was nothing but a fairytale there must be something he could do.

  They all looked up as Renee came back in carrying a bowl of something that smelled wonderful. She smiled at all three of them and placed the bowl in Taegan’s hands. “I want him to drink every drop,” she admonished and before either of them could respond Silas stood.

  “I need to see if there are any mentions of blood-letting in the books I have.” He smiled at Caleb and followed Renee out. Suddenly the silence was uncomfortable.

  “I don’t know whose bed I am in, but I understand if you need to tie me up.” Caleb glanced into Taegan’s blue eyes. “I know I am a prisoner.” Caleb waited and watched the blue eyes soften with amusement. He stiffened. Taegan was laughing at him. Caleb drew away from Taegan even though he hated doing so. It was a mistake to grow dependent on the man, and he didn’t understand his compulsion to be near the human.

  “You need to eat,” Taegan said and Caleb looked at the bowl he held without interest. Taegan’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand why you don’t seem to want to eat. Why you’re not hungry when you’re obviously starving.”

  Caleb didn’t answer. In the last few months he had lost all interest. Eating only kept him alive and prolonged his suffering. Completely stopping had led to slaves being beaten, while gradually eating less and less was never noticed. It had been his last desperate plan.

  Taegan shifted closer to Caleb. “How about you try a few mouthfuls so I don’t get shouted at by my mom?”

  Caleb stared in surprise at the teasing smile on Taegan’s face. He didn’t think he was laughing at him this time. He obediently opened his mouth as Taegan spooned some stew. “I can do it,” Caleb offered, but it was a token protest.

  “Humor me,” Taegan replied.

  • • •

  Twenty minutes later Taegan rested the spoon in the almost empty dish and stared at the sleeping man. Caleb had struggled to keep awake after the first few mouthfuls and Taegan had no idea what to make of any of it. Six years. The horror of that was more than Taegan could imagine. His life was simple. He had a rebellion to run, people depended on him, and he didn’t have time to be a nursemaid.

  That isn’t fair.

  It wasn’t. He knew it wasn’t. Caleb could have fed himself. Whether he would have was a different matter. He had never heard anyone speak so matter of factly about death, as if that was all the future Caleb expected. Maybe that was why it had been so satisfying to see him eat. He sat and let his eyes rove over Caleb’s face. His greatest enemy? Taegan nearly laughed, but this time because the joke was on him. Even in one day he could see Caleb looked better, impossibly weak but his face wasn’t as gray.

  Bonded? Were they, and what did that even mean? Silas had seemed so certain but he had said it was rare. He understood the compulsion in the wolf to be near others, but Caleb wasn’t all wolf and Taegan wasn’t any. Pack was a powerful force. All humans knew that pack was so much more than a family. Maybe when Caleb was physically better, he might be able to break or weaken this bond. Maybe they might be able to get him to Caedra. If what Mari said was true it sounded like things might be improving for the territory, then there might be a wolf that Caleb could bond with. He thought Silas was being a bit dramatic when he said the bond would only break with one of their deaths. And whatever the case, Taegan refused to be responsible for another person. He had enough to do.

  Taegan repeated that to himself slowly because he had an awful feeling it was an empty promise and somewhere he was sure — if the goddesses ever did as a lot of people believed, interfere with mortal lives — they were laughing at him.

  Chapter Eight

  “May I come in?”

  Caleb looked up as Silas put his he
ad around the door sometime later the next day. He was resting after Renee had somehow managed to get him some warm water, cloths he could wash and dry himself with, and some clothes that seemed to fit him. Just to please her he had eaten quite a few mouthfuls of food and he’d just been wondering how long it was going to be until Taegan got back. He knew the rebels had gone on some sort of raid. It had to be. He’d woken once during the night incredibly content to find Taegan laying on the floor wrapped in a bed roll and shocked to find he was still in Taegan’s room. The small room had meant they were nearly touching and he’d inhaled the man’s gorgeous smell and drifted right back off again. The second time he had woken it was still dark and Taegan had been gone. He’d slept fitfully after that, completely convinced that he would wake and find himself chained in the room at Warwick’s pack house. That it had all been some crazy dream.

  Silas came into the room clutching some old-looking papers and a few books. Caleb was immediately interested. “Research?”

  “Human folk lore.” Silas dragged the chair nearer to Caleb’s bed. “Anything I could find relating to the Darkest Day. I have always been of a mind that knowledge equals power,” he said gravely.

  “There are many who would disagree. I know of at least one Alpha in Tethra that is barely literate,” Caleb said and picked up the first book. His jaw dropped as he opened it. “It’s written in Askaran?” He fingered the yellowing pages reverently. “The oldest books I have ever seen were always written in the common tongue.”

  “You recognize it?” Silas tilted his head questioningly.

  “I had a Luna-Madre when I was a pup.” Caleb smiled fondly. All wolf packs had older she-wolves that helped raise the younger pups. They were called Luna-Madre or Moon Mother and usually Madre for short. “My father made sure I had a Madre all to myself and she knew Askaran. I can barely read it.” He peered at the title-page. “E Soli Gaurela.” Caleb read. “The Twin Suns.”

  “Very good,” Silas praised him. “Unfortunately, most of the rest of the book is impossibly faded, but I think it chronicles the rites and ceremonies for the Darkest Day among other feasts. I think the Darkest Day was originally a celebration of Sorin’s life. Legend has it that even in her death she could never hate her sister and pleaded with the gods to grant Surya mercy. They gifted her one day in every three years where supposedly Aylin puts Sorin to sleep and Surya has the freedom to travel the world.”

  “I remember it as a boy,” Caleb sighed. It had been a whole day of celebration. His father had always invited the servants and their families to join in and eat the overabundance of food. He had missed the one three years ago, because it had been after he had been locked away. He doubted any but the wolves had feasted, though.

  Caleb glanced up at Silas. “What is Taegan going to do with me?”

  Silas sighed, but his look was kind. “Taegan is a good man. He has fought fairly for justice for a long time.”

  “And I am an anathema to him, then.”

  “He knows that you are not responsible for the wrongs of your uncle. I am wolf, but we are friends.”

  “You have no pack?” It seemed strange, the wolf being on his own.

  “By my choice. When my Alpha died I was released from my vow and chose to travel. I am content with the company of the humans.” He chuckled. “Not forgetting I am over two hundred years old.”

  Caleb grinned back, then his smile fell as he realized their differences. “I cannot stay. Even if Taegan would ever consider letting me I am too much of a risk. I don’t believe for one second Mason will let me just disappear, and I cannot hide forever.”

  “Leaving that aside for one minute,” Silas said. “You have a responsibility to your pack.”

  Caleb squirmed. For a second yesterday he had felt the same thing. “I don’t see how. I have not the strength nor the ability to lead them. I cannot shift, and no wolves would call me Alpha even if by some miracle, I was able to survive a challenge. I mean, look at me,” Caleb almost wailed.

  Silas shook his head. “An Alpha’s power does not always come from physical strength. I felt the need to offer my submission to you as soon as we met.”

  “But why?” Caleb’s voice cracked. “I am an abomination.”

  “Who told you that word?”

  Caleb closed his eyes. It had been one of his aunt’s favorites. “I am not strong enough. I am hated by the humans and despised by all the wolves. I am sorry, Silas. I value your counsel, and in another life I am sure we would be great friends, but I am not an Alpha, not any more.” He hesitated as another thought entered his mind. “And of course, I have no Alpha mark. If I was heir, then I would have gotten one.” He had stared at his dad’s constantly when he was growing up. The small mark that appeared naturally on an Alpha-heir when they were twenty-one. The letters A and L red at first, but turned black after the choosing when they had mated their omega.

  Silas gazed at him. “What happened to your neck?”

  Caleb’s eyes narrowed in confusion then widened in understanding where Silas was going with the question. His hand immediately traced the ugly gouge on his neck. “But—”

  “How old were you?” Silas pressed.

  “I don’t honestly know. One day was very much like another.” He had desperately tried to bury the memory.

  “Did you see Mason’s tattoo?”

  Caleb nodded. “But not until weeks after they did this.” They had held him down. He had no idea why that particular time, but four of them had held him still and Mason had…

  “He bit me,” Caleb whispered. “I thought I would die, but the guards holding me cauterized it with a poker.” Silas made a distressed noise in his throat. “Do you really think it was done because I had an Alpha mark?” Caleb was stunned.

  Silas nodded. “I do, and more so it is entirely possible for Mason to fake one with henna or whatever. No one would have reason to doubt it, but they themselves would know. If he didn’t develop it at twenty-one, it confirmed what they suspected and the Alpha-heir status wasn’t transferred. They had no choice but to keep you alive until Mason became twenty-five.”

  “It still makes no difference,” Caleb cried, sudden temper rushing through him. “I cannot shift. You’ve seen me. I can barely stand on my own and I’m certainly not able to fight.” Caleb closed his eyes and turned away from Silas. He knew he was being rude, but it wasn’t fair. Taunting him with what he would never have. He suddenly regretted eating that morning because he should have known better. The wolves didn’t want him. The humans despised him. He had accepted his fate long ago, and this delay — for want of a better word — just made his ultimate death harder to face.

  • • •

  Taegan paused outside the room. Caleb’s cry had reminded him of a wounded animal and he ached to soothe the hurt he heard in the man’s voice. He had unashamedly listened for the last few minutes. Heard Caleb’s fears, and even more so listened to Silas’s pronouncement with a quiet desperation. He had seen plenty of atrocities in his life but the thought of what had happened to Caleb turned his stomach. Mason would slaughter him. He could still hear the sound of Xander’s neck snapping and he couldn’t stand the thought of the same thing happening to Caleb. The irony once again was not lost on him. He pushed the door open, his gaze immediately settling on Caleb. Caleb didn’t move, but Taegan knew the wolf knew he was there.

  Silas stood and gathered his book and papers. “I am sending a bird with a message to contact an old friend in Nairn for some advice. He has the same interests in our history that I share, and I believe some of his books are older than mine. He is also quite gifted in Askaran and translates for the Alphas.” Before Taegan had found the words to acknowledge his friend, Silas was closing the door behind him. Caleb curled into himself. He did it all the time — tried to make himself smaller. Taegan knew it was a defense against all the hurt and he ached that Caleb still did this with him. But then, Caleb still had no reason to believe Taegan wasn’t going to hurt him. Taegan eyed the bed. Ca
leb had curled so far away from the edge there was now enough room for him, so he sat down.

  He heard the inhale and saw how Caleb’s whole body seemed to pause and then relax as he let the long breath out. He would bet Caleb didn’t even know he was doing it. He’d begged Silas not to mention the bonding to Caleb again. He needed time to get his own head around the preposterous idea, and Silas had agreed on condition that Taegan kept Caleb with him at night for the time being. Caleb was right about one thing though. He couldn’t stay here. It put every human they had at risk. After a second, Caleb opened his eyes.

  “I know I cannot stay,” Caleb said, repeating what he had told Silas a few moments ago.

  “Let’s not rush into anything,” Taegan said, inexplicably the opposite of what he had just told himself. But all he could think was to soothe away the hurt he could hear in the whispered words and the hopelessness he could see in the slump of Caleb’s shoulders.

  “I am putting your whole settlement at risk. It is clever to use the Sulphur fields.”

  Taegan’s head shot up. “The fields travel for many hundreds of miles.”

  Caleb smiled. “Like I said, clever, but not impenetrable.”

  They were touching. Taegan had sat down with a good ten hand spans between them, and little by little Caleb had moved until their knees rested against each other. Taegan wasn’t convinced Caleb was even aware of what he had done, but he was. Every nerve in his body was hyper-aware of the other delicious body sitting so near to him. Taegan let his hand fall into the small space between them and suddenly the silence between them lengthened. Caleb’s head was lowered and Taegan knew beyond a shadow of a doubt his eyes were fixed on Taegan’s fingers. Taegan knew he ought to move his hand. So close, it was an invitation, one Taegan had no business offering and one Caleb would be insane to accept. Caleb raised his face to Taegan. Liquid brown eyes. He’d seen them filled with pain, fear, resignation; but none of that was there now. Wonder, awe, and a deep understanding shone from them. It was as if some emotion arced between them. A feeling, an acknowledgement, one as old as forever but with the promise of something new. At the same instant Taegan saw Caleb’s lips part in a different sort of invitation, he felt the smaller hand flutter and rest on his own. Taegan stared into Caleb’s deep golden eyes and as he moved — because he was helpless to do anything else. The second their lips finally touched, he knew.