Calliope's Wolf - Book 1
Chapter 19

Days later, scouts go out to investigate the abandoned human village. Theo wanted them to inquire about the recent visitors and whether the men in their dungeon originated there. It took almost two weeks before the scouts made their return.

Unfortunately, the village had been recently burned to the ground. Granted, the town was abandoned prior, but the soot and ash were still warm. The fire must have happened within a few days of the scout's arrival.

They looked through the debris and found a pile of dead bodies just on the outskirts of the town. They could tell it was a mixture of humans and wolves. When dead wolves are burned, their bodies emit a peculiar smell, and the ash has a distinctive glow.

From what they could replace, there were no survivors or signs of the people who did it. They assume it was an ambush, probably because their spies had not returned.

Upon hearing of the destruction, Theo told the two prisoners of the news. The man with a family was understandably upset. Out of kindness, Theo escorted both men back to the village to bury the dead.

Theo went only to ensure the two men could not send a mind link out. The man with a family, whose name was Kyle, was more than likely not a threat. He gave Theo as much information as he could. He was very open about everything.

He even told Theo about his partner. The woman he had loved was a human. Wolf and human interrelationships were frowned upon. It was not forbidden, but neither human villages nor wolf packs accepted the relationships. So, out of love, Kyle left his pack and became a rogue to be with the woman he loved—the woman who gave birth to his first baby.

The newborn baby was why he accepted the job of spying on Calliope. He wanted to be able to build a house out in the outer territories and probably set up a farm. Something that he and his family could live off of.

Now, that dream of his was gone. His dreams were buried in the swampy ground. He begged to be killed, begged to get a chance to return to his family, but Theo wasn’t one to kill without good reason. Instead, he still had a use for Kyle. Theo would put him to work at the palace and the Moon Festival. He wanted Kyle to be able to point out who approached him, assuming they came.

This was something Kyle agreed to do. In exchange, Theo said he would allow him to join any pack he chose, whether this was his family pack or not. He would no longer be a rogue, and nor would he ever be again.

Meanwhile, Calliope promised that if he fell in love with someone who wasn’t his mate, she would see to it that he didn’t have to leave his pack for love. That whomever he loved would be allowed to join him. This was something she was passionate about. Something she had sworn to change all those years ago. Now that she was the Great Luna, she would assert her power to make this law.

A few more months passed, and the Moon Festival was here. This was to be the first time that Calliope shifted in front of the world. The first time, they would see her strength. She spent weeks preparing with her wolf, going over the rules and what she was supposed to do: scare the challenger to submit, not to kill them. Calliope, though, could only hope that the challenger did indeed submit in time.

Theo could tell that she was nervous. Her hands would tremble, and she seemed as if she was always lost in thought or meditation. Even when lying with her, the sparks of their touch couldn’t get her attention. It saddened him to see her worry as much as she did. To see her struggling with something no one could fix.

They both wanted to get through the Moon Festival as quickly as possible. Theo had a lead on the oracle, so not long after, they would leave. It would be her first trip away from the palace since she arrived three years prior. He hoped this trip would bring her less stress and take away some of her worry.

The first day of the festival starts around midday. This is the day the packs pledge their loyalties to the Greats. Calliope’s family pack is the first to enter. This is the privilege of being her family pack, that and the better tent grounds. The Riverbed pack was now considered the pack to join. It had grown by over a hundred new members since Calliope left.

Those who traveled from the pack entered the throne room and kneeled to Theo and Calliope. She put on a smile, but she was relatively quiet. She scanned the room, looking at everyone who came. Her eyes stopped on Nova and the man beside her. The man was Connor, the man with whom Nova had a secret relationship.

But this relationship was no longer a secret. As a reward to Nova, Calliope begged her father to allow Connor to join his pack. Wyatt was happy to do this act of kindness for Nova. So, for the last three or so years, the two lived together happily. But they had no children, and with Nova nearly 40, they probably wouldn’t ever have children.

Calliope became sad for Nova. She helped to make her teacher and her friend happy, but Calliope wished she could do more. She looked down at her hands.

Hold their hands together in yours, she heard a voice say. She looked up and around at everyone but didn’t see anyone directly looking at her. And the voice, she recognized it, but it wasn’t someone there. It was the voice that told her to take Nova’s hand and bless it when she was 6.

“Nova,” Calliope said as she interrupted her father speaking. “Can you and Connor come up here?”

Calliope stood and looked down at her hands. They weren’t shaking anymore, and she felt energy surge through them.

Nova looked at Calliope, confused. She called for her out of nowhere. And everyone was staring at Nova and Connor. With hesitation, they made their way to Calliope.

What are you doing, Little Wolf? Theo asked Calliope over mind link.

Calliope ignored him. She focused on the energy she was feeling, on the voice that spoke to her. When Nova and Connor reached her, she took both hands in hers.

“Are you blessing us?” Nova asked. She remembered this was how Calliope had blessed her. But she didn’t understand what it would do for her and Connor.

Calliope took a deep breath and exhaled it. She closed her eyes. She focused on the energy, focused on their hands. When she opened her eyes, they began to glow white. Small bursts of energy rippled from Calliope. She concentrated hard on her hands, on the energy she felt. With an exhale of her breath, she pushed her energy into them. When Calliope took in another breath, her eyes turned back to blue, and sparks erupted in their hands.

Nova and Connor gasped at the shock and backed up. They looked at Calliope and at their hands. But when they looked at one another, there was something else. There was a pull, and there were urges and sensations. Connor recognized this feeling.

“Mate,” he whispered to Nova.

Nova’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Calliope in shock. But all Calliope did was smile and give Nova a slight nod.

Calliope didn’t fully understand what she did. In fact, she only did as she was told. But she could feel the energy that her hands created, the energy that she passed on to them. She could feel a difference between the two. She had created a mate bond.

Connor and Nova embraced one another. For the first time, Nova felt the spark of electricity that comes from this bond. It was overwhelming for her. She broke down in tears as she went to hug Calliope.

“What’s going on?” Theo asked. The three of them knew, but everyone else was clueless.

“I created a mate bond between the two of them,” Calliope answered as she hugged Nova. She finally felt like she gave her friend true happiness.

Everyone else in the room gave a surprised gasp.

“You created a mate bond? How did you do it? How did you know you could do it?” Everyone in the room threw questions at her left and right.

Theo, though, couldn’t replace any words to speak. This was a new gift, not just for Calliope, but as a whole. No Great ever before has ever been able to do such a thing. He stared at her, confused. As if he didn’t recognize the person in front of him. He didn’t understand where this gift came from. Calliope held her hands up for silence.

“I don’t know,” Calliope answered with a shrug. Nova and Connor returned to their spots. “I heard a voice speak to me, telling me what to do. Then I felt the energy, and I pushed it into their hands. I didn't know it would create a mate bond. I just wanted to do something more for Nova.”

“A voice? The same voice you heard all those years ago?” Theo finally asked as he snapped out of his confusion.

She nodded. “The very same.”

“What voice?” Wyatt asked.

“It’s not your wolf?” Evelyn questioned.

“No, I don’t believe so,” Calliope responded with a shake of her head. “I don't understand how I was able to do this. There is still a lot I don't know. But Theo and I are leaving in a few weeks, searching for answers about my wolf. It’s possible I will replace answers then.”

Theo stepped up and took Calliope’s hands. He looked at them. The energy they had before was gone. They were just...normal now.

“Do you feel tired or weak after that?” He asked gently.

“Surprisingly, no. I don’t feel like I lost energy, but rather created it.”

“Do you think you can replicate what you did?”

“I might; we would just need two people who want to be mates but aren't.”

Theo looked over to Josiah. “Find out who has a love interest that is not their mate. If they consent, bring them to us. I want to see if this is a one-off or if this is a gift.”

“I think it is a gift,” Calliope replied as she looked up at him. “I can’t explain it, but it felt natural when I released the energy into them. Just like when I freeze people or shift. But this was the first time I saw Nova and Connor together. The first time, I thought about wanting her to be happy like me, to have a mate while he was here. I’m also sure that I can do it again.”

“You are a strange one, little wolf,” Theo said as he looked down into her eyes. “What else do you hide?”

“I wish I knew,” she shrugged. “There is a lot I wish I knew.”