I am Sam
Chapter Seven

CALEB

“So, what’s your problem with fated mates anyways?” Blinking a sudden surprised look, I quickly shift my focus to what I’m trying to show her.

“You ask too many fucking questions, you know that.” It’s not a question, at least not with the way I just said it, but she takes it as one anyway.

“Hey, you’re the one who just said fated mates are as worthless as shit on a tombstone.” And I can’t help the grin creeping up at the corners of my mouth, she might be fucking annoying, but at least she’s starting to pay attention to what I’m saying.

“That’s because they are,” I retort with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders, “Now pay attention and stop talking.”

We’re sitting cross-legged opposite each other on a grass patch, it’s dark, but that makes very little difference when the woods come alive at night with small mystical creatures and the psilocybin network underground; this whole entire place lights up like a goddam Christmas tree at night.

“Hold out your hands,” Giving me a questioning look, she blinks back in confusion, and I swear I have to hold back an eye roll; it’s like training a fucking puppy when it comes to Sasha. Grabbing her hands, I turn them upside down, bringing them together in a cupping motion; I pick up a handful of soil and slowly pour it into her hands. She’s still giving me that what the fuck are you doing kind of look, but at least she’s silent.

Supporting her hands with mine from underneath, my other hand hovers above the soil. Green illumination suddenly swirls across my fingertips in a circular motion, and I watch her eyes light up in astonishment the moment a tiny seedling springs from the soil. Her jaw goes slack like she’s just witnessed Jesus walk on water or something, and I can’t help the internal eye roll and smirk at her response; Sasha is a combination of a puppy and a toddler regarding how she responds to stuff. It's intriguing to watch, but I'll never admit to it.

“H-how?” The moment her eyes move from the tiny seedling to mine, I’m cocking a brow at her, and it’s like the penny drops as she nods before looking back down and inspecting the tiny green leaves, “Earth element, of course, so you can create life.” And I suddenly have a slight grin creeping up at the corners of my mouth, I’ve never heard someone refer to it quite like that before, but yeah, I guess that’s what this is.

After we’ve grown and planted about the hundredth seedling, I suddenly look up at her when her stomach rumbles for the umpteenth time; she hasn’t complained once in the last two hours; she’s actually been enthralled in the whole process of planting these little guys.

“So, is this what you do in your spare time? Plant seedlings in the woods at night?” Smirking, I look down as I gently run my finger across the tiny leaf of the seedling I just planted,

“It’s quiet and peaceful out here at night; what were you expecting, some sick masochist who derives in gutting his victims and drinking their blood?” Scoffing, she rolls her eyes,

“Well, actually, except for the last part, I can’t see you drinking the blood of your victims." She’s suddenly smiling as she winks in my direction, and I’m shaking my head with a smirk when her stomach rumbles again. Sitting back up, I’m cocking my head as I stare at her questioningly, but instead of saying anything, I get up and start moving to a small nearby stream. She doesn’t ask questions; instead, she starts following silently behind me.

Washing my hands in the water, she slowly bends down and mimics me, washing her own hands as she looks over at me, and I can feel it coming before it even leaves her lips,

“So, will you tell me why you hate fated mates so much?” And I’m suddenly groaning as I lean back and look at her,

“You’re persistent as fuck, you know that.” Nodding, she gives me this cheeky little smile,

“I’m the daughter of an alpha; it’s kind of expected.” She shrugs, and I’m scoffing as I cock a brow at her,

“And how’s that working out for you?” The cocky little grin suddenly falls from her face as she looks down at her hands still in the water,

“I thought I knew; now I’m not so sure anymore.”

“And why’s that?”

“Being a combination of two very different things like a wolf and a witch hasn’t exactly made things easy.” I don't know why her little statement irks me so much, but it does.

“Instead of longing for everything to be easier, you should embrace the challenges. Fucking own what you are and stop moping around feeling sorry for yourself.”

“You wouldn’t understand; you’re an elemental power, you get to focus on just being that, and you don’t have to worry about something else in your DNA messing stuff up for you.” She retorts, and I instantly snort, my skin suddenly feeling prickly at what she just said.

“Is that right, and you know exactly who and what I am, so you get to make that assumption, right?” She’s suddenly blinking back and looks unsure of how to respond. “What if I told you I wasn’t just one thing? Would that make you feel better, less of a fucking loser because you’re not the only one who’s fucked up.” Getting up, I’m suddenly walking back towards where we had just planted those seedlings, looking up at the night sky; there’s cloud cover, and I know there’s rain coming.

I asked Noah earlier this morning to make it rain later tonight; seedlings need the most water after being planted.

I’m still lost in thought when Sasha comes up behind me, “Are you more than one thing?” I’m suddenly swinging around to face her, staring down hard as I clench my jaw in response to her question. Persistent as fuck.

“You want to know what I am?” I’m taking a challenging step in her direction, which suddenly has her taking a step back,

“I’m fucking danger and darkness all wrapped up in a messy combination of good and evil; on the one hand, I can bring life to a few plants and on the other, I can kill just by opening my mouth.” I’m suddenly in her face as I grip her around her throat and shove her back against the trunk of a tree behind her, a small gasp escaping her lips the moment I come to rest my forehead against hers, closing my eyes as I try and control the monster lurking deep inside. “We are all fucking monsters, each and everyone one of us,” Opening my eyes, I’m suddenly peering into hers, “I see how you look at Noah like he’s some kind of saint, why, because he covers everything up with a light-hearted smile. He’s just as much of a monster as I am; he just doesn’t fucking know it yet.”

Letting go of her, I take a step back as I narrow my eyes, “You want to know why I hate fated mates? Because mine is the reason, I have this.” The moment I move my hair out of my face and reveal the deep red scar across my left eye, her brows suddenly furrow as her jaw tightens. “I hate wolves and fated mates; both those things took something from me I can never get back.”

“Caleb...” Shaking my head, I clench my jaw tightly,

“Don’t fucking say you’re sorry, for what, because I just poured my heart out to you. We all have fucking tragic stories, Sasha, each and every one of us. So get over it and stop pretending like yours is the worst just because you were born a wolf and a witch, own how fucked up your life is, and just like those seedlings, nurture it and strengthen it. Instead of being weak, become strong, fight back and never apologize to anyone for who and what you are."

Standing in front of me, I can suddenly see tears shimmering in her eyes, and I swear it only pisses me off more; I don’t do emotions, least of all waterworks. I’m about to fly off at her when her stomach rumbles again. Fuck sakes, rolling my eyes at her, I’m suddenly down on the ground, pulling her down along with me, she gasps in surprise like she thinks I’m gonna hurt her or something, and I smirk at the thought because yeah, I’m the fucking dark one who probably would do that right? Except I’ve never hurt a girl before, not even when the monster in me comes out.

Her eyes are wide as she stares at me, slowly moving my hands across the grass in front of her; her gaze lowers in astonishment at the different arrays of berries and mushrooms suddenly popping up out of the ground,

“Eat.” I gesture as I nod towards the fresh food in front of us both, but she merely blinks as she looks up at me in suspicion; rolling my eyes, I suddenly grab a handful of berries and mushrooms and shove them in my mouth, quickly chewing and then swallowing them,

“See, not poison. If I wanted to kill you, I would use a far more creative way than poisoning your food.” Smirking, she suddenly cocks a brow at me,

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Stretching her hand out, she slowly picks up a few berries and mushrooms before popping them into her mouth; the moment her eyes fly up to mine with a smile, she’s suddenly nodding in approval, “These are so good.” And we both sit quietly, the next ten minutes going by as she eats until she’s full.

SASHA

I’m so full by the time I lean back against the soft grass in satisfaction, looking over at Caleb; he’s also lying down on his back against the grass right beside me,

“That’s quite a party trick,” I say, patting my stomach. Snorting, Caleb shakes his head at me,

“Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind if I ever want to enter the restaurant industry." And I don’t know why, but the thought of Caleb serving people delicious foods made by his own hands sounds like an excellent idea.

We lie there for a few minutes in silence, just staring up at the cloud formations; a breeze begins to pick up as a low grumble spreads through the distance. Are we in for a storm? I think to myself.

I suddenly have this strange feeling begin to wash over me, the leaves above us shimmering with colours coming alive somehow; I can’t stop staring at everything around me as if I’m seeing everything for the first time.

Holding up my hands, they are suddenly illuminated with electric blue energy; I’m just staring at them for the longest time when an explosion of fractal patterns erupts from all around me. Gasping, I suddenly reach out to Caleb as I grab hold of his arm; I feel him place his other hand over mine as she pries it off of his arm, and I’m expecting him to shrug my hand away, but instead, he intertwines his fingers with mine, slowly lowering our hands to the soft grass. Giving my hand a soft squeeze, he suddenly whispers, “Just breathe.” And in the most unlikely hood of places, I suddenly replace solace in those two little words, with someone I never in a million years thought I would be able to relate too.

“What is this?” My voice suddenly sounds so full of wonder as I turn my head to look at him; the moment his eyes connect with mine, it’s like fractal patterns are exploding from his features; I’m in awe at how breathtakingly complex everything seems to be moving in and out, and all around him. Wow.

“It’s nature.” He responds, and I’m suddenly captivated by his mouth and how it moves. Finally, turning my head back to look at the trees suddenly coming to life with colours and movement that’s absolutely unbelievable, I’m instantly flooded with emotion as my grip tightens around his hand, a vision of something exploding into my head. It has my breath suddenly hitched and feeling shaky in my throat; it’s so real like it’s really happening.

A wolf, he’s charging at me from out of nowhere, he’s enormous, and I suddenly brace myself for the impending impact, but it doesn’t come. The gigantic wolf suddenly jumps right over me, spinning around. My eyes widen in shock the moment I witness the impact. The wolf collides with someone, a man, a boy?

The sudden scream of a girl nearby rings in my head as I look up to see her standing there, with long white hair; she looks familiar; I’ve seen her face before, but where?

She suddenly lunges at the wolf, a sudden gust of wind exploding from her when she hits its side. She moves so quickly that it’s almost too fast for my eyes to keep up; the impact of the wind suddenly launches the wolf a few feet away. He’s back on his paws again in a second, baring his canines with a deep growl, about to lunge; someone suddenly moves out of the trees and tackles the wolf to the ground.

The earth-shaking beneath him as boulders begin rising from the ground all around him, the wolf launches himself at him again, and the moment the boy spins around, my heart stops dead; it’s Caleb. He's a little bit younger, but not much.

Blood is running down the left side of his face, and I suddenly notice a sharp pointy sphere extending out of his hand.

The ragged edges of the rock suddenly launch themselves into the wolf’s stomach the moment he collides with Caleb.

I want to scream, but I can’t. Is Caleb dead? The girl, however, screams, and my head swings back; she’s on her knees, her hands bloody as she looks down. My brows furrow when I notice the lifeless body lying there; she’s clutching onto him, sobbing as she runs her hand down his face.

Suddenly looking up, I notice Caleb standing there; he’s looking down at the other boy’s body; they look so similar. His face is shocked, tears swimming behind his eyes; I want to move closer to him but can’t. His body shakes as his fists clench against his sides, and the girl suddenly looks up at him with tear-streaked eyes as she whimpers, “Caleb, I’m sorry, it wasn’t meant to happen like this. It was just a dare, a stupid dare...” Caleb suddenly grips her tightly around her throat as he yanks her up on her feet, glaring at her as his eyes pierce hers.

“What have you done? You broke the treaty, killed my brother, Cole; what the fuck have you done!” He suddenly stops short; his entire body stills as does hers, looking into each other’s eyes. I’m suddenly confused when she slowly stretches her hand out to touch his face,

“Caleb,” Shoving her back, he’s suddenly shaking his head as he keeps stumbling around. “No, no... it can’t be, you can’t be. No!” And I watch in confusion as tears run down her cheeks,

“Caleb...” He keeps shaking his head at her, “You killed my brother; he’s dead because of you; I will never love you; you can’t be my fated mate, no!”

It’s like I’m pulled from one moment to the next; I’m suddenly looking down at Caleb; he’s holding the same white-haired girl in his arms, wait, is he consoling her?

“He’ll have me killed for this, don’t you see, if he replaces out about the wolves, the treaty.” She’s whimpering into his chest, and he’s suddenly tilting her chin up so he can look down into her eyes, “Why did you have to make me hate you before I even had a chance to love you.”

I suddenly gasp out loud as my head snaps over to look at Caleb; I’m instantly back in the present, my chest rising and falling heavily. I’m frowning as I scan the area for him, but he’s gone; it’s pouring with rain as it continues to fall down on me. I’m suddenly sitting up in shock, sopping wet, ice cold as my eyes scan the darkness for him, but I can’t see him anywhere.

“Caleb!” I’m calling out to him, but I get no response. I call out again and again, but still nothing. I’m instantly up on my feet, and thankfully my wolf is suddenly right there; I start running; she’s guiding me as I instinctively replace the scent of the castle. Bolting back as the rain slams down against me, I can't see anything, the rain pounding down heavily against my face. It taking me about twenty-five minutes to finally get to the bridge.

I’m suddenly running across the bridge, my feet slapping against the cobblestones as the enchanted lights of the castle become brighter and brighter. I’m infuriated the moment I stumble into the court, it’s quiet, probably after midnight, and a thousand scenarios are playing out in my head.

Where’s Caleb? Did he honestly just leave me in the woods? Where’s Atlas? Does he not give a shit about me being in the woods alone in the middle of the night?

I’m shivering as I march up the stairs; at first, I think to head for my room, but then I suddenly pick up his scent, and a shimmer of blue and yellow behind my eyes suddenly elicits a change of course. Caleb, I’ve picked up his scent, and it’s fresh. Asshole.

My eyes suddenly narrow when I land in front of a big black door at the end of a corridor. The black door must be Caleb’s, considering all the other entries in this place are brown. I don’t even think twice before turning the handle, opening the door and stepping inside. The moment I do, I’m suddenly met with a shocked and then pissed-off look from none other than Caleb himself.

Slamming the door behind me, I’m suddenly glaring at him, he returns my glare, and albeit it is far scarier than mine, I don’t care in the least; he’s got some explaining to do. His entire room is painted black, even his windows. I can’t help but notice the piles and piles of books and old records piled high all across the floor, and an electric guitar lying on his charcoal grey bed. I’m suddenly pulled from my reverie the moment he snaps at me,

“Get out of my room,” He grumbles as his jaw clenches, the water dripping from his hair and face. Shaking my head, I suddenly have this braveness I never knew I had; as I step toward him, squaring my shoulders, I level his stare with my own.

“I said get...” But I suddenly cut him off,

“I heard what you said, but I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why you left me out there?” Smirking, he suddenly has a sinister look in his eyes, and he’s never looked as dangerous as he does now.

His black wet clothes are sticking to his well-defined body; only then do I notice the curves of his toned muscles through his damp shirt; Caleb is in no way scrawny; he’s very defined.

“You suddenly feeling all brave after a few shrooms, Sasha?” And I’m blinking back the surprise, but I’m too pissed to care as I bite back with, “Fuck you, Caleb!”

In the next moment, he’s suddenly in my face, gripping me around my throat and shoving me back against the door with a hard thud.

My eyes are still piercing his when he cocks his head with a dark grin creeping up at the corners of his mouth, but it quickly falls the moment he brings his mouth to hover just next to my ear, his voice low and threatening.

“You wanna repeat that one more time?” Swallowing a sudden lump in my throat, I take his advice from earlier to grow up; I’m not going to back down.

“I saw you, your brother, Eris. She’s your fated mate,” And he suddenly tightens his grip around my throat enough to make me stop talking as he sneers,

“Stay out of my fucking head.”

With his hand still gripped around my throat, he uses his free hand to quickly open the door as he moves me out of the way before shoving me right out of his room hard and slamming the door in my face; stumbling back, I suddenly gasp at the gush of wind that smacks me in the face. He suddenly cranks up some dark heavy metal music so loud that the door frame starts rattling.

I’m so pissed, my chest rising and falling as I stare at the door in my face; it’s then that I suddenly turn my head and notice two bodies standing there and staring at me, one being Atlas and the other,

“Eris.” I grumble irritably. And I don’t mean to, but I’m suddenly glaring at her. Atlas’s brows are furrowed as he gives me a questioning look,

“Sasha, what are you doing here? I thought you were already back in your room? I was just about to come and see you.” Eris turns her head to give him a pissed off snort, but he doesn't pay her any attention, he looks concerned as he keeps his eyes on me.

I’m not even listening to him right now, my eyes are locked with Eris as she slowly looks from me to the closed door and back at me; she narrows her eyes as she clenches her jaw. And I’m suddenly smirking at the irony; the way she’s looking at me is like she wants to gauge my eyes out for standing in front of her mates door; well, isn’t that interesting, I think to myself as I scoff before finally heading towards them. Except, I'm in no way interested in engaging in conversation the moment I walk past them.

I give her one last daring look as I walk past, so this is Eris, the girl fated to another, who's somehow responsible for Cole's death, yet supposedly betrothed to what’s mine. The same girl who stood glaring hatred at me the moment I stood in front of Ronan in that great big hall. I'm definitely not impressed.

Atlas calls out to me, but I ignore him; I need to be alone right now. Something tells me that whatever is going on between Caleb and Eris is connected to far more than just the death of Cole.