A Love that Lasts Forever Ch. 03

"I've told you the truth. It's the only truth I know. I was on the run from Silver Moon, Rhys found me. I begged him not to turn me over to the Alpha and he agreed to help me. That's all there is to it."

The corners of Hollister's mouth turned up into a wicked grin. "Quinton was right, you are a good actor. Luckily for me, I can see through your lies. Seth Bowden isn't a man to be trifled with. He's dangerous, and he wouldn't waste his time, or his resources, on someone, especially an omega, unless there was a very good reason for it. So, tell me, why are you so important to him? What did you do to get on his radar and why would he spend thousands of dollars to get you back?"

Caleb's eyes went wide. "Thousands?" He knew Seth had paid Rhys to recapture him but would he really have paid thousands for him? It seemed unlikely but then again, Seth thought he had some magical being with super powers, or some such nonsense, on his hands. Maybe he would pay that kind of money if it meant keeping Caleb's so called powers to himself.

The situation seemed more hopeless now than it had before. Should he tell Hollister the truth? Tell him that it was all a mistake. That Caleb couldn't do the things that Seth thought he could. Would Hollister even believe him? What if he decided to keep Caleb for himself, thinking he could somehow exploit this mysterious power? And, what would he do when he found out that Caleb was a dud?

"You seem surprised." Hollister noted. "Didn't you think your Alpha would pay that much for you?"

"He's not my Alpha." Caleb narrowed his eyes.

"You were born to the Silver Moon pack." Hollister focused his gaze on a stack of papers that he had taken from his brief case and had now laid out on the table before him. "Parents, Robert and Elaine, multiple siblings. You were the fifth pup born in your family but the only omega. Now, this is interesting." Hollister took a paper out of the stack and held it up in front of his face as he read over it while Caleb watched, silently. "At fifteen you had sustained a pretty nasty head injury during a pack run. It was reported that you had fallen, striking your head on a rock. The pack healer didn't feel you would recover and your parents were advised..."

"They were advised to leave me to my fate in the forest." Caleb finished the sentence with an angry sneer. "Silver Moon doesn't waste their time with shifters who are too weak to heal themselves."

Hollister leaned forward, scrutinizing Caleb's words. "Yet, you were able to heal yourself, weren't you? How, I wonder, did you accomplish that?"

Caleb shrugged. "I'm not as weak as they thought. After a couple of shifts, I was able to walk back to my parents home."

"According to this report submitted by your Alpha you were near death, too weak to shift on your own. In fact, they had thought you'd be dead within hours. It was clearly a shock to all when you just strolled back onto pack lands as though nothing had happened."

'Near death' was a bit of an exaggeration, Caleb thought as he sat listening to this man describe one of the most horrific experiences of Caleb's young life. As was the claim that he'd fallen down a hill. That was the story told to his parents after the 'accident' had taken place. It was more like he'd been thrown down the hill, and then had his head repeatedly bashed against a rock while a small group of betas kicked, punched, and pummeled him in the head head, chest, abdomen, and back.

At fifteen he'd yet to have his first heat but that didn't matter to the group of young betas that had found him during that full moon run, the first run he'd ever been allowed to go on. Caleb knew he should have stayed close to his family but he'd wanted to run on his own and explore the woods with his wolf's eyes. It was exhilarating. That was, until the betas had found him drinking from the small pond just near their packs lands border.

He knew at once what they had planned as they started circling him, nipping at his heels and trying to herd him off into a secluded part of the woods. Whether he was in heat or not, they planned to take from him what they wanted regardless of whether he wanted it or not. Caleb panicked and ran. They chased after him, eventually cornering him in a small grove of trees. They had him surrounded, blocking him from escaping. They probably had expected him to give up. Just lay down and take it like a good little omega but Caleb had other ideas. He'd fight them, all of them if he had to, and that's exactly what he did.

He fought as hard as he could, taking more injury than he was giving out but even that didn't stop him. He'd die before he'd allow the bastards to rape him so he fought until he couldn't fight anymore. He'd collapsed at some point, drifting in and out of consciousness, and that's when he'd felt himself being dragged near the edge of a high hill and promptly thrown over the side. He rolled to the bottom, his momentum stopped by a huge oak tree as his weak and broken body crashed against it's massive trunk. He thought that was the end of it, hoped anyway. Maybe they would think he was dead and abandon him there but they didn't.

One by one the betas ascended on him, now in human form. They surrounded him again and that's when the beating began. They were pissed. Pissed that an omega had the nerve to fight them. They wanted to kill him. That was not an assumption. They shouted their anger at him, yelling how he was worthless and was better off dead. They'd show him his place, the place of all omega's, and beat him into submission.

He lifted his head as he attempted to pull himself through his shift but then one of the boys had hit him in the face with a broken tree branch. He yelped in pain and collapsed to the ground once more as he heard a furious voice yell, "Stay down!"

Even if he'd had the strength to try and escape again he knew he'd never be able to. They'd kill him for sure so all he could do was lay there and take the beating, praying that death came swiftly.

The group had abandoned their previous plan. Caleb was no longer a 'pretty little omega' and their appetite for him had gone. Not that he could blame them. Who wanted to fuck a half dead, bloody, shell? Ironically, they could have taken him if they'd wanted. He had no fight left in him but they chose to just leave him there, half dead, to pursue other sport.

Caleb wasn't sure how long he'd actually been there though he suspected it was most of the night because when he opened his eyes again he could see the first rays of sunlight peeking over the tree tops. His mother was kneeling beside him and crying? He'd never seen the woman cry before, especially over him, but he suspected it was more from shame than sorrow. His current state was just another reminder of how her womb had failed her by birthing such a weak and intolerable offspring. He heard her swear under her breath.

"He won't survive." Another voice told his mother. "His injuries are too severe." It took Caleb a minute but he slowly came to recognize the voice of Hector, the packs healer and shaman.

"What should we do?" His mother asked. Her voice void of any real concern for her sons well being.

"Leave him." Another voice answered. Caleb recognized this voice as belonging to Seth Bowden, the packs Alpha. "He's no use to the pack. The local wildlife will make quick work of him." He turned his back and began to walk away, but not without first uttering the words, "Stupid omega," as he left the clearing.

Not wanting to question their Alpha, the others turned and left as well. Even Caleb's parents. Maybe they felt the whole situation was a blessing rather than a tragedy. This way, they would be free of the little omega that no one really wanted in the first place. He'd proven his weakness and inability to survive on his own and so they were all more than willing to leave him behind, dead to them before he'd even breathed his last breath.

Caleb felt tears sting his already swollen eyes but what could he really expect from his pack? His father hated him, his mother was ashamed of him, and his brothers, well they pretty much acted like he didn't exist. Death was, in some small way, a blessing. At least he'd no longer be a burden on his family and his torment at the hands of the betas would end because he was certain that just because they hadn't forced themselves on him this time, the next time they most certainly would, and he might even be in heat by then and unable to fight the urge to mate that came with all omega heats.

He sighed as he closed his eyes and waited to die. Soon his pain would end and he'd be at peace. At least, that's what he thought would happen. It was as much a shock to Caleb as it was to everyone else when he didn't die. In fact, after three days, there were no signs that he'd been beaten at all. The bruises had all faded, his injuries were healed without even a hint of a scar, and any broken bones had mended themselves completely.

Caleb had remembered shifting from wolf to human, then back to wolf, and finally to human again, on the second day. The shift had given him enough strength to crawl back to the tiny pond where he'd first been accosted. He dug his claws into the soft earth and dragged himself to the waters edge where he drank and drank until he felt sick. After he'd sated his thirst, he flopped over on his back and lay there the rest of the day and part of the night.

He could feel his body healing and in the early hours of the morning he was strong enough to shift again and hunt down some dinner. Just a small rabbit was all he could catch but it was enough to fill his rumbling stomach and ease the hunger pains he'd felt. He went back to the pond and washed the dirt and dried blood from his body. It felt good to be clean and the pain from the beating was nearly gone but he was still too scared to return home so he found a safe place to hide and sleep for the rest of the night.

It was after noon when he awoke. He expected to still feel the achenes in his limbs when he moved but it was gone. It was a strange feeling. Wolves healed faster than humans, especially when they shifted, but healing as fast as Caleb had, even for a shifter, was unusual. He examined his body the best he could, checking for any sign of the savage beating he'd taken on full moon but there was nothing. Not even a scratch.

He wandered through the forest for a bit, trying to think of how he was going to explain this to his parents. They expected him to be dead after all so walking into his house completely healed was going leave him with more questions then he had answers for. In the end, he decided that the truth was the best option and the truth was, he had no idea what had happened. His body had told him to shift and so he did and the rest just kind of happened on his own.

So, yeah, it was a shock alright. His parents immediately dragged him to the healer demanding to know why he wasn't dead instead of being happy that he hadn't died. They'd almost seemed disappointed. Hector was just as confused. He looked Caleb over, frowning when he found no evidence of his injuries. When he couldn't come up with a rational explanation he declared it magic and soon the entire pack was buzzing about the 'magic' omega that was able to bring himself back from the brink of death.

Caleb rolled his eyes. He wasn't magic. That was absurd. It was more likely that the healers meager medical training had caused him to miss judge the severity of Caleb's injuries. He was in bad shape, but not near death as everyone seemed to think, he just needed time to regain his strength enough to shift and heal himself. If Hector had been a better healer and shaman he would have seen that. But Caleb most certainly was not magic. To assume such a thing just proved how backwards and uneducated Silver Moon was.

Despite Caleb's protests, the pack had already been convinced that the omega had special powers that he was obviously trying to hide from everyone. Hector made matters worse by telling anyone who would listen to his medieval rantings about 'special' omegas who once had magical abilities to heal not only themselves but others as well. He went on to spin tales of omegas that could cast spells, curse people, and even control the minds of others. No one had ever come across an omega with these abilities because they supposedly all died out ages ago or either been killed out of fear.

Packs members began believing that Caleb was one such omega and most of them avoided him like the plague. Others, unfortunately, started coming to him asking to be healed or wanting him to tell their futures, neither of which he had any clue how to do so he turned them all away. He'd pissed off quite a few people by refusing their requests but hearing what people were now saying about him got Seth thinking. Suddenly having an omega in the pack didn't seem like such a bad thing. Especially if he was able to do all the things that Hector claimed he could do.

Caleb continued to deny that he possessed any magical abilities but Seth accused him of lying about it so that he could keep all his 'power' to himself. That was when Seth had the brilliant idea of mating Caleb to his brother Jase, thus setting Caleb on a path that would eventually bring him to Rhys, and sadly enough, Rhys death.

Caleb's heart sunk when he thought of Rhys but the guilt he'd felt earlier had suddenly been replaced with a rage he'd never before felt in his life. Why couldn't Seth had just let him be? It was his lust for power that had caused all of this. It was Seth's fault Rhys was dead, not Caleb's. He suddenly wanted to rip Seth's throat out and stomp on it. Stomp on him the way the betas had stomped on Caleb that night in the clearing. Seth had set all of this in motion. Seth was to blame, and Caleb hated him. He hated Silver Moon, and he hated Quinton Hallorann.

He felt himself tense as all of these foreign emotions started to boil over. He was an omega. He shouldn't feel this way. Omega's were kind, caring, nurturers. Their instinct was to take care of pups and weaker pack members. He was supposed to protect and provide, not kill. That was what alphas did. These new feelings scared him. He didn't want to be this way, to feel these things, and he hated himself for even thinking the dark thoughts that were now invading his mind. Caleb had no idea what to do or say, or how to squash these horrible thoughts so he just sank back in his seat, put his head in his hands and cried.

***

Quinton looked up as Shane Hollister walked up to his desk and sat down. He sat a sheet of paper on the desk in front of Quinton and then waited quietly while Quinton looked it over.

"What's this?" Quinton asked, picking up the page and looking it over.

"A death report." Shane told him. "Submitted by Silver Moon Alpha Seth Bowden, two years ago. It details the death of a young omega shifter named Caleb Giles."

Quinton raised an eye brow. "He looks pretty 'alive' to me."

"Indeed." Shane leaned back in the seat he was currently occupying and let out a deep breath. "The report was amended a week after it was filed. Apparently he jumped the gun as he was assured by their packs healer that the boy would not survive on his own."

"It doesn't sound like Bowden to pay for medical treatment for an omega."

Shane shook his head. "No. They left him to die in the woods. Three days later he came wandering back home, completely healed."

"Completely?"

Shane nodded.

"Is that even...possible?"

"This is the first I've heard of something like this happening. Even an alpha having healed after something like that would have had some scars to show for it but apparently this omega didn't even have a scratch on him."

Quinton looked over the report in more detail. "Fell down a hill huh?" He said, a look of suspicion crossed his face as he read over the injuries Caleb had sustained. He saw the same look of disbelief on Shane's face. "A fall down a hill would cause some scrapes and bruises, maybe a concussion, but not this."

"Multiple broken bones and lacerations. Severe head trauma. And that's just based on observation. Imagine what they would have found had someone actually examined him."

"Sounds more like someone beat the shit out of him." Quinton laid the report back on the desk then looked at Shane. "But none of this really matters to me. It doesn't explain why he's here or how my brother got mixed up with him."

"Maybe, maybe not." Shane picked up the report and slipped it back into his brief case. "It may explain why he's so important to Silver Moon. Why they would be willing to pay so much to get him back. Did your brother leave any notes about the job they'd hired him for."

"Not very detailed." Quinton tapped his finger thoughtfully against the report that still sat on his desk. "Just basic stuff, name, age, family. Terms of the deal he made with Silver Moon regarding payment. They wanted him returned as quickly as possible but that's all it really said. You're welcome to read over it if you want, but I prefer it stay here, in my office."

Shane shook his head. "I doubt we'd find the answers we need in that document. My guess is that whatever is so special about this omega, Bowden wanted to keep to himself. Maybe your brother realized the boy would be worth more to him than what Bowden was willing to pay."

"My brother wouldn't do that. He's...was...an honest shifter. If he chose to go on the run with the kid then he had a good reason for it."

"Love?" Shane smirked as he raised an eye brow.

Quinton growled. "I will never accept that my brother willingly took that omega as his mate. There is no way in hell he would have been that stupid."

"And yet, we have a runaway omega and a newborn pup that says otherwise."

"There's more to the story than what's printed in these files. What were you able to get out of the kid?"

Shane sighed. "Not much." He said, rubbing his temples. "He's scared. That much is for sure. But I don't believe he was working with Silver Moon. He seems terrified of them and more terrified of being turned back over to Seth Bowden."

"I won't turn him back over to them!" Quinton barked, his anger rising to near boiling. "Silver Moon murdered my brother in cold blood. I want retribution. A life for a life. If not Seth Bowden then his precious little omega. It's my right. I want blood!"

"That may not be as easy as you think." Shane informed him. "Bowden has already made a formal request with the counsel. He wants him back and since your brother...well, with Rhys death they are now holding you, as his Alpha and next of kin, responsible for the...condition of the boy."

"His condition? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Shane chuckled a bit under his breath. "They expected him back with his virginity intact. Apparently he ran from an arranged mating to Seth's younger brother Jase." Shane pulled out his phone and opened a text he'd received just before coming to Quinton's office. "According to Seth, Rhys was supposed to apprehend Caleb and bring him home, not fuck him. They expect compensation."

"They killed my brother." Quinton hissed. "I'd say that's compensation enough."

"That's not how Seth sees it."

"Yeah, well, Seth Bowden can kiss my ass."

Shane shot Quinton an incredulous look and smirked. "I'll pass along your sentiments though I doubt Bowden or his brother will accept it as compensation. They've already named a price."

"And what would that be?"

"More than what an omega is worth."

Quinton had to consider that for a moment. What was an omega worth? He'd never been in a situation like this before. Not where he had to place a price on a member of his own pack but knowing what most shifters thought of omegas, any price for them would be too much. This one apparently had some worth though. At least to Seth. Quinton couldn't, for the life of him, imagine what could be so special about the scrawny, little, omega he currently had in his custody that would make Seth Bowden want him back so bad.