A Love that Lasts Forever Ch. 04

He couldn't understand it. A day ago he wanted to rip the boys throat out but now...something had changed. Now, he felt, almost, sorry for the boy. Maybe Caleb wasn't the scheming and conniving little rat that he'd first suspected. If he were, Rhys wouldn't have helped him at all but he did. Quinton couldn't keep lying to himself about Rhys relationship to the boy.

In all probability, Rhys had, in fact, taken Caleb as his mate. Nothing else made sense. Quinton just wasn't sure if he was ready to face that truth. Doing so would mean that instead of a cold-blooded killer, he had a grieving widow on his hands, and his actions thus far had been shameful and cruel. That was not the man nor Alpha that Quinton was. He'd just allowed his anger to take over, pushing all reason aside.

Quinton turned to look at the boy. For the first time since Caleb had shown up at Black River, Quinton allowed himself to really look at him, taking in all the small details he'd missed before. His auburn hair, the ends of which just barely dusted the tops of his shoulders.

His fair complexion, delicate features, and amber eyes. Yes, he actually had amber eyes. Quinton could clearly see the wolf staring out from behind those eyes. Fierce, strong, and wary of his surroundings but also with a deep sadness that Quinton could only attribute to the loss of a mate...or child.

Quinton sighed, feeling like shit suddenly. He was no better than Silver Moon in how he'd treated this boy and he knew it. Some Alpha he'd turned out to be.

Quinton placed his hand on the omegas back, resting it just between his shoulder blades, making Caleb jump at the contact. "Come on." He told him. "It's almost lunch time, we better hurry."

Caleb was a bit confused at the words but he nodded and followed along quietly, not sure where they were going or what Quinton had in store for him but as Quinton had said before, Caleb needed to start trusting someone so, he figured, following Quinton's orders without complaint might be a small step in the right direction.

***

As Quinton led Caleb to their undisclosed destination, he began explaining the different areas of the pack lands. To Caleb this seemed more like a tour given to a potential pack mate than a criminal being led to the gallows so Caleb was able to relax a bit more as they walked.

The building they had just come from Caleb learned was the main pack house though most of the pack referred to it as "the Den" a joke made some years years ago as it had been compared to the shelter used by wolves in the wild. The name became so popular though that it stuck.

The pack house or 'Den' was actually more of a citadel and was, as Caleb had first suspected, the center of the pack. It served most of the packs more official needs as it contained offices, a small charity that gave out free food and clothing to those in need, a meeting hall, the packs clinic as well as two floors dedicated to military and security.

The building also housed a shelter in case of natural or man made disasters, and one floor on the upper levels that contained a kind of dormitory for unmated shifters that either couldn't afford their own home or had no need of one of the bigger houses.

The computers that Caleb had seen were in deed meant for pack use. They were internet ready, as some of the poorer families couldn't afford internet, and available to anyone who wanted to use them. The door that Caleb had thought led to an office was actually the door to a small library that was also intended for pack use. Quinton never mentioned where his actual office was located but Caleb was almost certain it was somewhere within the walls of the den.

There were smaller guard houses located all along the perimeter of the pack lands though the main guard house, the one Caleb had come through, was directly off the main road that led into Black River. Anyone who wanted to enter pack lands had to enter through the main guard house which led straight to the den where they would either be admitted into pack lands or denied and turned away.

There were no walls or fences preventing anyone from attempting to enter pack lands from someplace other than the main road but they would have to tramp through woods, marshes or swamps, and a large overgrown briar patch before then coming to one of the twenty or more guard houses, that were always occupied, and a number of other shifters that went on constant patrols of the grounds. Not to mention there were security cameras posted randomly throughout the grounds as well. It would be nearly impossible to sneak into Black River without being spotted.

Caleb wasn't sure if Quinton told him all this to brag about their modern and very extensive security system, or to warn him against trying to escape, though something told him it was the latter.

At any rate, Black River was nothing like Caleb had ever seen before or even imagined a pack could be. As they neared the center of town, Quinton pointed out small shops, a trading post, and even a small, family owned, restaurant. Caleb was amazed that a single family could own and operate their own business but even more impressed that they were allowed to keep most of the profits they made.

Silver Moon would have taken everything. Of course in Silver Moon, no such business would have survived due to most of the pack being too poor to take advantage of it being there. Everything that Silver Moon had was provided to them by the Alpha via a small supplies warehouse that rarely had enough supplies in it to cater to the entire pack. Even food was so scarce that most families had to hunt their own meat.

Anyone who had a garden was expected to give more than half of their yield to the pack though they suspected the majority of it went to the Alpha and his family. In Black River though, a pack member was allowed to keep all of their own vegetables and only shared what they had if they chose to, not because they were forced to.

Caleb also discovered that while many pack members worked inside the pack, and were paid for it, they also had the option of working off grounds as well. Some even had jobs where they worked along side humans. There were dues owed that each pack member contributed to for living on pack lands but all that money went back into the pack and they weren't taxed past their means.

Everything that Caleb was learning about Black River made him realize just how miserable life at Silver Moon had been. Now, more than ever, he was determined never to go back there. He would never allow his pup to grow up in a place like that. He deserved better. If Quinton decided to send Caleb back he would run again. It would be difficult, having a pup and no mate but Caleb was certain he could do it.

He'd find a job in some human deli or something. Get a small apartment and raise his pup alone. It wouldn't be the ideal situation because wolves were pack animals and they needed a community of other shifters but leaving one's pack and living as a human wasn't unheard of. Though in all honesty, Caleb had never heard of an omega doing it but if anyone could do it, it would be him. He'd learned quite a bit while on the run with Rhys and was certain that he could survive on his own.

They passed a few more buildings that Quinton pointed out. An elementary school and a high school. Anyone wanting to go to university would have to go to a human one but at least they could get their high school diploma through the pack.

They also passed a small apartment complex that had one, two, and three bedroom apartments in it. A small road to the right of the building veered off to a area behind that opened into a small neighborhood of about a hundred single family homes. Quinton explained that they planned to expand in the near future. They wanted to build new homes and at least one more apartment building.

Houses were getting cramped and many shifters were forced to live in single wide trailers and there were a lot of pups that would soon be coming of age and wanting to move out of their parents homes and into one of their own. Caleb nearly laughed as Quinton explained the 'poor housing' situation to him. A single wide trailer sounded like a mansion compared to the three bedroom cabin he and his six family members shared at Silver Moon.

With a leaky roof, no heat other than what was provided by the fire place, and plumbing that was right out of the stone age, Silver Moon was more like a ghetto than a town. Seriously, pioneers probably had it easier.

The tour came to an end when Quinton stopped in front of a small building next to an open field that dipped into the woods. To the side of the building was a fenced in area that contained a variety of different play ground equipment, including a sand box. It resembled one of the family parks that Caleb had seen when he and Rhys were driving across country on their way to Black River.

"Is this a park for children?" Caleb asked.

"Kind of." Quinton told him. "It's a day care center."

Caleb knew what a day care center was but had never seen one. Why would Quinton bring him here? Then, suddenly, it hit him. This was where they were keeping his pup! Caleb's eyes grew wide and Quinton could clearly see the excitement building on the young omega's face.

He chuckled a bit. "Come on." Quinton told him. "Let's get you inside before your eyes pop out of your head."

***

Caleb was literally speechless. Of all the scenarios that had been going around in his brain, seeing his pup again was not one of them. It seemed for once, his prayers had been answered.

When they stepped into the building Caleb saw that they were in another reception type area. There was a desk near the door however there was no receptionist present. This didn't seem to phase Quinton though. He motioned for Caleb to follow him down a short hall that opened into several small classrooms. The door to each stood open and Caleb could see young pups of all genders separated by age in each of the rooms.

The first room they passed had what appeared to be pups ranging from three to five years old. The next room had pups that were more toddler aged. They were playing happily, running around the room and shouting as pups often did. Caleb watched as a particularly frustrated omega chased after a naked pup who was crawling quickly away from him while the omega, red faced, waved a clean diaper in his hand while shouting at the pup to come back.

Caleb giggled, wondering if someday that would be him and his pup. A sudden sadness came over him when he wondered if this would be the last time he'd ever be allowed to see his pup. No. He told himself. Don't even think that. If they try to separate us, we'll run.

He hoped that wouldn't be the case though. Black River seemed like the ideal place to raise a pup and he hoped, maybe foolishly, that they would be allowed to stay. Though he knew that the likeliness of that was slim. He wan an unmated omega, born from another pack, with no one to vouch for him. It was unlikely that Quinton would even consider allowing him to stay. Especially since he was indirectly at fault for Rhys death.

What would that mean for his pup, he wondered. If Quinton believed that Rhys was the father would he send Caleb away but refuse to allow him to keep his pup? By Silver Moons laws, the pups belonged to their alpha parents and the omega parent had no rights to them at all. With Rhys being dead, Quinton was next of kin and the responsibility for the pup fell to him.

"In here." Quinton said, oblivious to the thoughts that weighed so heavily on Caleb's mind. He opened the bottom half of a dutch door and let Caleb walk into the room.

"This is the nursery." Quinton told him. Caleb frowned. Did the alpha think he was stupid? He could tell it was a nursery. One whole side of the room was furnished with cribs while the other side had an assortment of playpens, high chairs, baby swings, and a couple of rocking chairs.

What the room lacked were the babies that Caleb expected to see. He gave Quinton a puzzled looked.

Quinton shrugged. "I told you it was lunch time." He stepped around Caleb and into the room. "Emily?" He called out.

Almost at once a young gamma stepped out from inside a second room just off the nursery. Caleb hadn't even noticed the room at fist but assumed it might have been a small kitchen or changing area as he didn't see any changing tables in the main room.

"Quin." The girl smiled a huge, welcoming, smile. She wiped her hands on an apron that she was wearing then moved with so much grace that she seemed to glide across the room, to where Quinton stood and immediately pulled him into an embrace that suggested they were a little more than just friends.

"I wondered when you'd be gracing me with your presence." She batted her eyes at him, leaning her head to one side and allowing her mousy brown curls to flow over one shoulder and bounce against her upper arm. "Unfortunately, I can't join you for lunch today. I'm all alone in here and I was just about to feed little bunny." She made a pouty face followed by a giggle.

"That's okay." Quinton told her. "I'm not here for a social call. I just brought Caleb by so he could feed his pup."

"Oh?" She looked from Quinton to Caleb then frowned. "Bunny has gotten pretty used to the formula. He may refuse to latch on."

Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Bunny?" He asked. The disapproval of the name evident in his voice.

"Oh, well, since he didn't have a name I just started calling him bunny. It's a nick name we all gave to Rhys when he was a pup because he would hop around like a rabbit." She laughed at the memory then turned her gaze back to Quinton, giving him another flutter of her eyes. "You remember that, don't you Quin?" She asked.

Quinton rolled his eyes and nodded. "All too well." He sighed.

"Anyway, he's right over here if you still want to try. You can stay here or take him to the nursing room. It's up to you."

"He can stay in here for now." Quinton answered before Caleb had a chance to ask what a nursing room was. He was pretty sure he knew but Silver Moon had never used a room specifically for nursing as though it were something that should be done in private. "We still don't know much about him or why he came here and I don't want to make the others nervous."

Caleb shot the alpha an incredulous glare. So much for building trust. "In here is fine." Caleb smiled. Quinton smirked.

"Suit yourself." Emily motioned Caleb over to one of the rocking chairs. "You can sit here." She told him. Once Caleb had seated himself she went to a crib in the far corner of the room and gently picked up a small bundle wrapped in a blue receiving blanket.

Caleb watched her closely, having to remind himself to breathe as he waited for her to bring the baby over and place him in his arms. Caleb half expected him to be sleeping but when he looked down he saw the biggest, brightest, blue eyes he'd ever seen in his life staring back up at him.

"He has Rhys's eyes." He said softly, tears suddenly filling his own eyes.

"All babies are born with blue eyes." Emily said. "It's possible they'll change as he gets older."

Caleb frowned. Who was this wolf to tell him what color eyes his son would have? Besides, that was a myth anyway. He'd seen plenty of babies born in Silver Moon with different colored eyes.

"He looks too much like his father." Caleb stated as he looked over the tiny bundle in his arms, his smile growing as he studied every detail of his sons face. "He'll have his blue eyes for sure."

Caleb looked up at Quinton who was still standing by the door. "Do you want to hold him?" Caleb asked.

Quinton emphatically shook his head. "I'm not good with babies." He turned his attention quickly away from Caleb, and the pup, to look at Emily again. "I have to run next door and speak to Amy. Would you mind keeping and eye on them for me?"

"I don't need a babysitter." Caleb hissed under his breath. And he certainly didn't need Emily to watch him.

"I just don't trust you not to run off and get yourself shot before I get the answers I want out of you."

Caleb looked up and narrowed his eyes, staring Quinton down hard. "You think I'd do that with my pup in my arms?"

Before Quinton could respond, Emily quickly jumped in. "It's not a problem." She said, placing a hand on Quinton's fore arm, rubbing his bare skin ever so gently.

"Thanks." Quinton said though his gaze was fixed on Caleb. He suddenly wanted to smack that look right off his face. "I won't be long." He pulled away from Emily then turned on his heels and stomped out of the room, leaving Caleb and Emily alone in the room with the baby.

Caleb opened his shirt and offered the pup his nipple. Despite Emily's warning, the pup latched on and began nursing with no issue. Emily didn't seemed phased by this at all. Caleb had to wonder if her earlier protest was just to point out what a bad parent Caleb was. Not that it was his fault. He'd have gladly been nursing his pup the entire time if Quinton had allowed him to sooner.

Caleb paid no attention to Emily though as he focused on feeding his son. It was as if suddenly everything else in the entire world had suddenly just dissipated and all that remained was him and the tiny baby in his arms.

Emily, on the other hand, had moved to one of the other rocking chairs and was sitting in it, watching Caleb closely.

"Bunny sure is a good eater." She remarked as she began rocking back and forth. "Definitely alpha material there."

"His name isn't bunny." Caleb scowled. "So, you can stop calling him that." It wasn't really the name that he objected to but the person who'd given him the name. He didn't know why, but something about Emily rubbed him the wrong way.

"Well, we're going to have to call him something. I was thinking of some good alpha names earlier. Strong names you know. Like Alrik, or Dean. Maybe Quil."

Caleb quirked an eyebrow. "Quil? Isn't that kinda close to Quin?"

Emily shrugged. "I just like the sound of it."

"Then name your pup that, when you have one." Caleb realized he sounded a bit rude but he didn't care. He found it rude of this girl whom he'd never met in his life, discussing what to name his child. Had it never occurred to her that he and Rhys had already discussed names?

"Anyway," He said a little too coldly, "He already has a name."

"Really?" Emily stopped rocking and leaned forward, excited. "What is it?"

Caleb should have expected her to ask him that. The truth was, while they had considered several names, neither he nor Rhys has really decided on one. They'd narrowed them down to just three but Caleb hadn't had the heart to decide which he'd use. That was something he and Rhys should have decided together but Rhys was gone now and the baby did need a name.

The names they'd discussed were strong names. Samuel, and Nicolas were at the top of the list, but now that Rhys was gone, Caleb could only think of one name that would truly be perfect for his son. A name that honored his late father.

"Rhylan." He said, looking down at his pup and smiling warmly at him. "Rhys was against it. He thought it was too egocentric, naming the pup after him, but given what happened, I think it's perfect."

"I like it." Emily smiled and sat back in her chair. "I think Quin will like it too."

"Maybe." Rhylan had stopped nursing and pulled away so Caleb put him on his shoulder to burp him. "I think it upsets Quinton to talk about him though."

Emily jumped up, grabbing a burping rag that she rushed over to put beneath the baby then returned to her chair. "Give him time." She told him. "They were really close. It's been a shock to him I'm sure. Not just losing Rhys, but also finding out he has a child. He just needs time to adjust is all."

"I hope so." Caleb said, wistfully. And he meant it. If he had any hope at a happy life for him and his son he needed Quinton in his corner but, with Quinton blaming Caleb for Rhys death, the idea that he might actually be accepted into Black River seemed more like wishful thinking than reality.