A Love that Lasts Forever Ch. 11

Shane Hollister's line of questioning was relentless. It had been over an hour and all Caleb wanted to do now was get back to his pup. The questions had started out innocently enough. How were Caleb and Quinton getting along? Did Caleb like living in Black River? Was Quinton kind to him? But, after about thirty minutes, the questions became more invasive and somewhat personal.

It had only been a week since they'd returned to pack lands as a mated pair so how close could they have really gotten in that time? Of course Caleb didn't tell Hollister that their relationship has stayed strictly platonic but he also didn't feel right about lying to the man. Instead, he kept his answers brief and to the point. What really threw him for a loop though was when Hollister asked if they'd consummated their mating yet.

Caleb wasn't sure how Quinton had answered that question, if he was even asked it -as they had been questioned separately -so he wasn't really sure how to answer. In the end, he told the man that it was too personal a question and frankly, none of his business. That seemed to be good enough for the moment because he moved on to other questions. Questions that were equally as uncomfortable but Caleb did his best to answer them as honestly as he could.

Hollister wanted to know how often Caleb had a heat and when he thought his next one was due. Caleb shrugged. "Twice a year." He answered. "But it's unlikely I'll have one while nursing."

"Of course." Hollister smiled his usual fake, you can trust me we're friends, smile that made the hair on the back of Caleb's neck stand on end. The guy was creepy enough without the intrusive line of questioning.

"Are we about done here?" Caleb asked, already annoyed with being kept from his pup for so long. Rusty was watching him so Caleb knew he was in good hands but he still didn't like being away from him for so long. "It's almost Rhylan's feeding time."

Hollister raised a brow as he looked up from the note pad he'd been scribbling on. "Have you ever considered switching to formula?" Hollister asked.

Caleb narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest in defiance. "Not if I want a healthy pup." He sneered. What was the guys deal anyway? Was the council so eager for Quinton to breed that they'd really jeopardize the health of not only Caleb's pup but Caleb as well? Was that the reason they wanted Caleb mated? So he could be used as a puppy mill?

"Are we done?" Caleb asked again, this time a bit more sternly.

Hollister sighed as he closed his folder and sat back in his chair. "I believe so. Thank you for your cooperation, Caleb."

Caleb pushed himself away from the table and stood up, shooting Hollister an irritated glare. "It's not like I had a choice." He grumbled. When Hollister didn't respond, Caleb turned and left the room, slamming the door closed hard behind him. If this was how their weekly meetings were going to go, Caleb wasn't sure he could keep from cursing the man out. He really had a way of getting under Caleb's fur.

Caleb took the elevator up to the main floor. It was close to noon and on a Monday so the den wasn't overly busy. Most of the pack were at their jobs and those who were about to go on their lunch hour would most likely swarm Annie's. The lunch rush was always her busiest time. Caleb had started going in for a coffee after Quinton had left in the mornings but he avoided lunch time all together. He Still wasn't familiar enough with the rest of the pack to be comfortable in large crowds.

He did enjoy the early morning coffee time though. Annie had enough free time to sit and talk with him awhile or croon over Rhylan, whom she seemed hopelessly in love with. Rusty, or one of the other omegas, would stop by sometimes just to see if Caleb needed any help and of course there was the weekly meeting of the omegas. Caleb wasn't sure what the alphas thought they did together but Caleb came to realize that the meetings were a safe place to share stories and advice as well as laugh and have some fun.

Caleb really looked forward to these gatherings and, with the help of his new omega friends, Caleb was slowly beginning to come out of his shell. His life had greatly improved since his days at Silver Moon. He'd never really had friends before or a place to vent his frustrations. It was also nice to know that there were others who were struggling with the trials of parenthood as he was. Rhylan had seemed to be an uncommonly quiet child. That was until the fourth night of moving in with Quinton. Suddenly, the pup didn't want to sleep through the night any longer and would wake up periodically, screaming his tiny lungs out.

Caleb worried at first that the crying would wake Quinton but mercifully, his room was far enough away that it seemed to shelter him from the constant wails. Caleb, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He spent most of the night consoling the pup and trying unsuccessfully to get him back to sleep. By the time he settled down, it was morning and time for Caleb to start his day.

The lack of sleep made him sluggish and somewhat irritable which was why, he guessed, he'd had so little patience with Hollister. The man was taking up valuable time that Caleb could have spent doing more important things, like taking a nap. His hope now though was that once Rhylan was fed and changed he'd finally sleep some, freeing up Caleb for some well deserved rest.

As Caleb stepped off the elevator and made his way across the foyer he noticed Shelby, leaning across the front desk and talking to the receptionist. They were both laughing and acting as two old friends catching up. Caleb figured they knew each other as most pack members did. Black River was a friendly and very open community unlike Silver Moon where most of the pack kept to themselves and avoided contact with others whenever possible.

Caleb tried to be friendly as he walked the grounds, often returning waves from people he didn't yet know but seemed to know exactly who he was. He'd even been stopped a few times by older shifters who wanted to dote on Rhylan or ask Caleb how he was doing. Admittedly, he liked the attention. He liked the bright, smiling faces he encountered and he found that he really liked the comradery that was so evident in his new pack. Honestly, he hadn't had a problem with anyone, until Shelby had shown up.

He tried to sneak past the two women as quietly and quickly as he could, hoping that they were so engaged in their conversation that they wouldn't even notice him there but no such luck. The receptionist spotted him at once and with a friendly wave, called his name.

Caleb froze in his tracks. He turned and returned the smile. "Hey Darcy." Caleb greeted her in his usual warm and friendly manner.

"All done with your meeting?" She asked him.

Caleb cringed. "Done and done. Unfortunately, it's not the last. I have to meet with Hollister once a week." He made a face that illustrated his contempt.

Darcy chuckled some. "If it's any consolation, Quin looked like he was ready to rip the guys head off after his meeting."

Caleb smirked. "That, I would love to see."

"Give it time." Darcy giggled. "He definitely had Quin's hackles raised. It's only a matter of time before he goes all alpha on the guy."

"One can only hope." Caleb felt the grin stretch across his face as he pictured Quinton ripping into Hollister. The idea of his inner alpha coming out was somewhat charming, if not a little sexy even. Caleb surprised himself with his line of thinking as he pushed the thought out of his mind. Quinton was just a friend helping him out. Caleb didn't have the right to think such things about the man. It wouldn't do either of them any good to mistake his kindness for something more. Especially when he was certain that Quinton didn't share his sentiments.

"It's in an alpha's nature." Both Caleb and Darcy looked up as Shelby spoke. She brushed her blond locks behind her ear and sneered, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "They can't help it. Whenever an omega's honor is in question they have to come to their rescue. I call it the 'Knight in shining armor' syndrome. It amazes me the kind of power you omegas have over our alphas."

Caleb cocked an eyebrow as he stared at Shelby in disbelief. "We don't have any power over them." He snapped. "It's true that it's in an alpha's nature to be protective but it's not limited to only omegas. Quinton is protective of his entire pack so it's only natural that Hollister's presence here is going to ruffle Quinton's fur a bit. I suspect that he feels like his actions as Alpha are being questioned and scrutinized."

"And you don't think that it has anything to do with the fact that the actions being called into question relate to you, specifically?"

"Not at all. I think it has more to do with Rhys than with me."

Shelby narrowed her eyes. "How do you figure that?"

Caleb shrugged. "This whole thing started when Rhylan and I arrived here. There had been some speculation about me from the beginning. Whether or not I had anything to do with Rhys' death or, as you questioned when we first met, if I had manipulated Rhys in some way. Quinton may trust me now but I'm not entirely sure that the council does. If I'm right about that then it means that the council is questioning why or how Rhys was so easily overcome, for lack of a better word. So, I think Quinton probably feels the need to defend his brother's actions."

"And yet it all comes back to you." Shelby pursed her lips as she stared Caleb down. "You said it. This all started when you showed up here."

"Well, I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion." Darcy spoke up suddenly, trying to defuse the situation before it got any more heated. " I don't mean to minimize the effect that Rhys death has had on anyone but for anyone to believe that Caleb had any part in that is ridiculous. We all know that Silver Moon is to blame and it's Seth Bowden who should be punished."

Shelby turned to Darcy then, glaring at her angrily. "So, you don't think that Caleb is even the tiniest bit responsible?"

Darcy shook her head. "No, I don't. What exactly did he do wrong?"

"He ran." Shelby growled. "None of this would have happened had he just stayed in Silver Moon and mated Bowden's brother like he was told."

Caleb huffed. "That's typical."

"Excuse me?" Shelby took a step closer to Caleb. He could smell the anger rolling off her. He could almost hear her heart beating fiercely in her chest. She was ready to attack at any moment. Normally Caleb would have backed up, head down, and submitted to her authority but that wasn't who he was anymore. He'd come too far and fought too hard to let anyone intimidate him again.

"You're a beta." He told her, his tone becoming sharper. "You have no idea what it means to be an omega. Especially an omega growing up in Silver Moon. You've never been looked down on because of your sex or treated like you're garbage. You've never had someone refer to you as a possession rather than a person." Caleb could feel his own anger seething inside of him. So many years of emotion just pushed aside all coming to the surface now and he had no idea how to stop it. Tears filled his eyes as his hands clenched into fists that he kept tightly against his thighs as he continued.

"You've never been beaten just because you asked for food or made to sleep outside in the rain because you didn't get your chores done in time. You see the world from a completely different perspective so yeah, it's typical that you'd think I should just roll over, belly up, and take whatever scraps I'm given. I'm just a lowly omega right? I have no worth so it shouldn't matter if I'm beaten, starved, mistreated, or even killed!"

"What a stroke of luck that you found Rhys then, eh? He was your ticket to a better life."

"He was my mate you heartless bitch!" Caleb suddenly screamed at her, catching both Shelby and Darcy off guard. "I didn't go looking for him, we found each other and we fell in love. That's all there was to it!"

"And how did that work out for you? Not great for Rhys, but you seem to have hit the jack pot when it comes to mates. I mean, his body's not even cold yet before you fall into bed with his brother. Face it, if Rhys had never met you, he'd still be alive. The way I see it, you are one hundred percent responsible for his death!"

Caleb didn't know what had come over him just then but in that moment he saw red. He'd had enough of Shelby and her hate filled words but he didn't have the energy anymore to keep fighting with her so instead he stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.

Shelby gasped and stumbled backwards, holding her hand to her cheek where Caleb had struck her. Darcy was out from behind the desk in a heart beat and standing between them, trying her hardest to calm them both down.

"You stupid little..." Shelby lunged forward, her hands becoming claws as she reached out for Caleb only to be stopped by Darcy he was holding her back with both hands on Shelby's shoulders.

"Shelby, don't!" Darcy pleaded with her. "You can't do this, he's the Alpha's mate!"

"Get out of my way!" Shelby howled with rage. "I'm going to rip him to shreds!"

"You can't." Darcy said again, real fear evident on her face. "You'll be punished."

"I won't." Shelby assured her. "Not when Quinton hears..."

"When Quinton hears what?"

All three of them turned suddenly when they saw Quinton walking towards them, his expression a mixture of anger and disappointment. "Just what the hell is going on here?" He demanded.

The three froze and the room grew uncomfortably quiet as none of them wanted to risk the Alpha's anger being directed at them.

"Well, someone had better start talking." He narrowed his eyes as he looked accusingly at each of them.

Darcy put her hands up as she backed away from Shelby and Caleb. "I didn't mean to get in the middle of it." She explained. "I was just trying to keep them from killing each other."

"Really?" Quinton looked between the two, arms crossed, as he waited for an explanation.

"He attacked me!" Shelby bellowed, feigning shock.

"He attacked you? An omega attacked you?"

"I slapped her." Caleb admitted through gritted teeth. "But with all the foul things she was saying, she's lucky I didn't claw her eyes out."

Now Quinton was the one who looked shocked. He knew that Omega's could get aggressive when it came to protecting their pups but striking another out of anger just wasn't characteristic of an omega. They were usually the first to concede and walk away.

"You see? It's just like I told you." Shelby hissed. "He's a deceitful little schemer who can't be trusted."

"Schemer?" Caleb shouted at her. "What are you even talking about? I slapped you because you insulted me and you insulted Rhys."

"I would never insult Rhys." Shelby sneered. "Rhys was the best man I have ever known and he certainly deserved better than you!"

"You insult Rhys by questioning my motives. Rhys wasn't someone who could be easily fooled. If for one moment he thought I was playing him, he would have dumped my ass off on Bowden's front lawn!"

"Just hold on a moment here." Quinton began rubbing his temples in frustration. It was clear to him that there were some unresolved issues between Shelby and Caleb but getting into a screaming match wasn't benefiting anyone. If the dispute were between two alphas, or even two betas, he'd suggest they shift and fight it out but with Caleb being an omega he knew that just wasn't an option.

Omegas weren't great fighters. They were smaller and not nearly as strong as other wolves. His only advantage would be his speed. Omegas were fast, it was part of their defense. When in danger, they ran. But Caleb wasn't backing down, and that was a problem. Quinton knew he had to put an end to this squabble, and fast, before the fur began to fly.

Shelby and Caleb had both gone quiet and Darcy had slipped back behind the desk, trying to remove herself from the situation. It was too late that for that though as she had witnessed the entire argument from the very beginning. Turning now to Darcy, Quinton took a deep breath and addressed her calmly, as to not frighten the girl.

"Darcy." He said softly. "Can you please explain to me what happened here?"

Darcy sulked down in her chair, looking nervously between the three shifters standing before her. It was obvious that she was conflicted. Both Shelby and Caleb were her friends and she didn't want to get either of them into trouble but at the same time, she couldn't disobey her Alpha either. It was an impossible situation.

"Well, it's not really my place to say anything, and I really don't want anyone punished because of me. I really think you should ask them." Darcy lowered her eyes respectfully as she expected Quinton to admonish her for not speaking up but to her surprise he did not.

"Fair enough." He said. "I appreciate your honesty and you're right, I shouldn't have put you in the middle."

Darcy looked up in surprise. "Th...thank you." She said.

Quinton then turned to Shelby and Caleb, giving each of them a stern glance. "Well?"

Caleb sighed. "Shelby's your friend and I don't really want cause any problems between the two of you. I shouldn't have smacked her. I was wrong. I was just so angry and I momentarily lost control. I'm normally not like this."

Shelby groaned as she rolled her eyes. "Oh for Wolf Gods sake. Stop trying to be a martyr."

Caleb shook his head, throwing his hands up in defeat, he sighed heavily. "If you've already made your mind up about me then what's the point in even trying to come to an understanding with you? Nothing that I say or do is going to change how you feel about me and I have no idea what I could possibly do to make this situation any less distressing for you. I mean, it is what it is and nothing can change what's already happened. But, if you think you can make me run away by intimidating me you're sadly mistaken so just, find a way to deal with it."

"I can't just 'deal' with it!" Shelby snapped, staring Caleb down hard. "Not when someone I care about is potentially in danger because of you."

"Shelby, no one is in danger." Quinton told her. "I trust Caleb completely."

Shelby laughed bitterly as she shook her head in disbelief. "You know, I expected better from you Quin. As pack Alpha you're supposed to be strong and confident but you're letting him manipulate you just like he did Rhys. Why am I the only one that sees this?"

Caleb frowned, anger taking hold once more. "Insult me all you want." He scowled at her. "But don't you dare insult Quinton's integrity! He's a wonderful Alpha. The best I've ever seen. He's kind and generous and, yes he puts the needs and safety of his pack above his own because he cares. So, don't you dare say one bad word against him. He is strong, and he is confident, and he deserves all of our respect!"

Shelby crossed her arms as she glared at Caleb. "Little omega, you may be able to charm your way through life and have alphas falling all over themselves to please you, but that kind of bullshit won't work on me. Sooner or later, Quin is going to see you for what you are and throw your ass out in the street. I just hope I'm around to see it."

"Shelby..." Quinton watched the young beta though his expression seemed lazy as his shoulder slumped and he let out an exaggerated breath.

"What?" Shelby grumbled, raising an eyebrow as she silently dared Quinton to argue with her.

Quinton merely shook his head, defeated. "Nothing." He groaned. "Just...nothing."

"Fine, I'm going then." Shelby huffed. "I have more important things to do today."

Quinton waved her off and she turned quickly, stomping away.

Quinton looked over to Caleb who was trying a little too hard to focus on the floor. "Go home." Quinton instructed. "We'll talk more tonight."