Calliope's Wolf - Book 1
Chapter 13

The following day, Calliope awoke in a large, soft bed. She felt mentally exhausted, but her body felt energized. She looked at the hand she had cut the prior night; it healed with no sign of a scar.

She sat up and looked around. To her, the room she was in was absurdly large. The large bed was on an elevated platform, about a foot higher than the rest of the room. A line of windows dotted the wall to her left, while on her right, the wall was all bookshelves. In front of the shelves was a desk. It was extensive, with a divider that split the desk in two down its length. There was a chair on either side. A large fireplace and sitting chairs were on the wall across from the bed. There was a large set of doors to the left of the fireplace, leading to the hallway, and a large set of doors to the right to the washroom.

This room was the room of the Greats. The space that the mated pair would share. But for the next few years, it was just Calliope's room. It was so large it felt almost lonely.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Enter!" She called out to the door.

A young woman, about 18, entered the room holding some folded clothes. She set them on the corner of the bed and backed up. She was silent.

"Oh, right," Calliope whispered to herself. She was the Great Luna. She was to be the first to speak. "Thank you. Do you know when my clothes will get here?"

"The wagon left the Riverbed Pack last night. Your companion, Alpha Wyatt, and Luna Evelyn should be here as early as tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, and thank you for the clothes," Calliope said as she got out of bed. "I'm feeling hungry. Do I just go downstairs and eat?"

"Not if you don't want to, Great Luna," the girl replied. "But the Great Alpha has food for you outside. Once you're dressed, I'll let him know so he can enter."

Calliope nodded and looked at the clothes. Training clothes, getting straight to it, she thought to herself. She quickly changed and brushed her hair out. She sat down so the girl could help tie her hair up. Once finished, the girl hurried to the door and whispered before holding it open.

Theo walked in, holding a tray, and set it on a table in front of the sitting chairs. Calliope stood and walked over. She saw boiled eggs, some orange slices, bread, and cheese.

"Light breakfast?" She inquired as she sat down.

"There is a lot you will do today. You'll find yourself getting sick if you overeat and then shift. Believe me." Theo explained with a chuckle. He made her plate and then made his. "But the chef still put oranges on the tray. You tell the kitchen you love oranges once, and they will never forget."

She smiled as she took a bite of an orange slice. She ate a few things but quickly found her appetite was gone. She had her thoughts on shifting, on wanting to run through the woods. Her wolf wanted back out, and Calliope wanted it too. When Theo finished eating, they headed outside to the training grounds. Owen approached them with a young man.

"Good morning, Great Luna and Great Alpha," Owen greeted with a quick bow. "Calliope, this is Gunther. He turned 18 a few months back. His wolf may be a good match-up for training. But if you overpower him, we match you with an older wolf."

Calliope reached out to shake his hand, but Gunther bowed instead. Theo put his hand on Calliope's back.

It's ok, he mind linked to her. The boy is just nervous.

She nodded and looked at Owen.

"So, we shift and fight?"

"Well, first, I want you to circle each other. I want to see your wolf's footwork. How your wolf holds herself, and so on. I'll instruct you both on what to do. Just listen, and we shall see how it goes?"

Gunther and Calliope nod. They walked in opposite directions. Once far enough away, they turned to face each other. Other pack members gathered around, creating a circle around the two. Theo stood near Calliope while Josiah and Owen were closer to the center.

"Shift!" Owen called out.

The two shifted. The boy still groaned in pain when he shifted, but Calliope didn't even wince, as if she didn't feel anything anymore. Gunther's sandy wolf looked like a pup compared to Calliope's white wolf. Owen waved his hand in a circle, and the two began to walk around.

Calliope's Wolf was confident. She took her steps easily, not even needing to look at the ground. Gunther, though, his wolf trembled, and his legs stumbled every few steps. Before Owen could instruct them again, Calliope's Wolf snarled at the smaller wolf. Gunther instantly laid on his side and whimpered.

Owen went over to him and tried to give him words of encouragement, but Gunther shifted back to his human form. He shook his head, refusing to shift before the Great Luna. Owen sighed and let the boy go.

I told you, Owen mind linked to Theo. Theo was the one who wanted Calliope to practice with someone who was inexperienced. Someone she would match up to skill-wise, but it seemed her aura and wolf needed someone stronger to even challenge her. Owen looked at the crowd and pointed to a tall man.

The man stepped forward. His name was Wes, the Beta for the Royal Moon pack.

No! He is too strong; I don't want her harmed! Theo yelled to Owen over mind link.

Owen didn't even respond. Only a few people would be allowed to ignore the man who rules everyone, and Owen was one of them. He was nearly 50 years old, and his whole life was in Theo's service. They were close; they understood one another. In the end, Theo had to trust Owen.

Owen had Wes shift and start to circle Calliope. Wes' wolf was gray with a white patch on the belly. His wolf wasn't as skittish of Calliope's Wolf. Instead, he was excited over the prospect of a new training partner. Wes was Beta because his strength rivaled that of Owen and Josiah. He was strong and intelligent, and the Gammas and Omega warriors were no match for him.

Calliope eyed the new opponent. They circled one another, their gazes never leaving the other.

Now, I want you two to charge at one another. Get one hit in and then separate! Owen said via mind link to both Wes and Calliope.

Got it! They both responded back. Josiah and Owen rushed out of the middle and to the side. Owen raised his arm and dropped it, signaling for them to start.

Calliope's Wolf held back, but only for a moment. When Wes' wolf started to charge, she went for him. Wes growled and was the first to make his attack. Calliope was quick to dodge, not allowing him even to touch her. Rather, her wolf reached out and grabbed Wes by the front leg. She yanked, pulling him in the air before tossing him to the side.

Excited by the idea of a good fight, Wes got back to his feet, though his front right leg was injured. Theo, Owen, and Josiah ran up as Calliope seemed to go after him. Wes tried to grab one of her legs, but she ended up biting the back of his neck.

"Stop!" Theo yelled as he got close. "That is enough!"

Wes struggled momentarily in Calliope's mouth but couldn't break free. It only made her clinch down harder.

"Submit!" Owen yelled to Wes. "Submit, you fool!"

Wes heard Owen and did as he was told. He let his body go limp, and he whimpered, something a wolf would only do to another superior wolf. Calliope tossed Wes to the side, ensuring he didn't get back up. She felt something touch her, causing her to turn and snarl. It was Theo, and he looked angry.

"Shift!" He commanded, but Calliope turned her attention back to Wes. She stared at him until he shifted to human form. Only then did she finally shift back.

"What were you thinking?! You could have killed Wes!" Theo yelled at her as he grabbed her arm. But then he stopped; she was crying.

"I tried!" She sobbed. "I tried to pull away from him! I tried to shift! But I couldn't. I had no control!"

Theo grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. He looked over to Owen, who was helping Wes up.

Is he OK? Theo asked over mind link.

A dislocated right shoulder and a few lacerations on his neck and back. But they are healing. I will take him inside and get the arm popped back in. Owen answered.

"I tried," Calliope kept saying through tears.

"Shh," Theo said as he tried to reassure her. He commanded everyone else to clear out. Josiah walked up to them.

"Let everyone know that Calliope can only train in wolf form with me," Theo instructed Josiah. He sighed as he put his hands on her shoulders and stepped back so he could look at her. "What couldn't you control?"

"Anything," she sniffed. "I thought it was just something weird. I tried to look around but couldn't. I tried to stop walking but couldn't. I think I could keep from snapping his neck, but that's it!"

"You said her wolf still had control over some of her gifts?" Josiah asked. "Maybe she and her wolf spirit just aren't in sync yet? Like her wolf is a separate being?"

"It could be because you are young—one of the youngest ever to shift. Oh, little wolf, I'm so sorry. I should have seen what you could do before putting you against another." Theo said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"So what do I do to...get in sync?"

"Meditation and time," Theo answered.

"So, nothing new then? I see." She sighed as her lips began to quiver.

"We just need to get your mental strength stronger, get that confidence going!" Josiah interjected with a smile. "It just comes with age and time."

"Yeah, great," she groaned as she waved her hand at Josiah. She looked up at Theo. "Can I apologize to Wes? I feel so incredibly guilty."

"Of course," Theo nodded as he led Calliope inside. "I'm sure he is inside laughing about it. You sure gave him a run for his money."

After a few feet, Theo noticed Josiah wasn't following. He was still in the same spot, in the same position even. Theo looked down at Calliope instantly.

"You froze him!" he exclaimed.

Calliope looked down at her hands. She looked at Josiah and waved her right hand. He stumbled forward as he gained the ability to move. Before he could speak, she waved her hand again. He was frozen in place.

"I can freeze people!" She yelled with happiness as she looked at Theo. "I haven't done that since the first time we met!"

Theo kissed her forehead and smiled at her. A gift they thought was lost is back. He pulled her into a hug. What else can she do that her wolf held on to? Wait, is she having little to no control over her wolf in exchange for her ability to use gifts? Theo frowned. Her wolf was stronger than he anticipated.

Please, Josiah mind linked to Theo and Calliope.

"Oh!" Calliope said as she waved him free. Josiah ran up to them.

"Oh? You freeze me and forget about me?"

"We were enjoying the silence," Theo retorted.

"Silence? Oh yeah?" Josiah questioned as he gently punched Theo's arm.

Theo smirked at him but then began to frown again. He led everyone inside. Calliope was laughing at Josiah, but there was more on Theo's mind. Calliope's Wolf... he thought there wouldn't be any more issues when she shifted. Instead, there were only more questions and more problems. He made a mental note to try and locate an oracle.

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