Chapter 1: Caleb's return

Hunter-

When Luke, the new member on patrol tells me a wolf is near our territory that can talk, I raced outside. There was only one wolf I knew of that could speak that would be at our borders. If Caleb has returned, would he be staying? Excitement to have my friend back after all this time rushed through me.

It has been so long since we saw each other. We talked regularly and he seemed happy with his new life, so I didn’t think he would return. It didn’t matter how much I asked, he kept refusing. If he really was here, what had changed his mind?

When I arrived at the border, I didn’t recognize the wolf. It wasn’t the same color as Caleb’s wolf had been. It was now grey. Actually, it looked more silver than anything, like the color of the moon. I knew it was Caleb, I could sense him and his red eyes were a dead giveaway. How was it possible for a wolf to change?

I have seen grey wolves before, but not like this. His coat was a bit lighter than grey and had a sheen to it that made it look like he reflected the color of the moon. When I drew near, the wolf started changing into a man. Once it shifted, it was definitely Caleb I was looking at. He looked a little worse for wear, but it was him.

“Get him some clothing.” I told Luke as I passed by him to go to Caleb.

“You could have let me know you were coming.” I spoke to Caleb.

I ran up to him and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the fact he was naked. He didn’t respond to my hug, actually, he stiffened the moment I touched him. Whatever was going on with him, he wasn’t the same Caleb I once knew. Nor was he the same guy I talked to since he left.

“I didn’t know I was coming until I was nearly here.”

He pulled back from me and I let him, taking a step back to give him a once over. His hair looked butchered like he had tried to keep it short himself. He had a full-grown beard that went to the middle of his chest. The way he looked, made me think he hasn’t been living the way he made it seem.

His eyes were still a deep crimson red and the lines on his face looked hard. He hasn’t aged since I have last seen him, but he looked different. Concern filled me as I looked back up at him.

“Where have you been, honestly?”

“Around.”

His answer was so vague, that it made me want to press him. The look on his face made me rethink that. The vibe I got off him was similar to the vibe I got off Zeke when I first met him. It was as if power resonated through him so strong that I could almost feel it. It was similar to when he found out Kyra had been taken, during the battle.

Whatever has happened to him, I was concerned. In all the years I have known him he has always carried darkness within him that was always simmering just at the edge. Now it was like it coursed through him fully. Just being around him, there was an eeriness to him. Like one wrong move could set him off.

Luke arrived with a change of clothing for Caleb and hesitated when he neared Caleb. He must have felt the same thing I was feeling. The only difference being, I didn’t fear Caleb. Taking the clothing from Luke, I handed them to Caleb. He quickly dressed and then looked back up at me.

“Where is she?”

I didn’t need to know who he was talking about, I was sure he meant Kyra. After all this time and him having a second chance mate, I figured he would have moved on from her. Obviously, I was wrong, because the moment he asked, I saw the hope shining in his eyes.

“Visiting her family for the week. You here to stay?”

“Yeah.”

“As a member of the pack?”

“If that is okay.”

“Of course it is. Let's go in and get you settled.”

He looked past me and I saw the question in his expression without him needing to say a word. About the time the group of hunters that tried to make our kind public knowledge, Zac put up a ward that would prevent others from seeing what was really there. So far we have had success with keeping others out.

Though it wasn’t impossible for them to cross the border, it was only there to make others feel the need to not go any further. I still didn’t understand how all the magic worked, but I had turned out to be useful. There were a lot of packs around the world that suffered from the hunters that went by Red Blood.

Over the years they haven’t been as public as they had after they first revealed themselves. After the majority of human’s minds were wiped with the knowledge of us, they went into hiding. Only showing up when they made an attack on a pack.

Most werewolves have taken to hiding amongst the humans, thanks to Kyra who found a way to keep other wolves from going rogue. They felt they were safer if they hid and led human lives, only shifting to keep themselves from aging too fast.

A lot of packs even dissolved and those wanting to remain in a pack had to find another pack to join. We have let in a few new members, but we tried to keep ourselves hidden. The more we advertised ourselves, the more likely the Red Bloods would locate us.

“Everything is pretty much the same. We haven’t changed too much. The ward Zac placed is to keep the Red Bloods from locating us.”

“Red Bloods?”

Okay, that was strange. How the hell did he not know about the Red Bloods? Has he been living under a rock?

“The Red Bloods are a group of hunters that tried to expose us years ago. Have you not heard of them?”

“I have, just didn’t know they had given themselves a name.”

I wanted to ask him more, but he walked past me and through the visual barrier. I expected him to gasp or something, but he did nothing. Even after all these years I still felt the impact of going through the barrier, like it was sucking the air right out of me. Magic and me, still don’t get along very well.

As I followed him, I sucked in a breath as I passed through. Even though this was my pack, the warning to turn around was still strong. Even the warriors I had on patrol hated crossing over the borderline. I tried to get Zac to make it friendly towards pack members, but there was nothing he could do.

Catching up to Caleb, we walked towards the packhouse. Other than a few upgrades here and there, everything has been kept relatively the same. Looking over at Caleb, he seemed troubled. I don’t know what brought him to want to return, but I was glad he was back. Could I still trust him though?

We walked in silence until we made our way inside the house. Nobody was here, since most everyone was gone for the day. There have been a few things that changed since he left, but one thing we kept the same. Caleb’s room was still his. Kyra had hoped one day he would return, so we didn’t do anything with his room.

“You remember where your old room is?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t wait for any further direction, he took the stairs two at a time. Staying downstairs, I watched as he walked away. There was seriously something different about him. How much of what he has told me over the years have been true.

The way he acted and looked, didn’t seem like he had a happy life with his mate as he claimed. I heard the door to his room shut. I was glad he was back home, but I was worried his return signaled a bad omen.

I thought about letting Kyra know he was back, but I didn’t want to upset her or make her feel the need to rush home. Maybe I could even get down to the truth before she returned. In the current state he is in, I didn’t want Kyra to have to worry about him.

Instead of waiting around, I made my way into my office to work on trying to figure out what to call the pack. It was time for a change and Night Blaze was our history. We needed to move forward and start making a few changes. I wanted to rename the pack something meaningful.

Hours later, I still hadn't come up with a new name. When I looked up, I found Caleb standing at the door, leaning against it. I hadn't even heard him or sensed him. 

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to watch you throw forty-eight crunched up wads of paper near the trash can, but only actually putting three in the basket. Your aim still sucks."

Now that was the Caleb I knew. He even looked more like his old self. Gone was the beard, though he still could use a decent haircut. His eyes were no longer red, though they didn't look the same either. His eyes looked nearly black as if the shadows from his soul were peering through them.

"Alright, mister hotshot. Let's see you make it into the trash from where you are." 

I threw him a crumbled-up paper and he caught it effortlessly. Without taking his attention away from me, he tossed the paper towards the trash can. I managed to look just in time to see it land directly in the center of the basket. It didn't really surprise me though, when we played ball together as kids, he always had a good shot.

"Now tell me what you are working on." Caleb said as he moved to sit on the chair across from me.