A Love that Lasts Forever Ch. 07

As the feast wound down and pack members began to leave Quinton was finally able to relax some. As promised, Rusty made up a plate of food for Caleb and put it in the refrigerator to keep. He also made a plate for Quinton. Quinton thanked him then sat down at one of the folding tables to eat.

By now the only ones left were the omegas who had volunteered for clean up duty and their mates who had begun to take down the tables and move the furniture back into their respected places.

"I appreciate everything you've done today." Quinton told his pack mates. "It really meant a lot."

"Of course." Rusty smiled. "It was our pleasure." The others echoed their pack mates sentiments as they packed the rest of the food into plastic storage containers and placed them in the fridge with the other foods.

"Take some with you, please." Quinton told them. "There's way more food here than one man needs. Even an alpha."

"Thanks." Zev gave Quinton a soft slap on the back. "I'll make sure they each take a share home, and Caleb as well."

"That would be helpful." Quinton told his friend. He finished his meal then carried the empty plate to the sink where Leah was busy washing the remaining dirty dishes. She took the plate from him and put it in the soapy water.

"I can do that." Quinton told her. "You should head on home now."

"Non-sense." Leah smiled up at him. "It's no problem. Besides, I'm almost done."

She continued washing, handing off the clean plates to Robby, an unmated omega who'd stayed to help out, so he could dry them. Robby looked up and gave Quinton a shy smile before turning his head away quickly as a deep blush rose up his cheeks.

Zev laughed as he and Quinton walked back out into the other room. "I think someone has a crush on you."

Quinton shrugged. "He's cute. But like I said. I'm not interested in a mate right now."

"What about plain old, fashioned, sex then?"

Quinton frowned. "And ruin his reputation. No thank you. Besides, you know how clingy omegas are. Sleep together once and next thing you know they're planning a wedding."

Zev laughed. "Yeah, that's how I got roped into the whole mate thing but you know what? I don't regret a single moment of it. Rusty is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I'm happy for you. It's just not for me."

"Plan to be a bachelor all your life?"

Quinton shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Depends if the right one ever comes along. But don't hold your breath. I'm way too happy with the single life. Besides, I have too many things keeping me busy being Alpha. Adding a mate and eventually pups to the mix would just be too much."

"Oh I don't know. Having a mate to help out might be a good thing for you. Take some of the weight off your shoulders." Zev nudged him with his elbow. "Plus, I'd love to see some feisty little omega bossing you around. I could see you becoming his lap dog real quick. Then maybe you'd stop busting my balls all the time about how I let Rusty run me."

Quinton laughed. "He does have you wrapped around his little finger."

Zev looked over at his red-haired mate barking orders at the other omegas. "It's such a cute little finger though."

Quinton pretended to gag. "Alright, take your feisty little omega home already. The two of you are going to give me diabetes."

"Sure thing boss." He laughed. "Oh, and speaking of omegas, what are you going to do about, you know?" He motioned towards the back room. "Want me and Rust to drop him off at the dorms?"

Quinton considered it a moment then shook his head. "Let him sleep. He's had a hard day."

"You're sure?"

Quinton nodded. "Yeah. He'll be alright and I'll make sure he gets home safely in the morning."

"You're the boss."

Before leaving, Rusty picked Rhylan up from the spot he laid him on the couch and carried him, along with a diaper bag he'd put together, to the guest room where Caleb was sleeping. He placed the baby on the bed next to Caleb and sat the bag on the wooden chair in the corner of the room.

"You sure they'll be okay here?" He asked his mate once he'd left room. "Maybe we should take the baby home with us. You know, just for the night."

"I think Caleb would want to be with his pup right now, don't you?"

Rusty nodded. "Yeah, I was just worried about him crying and waking Quinton up. He's not used to having babies around."

Zev glanced over at Quinton who was standing at the edge of the doorway, looking in through the crack at Caleb and the pup. Zev smiled. "I don't think he'll mind. Actually might be good for him."

Rusty raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Quin's been alone too long. This house used to be full of life but since Quin's parents died, and then Rhys leaving to start his bounty hunting business, it's been kind of dull around here. He seems so set on staying single but maybe having Caleb and the pup here for a while will make him see what he's been missing."

"You still trying to play match maker for our Alpha?"

Zev shrugged. "Know any single omegas that would be interested."

"Oh, I know lots that would be interested." Rusty told him. "The problem is, I don't think any of them would interest Quin."

Zev narrowed his eyes. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Nope." Rusty grinned. "Not for sure anyway. It's just a guess."

"Explain." Zev folded his arms over his chest as he stared down sternly at his mate.

"Later." Rusty stood on his tiptoes to give Zev a quick kiss. "Shay's getting fussy. I need to get him fed and down for the night."

"Alright." Zev agreed. "But after, we're going to talk."

"As you wish." He giggled then went about gathering their pup so they could head home for the night.

Zev let Quinton know they were leaving and Quinton waved them off. Once they were gone, he settled into the living with a cup of tea and a movie. He set the volume down low as to not wake his sleeping guests. It was almost too low but it didn't matter really. Within half an hour, Quinton too had fallen fast asleep.

***

When Caleb awoke, it was still dark out. He'd wrapped himself protectively around Rhylan, the pups tiny head resting on the inside of Caleb's arm. He yawned and stretched, causing the pup to fuss when moved. Caleb smiled down at him. "Daddies sorry for disturbing you." He said with a little chuckle, kissing his pup on the head.

Rhylan was wide awake now, and smacking his tiny lips as he moved his fists to his mouth. "Hungry?" Caleb asked, scooping the pup up in his arms. "Let's get you fed."

Caleb scooted up in the bed, leaning back against the head board, and offered the pup a nipple. He latched on quickly and began to nurse. Caleb glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings. Definitely not the dorms. He'd figured he was still at Quinton's. Probably a guest bedroom by the looks of it. It was clean and didn't look lived in so he didn't think it was Quinton's personal bedroom. That would have been weird anyway. Waking up in an alpha's bed that wasn't his mate.

That gave Caleb a sinking feeling. Technically he no longer had a mate. He'd released Rhys to the Moonlands so was no longer bound to him. Not by law anyway. The ceremony didn't change how Caleb felt about him though. He still loved Rhys. Would always love Rhys. He'd been Caleb's first love, his only love, and nothing would ever change that.

His mind wandered back to the first moment he realized that he'd had feelings for Rhys. Not the kind of feelings that one got while experiencing a heat. That was just arousal. Lust. A primal feeling that ensured the continuing of a species, but it wasn't love. That's not to say that one couldn't experience both, because you can, and often do within a mating. But an unmated omega during a heat doesn't mate for love.

Most shifters think that an unmated omega is just a ball of raging hormones who will seek out and fuck the first alpha that crosses his or her path. That couldn't be farther from the truth though. It's actually more complicated than that. As is the process of choosing a mate. Typically an omega will seek out the strongest, most capable, alpha. One that can protect them, and provide for future pups.

Alphas who are interested begin a kind of courting ritual in which they will fight other alphas to prove strength, then give the omega gifts of food, and other trinkets to prove they can provide for them. In the old days this would consist of going on a hunt, killing a stag or some other large prey, and laying their kill at the omegas feet. After the courting, the omega would choose alpha best suited, rejecting the others, and then the mating would proceed.

Things had changed somewhat in recent years though. A courting of sorts does still take place but now potential mates try to prove their worth to the omega's father or closest alpha relative. The omega themselves have very little say in who they are to be mated to and seldom reject the mate that is chosen for them. Once a match has been made for them, they are expected to comply completely. Ownership of said omega is then transferred from one alpha to another, regardless of what the omega wants.

Caleb had grown up in this world, knew what was expected of him, and had always thought he'd take whatever mate was chosen for him. He'd never really expected to mate for love. But he'd also never expected to mate someone as unworthy as Jace Bowden. Jace Bowden was everything that a true alpha was not. Cruel, self-serving, and lazy. He would not become the protector and provider that Caleb needed. He didn't even want Caleb, not really. He was only doing what Seth had demanded he do.

Caleb was applaud that his father would even consider the man a proper mate. Then again, what did Caleb's father care? Seth had, almost certainly, offered a generous bride price for him. How could his father have refused? When it came right down to it, all Caleb's family cared about was what they would be getting out of the deal. No one cared about what was best for Caleb or even if he would be happy in such a match.

With Rhys though, it was different. There were no contracts, no exchange of goods, and no one fighting for his affections. He hadn't even considered taking Rhys, or anyone else for that matter, as a mate. He only wanted freedom from Silver Moon, and protection from the man he was intended to mate. Rhys offered him that protection. Rhys provided for him and cared for him, and never with the expectation of anything in return.

Without even realizing it, they had begun a courtship that was similar to the alphas and omegas of old. Caleb began to see the qualities in Rhys that he desired in a mate, and instinct took over from there. Slowly, over time, a bond began to grow between them and Caleb began to realize that he was in the presence of his true mate. Not a mate chosen for him, but one that he was free to choose for himself. In the beginning he supposed that the bond had formed out of necessity, but had quickly turned into love.

Caleb couldn't even pinpoint the exact moment it had happened, but he did remember the moment when he'd finally come to realize that he was in love with Rhys. It was the moment he'd realized that he just couldn't live without the man. Couldn't, and wouldn't. Rhys was his, and he was willing to fight anyone that tried to come between them. He just never imagined that the fight would turn deadly, or that the man he loved would be taken from him so violently.

This wasn't the future that he'd had planned. But it was his reality now. Rhys was gone and he just needed to accept that. Dwelling on things he couldn't change wouldn't help him face the challenges that would come next. He had to make sure that he, and his pup, remained in Black River. There was no life for him in Silver Moon now. But, he had a chance in black River, if he could convince the council to let him stay. That was the most important thing. Everything else was just noise.