Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Callisto

After.

The after wasn't what she'd expected it would be. She'd had two alternatives. Win, or death.

Being immediately covered with a sheet by the least alpha-like woman she'd ever met while Sophia got her clothes so she could change, and then sitting down in Samuel's own kitchen and served tea and fucking cookies, hadn't factored into her version of an after.

Honestly, she thought it was so pathetic that she found it amusing. She would never treat an enemy with kindness. It might not be a weakness to be compassionate and kind but allowing her into their home after she'd come to challenge, was just straight up foolishness. Sure, there were two fierce looking guards in the room and probably the entire clan was looming outside, but she could make a weapon of anything in the room and aim it directly at Samuel, if not his woman. She had more honor than that—and a long game plan—but they couldn't possibly know that, and most people wouldn't hesitate to take a chance to cash in.

Sophia had already introduced herself as translator because Callisto was mute. She'd seen the raised eyebrows. Sure, she could write down what she wanted to say or use a fucking tablet or whatever, but communicating by ASL was more immediate. And having her words spoken by Sophia commanded more respect than if everyone sat around waiting for her to scribble out her demands.

She'd explained they were from Wyoming, but other than that, Sam and Lily's questions were pointless. Callisto just had Sophia keep repeating that they needed more land. They were being persecuted. They needed resources.

Sam sat beside Lily at their oblong kitchen table. It was a big table in a fairly big space, meant for raising a large family or hosting people from the clan. They seemed like the kind of salt of the earth, open door people that thought cookies, tea, and an honest conversation could fix anything.

Callisto's mind whirled. While she sat, she quickly cobbled together a secondary plan. Sophia kept shooting her discreet looks, but she was waiting for the right moment. If Lily and Samuel were this stupid, it couldn't be helped if she was willing to work the angle they gave her, to her advantage.

"Why not find a peaceful solution?" Samuel asked, going straight to the place Callisto expected him to end up. "Why take something by force when you could have just negotiated?"

She signed to Sophia, who made her reply. "Because I was desperate."

"Violence isn't the only way to get what you want." Samuel's dark eyes glittered. He made a motion to the men in the doorway, who were at Callisto's back, probably calling them off. They definitely had all the ‘we want to throttle you'vibes and she was well aware of their hulking presence. They wouldn't make a move without their precious alpha telling them to do so and it was clear that Samuel wouldn't, so she knew she and Sophia were safe.

Violence was usually the best and fastest way. Her hands worked on her answer.

Sophia cleared her throat. "We were out of time."

Samuel considered that. He shared a long look with his mate. The way he looked at Lily, graceful and lithe even in middle age, it was obvious that he was still very much in love with her. He respected her as well as desired her. He looked at her like she was a prize that he was unworthy of. Someone he still had to win and woo. He was clearly as lovesick for his mate now, years after they'd met. Callisto couldn't remember how long ago that was, even though Raven presented her with that information in a file. Eight years? Nine? Ten? That hadn't mattered. She'd dedicated her attention to more important details.

Callisto didn't hate love. She didn't think of goodness as a weakness. More compassion would suit the world just fine. She hated evil. She despised people so weak they would choose harsh and obscene clan rules over their own child. She hated those who cast people aside, rejected people, those who hurt others just because they had the power to do it. Did they once think about what kind of a hell they were creating?

Callisto wasn't above feeling. She felt too much. Why carve out the best parts of oneself when having a big heart that loved and dreamed and hoped did nothing to blot out the burning fire of vengeance?

"We have a small amount of land we could spare," Sam started cautiously after sharing that loaded look with his mate.

Despite her avowal to hate Samuel on principle, Callisto felt a seed of jealousy grow inside her chest. She couldn't deny that she wanted what Samuel and Lily shared. That special connection that was probably fated for them.

Life had other plans for her. It had signaled her out, set her apart, picked her to be single. She would never be alone as long as she had her clan and given that she would die for those women, she'd never be by herself in her lifetime.

"It's part of Greenacre," Samuel continued. "We could make a few smaller cabins in the woods, if your clan is willing to come."

Her people had homes. They trusted her to lead and protect them. They knew about her quest for justice, and they supported her in it, holding their small clan together while she was gone, but she couldn't involve them in a lie like this. She thought quickly and signed to Sophia, who tried her best to keep a neutral expression in front of those who scrutinized her.

"If Callisto is not alpha, they won't be willing to come."

Samuel didn't look at Lily again. He folded his hands in front of a steaming mug of tea like he'd expected that response. "I understand. We do have some resources to spare and anyone who would like to come is welcome. They would have to swear an oath of loyalty to me as alpha and learn our clan rules. We don't want war and we don't believe in harming or killing other shifters. As I said before, what about a gesture of peace?"

Callisto wasn't sure Samuel would ever get around to it, but her heart leapt dangerously as his foot edged towards that snare. She'd learned long ago not to broadcast what she felt and to control her emotions. Too much of anything was counterproductive and even dangerous.

"What if you were to take a mate here? If you were living and thriving here, would that not show your clan that it's safe to do the same?"

Callisto had worked fiercely for her lands, but playing along with this sham didn't mean she had to give them up. It would get her an in. She could say she was working towards better ends and still, her clan could refuse to come in the end.

She didn't confer with Sophia, even though she had to wonder what the hell was going on. That would only look like plotting.

She signed facing Samuel, but Sophia who could still see her hands and interpreted dutifully.

"It could take months."

"But you aren't opposed to taking a mate?" Lily finally jumped into the conversation. Her eyes swept from her to Sophia and then back to Samuel.

Callisto was so fucking opposed, but her flesh and blood brother and sister were here. Full blood. She'd never met them. It was also close to Pinefall, and that was what truly mattered.

"I'm opposed," Sophia spoke as Callisto signed. "But what choice does an alpha have? I will do this for my clan, as is my duty."

Callisto lowered her head in mock obeisance.

"You will swear an oath to me?" Samuel confirmed. "A blood oath?"

Her head shot up. Was there anything more binding? Words she could have uttered as lies, but her own blood wouldn't allow her to be false. Blood was sacred.

She breathed in sharply, considering what her vengeance was worth to her. Pinefall was its own clan. She might not be able to move against Greenacre if she swore an oath to Samuel, but she could still find some nefarious way to spread poison to Pinefall and take revenge against the people who had rejected her and left her for dead.

Under the table's edge, Sophia's hands moved quickly. Don't do this. This is not the way.

Callisto responded in rough, jerky movements. Tell him yes.

Before Sophia could respond, one of the burlier guards in the doorway shifted to make room for a third big man who had a youth trailing after him like a hopeful puppy. Even though the boy wasn't a carbon copy, anyone could tell he was the man's son.

Callisto froze. There was something about the big, rough giant that elicited a strange response from her body. She felt like she'd felt pinned on the ground, Samuel's teeth at her jugular again. Breathless. She'd been prepared for the pain and for the eventuality of darkness. She'd given her life for a cause so personal that it held her heart in tight claws. She could die, true to herself, her only regret, her unfulfilled mission.

A cold shiver swept through her, but it didn't feel like fangs pressed up against her neck. It felt hot and wild. Something entirely untamed and unthinkable.

The man was large and rough looking in body, as most male bear shifters were—- virtual giants who walked the earth when in human form—but his face was something else. It was godlike, beautiful, and youthful. A baby face, some might call it. His nose, cheekbones, and brow were finely formed. His jawline was stronger and heavier. His brown eyes were soft and the whole face was only enhanced by the soft dark brown curls that framed it. Uncontrolled and barely tamed. He wasn't smiling, but she could tell by the way his cheeks were shaped that if he did, they'd very likely dimple.

"Rory." Samuel stood up and grinned. "It's like I manifested you just by thinking of you."

That brought the giant up short. His curls bounced wildly as he stopped dead.

After years of living in it and fighting in it, after so many years spent preparing for this mission, training physically, and working hard every single day for the betterment of her clan, Callisto knew her body. She didn't understand the fission that rocked her blood and pounded through her ears.

"We were just discussing a mating as a measure of peace."

An imaginary clap of thunder boomed over her. Her head swam like she was trying to enter the land of the dead when she had no business being there. Her spirit was pulled in two directions as she understood.

This man. He was meant to be her mate.

Her senses were strong and sharp in any form, and he reeked of death when she drew in a sharp inhale. She could tell, from the look she shot Sophia, that the other woman understood this was man was to be her mate—should either of them accept such a ridiculous notion—but she didn't sense that undercurrent of blood.

What was he? A soldier? A mortician? Neither seemed right. Too much blood. Too casual. Greenacre wasn't at war. They valued peace with shifters and humans alike. There wouldn't be enough death to leave that ingrained scent of spilled lifeforce.

Butcher? Callisto's nostrils flared.

She was not getting mated to a fucking butcher.

Rory looked right at her. He tensed. He knew what she'd done, challenging his alpha, and his body slowly arranged itself into hard, hateful angles. He would like nothing more than to take her outside and thrash her soundly.

Try it, butcher. Just fucking try.

"This is- this is the woman who tried to kill you?"

That's right, Captain Fucking Obvious. Welcome to our match made in hell. Callisto kept her nasty thoughts away from her face and hands. If anything, the match would be platonic. This man clearly wanted nothing to do with her. The feeling was mutual. There was no way she would let a man like this on top of her or inside of her. Could she demand someone else? Would insulting Samuel's choice start a war within the clan?

If she wanted an in, this was it. She couldn't reject this man and hope for another. Not when she'd already come and declared outright war.

"Yes," Sam stated mildly. He covered Lily's tiny hand which was resting on top the table with his. "That's right."

Lily smiled back at Samuel, encouraging him gently. She believed this was right. She was the type of woman who was an utterly hopeless romantic.

Ugh, what kind of special brand of idiots were these people?

It made Callisto want to throw up right there on the floor. Her mug of tea sat on the table, the cream congealed in the dark, licorice-scented liquid. That made bile crawl up her throat all over again.

"M-mate?" Rory stammered, going red. "This woman doesn't need a mate. She needs to be punished. Locked up. Driven from this- this State."

Samuel made a noise, even though the goons at the door tried to nod in agreement. Lily's expression changed, growing distressed.

"That's not how we treat our guests," Samuel reproached Rory, but gently. "We have laws of hospitality to observe, but beyond that, this is not how we treat people. Not those who come bringing full blown war, and not those for whom life has beaten them down to the point of such desperation they have no other choice. We will never prove that we are people to be trusted and loved or that we can live our lives in harmony with the earth and with the people who walk it, if we practice harm and hate."

"There's that, but there's also common sense," Rory spat.

Again, the two goons obviously agreed, though they said nothing.

"If I asked this of you as your friend, would you turn me down?" Samuel wasn't playing some guilt trip game. He clearly wanted to know.

Say yes. Fucking say yes, you brute. Callisto kept her hands clenched in her lap, with some difficulty. She turned her face to Sophia, urging her to remain quiet. Say yes and have him choose another. He's clearly not going to send me away. Say yes because a life together, even a platonic one, would clearly be unbearable.

"You mean this match as a way to keep the peace? As an alliance?" Rory knew little of the circumstances, but a keen intelligence took over, chasing away the repugnance, anger, and hatred on his face. He no longer looked like he needed to do battle for his alpha. No, he respected Samuel so much, as friend and leader, that he would submit.

Callisto had the strong urge to laugh in his face. Samuel was not the kind of man to be feared, yet this man would bend down and lick his boots if he asked. Where was his spine? Why would he not stand up for himself? He could submit in the end and rail first, or just respectfully decline a match he so clearly didn't understand, believe in, or want.

Instead, he bent his head like the beaten dog he was not, because Samuel was clearly not that kind of man. He was merciful and gentle and good. He was firm, but fair. Raven was right. He was wise.

"If you asked it, you know I would agree, for the good of my children and of everyone else here."

A butcher, but not a monster.

The match would always remain distant and platonic. She could never grow to care for a man with such little spine. If she ever mated, and she knew she never truly would, she'd want a man who was fierce and half wild. Someone unafraid of her muteness and more importantly, unafraid of her power as alpha and of her keen mind. She was a warrior and a leader both. She knew no man would ever stand at her side, but if one such existed, it was not this one.

Samuel stood and the action prompted her to do the same.

She would submit herself to this match, whatever that meant. She would do what was required of her, because no sacrifice was too small for her to reach the ultimate goal. This way, she would know her brother and sister even though they'd have no idea who she truly was. She'd find a way to get close enough to Pinefall to burn it all down. This was now her best bet.

"Do you agree to a mating, to peace, and to an oath of loyalty?"

Sophia pleaded with her light blue eyes. She silently begged her not to do this. If Callisto remained here, then so would Sophia. She had no other means of communication beyond pencil and paper otherwise, but it wasn't that. Sophia was so loyal, they'd known each other for so long that they were like two halves of one body. Theirs was the kind of unconditional love that people spoke of when they talked about soulmates.

The concept of soulmates wasn't a romantic thing in Callisto's mind. A soulmate was someone who had a soul that so closely mirrored your own, it was reflected back. She would die for Sophia in a second, and Sophia would do anything for her. They were beyond best friends or even sisters.

Callisto had never imagined herself mated. There wasn't room in her heart for trivial things like love and romance.

She had no choice now. If she was willing to do anything to get what she wanted, then she had to do this.

Callisto nodded and made the signs. Sophia barely blinked back tears fast enough, but she found her voice when Callisto signed to her. "For the good of my clan, I agree to your terms."