My Mate Is An Omega
Chapter 58

Caleb

POV

My gaze shifted between Caitlyn, the bear, and the warlock as I tried to process what was going on. f**k! This was not what I had planned at all!

The night after I lost the challenge against the stray because of my wolf's stubbornness, I finally managed to get him to cooperate with me. Although he didn't really do much to stop me from rejecting our mate, he wasn't willing to lose her. Once she left Ninebark, Boris was adamant that dying would be better than staying with me, but seeing her again and realizing we couldn't get her back because of his weakness, he decided to listen to me.

As a Gamma, I was a natural strategist, which made it easy for me to come up with the perfect plan. It was quite simple, and the first thing we had to do was get back in shape. I knew werewolves usually didn't remain sane for long upon becoming rogue. Without a pack, a hierarchy, and a strong leader to follow, our animal side will slowly take over, consuming out humanity until none of it is left. However, I suspected I would be able to last at least a month on my own without becoming an irrational beast. During that time, I spent most of my days in wolf form. My main methods of working out were hunting prey to fill my stomach, as well as chasing down and killing other rogues. I would only return to my human form to train; I would punch tree trunks until my knuckles were bleeding, and lift rocks until my shoulders dislocated. Strangely enough, the pain helped me not lose sight of my goals. Then, all I had to do was track the sleuth that had been attacking my rejected mate's new pack and convince them I could help them.

I didn't know what the bears wanted at first, but I knew they were at war with Diamond Tempest, which meant we had a common enemy. Being sensitive sniffers, a few bear guards found me at the border of their territory. I could have easily beaten them if I were at full strength, but since I wasn't, I had to shift back and use words to make them believe I could be useful. Thankfully, bears weren't the brightest creatures, so it didn't take long for me to convince them to bring me to their leader.

When I met Alpha Maximus and learned about his plans, I couldn't quite believe my ears. As it turned out, the bears weren't seeking to destroy my mate's pack. They just wanted to get their hands on a powerful creature they referred to as "The Original." I didn't really care about the details, but when he told me that the wolf they were looking for was an orphan, I realized it would be simpler to show them how useful I could be than I initially thought. After all, I knew a stray who fit the description pretty well. And I immediately understood that the Goddess herself had to be offering me a chance to fix my mistakes.

I gave them all of the information I had about Lancaster, and we started working on a plan to get to him. It was flawless; once the rebound was out of the picture, the bears would leave Diamond Tempest alone, which meant my princess would be safe. Once the stray was no longer useful to the sleuth, I would kill him and claim his title, thus giving me the right to rule by his Luna's side. She knew me better than anyone else; I was sure she would forgive me. Then, we would finally be together like it was always meant to be. But I didn't count on the fucker not being who they were looking for. And I certainly didn't expect my sweet little Omega to be the one.

s**t! None of this was supposed to happen! Why did nothing ever go right for me? It didn't matter; this was just a set back. My priority was to protect Caitlyn, which shouldn't be too hard. I was certain Maximus was wrong.

"She can't be The Original," I stated adamantly, breaking the silence. The bear immediately turned to me, anger shining in his yellow eyes, but I held my ground. "I know her, as I know her mother. She is not the orphan you're after."

"Yes, she is," the warlock retorted. A low growl almost escaped my throat; I never liked that man. He lifted his hand, pointing his index finger at my mate, who was still frozen in her place. The next second, a bright yellow glow surrounded her, making her gasp in fear. "Her aura doesn't lie."

"But it seems that her mother does." Maximus chuckled, too amused by the situation.

He took another step closer to Caitlyn, towering over her. Boris was growling in my head, ready to defend our mate, but I had to hold him back. I wanted to keep her safe, and I knew the best way to do that would be to not reveal our connection to the bear; if he knew she was my fated partner, he would probably end us both. However, it was incredibly hard to stand still while I watched him roughly place his index finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. I was about to give in to my wolf's desires, but it seemed my mate didn't need saving. Despite the hint of fear in her eyes, she stared right back at him as she pulled away from his touch.

The weak Omega... she had turned into a powerful Luna. Had she always been this strong?

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Her angelic voice was full of hatred, her cautious gaze never leaving her enemy. "But you must be delusional if you think I will give you anything. For one thing, I came here to retrieve what you stole from me - my mate." The determination she had to rescue the pathetic stray made me boil with anger, but I also felt a pinch of pain at her betrayal. I shook my head, reminding myself that her feelings for him would go away soon. Once we had a chance to talk, she would come back to me. She had to. I was the one picked especially by the Goddess to be hers only.

"I admire your bravery, little she-wolf." The bear laughed. "You're cute. If you cooperate with me, I might just let you see the fleabag again before I get rid of him. All you have to do is share your powers with me."

"What powers? I don't have what you want!" she yelled, losing her patience.

"You and my bastard nephew have no idea who you truly are, huh? The most clueless couple in werewolf history." Maximus grinned, finally stepping away from her. "You're lucky that I'm feeling patient today. Sit down and let me tell you a story."

He glanced at the warlock, who didn't hesitate before snapping his fingers. In the blink of an eye, a chair magically appeared behind the girl. The next second, he used his powers to push her against the chair. The tough metal cuffs attached to the arm chairs wrapped around her wrists, securing her in place. s**t! This was escalating quickly. I was running out of time to find a way to get her out of here.

"Werewolves were the first shifters to exist in the supernatural world. As you might know, they were created by witches under the order of the most powerful kings to stop the vampires, who were spreading terror across the lands," the bear started casually while my mate struggled to break free, with no such luck. "A total of ten humans were turned into werewolves back then. There were two Alphas, two Betas, two Gammas, two Deltas, and lastly, two Omegas. Together, they formed the first pack in history - the original werewolves." For the first time, Caitlyn stopped moving, showing interest in his speech. A mischievous smile lit up his face as he noticed it. "They were in charge of turning other humans, giving them a fraction of their powers so they could shift into huge beasts. But they had their own pups, too. The descendents from the original couples were as strong as their parents, since they inherited the abilities through blood."

"What does that have to do with me?!" The Luna barked impatiently.

"I'm getting there." For the first time, Maximus furrowed his brows. "You see, the originals and their offspring were basically werewolves, but better. They were faster, stronger. They could even heal quicker than non-original wolves."

"Then you definitely have the wrong person," I chimed in, taking advantage of the opportunity I was given. "She's just an Omega! She's always been an Omega!" From the corner of my eyes, I noticed her frowning at me. If only she knew that I was only trying to protect her.

"I never said she wasn't one," the bear replied, taking me by surprise. "As I mentioned, there was a couple consisting of each of the main ranks in a pack among the originals. They thrived for centuries until other beings of the supernatural realm learned about their powers. Vampires, demons, shifters... they all started to hunt the descendents of the first family of werewolves, starting with the strongest of them - the ones who had original Alpha blood. Then the Betas, and Gammas. Most of them killed themselves, afraid that their powers would be used by the wrong people. In the end, only the Omegas were left." He looked straight into Caitlyn's eyes. "And you, Luna, are the last living Original."

"Let's say you're right..." I could hear her heart beating fast, but she hid her hesitation well. "How do you intend to use my powers? Are you gonna use some form of mind control to turn me into your personal soldier?"

"It's much simpler than that, actually. You see, the humans who were turned by the first werewolves only received a fraction of their power. But if born-shifters were bitten by an original, their natural abilities would be enhanced." The sinister grin was back to his face, and it sent chills down my spine. "All you have to do is give me your bite, and I might just set you free."

"Even if I did believe your crazy story, I would never help you!" she spat. Her audacity left Maximus stunned. "You murdered my family! My friends! You must be out of your f*****g mind if you think I would ever do anything for you!" I don't think I had ever heard Caitlyn curse before; it surprised me more than the insanity I was living.

"Oh, but you will. I don't care if I have to force you," the leader threatened in an intimidating tone before turning to me. His unexpected attention made me gasp as I immediately straightened my posture. "Good job, wolfie. In one way or another, you did bring me The Original. Now, lead her to the cage and lock her up. From now on, you will be guarding her," he instructed me, and I almost sighed in relief; it would be easier this way. "Let me know if she breaks. Until then, I will personally torture her mate. Hopefully, it will be a good incentive to speed things up." His eyes landed on Caitlyn once again before he turned around to leave.

As he did, two bears showed up, heading straight for the Luna. Again, I had to remind myself to wait; once we were alone, I would be able to help her. The guards easily broke the metal chains, holding her arms tightly as she screamed and cursed at them. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn't break free; they were much stronger than her. I merely accompanied them in silence, processing how everything got terribly out of hand.

After they successfully threw her onto a cell with silver bars, one of them turned to me. "We'll be right outside if you have any problems, but I trust you should at least be able to handle a female." He smirked, while the other one laughed. Bears were so full of themselves.

I watched them close the door behind them, leaving only Caitlyn and I in the room sculpted into the rock. I had been dreaming about our reunion for a long time, but I just couldn't face her. This wasn't how I had planned for us to meet. Even without looking at her, I could feel her anger, which made me more hesitant. How was I supposed to make her see my side of the story now?

"How could you?" Her faint voice caused me to open my eyes. It was full of resentment, but also... hurt?

"I didn't know they were after you," I replied regretfully, not fully understanding what she meant.

"But you thought it was him," she accused. "And you wanted to take him away from me. Why do you hate me so much, Caleb?"

"I don't!" I finally turned around, exasperated. When my eyes locked on hers, I felt butterflies in my stomach. "I love you, Caitlyn. I-"

"You rejected me!" she screamed angrily, making me wince. "How dare you lie straight to my face! After everything you put me through!"

"I'm not lying! I do love you!" I insisted, sighing. "I've always loved you, Cait, but I couldn't show it to you. I couldn't have-"

"An Omega as your mate. I know. You made it clear the day I turned eighteen." The memory made my heart ache. I had gone too far, but I didn't expect her to give me up so easily. We were mates! Shouldn't she fight for me?

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

To my surprise, she started laughing hysterically. "You're sorry? That's all you have to say?" I saw hatred in her eyes, which caused Boris to whimper inside my head. "I would have forgiven you, Caleb. I truly would. You didn't want me as your mate? That's fine! I even agreed with you for a while; I thought you deserved someone better than me."

"There's no one better for me-"

"But why couldn't you just let me go? The challenge, and helping the bears? What have I ever done to you?"

"I wanted to at first, but then I realized... we were meant to be together!" I instinctively wrapped my hands around the bars, only to be burnt by the silver and immediately retreat. For once, Caitlyn seemed relieved to be inside the cell, but I ignored it. "I knew you would never be truly happy without me, so I came up with a plan to win you back. It doesn't seem like a good one now, but I'll fix it. I'll get you out of here, and I'll take care of you. I promise I will give you the world."

I expected her to either be angry at me or touched by my determination to love her. Instead, she lowered her head in defeat, looking away from me. A single tear ran down her face as the first sob escaped her lips. Again, I felt the desire to be near her, but remembered I couldn't. Then, a sad smile lit up her face.

"I already have the world. Lance gave it to me." She gently rubbed her hand over her stomach. I watched her graceful figure as she sat on the floor, anxiously waiting for her next words - but I wasn't truly prepared to hear them. "I'm pregnant, Caleb." All of the air escaped my lungs as my world fell apart right before my eyes. It couldn't be true. I turned away from her, pacing around the room in a trance. She was pregnant! From him! "No, no, no..."

However, the worst part was that, after a few minutes of denial, it finally dawned on me - I had blamed her for every single one of my misfortunes, when I was the rock in my own shoe all along. I thought she was sad and hurting. I thought she still wanted me, needed me, like I needed her. All this time, I thought she would be happy once I came to her rescue... but it turned out she had already been saved. I was just too blind to see it. My crazy schemes would never work, because what I had done was far beyond forgiveness.

Pain struck me when I glanced back at her. She was crying on the floor, completely broken. This is all I would ever be able to give her - pain, sadness, destruction. I had ruined everything for her, as I had ruined everything for me. More than anyone, she wanted me to be happy, and all I did was hurt her. But there was one thing I still could save.

Her pup.

"I'll get you out of here." I whispered.

She stopped crying, lifting her face up to stare at me in confusion. "What?"

"I'll break you out, and you can..." As much as it pained me to say it, I pushed through. "Find him."

"Is this a trick?" She blinked a few times, unable to believe me.

I shook my head. "No. I will never play you again, Caitlyn." She seemed to notice the truth behind my words. "Let me fix what I still can."

With a deep breath, I wrapped my hands around the silver bars again. I closed my eyes as I felt my skin burning, doing my best to hold back my screams. Refusing to let go, I used all of my strength to try and pull the door open by force.

"Let me help you."

"No!" I yelled, panting. "He said... The Originals... are more sensitive to silver," I clarified, still struggling to break the lock. "It will cause you... too much pain." Besides, I deserved to suffer.

For what seemed like hours, it felt as if the flames of hell were consuming me, but in the end, it was worth it. The cell door finally burst open.

Sadly, my relief only lasted for a second, as an alarm went off.

I immediately knew the guards would be here in a second, and I doubted Caitlyn would be able to defend herself against them. Could I even beat them? I had gotten part of my strength back, but I wasn't as strong as the Gamma warrior I used to be. Could I really defeat them?

"We have to." I hadn't seen Boris so determined in a long time. "We have to at least try. It's the only way we can redeem ourselves..." he observed, and for the first time since I rejected our mate, I agreed with him. Even if I knew he didn't expect us to survive.

"Go. Find him." I looked straight into her eyes, placing my hands over her shoulders. She stiffened, but didn't push me away. "He's in the dungeon right next to this room. Maximus said he would be torturing him, but I think it was just a strategy to get you to do what he wanted. He hasn't touched the str- Lance since he arrived."

Her eyes glistened with joy, and it was the best reward I could get. However, their shine soon faded away. "What about you?"

My heart throbbed in my chest. Somehow, she was still concerned about me. I wanted to appreciate the moment, but the sound of the door opening reminded me there was no time left.

"I'll hold them off."

"You'll die!" It was impossible to ignore the truth.

I heard the sound of the bears growling as they came for us, but I allowed myself to waste one more second. I pressed my lips against her forehead, feeling the sparks of the mate bond running through my body like electricity. I doubted she could feel it, but it brought me joy. To my surprise, there was no anger in her eyes when I pulled away - only compassion.

"If I do, at least I'll go in peace knowing you'll be safe... and happy. I can only hope it'll be enough for you to forgive me," I concluded, turning away and giving my wolf control.

Boris sank his teeth into one of the bears' shoulders as soon as he was freed. The creature howled in pain, but it didn't take long for its friend to pull me away from him. We gave them all we got, enduring the agony as our blood oozed from our torn skin. We would fight 'till our last breath. We would fight for her. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her running out the door. The relief made the pain a little more tolerable. She stopped just before disappearing, flashing me one last glance that I understood too well. And as the lights faded, I smiled.