A Love That Lasts Forever

Shane Hollister was not what Quinton had expected when he'd spoken to the man on the phone. Not only was he a gamma, older, with a touch of gray on the sides of his head, behind his ears, but he was also more laid back and far more congenial than Quinton would have expected from a member of the shifter council. Those he'd met previously had seemed pensive, stiff, and not at all what one could consider friendly.

This guy however, had greeted Quinton with a wide smile and an eager handshake as though they were meeting for afternoon tea rather than interrogating a suspected murder.

"Quinton Hallorann?" He asked as he extended his hand in friendly gesture.

Quinton nodded, accepting the offered hand.

"Fabulous." The other man beamed. "I'm Shane Hollister, representative from the shifter council, northern chapter."

"Pleasure to meet you." Quinton returned though not with as much enthusiasm.

"And you." Hollister said quickly, eager to get the pleasantries out of the way. "I understand you're holding a suspect in your brother's killing."

"That's right. An Omega from the Silver Moon pack."

Hollister made a face that showed his displeasure at the mention of Silver Moon. "Yes, I've had dealings with them before. Their Alpha isn't a very agreeable fellow."

"So I've heard."

"Well," Hollister sighed. "Might as well get this over with. Where is he being held?"

"This way." Quinton stretched an arm out in the direction of the hall to their left. "I have him in an interview room, waiting."

"Very good, shall we?"

***

Caleb sat at the large steel table, nervously wringing his hands. A beta with light brown hair and sad eyes had led him to the room and told him to sit. Caleb did as he was told. Maybe, he thought, if he cooperated, they'd allow him to see his pup. He could do that, play the good, obedient omega, if it meant being reunited with his child. That's all he cared about now. Seeing his pup again, and making sure he was alright. Though, Caleb didn't really think they would harm a child, but he couldn't be too careful. Especially with that brutish alpha that seemed to have it out for him.

The room they'd placed him in was a small, cold, gray, room with concrete floors and no windows. The only furniture in the room was the table, the chair he currently sat in, and two chairs on the opposite side of the table, facing him. It looked like the kind of interrogation room you might find in a human police station, only without the two way mirror that always seemed to be present in the television cop shows. Caleb sighed as he looked around the room. He figured it was meant to be intimidating. Well, at least they didn't have him cuffed to the table. He couldn't handle that. Shifters didn't like being restrained that way.

About twenty minutes later, the door to the room opened and Caleb felt himself tense up. The click of the lock echoed through the room as the door was eased open with the terrifying creak of a prison door.

He watched as the pack's Alpha, Quin was his name, stepped into the room then pulled out one of the metal chairs across from him and sat down. Another man came in after him, taking the seat to Quin's left. This second man wasn't near as frightening as the Alpha. He was a gamma, Caleb could tell that at once. He had dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and wore a brown suit. The man smiled, then laid a black brief case on the table, opened it, and withdrew a legal pad and a pen.

"I'm Shane." The gamma said as he made eye contact with Caleb. "Let's start with your name."

He held the pen over the paper and waited for Caleb to answer.

Caleb blinked, took in a deep breath, then said, "Caleb Giles, of Silver Moon." His voice came out in a shaky, almost inaudible, whisper.

"Excellent. Now, Caleb, can you tell us why you came to Black River?"

Caleb nodded slowly. "Rhys and I were running from the Silver Moon betas. Rhys grew up here. He said his brother, the Alpha, would help us."

Quinton huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at Caleb. "My brother would never help a Silver Moon shifter, omega or not." He barked. "The brats obviously lying."

"Alpha Hallorann, please." Shane gave the alpha a stern glance and Quinton growled low, under his breath.

Shane ignored him, returning his attention to Caleb. "Now, you say that you were running. That seems a bit odd, don't you think? Running from your birth pack. What was it, I wonder, that you were running from, exactly?"

Caleb stiffened. He looked between the two men. The Alpha was still staring at him, his face twisted into an angry scowl. Shane seemed indifferent, scribbling away on his note pad as he spoke.

"We were running from my Alpha." Caleb told him. "Seth Bowden. He'd paid Rhys to find me and return me to Silver Moon."

"Paid him to find you?" Shane looked to Quinton for explanation.

"Rhys worked as a bounty hunter. Mostly for other packs, tracking down shifters who'd been accused of some crime then escaped custody. He'd worked a few human jobs as well, but not many."

"I see." Shane went back to his legal pad, making more notes, then looked back to Caleb. Shane placed the pen gently on the table then laid his hands next to his legal pad, fingers laced together as he smiled, eyes locked on Caleb.

Caleb cringed. The man looked friendly, harmless really, but there was something in his expression that made Caleb uneasy. A voice in the back of his mind growled a warning, he's no friend of yours. Don't trust him!

"Now Caleb," Shane began, the corners of his lips twisting upward into a friendly-ish smile, but his eyes were cold as ice. Caleb slouched back some in his seat, his hackles raised. "If you were running from your Alpha then that can mean only one of two things. One, you were fleeing punishment for some misdeed, or two, this whole thing was a ruse, a ploy concocted by your Alpha as a means to gain entry to Black River. Personally, I think it's the latter. So, why don't you tell us the truth Caleb, what is really going on here?"

Caleb blinked, unsure of what to say. Misdeed? Was he implying that Caleb was a criminal? That was ludicrous but what was even more insane was the idea that Caleb could have been plotting anything. He was an omega for crying out loud! Omega's were bread to be docile, obedient, and gentle. They were nurturers. Omegas didn't plot or scheme. How could this man even think something like that?

Caleb shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe this was happening. More than ever he wished Rhys was there to speak for him but he wasn't, and never would be again. Caleb was alone now, and he had to fend for himself. Maybe before he would have caved, taken whatever punishment he was given, too scared and defeated to stand up for himself but not now. He had his pup to think about. Omegas could be strong if they had to be. In fact, when it came to their pups, omegas could be down right fierce.

Caleb looked up, locking eyes with the man which caused Shane to sit back in his seat, obviously surprised by this sudden display of strength. He didn't look angry though, more amused than anything. Caleb was an anomaly to him and he was curious to see how this played out. Quinton was curious as well. He narrowed his eyes and watched as Caleb began to speak.

"I can assure you, Sir, that neither scenario is true. I'm neither a criminal, nor a conspirator. For that matter, my pack had no interest in Black River before all this happened. I came here, we came here, because my mate Rhys, was born into this pack and he knew we would be safe here. At least, that's what he thought. We'd been on the run for too long and with a new born, well, it was time to stop running. Rhys was just trying to be a good mate and a good father. He wanted to protect us."

Caleb glanced towards Quinton as he told them this last bit, driving home the fact that he was not an enemy and that he had showed up on Black River's door step in search of help. He hoped this information would trigger some protective instinct that all alphas seemed to possess though, looking at Quinton now, it only seemed to make him more suspicious.

Quinton huffed. "You don't really expect us to believe this convoluted story of yours do you? Why would my brother go on the run with a pregnant omega? Especially one that he was paid to track down and apprehend? It makes no damn sense!"

"Maybe not to you." Caleb leaned forward and glared at Quinton. He was suddenly angry at the alpha and if he'd been alone with him he might have reached across the table and slapped him. "Rhys was a decent man, and a better alpha than you!" He seethed. "You're the pack Alpha but where is your loyalty? We came here for help and you're treating me like a criminal!"

"My loyalty is to my pack." Quinton growled.

"I am your pack!" Caleb raised his voice, surprising both Quinton as well as Shane. "Rhys was my mate, I bore his pup! Now that Rhys is dead his responsibility to protect us falls to you but instead you lock me up, separate me from my pup, and even threaten me! What kind of man are you? You're a terrible excuse for a shifter and an even worse Alpha. Rhys would be ashamed of you!"

Quinton stood suddenly, kicking the chair out from behind him. It skidded across the floor and hit the door with a loud clank before falling over onto its side. "I've heard enough of his lies." He growled, his face red with anger. He leaned across the table, propped on his hands like a cop staring down a suspect he'd just arrested.

"Not lies." Caleb said through gritted teeth, not taking his eyes off the Alpha. "It's the truth. We came here for your help." Caleb felt tears sting his eyes suddenly and he wanted to slap himself for showing even the faintest hint of weakness. He was angry but he was also hurt. Rhys trusted this man. He trusted him to protect his mate and child but that trust was misplaced it seemed, and Caleb's heart sank. If he couldn't find sanctuary within the Black River pack, then what did that mean for him and his pup?

Quinton pushed away from the table, crossing his arms over his chest as he huffed. "I know my brother better than you." He said, staring the little wolf down. "He would never, never, willingly mate Silver Moon trash. If your claim is true, and he did father your pup, then you threw yourself at him like a bitch in heat! You are not worthy of this pack and you are certainly not worthy of my brother! Rhys is dead. He's dead because of you! You may not have fired the shot that killed him but you led him to his death. If not for you, he would still be alive."

Caleb sunk down in his seat, unable to stop the tears from falling now. The Alpha's words had cut him to the core. He couldn't argue. What the man said was true. If Rhys had never met Caleb, he would still be alive. Caleb couldn't deny that and the guilt he felt was eating him up but how could he have known what would happen? Caleb knew he wasn't the ideal mate for Rhys but circumstance had brought them together. Rhys only did what he felt was right and in the end had paid with his life.

"You're right." Caleb said, his voice soft and weak. "It's my fault he's dead. If he'd never met me, if he hadn't tried to help me, he'd still be alive. But I swear to you, I never intended for any of this to happen. I'm not a criminal. I'm just an omega. Maybe," He wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "Maybe, in the beginning, I used him. I was terrified of being taken back to my pack so I appealed to his protective nature. I begged him to help me. Rhys was an honorable man and when he realized why Silver Moon wanted me back he couldn't, in good conscious, just turn me over so we ran. He was only trying to help me."

Quinton narrowed his eyes. "So you admit that you trapped him?"

Caleb looked up. The expression on his face went from guilt to anger. "Trapped?" He hissed through clenched jaw. "I love him! He was there for me when no one else was. He treated me like a person, he loved me and I loved him. Our mating may not have been traditional or even official but it was real. I never trapped him, we fell in love!"

Quinton shook his head as he laughed bitterly. "You're a great actor. For a second, I almost believed you but you left one giant hole in your story."

"Yeah?" Caleb growled, shocking the other men in the room. "And what is that?"

"You were a mark." Quinton answered smugly. "A job. Nothing more. And Rhys would never have fallen in love with a mark. He knew better. He was a professional. You think you're the first Omega to use seduction to get out of trouble? He might have fucked you, but he never loved you, and you're a fool if you really think he did. You were nothing but a pay check to him and if he got a free piece of ass out of the deal, all the better. But he would have turned you over in an instant to collect his bounty. Make no mistake about that."

Quinton smiled wickedly when he saw the hurt expression that settled over the omega's soft features. "My theory is that once Silver Moon discovered what a little slut you are they reneged on payment. The only thing that kept Rhys from dumping you on the side of the road and leaving your ass behind was the fact that you had gotten yourself pregnant. Nice tactic by the way. You planned that out perfectly but don't think it's going to save you now. As far as I'm concerned, you killed my brother and you will pay for what you did to him. I'll make sure of it."

Shane, who had remained silent during this exchange sighed and turned to Quinton. "Alpha Hallorann, may I speak to you in the hall please?"

Quinton nodded and the two men left the room, leaving Caleb alone and terrified. Quinton was hell bent on getting justice for his brother's death. Justice, or revenge, Caleb wasn't sure which it was. He wasn't sure of a lot at this point except one thing. He was in some serious trouble and there was absolutely no one that he could turn to for help now.

***

Shane closed the large metal door once they were in the hall and turned to Quinton. "I see there is quite a bit of animosity between the two of you, perhaps it would be better if I were to question the boy alone."

Quinton scowled. "As Alpha, I have the right to be present for the interrogation. It was my brother who was killed and it's my pack he's attempting to infiltrate."

Shane rubbed at his temples, clearly frustrated with the situation. "Be that as it may, you're obviously too close to the situation. You're emotions are clouding your judgment. Verbally attacking and threatening this omega is not the best way to get answers out of him. He's too intimidated by you to answer my questions truthfully. I think it would be best if you took a step back and allowed me to proceed on my own. I really feel I can get more information out of him this way."

Quinton paced back and forth in front of the door as he considered what Shane was telling him. Finally, he turned back to the gamma and nodded, reluctantly. "I'll allow it, but I want a full report when you're done."

"Naturally." Shane smiled though his smile was forced and cold. This man was all business. Quinton wondered if he even had the capacity for emotion or if he was some wolf-robot hybrid. "I'll keep you informed of my findings." He stated, mechanically.

"Good. In the mean time, I'm going to see what else I can dig up on this omega. There's something we're missing here. Why would the Silver Moon Alpha pay a bounty hunter to track down a worthless omega?"

Shane raised an eyebrow, nodding thoughtfully. "Perhaps he's not as worthless as we first thought."

...

Quinton couldn't think of any good reason the Silver Moon Alpha would have for wanting Caleb back so desperately. It's not as though omegas were important members of the pack. At least not as far as Silver Moon was concerned. Quinton had heard stories about how they treated their omegas and it wasn't good. They were barely more than slaves.

As much as he hated the little omega sitting in the interrogation room, he would never treat a member of his own pack so cruelly, omega or not.

According to what he did know, and that was mostly through pack wide rumors, Silver Moon had a bad habit of exploiting their members, using their skills to bring in money that never seemed to benefit the pack directly. Seth Bowden, their Alpha, was cruel and extremely selfish. He'd throw his own family under the bus to save his own skin and, according to some, has in fact done just that.

Quinton wondered what relationship Caleb had to Bowden. Not his mate certainly. From what Quinton knew, Bowden was mated to a beta wolf named Sabrina. Quinton had never met either of them but it was widely whispered that Sabrina was just as cold hearted as her mate and only agreed to mate him for power and money. She had quite expensive tastes, from what he'd heard, and had no problem stepping on lower pack members to maintain her life style.

Bowden and his mate were a disgrace. The pack leaders place was to care for and protect their pack and that included every member of the pack, not just the wealthy. Bowden didn't care about his pack though, only what he could get out of them. He let the poor starve and live in broken down dumps while he and his mate owned a mansion and lived high of the hog. It was a wonder that no one had challenged the man for leadership of the pack. They certainly couldn't do any worse.

Quinton definitely needed to look into the case of this omega a bit more but Rhys notes were so vague. That wasn't like Rhys. He wasn't too meticulous when it came to his note taking, but his notes were usually more detailed. For instance, he had next to nothing when it came to the omega's family history and back ground. There was also no mention of his actual importance to the pack. Why did Bowden want him back so bad? What was it about this omega that made him so damn special? As far as Quinton could tell, he was just your run of the mill omega.

Quinton grumbled under his breath as he made his way back to his office, slumping down in the office chair. His desk was overflowing with paper work that he'd neglected, irresponsibly, since learning about Rhys death and the mysterious omega that was somehow involved. Quinton looked over the stacks of forms, folders, and reports that should have been the focus of his attention, and sighed. There, among the rest of the clutter, was the file pertaining to Caleb. Quinton knew he should have turned it over to Hollister but he couldn't. This was Rhys work. His personal work. It belonged in the pack and not in the hands of the shifter council.

Quinton opened the folder and stared at the quickly scribbled notes. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that shed any light on the omega and Silver Moons claim on him. Rhys wouldn't have taken on a job that he knew he'd be going into blind. He would have demanded more information than what was in that file. Quinton was missing something, but what? What had Rhys been trying to hide?

***

Caleb watched, curiously, as Shane Hollister reentered the room, this time alone. He took his seat across from Caleb, the same as he had the first time he'd come in and introduced himself though this time, the friendly smile he sported was gone. He stared across the table and Caleb noted the way the mans eyes raked over him suspiciously, almost accusingly. Shane frowned as he folded his hands neatly on the table top and leaned forward. Caleb felt an icy chill run down his spine and he wondered, maybe a bit foolishly, if he'd been better off with Quinton.

"So, why don't you start telling me the truth." Hollister said, his voice dark and low, almost menacing. "You and I both know that you've been feeding us a line of bull. I want the truth out of you, and I want it now."

Caleb inches away from the man. Every instinct in his body was telling him that this man was a danger. Maybe not physically, he was a gamma after all, but there was something threatening in the way he spoke. Caleb shivered. He didn't like this man, not at all.