A Love That Lasts Forever

Quinton directed Caleb to a chair in the back of the room. He sat, quietly, Rylan nestled safely in his arms. He'd been nervous at first. Still was. But it wasn't quite as bad as he'd imagined. Caleb had pictured the council chambers to be some elaborate and intimidating room with shinning marble floors and ornate tapestries lining a massive hall concealed within an imposing castle or mansion.

To his surprise though, they'd pulled up outside what appeared to be a small warehouse. Nothing spectacular. In fact, it wasn't much different from the other buildings they'd passed on the way. He looked to Quinton, questioningly.

"This is it." Quinton said, flashing Caleb a nervous smile.

"This?" Caleb asked, a look of confusion settling on his young face. "It's so...normal."

Quinton chuckled. "Were you expecting Dracula's castle?" He asked as he exited the jeep.

Caleb shrugged. "Yeah, actually I was."

The inside of the building was as unremarkable as the outside. A female receptionist met them at the front entrance then led them through a maze of small offices to the back of the building where they were quickly ushered into what looked like a small boardroom.

At least, it's what Caleb assumed a boardroom would look like. He'd never actually been in one but had heard about them from other pack members. Every pack house had one though the one at Silver Moon was only used on rare occasions when they had to host visiting pack leaders.

This room wasn't tiny but it wasn't anywhere near as big as Caleb had expected. There were six chairs along the back wall. Three to the right of the door and three to the left. It was in one of the chairs to the right where Caleb was seated.

The chairs weren't anything special either. Or overly comfortable. Just plain white, plastic chairs that looked to be about a decade out of style. That didn't surprise Caleb in the least though. Wolves hated change and they weren't known for modernization. Caleb had half expected to find wooden benches instead of plastic chairs.

The table that was sat in the center of the room wasn't what he'd expected either. Maybe his mind set was a bit too medieval because he'd expected something more imposing such as a large, heavy, oak table with matching chairs. What he found though was a six foot conference table with a steel frame and wood table top. Ten black office chairs were placed around the table, five on each side, and an open lap top sat at the center seat where Caleb assumed the head councilman would sit.

Quinton took a seat at the end of the table. He turned and gave Caleb a reassuring smile, mouthing the word "relax". Caleb nodded and let out a breath. Rhylan squirmed against his chest and he instinctively patted the pup's back to calm him. Only a few minutes passed before the door once again opened and a group of men entered the room, each of them taking their respective seats around the table.

Most of the men he'd never seen before but he instantly stiffened when he saw Seth Bowden enter the room with his younger brother Jase trailing in sluggishly behind him. Seth shot Caleb an angry glare before taking his seat but Jase didn't even acknowledge Caleb's presence.

The last men to enter the room were Shane Hollister, whom Caleb had already met at Black River, and Zev Kavanagh, Quinton's head of security and Rusty's mate. Zev closed the door then walked to the chair beside Caleb and sat down. Caleb looked at him, a bit uncertain as to what was going to happen now. Zev silently nodded in the direction of the table of men. Caleb understood at once. He turned his attention back to the councilmen and waited for the meeting to begin.

Shane Hollister was the first one to stand and address the others. "Gentlemen, my name is Shane Hollister and I have been assigned as the investigating agent in the matter at hand. I've met with both Silver Moon and Black River Alphas and have spoken with Mr. Giles as well his family and of course, with Jase Bowden, to whom Mr. Giles had contracted with to mate." Hollister shuffled through a small stack of papers sitting on the table in front of him as he continued.

"Alpha Bowden and his brother have brought allegations against Black River in the matter of the Omega, Caleb Giles. The complaint is as follows. Rhys Hallorann, the deceased, was in breach of contract with the Silver Moon pack when he failed to deliver the omega, Caleb Giles, to Alpha Bowden as he was hired to do and accepted payment for. Rhys Hallorann further violated the terms of his contract with Alpha Bowden by breeding said omega resulting in the birth of a pup and rendering said omega invaluable."

"Invaluable?" Quinton sneered at the man. "You make it sound as though he's damaged goods."

"Isn't he?" Seth Bowden raised an eyebrow as he glared at Quinton. "What purpose does a used up omega have?"

"I'd hardly call him used up." Quinton shot back. "You act as though he's a piece of machinery rather than a person. If anything, he's shown his worth in that he's young, healthy, and fertile. I wouldn't consider that invaluable."

Bowden leaned forward in his chair and locked eyes with Quinton. "I contracted with his father for an untouched omega. I was assured that my brother would be mating a virgin. Because of your brothers actions the omega has been soiled and is no longer worth what I paid for him." He turned his attention to Hollister now, frowning, as he sat back against his chair. "I expect to be compensated for the loss and to have my property returned to me."

"Property!" Quinton was on his feet suddenly, glaring hard at Bowden. "This is a person we're talking about! A living, breathing, intelligent being, not live stock!"

Bowden smirked. "An omega is no more an intelligent being than a common dog. The only value he has is whats between his legs and now, thanks to your brother, that's been compromised."

"You're a disgusting excuse for an Alpha!" Quinton growled. "It's no wonder Caleb ran from your pack!"

"Alpha Hallorann." Hollister turned to look at Quinton, his expression stern. "You will control yourself during these proceedings or I'll have you removed."

"It's an injustice the way Silver Moon views omegas. You can't expect me to just sit here and say nothing." Quinton argued. He turned to face Hollister, planting his hands palms down on the table top as he braced himself against the table and blew out an exasperated breath.

"That's exactly what I expect you to do." Hollister said flatly. "This is an official inquiry, not a dog fight, now please, sit down so we may continue."

Quinton took his seat again, though reluctantly, but he managed to bite back any further argument. For now.

Bowden grinned smugly. Quinton wanted to rip the mans throat out but that wouldn't do any of them any good. Other than making Quinton feel slightly better about the situation.

"That's better." Hollister eyed Quinton sternly. "Now, as I was saying, due to the actions of Rhys Hallorann, the Silver Moon pack has suffered a loss that, as Alpha Bowden stated, requires compensation."

"What about our loss?" Quinton asked, narrowing his eyes as he stared the gamma down. "My brother was murdered by Bowden's men. We lost a valued member of our pack. Caleb lost his mate, and his pup lost his father. What about that? Does the loss of life mean nothing?"

"Of course not, but that is another matter entirely." The focus of the room was shifted to the greyed haired wolf seated at the center of the table. Zev immediately tensed at the sound of the mans voice.

Quinton's jaw dropped. "Councilman Kavanagh, how can you say that. The two issues are entirely related. The Silver Moon betas used unnecessary and deadly force in an attempt to apprehend a defenseless omega and his protector. Any reasonable Alpha would have allowed them to cross into Black River lands and then went through the proper channels and asked for Caleb's return."

"The proper channels? Please." Bowden scoffed. "You and I both know that you would have refused any request I made to retrieve my property."

Quinton sighed, frustrated. "You never even considered it an option. You chose to have your betas murder my brother rather than attempt a compromise."

"There is no compromise to be made!" Bowden snarled, raising his voice to a pitch that earned him a disapproving look from Hollister. "Black River stole that omega from my pack and I want him returned, immediately!"

Lorcan Kavanagh, the head chair, turned to Quinton. "Alpha Hallorann, are you prepared to return the omega to the Silver Moon pack?"

Quinton leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest as he considered the question. "I'm prepared to allow Caleb to do as he wishes. If he chooses not to return to his birth pack I won't force him to."

"It's not his choice." Bowden rolled his eyes, exasperated. "I signed a contract with his father. He belongs to Silver Moon and more to the point, he belongs to my brother, Jase Bowden."

"And what are Jase's intentions with him if he were returned to you?" Quinton turned to Bowden now, putting the question to him.

Bowden shrugged. "What my brother chooses to do with his mate is up to him and him alone. I don't see why it should matter to you."

"It matters!" Quinton growled, "According to our customs, as the widowed mate of my brother, a member of the Black River pack, he is now not only my pack mate but also my responsibility, as is his child."

Quinton turned to the council and spoke to them calmly, imploringly. "Gentlemen, I can not, in good conscience, hand over a member of my pack without knowing that he will be well cared for and not forced into an abusive situation."

"And do you have reason to believe that the omega will be treated unjustly?" This time it was a different councilman who spoke. A younger alpha but with no less authority than the elder members.

"I do." Quinton addressed the man calmly, but his voice and expression held serious undertones. "Caleb has expressed great fear of returning to Silver Moon pack and confided in me that he had previously been the victim of a serious physical attack that nearly resulted in his death. Furthermore, Alpha Bowden took no action against the betas who were responsible for the attack, and Caleb was left for dead."

The young alpha raised an eyebrow as his attention turned to Caleb. He frowned as he looked the omega over then returned his attention to Quinton. "Clearly he is not dead." The man said. "Perhaps the attack was not as serious as you claim."

"What?" Quinton growled low, narrowing his eyes. "If you doubt the seriousness of his injuries then look at the report filed by Bowden himself. He had the boy declared dead without ever having him examined by a trained medical professional!"

Hollister held up his hand to stop Quinton before he said anything more then turned to face the councilman. "Councilman Queally, the boys injuries and his...um...miraculous recovery are both detailed in the report that I had previously submitted. It is true that Alpha Bowden reported the boys death prematurely but he was assured by his pack healer that there was no possibility that the boy would recover."

"Was no attempt ever made to treat his injuries before coming to this conclusion?"

Hollister tensed slightly, frowning as he tried to find the right words. Finally his shoulders slumped and he folded his hands in front of himself as he slowly shook his head. "Regrettably, no. As I understand it, the boy was left in the woods to die."

The councilman raised an eyebrow, looking shocked. "Left in the woods? Surely you're mistaken."

"No Sir. Silver Moon has no official medical center that the omega could have been taken to and his family refused to allow him to be brought back to their home so he was left there."

"For three days." Quinton added. "Injured, starving, and near death. He dragged himself to a near-by stream where he recovered alone and then walked back to his families home."

"Is this true?" Kavanagh directed the question to Bowden who merely shrugged.

"We have little interest in wolves who can not survive on their own. One weakling omega was not a big loss and I thought it best to leave him to the elements."

The appalled look on the councilman's face was clear when he narrowed his eyes and scowled at Bowden.

The others waited as the council members each turned to speak quietly among themselves before once more addressing the room.

"We would like to speak to the omega for a moment." Kavanagh told them. "At this time we ask that Alpha Bowden and Alpha Hallorann please wait outside."

"What? No! This is absurd!" Bowden was on his feet, glaring angrily at the councilmen. "An omega has no right to speak here. As his Alpha, all questions should be addressed to me. He's my property and I should speak for him."

"Alpha Bowden." Kavanagh narrowed his eyes as he stares the other man down with an objectionable glare. "The council reserves the right to call whom ever we see fit to give testimony. Given that the welfare of the omega in question is at the very heart of this hearing, we feel it is important to understand his feelings on the matter."

"The omega has no say in the matter. Where he resides and with whom is entirely up to whichever alpha holds his contract." Bowden argued his case though his words seemed to do nothing to sway the council in his direction.

"Perhaps that's the biggest issue here." Councilman Lowry spoke up, addressing not only Bowden but the entire room as well. "How we treat omega's has become a rather questionable practice and is one of the main reasons that humans still view us as...barbaric."

Bowden huffed. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his leg over his knee contemptuously. "Humans are a weaker, less evolved species than us. What they think is irrelevant. If they had things their way, we'd all be in cages and treated as animals."

"Maybe some of us should stop acting like animals then." Quinton grumbled under his breath.

"Enough." Kavanagh stood up, causing the room to go silent. "Agent Hollister, please escort the two Alpha's out of the room so we may continue with the questioning in peace."

Hollister nodded then motioned for Quinton and Seth Bowden to follow him out of the room. Bowden gave no more protests but Caleb didn't mistake the furious glower of warning that his former Alpha shot him as he walked passed him to the main door.

Caleb sulked down nervously in his seat. Zev put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "You'll be fine." He whispered.

"Mr. Giles." Kavanagh directed Caleb to the chair in front of the table that Quinton had previously been sitting in. Caleb took a deep breath then stood, handing off his pup to Zev before walking to the offered chair and sitting down slowly, his eyes scanning the faces of each of the council members cautiously.

Most were betas. There were a few alphas and at least one gamma but no omegas. That didn't surprise Caleb though. While some more progressive packs did allow omegas to hold jobs, like Black River, omegas had never been allowed to hold any positions of power. Not in any pack. Caleb tried not to let that fact squash his hopes. The alphas may hold similar views to Bowden and the Silver Moon pack, but the betas and certainly the gammas were more likely to side with an omega. At the very least they would probably feel sorry for him.

Kavanagh once again took his seat and though he didn't smile or seem even the slightest bit friendly, his expression was soft and understanding.

"Mr. Giles." He started in a very professional tone. "As I understand it, you were born into the Silver moon pack, were you not? To Robert and Elaine Giles."

Caleb nodded. "Yes Sir, I was."

"And you are the youngest in the family?"

Caleb tensed at the word. He wouldn't necessarily consider what he'd been brought up in as family. His father made no attempt at hiding his contempt for Caleb having been born an omega though Caleb thought that information was not relevant. Not now anyway.

"I'm the youngest of my father's claimed children." He stated. The comment was without malice of any kind. He was simply answering the question presented to him to best of his knowledge.

"And, did your family treat you well?"

Treat him well? How was he supposed to answer that? He supposed he'd been treated as well as any servant would be because that's how he'd always seen himself, a servant. He wasn't doted on like the alpha children or respected the same way the beta sons had been respected. His father had slapped him around a time or two, but only when he failed at some task or another. His mother chose to ignore him as much as possible as though acknowledging his existence reminded her of how she'd failed in bearing acceptable offspring for her mate.

Caleb supposed he hadn't been mistreated. Not really. He'd been clothed, fed, and given the education that the pack felt was necessary for an omega. Education that would serve them in their future mating's such as cooking and cleaning, mending, and of course the proper way to please their alpha. He'd been taught to read and write because, how else would he read a recipe or write a shopping list? His math skills were limited to budgeting household finances so to not over spend while shopping, or making sure to measure the correct amount when preparing meals.

In Silver Moon, omega's weren't expected to know more than the basics. Enough to do their duties and care for their alpha and future offspring. They didn't graduate high school or go to collage because there was no need of it. They didn't hold down jobs and the Alpha, Seth Bowden, thought the idea of educating an omega was not only ridiculous but dangerous. Who wanted an omega running around getting ideas in his head and thinking for himself? Certainly not Silver Moon. It was easier to control them when they were uneducated and submissive.

"They treated me like an omega." Caleb said, finally. "I had a roof over my head and enough food to keep me healthy. As long as I kept my head down and my chores done I was, for the most part, overlooked." That's all he could say really. His relationship with his parents as well as his siblings was servant and master. There was no love in their relationship and an excessive amount of animosity as though Caleb himself were to blame for his own birth. It was an offense on his part that his family never let him forget.

Kavanagh pursed his lips then leaned back in his chair, hands folded in his lap as he considered the young omega sitting before him.

"How did your family react when you returned to them, after being left in the Forrest? Were they relieved to see you? Overjoyed that you were still alive?"

Caleb sunk down in his seat a little. His breath caught as he tried to force back his tears. If ever he'd had a doubt about the lack of love his parents had for him, that doubt had been entirely erased on that day. He remembered it as though it had happened yesterday. The shouts and accusations. The look in his father's eyes and the cruel words spoken to him by his mother.

"You!" She had hissed, glaring at him with so much hate it made his stomach twist and sink. "Can't I ever be rid of you! Why didn't you just die like you were supposed to?" A part of him wondered in that moment if his mother had somehow coerced the betas into attacking him. Maybe even killing him. But she was his mother, the woman who'd given birth to him. Would she really stoop so low as to have her own child murdered? Caleb didn't want to think she would do that to him but the way she stared at him that day told a different story.

He pushed those thoughts far back to the recesses of his mind because if he, for one moment, really believed that his own mother would do something so wicked, it would have broken what was left of his already tattered heart. Now here he was, having to bring up those feelings once again and face the horrible truth of the matter. His mother was most certainly capable of plotting his murder and in all likeness, probably had. Caleb sucked in a dry breath and then did his best to meet the chairman's eyes.