Revenge on Alpha Damien

Chapter Two- Caleb

"I didn't mean to, Betty," I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's today. I had to accompany Zane," I revealed, the weight of the day pressing heavily on my chest.

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot, Mia. I'm so sorry. How are you feeling?" Her face contorted with concern, and I could see genuine sadness in her eyes.

"I'm okay, I guess. I'll just deal with it," I shrugged, trying to dismiss the gnawing pain inside.

"Deal with it? Come on, Mia, you have to let go sometimes. It is—" she started, but her words were cut off.

"I would have expected you to begin your training by now, but I guess that's not on the agenda for either of you today," Landon interjected, his frown deepening.

"Landon, it's not like that. Mia is—" Betty attempted to defend me, but Landon interrupted again, "I don't care. Betty, go to Faith. She'll be your partner for today. And you, Mia, I'm pairing you with Caleb. Move it!" His tone was commanding, leaving no room for discussion.

"Yes, sir!" Betty quickly responded, rushing over to where Faith was standing.

Caleb! I almost screamed outwardly, but I managed to hold myself back. He was the best student in the training course. Was Landon trying to punish me for what I did?

I stood there, motionless, my heart racing as Landon moved closer, invading my personal space. "Do you have a problem with that, Mia?"

"Of course not," I replied, forcing myself to walk away, my insides churning.

As I approached Caleb, I could see the smirk on his face. "I get to duel a princess. What an honor," he teased, his arrogance palpable.

In just minutes—mere minutes—I lost. I completely lost the duel. Caleb won so easily that it felt as though I hadn’t even tried. It was clear why he was the best fighter; he had skill, and I was painfully aware of my shortcomings.

I scrambled up from the ground, anger boiling inside me. It wasn’t just about Caleb beating me; it was the harsh realization that I was not strong enough to take down Alpha Damien if I wanted to at that moment. How long would I let my parents’ killer breathe in this world? If my parents were six feet under, then Alpha Damien had to be as well.

"You fought well, princess," Caleb gloated. I knew he reveled in my defeat; he had never liked me, especially since I turned him down for a relationship. He might be strong, but his arrogance was suffocating. He extended his hand to help me up, but I brushed it off and stood up myself.

"Maybe you should let people help you out once in a while; you clearly need it," he mocked.

I fumed, brushing off the dirt. "I don't need your help," I gritted through clenched teeth and walked away, ignoring Landon's frustrated shouts. This was all his fault. I knew I still had a lot to learn, but Landon seemed intent on keeping me down today.

I ran home, straight to my bedroom, locking the door behind me. As soon as I was alone, I broke down in tears. "How am I going to defeat my parents’ killer if I can't even take down Caleb? And Caleb’s strength is nothing compared to that evil monster," I lamented.

This was truly awful. I was the daughter of an Alpha, yet I felt utterly inadequate. It was clear to the council and Alpha Dixon that I would not have been strong enough to rule, even if given the chance.

A knock on my door startled me, and I quickly wiped my face. "Mia, it's me. Are you okay?" It was my aunt Mary’s voice.

I exhaled deeply before responding, "Yes, I’m fine."

"Can I come in?" she asked. I hesitated. I wished she wouldn’t, but if I said no, she would know something was wrong and wouldn’t leave until I opened the door. Either way, I was stuck. But Mary was just trying to help; she had been doing her best to care for us since the tragedy.

"Yeah. You can come in," I finally said, getting up from the floor.

The door creaked open, and she entered the room, her sad expression mirroring my own. "Oh, dear. I heard what happened," she said, sitting on my bed. She gestured for me to join her, and I complied, sitting beside her.

I raised an eyebrow at her statement. How did she know?

"I informed Landon to cut you some slack; he had no idea today was the day your parents passed away," she said, her expression heavy with empathy. She looked so much like my mother, sharing a striking resemblance that sometimes brought me comfort, but more often left me feeling hollow.

"I was only late, but he paired me up with Caleb because he knew I would lose. That I wasn't strong enough to fight him," I confessed, frustration bubbling to the surface. "Aunt Mary, if I can’t fight Caleb and win, then how will I defeat my parents’ killer?"

"Maybe you should let go of this, Mia. Focus more on finding your mate; that's how you can keep your parents' memory alive," she suggested.

I jumped up from the bed, incredulous. How could she say that? "How can I go on living a normal life when my parents' killer is still breathing? They would roll in their graves hearing this; they would be so disappointed."

"How can you say that, Aunt Mary? Your sister is dead because of Alpha Damien, and you’re talking about getting mated? I have no interest in that right now. Maybe when that evil man is dead, then I can think about it," I said eagerly.

She sighed, clearly frustrated. "This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you," she said.

"Tell me what?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"The mate dance ceremony is coming up soon—" she began, but I interrupted her. Was that what she wanted to talk about? I had made it clear I was not interested. The mate dance had been in preparation for months; our pack was hosting it for the second time. The last time was when I was nineteen, and I hadn’t found my mate then.

"Aunt Mary, I am not interested in that. I already told you," I whined.

Aunt Mary had insisted I attend despite my indifference. I was shocked to learn that my mate wasn’t among the attendees, which solidified my resolve for revenge against Alpha Damien. It felt like a direct sign from the moon goddess.

"Would you stop cutting me off, Mia? You know I am part of the planning committee for the mate," she began, releasing a deep sigh before continuing. "What I wanted to say was that Alpha Damien would be attending the mate dance ceremony."

"What!" I yelled, shock coursing through me.