The Alpha's Slave Mate

Caleb's Point of View My eyes start to tear up from strain as | set the final documents for the night aside. | need to go to bed, everyone arrives tomorrow.

On one hand | am excited to see Marcus. We have not been able to get together as often this year, and | miss his friendship. | shrug mentally noting that he and | both have mates now and that changes things.

A pang of guilt shoots throughas | think of my mate. For the past week | have been working very hard to ensure that this upcoming meeting runs smoothly. It is even more important now that | know that | am expected to host the Mabon Ball this year.

Working long hours has not left much tfor Daphne and | to sort out our issues. In an ironic twist with the way | have been working it is almost as if | am the one avoiding her.

Of course, this is purely coincidence. Yes, Daphne hurtdeeply, and | feel that we need to strengthen our bond. She still does not trustfully, and | have no idea how to fix that problem. | vented to Theo who surprisingly suggested that we try couples counseling. | am not opposed to that, but when he suggested it the idea seemed on the extrside. Perhaps he is right, and we do need scounseling.

Hannah on the other hand suggested that | whisk Daphne away on a romantic vacation. We never truly got a honeymoon, and | would not mind taking her someplace where we both would not get distracted. Unfortunately, though with this meeting, and the Mabon Ball being right around the corner, it is not an ideal tto leave. There is no easy solution. The downside of being an Alpha is putting the pack first always in the line of priorities.

Thinking of the Mabon Ball | will have to get Daphne and the rest of the girls to help pull it together. | am not worried though; they quickly made an itinerary for the visiting Lunas this week. | had expected ore of a fight from Daphne when | told her that Alpha Noah was going to be in attendance, but she took the issue with great strides. She is truly developing into an amazing Luna. Theo consistently praises her research with our particular wolves.

Maybe | am being too hard on Daphne. It has been less than a year since | turned her life upside down. Granted | have always seen myself as a sort of savior to her, but now | feel like | am acting like a beast. Why does this small woman have the ability to turncompletely inside out? | never used to question my decisions. | have always tried my hardest to be fair, and to keep my emotions in check when dealing with problems. With Daphne though it is always about feelings.

She makeswant to be a better person, for her. | want to give her everything that she could ever dream of, and then smore. | just thought that we were way beyond trust issues. Sighing in defeat | know that | need to go talk to her. It is late but perhaps she is still up. | turn off the desk lamp and leave my office, headed for the bedroom. In the short walk | try to mentally prepare myself to talk with Daphne.

Opening the door to our bedroom | am a little confused. | can smell her in here, but | do not see her anywhere. Just then | hear the soft click of the bathroom door closing. Daphne stops like a deer in headlights when she seesat the door.

“Oh sorry, you startled me.” She begins to play with her hands nervously.

“Yeah, | was going cross eyed from staring at the final draft of the reports.” Great here is the opportunity for us to talk, and | am tripping over my words like a dumbfounded schoolboy. She does this tothough. Even now, even though | am hurt looking at her and knowing that she is nervous all | want to do is go and wrap her in my arms and tell her that everything will be fine.

“Scarlett and Hannah have been a huge help preparing everything. | bought the Lunas a few gifts and put them in their rooms for their arrival tomorrow.” She is still wringing her hands.

“You guys did a great job. Everything is going to go smoothly, thank you.” My words are sincere.

“Thank you, but | have to be honest the girls thought of almost everything.” Daphne looks down at her feet.

“Stop doing that please.” | tell her. She looks atconfused. “Stop denying yourself credit when someone gives you a compliment. | know that sof the ideas were yours, and | was being serious when | said that you have done a great job. It was a huge help to me, and | appreciate you for doing it.” She simply smiles and nods in acceptance.

“Daphne, we need to talk.” | can no longer stand the emotional distance that has grown between us. Even though we are in the sroom, | feel as if we are worlds apart. “I hate this fight. You are my mate, and all | want is to make you happy.” | pause trying to make out the right words in my head. This is crucial to both of us, and | want to make sure that | get it right. “You accusingof cheating, or even having that thought hurta lot.” | take a deep breath trying to steady myself. “I have put a lot of thought into the matter and perhaps | have overreacted.” Her head snaps up at my words.

“Caleb no you had every right to be angry with me. | was foolish, and | acted crazy.” Daphne is quick to spit out.

| hold my hand up to stop her from talking any more. “I will agree that you acted rashly. | have also cto realize that | need to be more understanding.” Feeling the weight of everything | finally stroll towards the bed and sit down. “Daphne, it has been less than a year since you and | were mated. Since that time, we have had several back-to-back events that have rocked us as a couple and rocked our pack. Between our mating ceremony, and Theo and Scarlett finding each other, and Scarlett’s pack joining ours | mean it has been insanely busy.” Daphne nods her head, and | can see that she is keeping up with everything that | am spewing out. | take a deep breath before | continue.

“It was unfair ofto blindly think that you were at the splace in our relationship as | was.” Now | can see that those words confused her. “What | mean is that | thought we had a solid foundation of trust between us. My loyalty to you has and will forever be unwavering. | was under the assumption that you were at that spoint too, and that was wrong of me.” “Caleb, | do trust you, | do. Like | said | was acting crazy. | do not know if it was because | had talked to a counselor that morning and” “You talked to a counselor?” | cut her off mid-sentence, but only because her words surprised me.

“Yes, | did.” Daphne looks nervous all over again and | realized that | was looking at her like she had grown three heads. | was simply in shock that | did not know that she was seeking counseling. | feel like the chasm of distance between us somehow got both larger and smaller at the stime. | pat the bed besideasking her to sit.

“l am sorry | interrupted you. | was not aware that you were talking to a counselor.” Daphne finally takesup on my offer and comes and sits beside me.

“Well after we lost the baby, | was having a hard time. | felt like | was failing you and failing the pack.” Daphne sniffs and | realize that there is a tear that is betraying her as it slips down her cheek. “I even had this crazy notion that the Goddess was punishingfor killing my brother.” She finally sobs out and | instinctively wrap her in my arms. | hold her while she cries out the pain that | was not aware that she was still carrying with her.

“Daphne my love you did not kill your brother.” “Rationally | know that, but it did feel like a punishment. We never got to hold our child Caleb.” She erupts in sobs again, and something toldthat she needed to do this. | pull her gently into my lap, and slowly rock her back and forth as she sobs into my chest.

“What was even worse is | knew that | was pushing you away. It is weird because | wanted you close, but at the st| did not want to see you at all. That's why | was training the wolves so hard.” She admits toas her tears finally start to slow.

“My love, my beautiful mate. | wish | could take this pain from you. | am sorry that | did not know how to help you when you lost our pup.” “l know you tried.” Daphne tries to stop the small hiccup in her voice. “I know that you worried about me. | know that you ensured that food was brought up here. | also know that you tried to get my mind off it by suggesting | work more with the particular wolves. It did help, but | also realized that | was using that to hold you at arm’s length.” Daphne's voice is soft at the end, and | can tell that she is already regretting tellingthat part.

“Love | knew that you were slightly avoiding me. | di not like it, in fact | down right hated it. That is why | planned that picnic. At first, | thought that | was being supportive by giving you space. | was trying to help you, and not be a bother to you.” | push my pride away and lay it all out for her. “I missed you though. | was becoming restless, and a little afraid because it seemed that you were happier not being by my side. In sways | think | was jealous. Jealous that | couldn't make you smile like that.” “Oh, Caleb you do.” She turns slightly and wraps her arms around my neck and softly kisses the spot where she marked me. “That is why | called the counselor. | was caught up in my own emotions, and | could see that | was hurting you and that is something that | never wanted to do. | think | was running away from you because | was worried you were disappointed with me.” “Daphne | would never be disappointed in you.” | gently crook my finger and use it to nudge her chin up until she is lookingin the eyes. “I love you Daphne, with every fiber or my being and soul. You have not disappointedat all. We can try in the future to have pups, but | am completely content with it being just you and I right now. If for sreason we discover that you are not able to have pups, then we can adopt if that is what you want to do.” | need her to not only hear my words but to understand that | am serious.

“You need an heir.” She says it so softly that if | were not a shifter | would have never of heard her words.

“An adopted child can be heir, hell | could leave this pack to Theo or Hannah if | wanted or needed to. Daphne, | do not need a biological child to have an heir to this pack.” | answer her firmly. Her grip tightens around my neck, and | hug her closer in response.

“l am so sorry Caleb.” | hear her whisper into my skin.

“l am sorry too love. | need to be more patient with you.” For awhile | simply hold her like that until | feel her body slowly slipping into a deep slumber. | carefully lay her under the covers before stripping and joining her in bed.

| nestle close to her with a less troubled heart. Yes, we still have a long road ahead of us, but | feel like we made a solid start in repairing our bond. With a smile upon my face, and my gorgeous mate tucked into| quickly find a peaceful slumber.