Status Quo

Chapter Four

[Picture of Caleb]

Caleb's POV

I knew it would be bad. I was told how bad it could get, and yet, the idea of me giving in? I once would have considered myself succumbing to an Alpha as fucking ludicrous. It's always been unimaginable, but to then drink their blood? The whole situation is outrageous. The fact I've done this so willingly, the only plausible explanation is psychosis.

I suppose being feral is psychosis, but I can't use that excuse when I was in complete sobriety at the bar. In that regard, I only have myself to blame. I gave in, and now I'm dealing with the consequences.

I feel fucking furious with myself. There's a pit of self-loathing inside me and I feel nauseous from it. I'm fucking pitiful. Shaking and trembling with a need for him. To taste him. Fucking withdrawals, not even 72 hours after feeding on the sick bastard. I'm a disgrace.

I'd woken in a large bed, in a room with so much space I felt lost. My mind is still groggy, but for the most part, it at least felt a bit clearer. I'd darted to my feet and desperately attempted to open the door, but it was futile, it was locked. Despite the relentless slamming of my body into the wooden barrier that prevented my escape, the door never caved and I remained trapped in the four walls of the room. That's why I'm lying on a double bed, staring at the ceiling, a familiar burning rage inside me that I know could only lead to bad things. Sweat pooling on my skin as I itch to find my mate, pin him to any surface possible, and drink until I'm full.

Perhaps I wouldn't be so opposed to this situation if he wasn't an Alpha. Maybe I'd be more cooperative if my mother wasn't dying. That's what made my heart pang. It's what caused panic to rise inside me. It's what fuelled the emotional outbursts and the relentless need to escape, the desire to get back to her and hold her close. To make sure she doesn't let her soul leave without knowing how much I love her. So she doesn't leave the world feeling so alone.

Her only fucking child and I can't even be there when she needs me most. The thought of her believing that I've left her makes my blood boil. It infuriates me in ways I've never felt before. My love for my mother is unconditional. She's all I've ever known in this cruel fucking world. To think I may never hear her voice again, that I may never hear her tell me how much she loves me, it makes me nauseous.

The dull silence rings with the sound of a lock clicking from across the room. I jump to my feet, quick to get out of the confines of these four walls, and yet the door never opens. Hesitantly, I approach the dark wood, grasping the cold metal handle and pushing it down. Click. With gentle force, the door opens like it was never locked in the first place.

Instinctively the suspicion rose inside me, with my surroundings being unfamiliar and several different scents dragging through the house, of course I couldn't feel any ease. I should be dead. Only a few days ago I'd murdered two Betas. Betas that were clearly owned by a powerful Alpha and for some reason, I haven't been decapitated.