Calliope - Book 3 - A collection of Short Stories
A mate for Eli Part 5

Guilt.

As Eli listened to Alice speak, he began to feel a brick in his stomach. And then he held his breath when he heard Millie call out for her mother. Eli stood on the balcony, watching as Alice left him. He listened to the click as she locked the door. He watched as she disappeared into Millie’s room, knowing she was not returning.

Shame.

Eli slumped onto the ground, holding his head. He regretted everything he said to Alice. He had a misconceived notion of the type of woman she was based on what Alpha Tate said. He took someone else's words and created his own story within his mind. He treated her terribly. Never once in his life had he ever done those things to anyone else, so why do it to the woman the Moon Goddess made for him? He was ashamed of himself, of his actions. He was foolish.

Fear.

But what would Alice do now? She could leave at any time, for any reason. His heart ached; he could feel that she was crying. The hurt, the pain, these emotions that surged through him, they were the things she was feeling. And he pushed her; he caused her pain. To him, this had to be her breaking point. He was afraid that come morning, she would leave.

Eli eventually shifted into Dirge. He laid on the balcony, falling asleep just before dawn. He had waited up, waited for Alice to come out of Millie’s room. But she never did. Alice did not leave until well into the morning. Millie had taken more medicine and had gone back to sleep. As Alice walked toward her bedroom, she saw the large wolf that was asleep outside. She sighed as she looked at him. After taking a moment to compose herself, she went and opened the door.

“What are you doing out here?” She questioned with a frown.

Eli awoke and quickly shifted back to his human form. He closed the space between him and Alice, but she shook her head.

“Don’t touch me, please,” she requested firmly. She had spent the night crying. And her wolf only yearned to be in his arms. She did not want to risk melting into him.

“Sure,” Eli nodded as he took a step back.

“Why did you sleep on my balcony?” She inquired as she raised her eyebrows.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he answered as he looked at her. “To apologize.”

Alice looked at him in silence for a moment. She could see that he did not sleep much, if at all. He looked nearly as upset as she was. For a second, she pitied him, until she remembered how he spoke to her. How he called her weak. She debated closing the door in his face again. But if he was sincere, perhaps it was not a bad thing. Or maybe a bit of groveling would humble him.

“Well, go on. Apologize,” she demanded as she crossed her arms.

“Oh, right,” he murmured, looking away from her gaze. He suddenly felt awkward. She was staring at him, but all he could think about was holding her. “I’m sorry for everything I said to you, for every time I hurt you. I have no excuses for it. I was being selfish, thinking only of my image. I listened to others rather than talking to you. And I’d like to say that I am hurting because I hurt you, but that would be a lie. I hurt for selfish reasons, too, and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry you had to suffer the way you did as a child, and I’m sorry you continue to suffer with a foolish mate like me. I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. But I’d like to try, to show you that I can be better.”

“Is that all?”

“Y-yes,” he stuttered.

Alice nodded her head as she began to close the door, but Eli put his foot in the way, preventing her from closing it.

“What?” She growled at him.

“Don’t move away, please,” he begged.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you have a condition that you would be allowed to leave at any time, but I am asking you not to. I am asking you to give me a second chance,” he replied as his heart began to race.

“Oh,” she said as she looked at him with doubt. “You thought I was going to up and leave?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Well, you’ll be happy to hear that I won’t be leaving. But it isn’t to give you a second chance. It is for Millie so she can have the best life she can have. Got it?”

“Got it,” he repeated as he looked down. He removed his foot from the doorway.

“And about last night, I’d rather forget it happened.” She added before closing the door.

Eli stood there, looking at Alice through the glass door. Their eyes met momentarily, and he could see the sadness that lingered. He slowly turned away from the door, jumping down from the balcony onto the ground below.

Alice sighed as she leaned against a wall. She could see it in his eyes, the regret. She could feel that he was hurting. And then he begged her to stay, to give him a second chance. Part of her wanted to believe it; she wanted to believe that he could be different. But he had to prove himself, to show that he could be the gentle mate that she wanted.

Hours passed by as Alice sat with Millie. Calliope and a few others had checked in on the little girl. Though she still felt warm, it seemed as though her fever was not as high as the previous night. Alice could feel her stomach growl, but she did not want to leave her daughter. She sighed heavily, regretting that she had not yet joined the pack. Until then, she was unable to mind link with anyone. Her head shot up when there was a knock at her door. She smiled, expecting to see Calliope, but when she opened it, she saw Eli with a tray of food.

“Eli?” She questioned curiously. She was surprised to see him, to see that he had brought her dinner.

“Sorry to come by again,” he murmured as he looked at her. Even with messy hair, even with a tired face, she was beautiful. “I’ve brought you something to eat and Millie some soup.”

“That is kind of you,” Alice said as she opened the door for him to enter. “Can you bring it to her room? I don’t want to leave her alone for very long.”

Eli grinned as he carried the tray into the girl’s bedroom. Millie was sitting up in bed, holding a doll. She looked up as Eli entered the room. She could not remember his name; she only knew that she would occasionally see him. But he never talked to her, and she never approached him.

“Eli has brought you some soup,” Alice said as she walked over to clear off a table.

“No dessert?” Millie questioned sadly. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I brought you a bit of pudding,” he whispered to Millie with a wink. She gasped with excitement, but her mother scowled.

“She shouldn’t be eating anything that could irritate her throat,” Alice growled as she reprimanded Eli.

“It has honey in it,” he added, looking sheepishly at Alice. “A little wouldn’t hurt her.”

“Fine,” she huffed, not wanting to cause Millie to be upset. “But only a little. Thank you, Eli.”

“I’ll take my leave then,” he said with a slight bow.

“Wait!” Alice called out before he went back out. “Can you come back in the morning with breakfast?”

“Sure,” he smiled as he looked at Alice. Their eyes met momentarily, but she quickly averted her gaze as she blushed. He chuckled as he left.

Many weeks went by, and over time, there was less and less tension between Eli and Alice. The two of them would talk nearly daily, and Eli would even take time to see Millie. Before lunch, he would take her out to the stables so she could pet the horses. And then, in the evenings, he and Alice would stand out on her balcony, talking as they got to know one another. They would tell stories, talk about their favorite things, and everything in between.

But though the two were getting to know one another, Alice had boundaries that she set with Eli. She forbade him from touching her. She was afraid of feeling the sparks, of instantly falling for him. But Eli did not argue with her boundaries. He respected the space that she wanted. It did not take him long to realize that she just wanted some sense of control over things. And he understood, especially after what the other man did to her. She had no choices then, but now he would give her all the choices. He would take things at her pace, no matter how long it took.

One night, Alice was in Millie’s room, helping her daughter to get ready for bed. They had spent the evening with others in the family drawing room. The kids were playing games while the adults were gathered around talking. Eli was there, but he sat opposite of Alice, making it so she did not feel constricted by his presence. But as she pulled the covers back on the bed, she could not help but smile as she thought of him.

"Mommy? Did you know that Ella's Daddy reads to her every night?" Millie questioned as she sat on her bed, holding a book.

"Oh?" Alice replied as she blinked away her thoughts of Eli.

"Can you get a Daddy to read for me?"

"What?" Alice asked as she choked on the air in her lungs. "Wouldn't you rather I read to you?"

"But you always read to me. Ella and her brother have a Daddy to read to them," Millie argued as she pouted.

Alice looked at her daughter’s feigned sadness. But as her bright brown eyes glistened in the light, she could not help but sigh.

"Let me go see if Caleb is still up," Alice scowled as she went to the door.

"Thank you!" Millie yelled as Alice left her room.

Alice chuckled as she walked into the hallway. She headed downstairs, looking to see if Caleb was still in the family drawing room. She walked in, looking around. But all she saw was Eli lying on a couch. His eyes were closed, so she began to back out slowly, hoping he hadn't noticed her.

"Do you need something?" He inquired as he inhaled her scent.

"I was looking for Caleb," she answered as she froze.

"He and my mom went to bed a few minutes ago. Why? Is something wrong?" Eli questioned as he sat up.

"No," she replied as she glanced at him. She hesitated telling him. He had been kind to her and great with her daughter, but would this request be too much too soon? "Millie had asked that a Daddy read to her; I'll just tell her-"

"I'll do it," he interrupted as he stood. "I'll read to her."

Alice swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. He volunteered to do it without any hesitation. She was silent as she nodded to him. Eli gave her a soft smile and walked over to a shelf. He grabbed an old book and dusted off the cover.

"She has books in her room," Alice said as she watched him.

"If I'm going to read, I'd like to read my favorite book from when I was a child," he insisted.

Alice bit her lip, holding her breath as she led the way back to her rooms. Her heart was pounding, and her wolf was yearning for him. She looked down at the floor, unwilling to make eye contact with him. She was afraid of melting under his gaze, of falling for him so quickly. Once inside her chambers, Eli went straight to Millie's room.

"Eli!" The girl exclaimed as she giggled.

"Hey, little bit," he said with a smile. He went and sat in a chair beside her bed. "I'm here to read to you."

"Really?" She gasped as her eyes went wide.

"Of course, now lay down," he instructed with a chuckle.

"What's that book?" Millie inquired as she laid back on the bed.

"It's my favorite book from when I was your age. It's called 'Sleepy Creatures,'" he answered as he opened it.

"Wake up, sleepy bee, the day has begun. The other bees have awoken and started to hum. Your breakfast has been made with jam and honey. Now wouldn’t that feel so good going in your tummy?"

Alice leaned against the doorframe, watching as Eli read to Millie. It warmed her heart to see him smiling, to see her daughter content with him. Once Millie was asleep, Eli stopped reading and set the book down on the bedside table. He paused when he saw Alice staring at him. He walked to her but stopped a foot away.

“May I touch you?” He inquired with a whisper. He wanted to touch her hand, to caress her cheek—anything to feel a spark.

“Not tonight,” she answered as she entered the entertaining room.

“Alright,” he nodded as he walked to the door to the corridor. When he opened it, he paused. “May I return tomorrow to read to her?”

“You may,” she agreed with a soft smile.

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