14. I'm A Ghost

Minutes passed, and Alpha Callum was still not answering the questions thrown at him. "Why are you not answering my question, son?" Grandpa Eliezer asked. "Are you afraid to face your worst fears?" he asked. Alpha Callum nodded his head. "Yeah, you are right, Pops." "And you know very well what kind of wife Luna Viviana is. She will eat Clarice alive if she knows you had a son with her," Grandpa Eliezer reminded him. "I know," he responded in a somber tone. "I want you to be extra careful from now on. Having two women in your life is difficult to manage. The complicated situation will create havoc in your peaceful life," Grandpa Eliezer cautioned him of the storm that was brewing in the distance. He breathed deeply. "I didn't expect this to happen, Pops. I thought Clarice and I would never have this kind of interaction ever again. I'm just surprised by the sudden turn of events. Until now, I'm still processing things in my head." "I know, son. You attended Alpha Bruce's wedding only to find your fated mate poisoned to death, and you have no choice but to save her," Grandpa Eliezer said. "Um, let me ask you this important question..." "Bring it on, Pops," he said, urging his grandfather to express his mind openly. "If you and Clarice didn't have a son together, would you still save her? Don't lie to me. Give me your honest answer," Grandpa Eliezer said. "Yes, of course, I would still save her with or without our son. She helped us before, and it's my turn to help her when she needs my help the most," he answered without hesitation. Grandpa Eliezer nodded his head. "Alright, after meeting her again, old feelings in your heart resurface after lying dormant for a long time, am I right?" He nodded his head. "You are right, Pops." "I know right," Grandpa Eliezer said with a grin. A sigh escaped from his lips. "The Moon Goddess throws Clarice back to me. Who am I to question her motives?" "You are right. I just hope Clarice doesn't suffer another heavy blow this time. She might never recover if Luna Viviana sinks her claws into her," Grandpa Eliezer said apprehensively. "You have nothing to worry about Clarice's well-being, Pops. I will protect her and our son from my wife," he said reassuringly. "Alright, I believe you, son," Grandpa Eliezer said. "I have to remind you that you can't have two women staying with you in the same house. It's a recipe for disaster," he warned him. "I know, Pops. That's not going to happen," he assured him. Meanwhile, on the second floor of the house, Clarice was ready for relocation. Lorey had just finished packing their things and said, "I'm done packing, Luna." "Alright, go downstairs and inform the men that we are ready to leave," Clarice replied, donning a blue floral print sweatshirt. Lorey left the room and went downstairs. "I'm done packing, Alpha, Grandpa," she informed them. "Good," Alpha Callum stood up. "Time to leave," he said, and climbed the staircase. When he entered the room, Clarice was styling her hair in a ponytail. She smiled and said, "I'm ready to go." Alpha Callum grabbed the bags. "I'll bring the bags to the house first," he said. "OK." Clarice nodded her head. Alpha Callum disappeared from the room in the blink of an eye. Grandpa Eliezer entered the room and chatted with the ladies. "Take care, girls. See you again in a week. Enjoy your vacation," he joked. Clarice and Lorey smiled. "We are going to miss you, Grandpa!" the women said in chorus. "I'm going to miss you two as well," Grandpa Eliezer replied. He looked at Clarice. "Don't forget to take your medicine daily," he reminded her. Clarice nodded her head. "Yes, I will, Grandpa. Thank you so much for taking care of me." "Don't mention it," Grandpa Eliezer replied and left the room. A few minutes later, Alpha Callum appeared in the room. "Ready, girls?" he asked. "We're ready," Clarice answered. Alpha Callum held their arms. "Girls, close your eyes and I will execute the teleportation process in my head," he ordered. The women obeyed and closed their eyes. The trio disappeared from the room in the blink of an eye. A few minutes later, they appeared in the living room of the rented house. Alpha Callum lifted Clarice effortlessly into his arms. Then he looked at the maid. "Lorey, bring the groceries into the kitchen and arrange them in the cupboard," he ordered. "Copy, Alpha." Lorey grabbed the bags and went to find the kitchen. Alpha Callum climbed the stairs and settled Clarice comfortably into the bed of her new room. The couple looked at each other in the eyes. Their eyes spoke volumes. Thick silence engulfed the room. Clarice cleared her throat. "Um, I just want to ask this... How is Luna Viviana as a wife?" Alpha Callum sighed. "She is a jealous freak-type," he told her the truth. "So I presumed she would react negatively if she discovered that we had a son together, and I'm your fated mate?" Clarice asked anxiously. Anxiety gripped her heart. "Yup. She will go berserk out of jealousy for sure," Alpha Callum replied in a serious tone. Clarice felt the need to tell him in advance about her plans for the future. "Um, I just want to tell you that I won't leave my son again. You can't separate me from my son. Wherever he goes, I will follow him. In short, we are one package. If you bring our son to your mansion, you will also have to take me with you. You have to respect my decision. Period." Alpha Callum sighed deeply, unable to say anything. Then he finally said, "Do you want to be my mistress?" he asked her point-blank, trying to change the perplexing topic. "Does it matter?" Clarice rolled her eyes, amused by his question. "I'm your fated mate, remember?" Alpha Callum sneered. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me." Clarice closed her eyes. "I don't have to be your mistress. I don't want to cause you and your wife unnecessary trouble. We don't have to go that far. All I ask of you is that you allow me to stay with my son. I want to raise him properly as your heir to the throne since you and your wife have no children yet." A muscle in Alpha Callum's jaw twitched. He is in a dilemma. Clarice saw conflicting emotions flashing on his handsome face. "I'm sorry about this. I didn't mean to give you problems. But I just want to be honest with you regarding our arrangement. Once we get our son, there is no turning back," she said in a foreboding tone. "No need to apologize. Let's just talk about this matter some other time. I still need to give you and Lorey a tour around the house," he said, changing the topic quickly. "Let me help you get back downstairs, no need to use crutches," he offered. She shook her head. "I'm fine with the crutches. I must learn to walk on my two feet if I want to get better," she said, refusing his help. "Fine, let's go downstairs," he said and handed the crutches to her. Using crutches, Clarice rose up and walked slowly towards the door with Alpha Callum leading the way. Clarice managed to go down the stairs safely. Alpha Callum gave the two girls a tour of the house and introduced Beta Amir to Clarice. "Nice meeting you, Luna Clarice!" Beta Amir said, delighted to finally meet the famous beauty. Clarice smiled. "Nice meeting you too, Amir. And please don't call me Luna anymore. I'm no longer the Luna of the Bloodhound Pack. You can call me by my name, or you can call me Lady Ghost. I'm supposed to be dead, remember?" she joked. Silence enveloped the room. They were reminded of how tragic Clarice's ordeal was before her successful rescue. The others don't get her jokes at all. How can someone make a joke out of her tragedy? Beta Amir coughed a little. "Girls, you need to see the swimming pool. It's amazing!" he said, trying to change the depressing topic. "OK. Take us there," Clarice finally spoke. The men took the girls to the swimming pool and they liked it. After the house tour ended, the men bid farewell to the girls and went home, leaving the women to their devices. That night, while lying in bed, Clarice felt tormented. She can feel in every fiber of her being that Alpha Callum still has feelings for her because they were fated mates. They will always be attracted to each other because that is how the mate bond works. Despite that, he tries hard to ignore the strong feelings between them, as he doesn't want to complicate things given that he is married. The two of them staying under one roof might lead to temptation, heartbreak and possible tragedy because of Callum's wife. Her body shuddered at the possibility of facing another round of tragedy again. 'Not again!' She groaned in dismay. But she has no one right now. She can only depend on Alpha Callum for protection and living expenses. Actually, she was frightened that if Callum abandoned her she would eventually die. Aurelia and the despicable shaman would surely hunt her down if they found out that she was still alive. Sigh, her life is in danger and only one person can help her. It's no other than her fated mate, the powerful Alpha Callum of the Savage Howl Pack.