11. Hey, Handsome!

One month later.

After getting busy with pack affairs, Alpha Callum finally returns to the farm to visit Clarice in broad daylight.

He visits the farm several times in the middle of the night and drops the bags of groceries in the living room and returns to his mansion without talking to anyone. There are times he wants to see Clarice, but he chooses not to because he might end up berating her again for hiding his son from him.

He doesn't want to hamper her swift recovery, so he refrains from visiting her again.

He wants Clarice to focus on her health, so she can walk again, and they can finally travel together and meet his son.

He found his grandpa gathering wood outside the house. "Let me help you, Pops."

"How's the pack?" Grandpa Eliezer asked.

"Fine as usual," he replied.

"Did you already tell your wife about Clarice?" Grandpa Eliezer inquired.

He shook his head. "Not yet. I don't think it's a good idea for them to meet yet. Viviana is a jealous freak woman. I'm sure she will make things difficult for Clarice."

"Yeah. I also think the same," Grandpa Eliezer agreed.

"How is Clarice?" He picked up the dry twigs and helped his grandfather pile them up at the back of the house.

"Clarice is doing well. Her health improved a lot. I fed her a nourishing herbal tonic to speed up the healing process of her body organs damaged by the poison. She drinks and eats everything I give her without hesitation. Her desire to get better is astonishing," Grandpa Eliezer raved.

Alpha Callum was pleased with the good news.

"I'm a satisfied physician. You will be surprised by Clarice's astonishing recovery," Grandpa Eliezer said with a smile. "Why don't you go upstairs and say hello to her?"

He nodded his head. "OK, I'll see her later. But let me help you chop the wood first," he said, and picked up the axe and began to work.

"After this, I'm heading to the lake to catch some fish," Grandpa Eliezer said.

"I'll accompany you to the lake, Pops." Alpha Callum looked heavenward. "It's a beautiful day for fishing," he mused.

"Alright, I'll get ready my fishing hook," Grandpa Eliezer said with a grin.

"Um, by the way, can she walk now?" he asked.

"Not yet. She actually attempted walking yesterday, but she almost fell on the floor. Her legs wobbled. The strength in her knees hasn't returned yet. I'm still working on it. Let's give her another month to recover," Grandpa Eliezer replied.

His forehead creased. "That's a bit too long..."

"Then I'll make it three months before she can walk," Grandpa Eliezer joked. "Don't rush Clarice's recovery, son. She has suffered a lot and getting back on her feet is not a walk in the park."

Alpha Callum sighed heavily. "I just want her to get better faster so she can take me to my son," he said in a tone filled with restlessness as he longed for the day he would meet his son.

Grandpa Eliezer patted his shoulder gently. "Son, you will see Caden soon. Just wait for the time when Clarice fully recovers. I'm working hard to give her the best medicine, so please just wait patiently. Don't worry, time flies too fast. She will be able to walk again before you know it."

Alpha Callum suddenly remembered his wife. "By the way, Viviana is planning to visit this place next week. I'm thinking about relocating Clarice and Lorey to a rental house for the time being."

"That's not a problem, son. There are many rental houses in the next village and town. You can hide them there for a few days, so your wife won't suspect a thing. Instruct your assistant to find a safe place for the two women to stay for a few days," Grandpa Eliezer suggested.

"I'm also thinking of the same, Pops," he agreed.

"Alright, let's go fishing at the lake now so we can have a delicious dish for dinner," Grandpa Eliezer said.

"OK." Alpha Callum nodded his head.

The two men left the house and walked on the path leading to the lake.

"What's the latest news about Clarice's fake death? Did the Bloodhound Pack already announce her death?" Grandpa Eliezer asked curiously.

"Yes, they announced her sudden passing the following day after her fake burial. They declared that the cause of her death was her contagious disease," he replied.

"Poor Clarice," Grandpa Elizer murmured sadly, shaking his head. "I haven't asked her about the details of her poisoning. I don't want to add stress to the poor woman."

"Tonight, I will ask Clarice what happened to her. She mentioned that the evil shaman fed her poison daily. I wonder why the shaman would do that?" Alpha Callum asked, confused.

"Maybe they had a disagreement?" Grandpa Eliezer suggested.

"Maybe yes or maybe no. I will find out later," he said with curiosity building up inside him.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the blue water lake, surrounded by towering trees and majestic mountains looming in the distance.

The men settled on top of the big rock under the shade of the tree and threw their fishing hooks into the water.

The sunny weather is perfect for fishing.

Birds serenaded the men with their melodious chirping, hopping from branch to branch of the trees while the leaves swayed to the gentle rhythm of the wind.

The lake was teeming with marine life and the men were able to catch fish after fish, filling their baskets in no time. After one hour of fishing, the men were satisfied with their bountiful catch. They left the lake and returned home.

Lorey helped Grandpa Eliezer with cooking preparation in the kitchen while Alpha Callum climbed the stairs to visit Clarice in her bedroom. When he arrived in the room, she was still sleeping.

He took his time observing her face in silence.

And he liked what he saw. Her transformation was incredible. She was no longer the skeleton-looking woman she used to be. Her flesh returned, and her cheeks are much fuller now.

Her remarkable recovery is mind-blowing.

Right now he was staring at the beautiful woman who made his heart flutter, who also broke his heart a million pieces in the past.

He stared at her pretty face for a long time, mesmerized by her beauty. Old longings and feelings stirred restlessly in his heart. His hands were aching to hold her face again.

What the hell is going on with him?

Damn!

He's going crazy!

He had never loved any woman before as much as he loved Clarice. Although he married Viviana, it was for a reason to solidify his status as the supreme leader of the rogue pack. There are no romantic feelings involved on his part. He didn't love his wife despite being married to her for several years. He just couldn't bring himself to love her. He couldn't force his heart to forget his fated mate, Clarice.

He and Clarice were fated mates, which is why the attraction between them is strong and unbreakable. They made love passionately on the night they first met in the cottage. But, eventually, she has to leave him because she has a duty to fulfill her parents' wishes and marry the guy they have chosen for her, and that is Alpha Bruce.

They never broke up personally. She sent him a letter stating the severity of her situation and, after receiving the heart-breaking letter, they never saw each other again until the day he rescued her from her husband's mansion.

He tore his eyes away from Clarice's addictive beauty and walked to the window, looking outside.

A few moments later.

Clarice stirred in her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. She immediately noticed the man standing beside the window, looking at the horizon in the distance. Her lips formed into a smile. "Hey, handsome..."

Alpha Callum's body tensed. When he first met Clarice in the cottage in the forest a long time ago, she called her handsome.

He turned around and came face to face with her smiling face. Her smile... so bewitching, he found himself walking towards the bed in a trance.

"How long have you been standing beside the window?" she asked, gazing into his face, her eyes gleaming.

He ignored her blatant teasing. She always called him handsome way back when they were still together. "How are you feeling now?" he asked, lowering himself into the chair, facing her.

"Feeling better every day," she replied, smiling brightly, her face glowing. She sat upright on the bed, brushing her long brown locks with her hands, eyes glued to his face.

"I'm glad you are recovering well," he said softly, captivated by the way she brushed her hair with her hands.

She stopped brushing her hair and turned serious. "How did they announce my death?" she suddenly asked.

"They just announced it publicly and the entire East District knew about it. Many were surprised by the bad news, but as days went by, your death was slowly forgotten," Alpha Callum explained.

Clarice closed her eyes as bitterness flashed on her face. "And how are the newlyweds?" she asked dejectedly.

"They looked happy together during public outings, according to my spy's report," he answered.

Clarice bit her lip as the pain and sadness intensified, squeezing her heart painfully.

It's time to ask questions. "So tell me, who orchestrated your poisoning? Your husband?" he asked.

Clarice shook her head. "No. It's not my husband. Although we don't love each other deeply, I know in my heart that he won't do such cruel things to me. It's my best friend Aurelia and the evil shaman who conspired to kill me. Aurelia orchestrated my downfall. How she managed to convince the shaman to poison me is still a big mystery to me," she said bitterly. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for everything you've been through at the hands of your best friend and the shaman," he said softly. "Do you want revenge?" he asked.

"Why? Do you want to take revenge on my behalf?" she asked him point-blank.

He fell silent. Observing her face closely.

She shook her head. "No need. If you launch revenge on my behalf, it could mean a full-blown war between the two packs and other packs might join the war and, before we know it, it's chaos once again. I don't want to destroy the peace you worked so hard to implement all these years. Now that the unruly rogue packs are finally under your control, let's keep it that way. Don't destroy it for me. I will have my revenge one day."

Alpha Callum raised a brow. "How are you going to take revenge? How are you going to do it?" he asked, curious if she had a solid plan for revenge.

Clarice shrugged. "I have no idea. Honestly, revenge is not my priority right now. My top priority is to achieve a full recovery, so I can take you to see our son."

"Good. Keep thinking that way." Alpha Callum smiled, very much pleased with her answer.

The door opened and Lorey entered the room, holding a tray. The aroma of delicious fish soup cooked with ginger and spicy herbs filled the air.

"Dinner is ready," Lorey announced and placed the tray on the table.

Alpha Callum looked at Clarice. "I'll have dinner with Grandpa downstairs. Then I will go home afterward. See you next week," he said, rising to his feet.

Clarice smiled. "Thank you for the visit."

Alpha Callum nodded his head, walked to the door and exited.

Clarice felt happier after Callum's visit, looking forward to more visits from him.