Chapter 4 MUTE

XAVIER'S POV

Dawn approached and the faint sunlight cast soft shadows. It looked as though leaves danced serenely across the forest floor as I carried the girl to the cottage. She appeared to be floating on the edge of consciousness as her fingers brushed lightly over my dewy, naked skin. The movement was so gentle that I almost attributed it to the light breeze blowing through the trees.

Her eyes opened wide and focused on me intently as I rushed to carry her through the cottage’s door. Her hair fell like waves pulling out to sea as I placed her to rest on Scarlet’s decrepit couch.

The mud covering her face had dried and begun crumbling, revealing what appeared to be a beautiful face underneath. Exodus and I watched her closely and noted the sadness in her eyes. She appeared to be young, not quite a child, yet still too young to be an adult. I wondered when I had started seeing people like her as young. I was only twenty-eight for Moon Goddess' sake.

Her beautiful silver-gray eyes, like that of mercury, continued to watch me. A smile spread across my face. My wolf and I were happy being close to her. She didn't smile back. Instead, she sprang up, hugged her knees to her chest, and trembled.

“She's scared,” Exodus observed, as we continued to survey her.

“It's okay,” I said. “I won't hurt you.” I knelt in front of her and gently reached my hand out to brush her hair from her face. She tensed at first. But when my fingertips brushed against her earlobe, her body appeared to relax. My smile widened at my success in calming her, and my heart went into overdrive when she smiled back, a smile so sweet and pure it could only be that of an angel.

“She should clean up herself,” Scarlet spoke, reminding me of her presence. I’d completely forgotten about her.

I sensed the anxiety radiating from the young girl again. She lowered her head to her knees, concealing her face from Scarlet.

“Scarlet, get some warm water and some fresh clothes for her,” I ordered quickly.

Scarlet hesitated at first, then grumbled as she made her way toward the kitchen, stomping her feet on the wooden floor.

With Scarlet out of the room, the girl lifted her head again to look at me. I felt she was silently telling me she trusted me. She uncurled her legs from her abdomen, revealing the scanty outfit she wore. A tattered silk robe barely hid a skimpy bra and matching skimpy underwear, but nothing could hide her curves. Exodus growled in my head with excitement, and I felt dirty for finding this obviously distressed girl attractive.

“My name is Xavier. What's yours?” I asked, but she didn't answer. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head.

“So you do understand English.” I smiled.

“I think she's mute,” Exodus assumed. That would explain why she hadn’t spoken a word since I found her.

Her tummy rumbled, and she clutched her belly in embarrassment.

“Are you hungry?” I inquired, and she nodded. “Okay. I’ll get you some food after you’re cleaned up.”

Our eyes remained connected for what felt like an eternity, and I found I needed to know what happened to her. Why was she covered in blood? And why she had passed out alone in the middle of the woods dressed—well, dressed like a prostitute?

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.

Her lips trembled.

“Did someone try to hurt you?” I asked.

Her breath hitched, and a streak of mud slid down her cheek as a tear escaped.

“Aww, it's okay,” I cooed. “Everything will be all right.” I sat beside her on the couch, wrapped my arms around her, and let her cry into my chest. “Let it all out. You're safe with me.”

“The bucket of water and a rag is in the bathroom,” Scarlet declared as she re-entered the room. She threw a pair of jeans and a T-shirt next to the young woman. “Sorry, I don't have any underwear.” Her eyes flashed from green to black as her gaze settled on the tiny girl curled up in my arms. Then her gaze shifted back to me. “As you know, I don't wear any.” She smirked seductively, but I didn’t like her tone. “Anyway,” she said, continuing, “we should let her wash up, and you also need to put some clothes on. I think I can still find a few pieces you left the last time you were here.”

I felt the young girl tense in my arms, but I couldn't tell if it was because of what Scarlet said about my clothes or because of my nakedness. The red tint on her cheeks told me it was the latter.

“Yes, you're right,” I agreed. I turned to the young girl once more. “The bathroom is over there. Go get cleaned up, and I’ll get you something to eat when you’re done.”

She nodded, averting her eyes, and I watched as she hurried to the bathroom.

Scarlet scoffed. “And then she must leave,” Scarlet said, approaching me. “She's a human. It's not safe for her here,” she whispered softly enough so only I could hear.

With Scarlet’s nearness, I could feel her scorn. So when she returned with clothes for me, I asked, “Are you still upset I rejected you?”

“Of course. But when I scented you earlier, I thought you’d finally come to your senses, and you were here to reclaim me.”

“Again, I apologize. I never meant to hurt you,” I sighed as I slipped into a pair of shorts I left at her cabin years ago. “I had to do what was right for my pack.”

“And what about me?” she asked, her voice laced with anger. “I was your mate, and what did you do? Fuck me, then condemned me to this shitty cottage in the middle of nowhere.”

“I gave you money. You could have gone anywhere, bought yourself anything your heart desired.”

“The only thing my heart desires is you, Xavier. Only you.”

Before I could reply, the floorboards behind me squeaked with the sound of tiny feet.

I turned, and my eyes landed on the most gorgeous woman I'd ever seen. The morning light touched her through the window, and her flawless ivory skin sparkled like that of a silver fairy. Her white blonde hair and those beautiful silver eyes of hers shared some kind of magical synchronicity. And her waist-length locks suited her tiny frame ideally. She was sheer perfection. “Stunning,” I heard myself say. Her lips twitched, and I wanted to run to her, lift her in my arms, and suck on those pink rosebuds until they were swollen and blood red.

I swallowed hard as the shy little thing fiddled with her fingers, crossing her legs at the ankles. Her white t-shirt fell below her butt, while the bottom of the jeans nearly covered her feet and dragged on the floor—Scarlet was a taller and curvier woman.

“So, who are you?” Scarlet pointed the question to her. “Do you have a name?”

“She's mute, I think,” I answered.

“Either way, she can't stay here, and you know why,” Scarlet said aloud. Using our mind link, she added, “It's not safe for our kind to mix,” as if she were giving me a warning.

No sooner did she sever our mind link than my beta mind linked with me. “Alpha, you have to come home now!” he bellowed.

“Cameron, what is it? What's wrong?” I asked.

“Cyrus attacked the Moon Stone Pack.”

“Fuck! How bad is it?”

“Real bad. I heard both Alpha Axel and his mate, Luna Christina, were killed.”

That meant the elders would be worried because Cyrus might invade our pack next.

“Alpha, you’ve got to get here now. We need to prepare… just in case.”

“Okay,” I said, a revelation coming to me as I continued to eye the girl. “I'll be there in a few hours.”

The girl had been covered in the blood of at least two high-ranking wolves. That meant she probably knew something about the attack on the Moon Stone Pack. Maybe she had been there and had seen what happened? No wonder the poor thing was so frightened and unable to talk. No human should find out about werewolves that way.

“What's wrong?” Scarlet asked. “The atmosphere just got bitter.”

I sighed heavily. “I'll explain when I return. Right now, I need you to look after the girl. Get her something to eat, and I'll be back in a day or two.”

“Oh no! I'm not babysitting.”

“Scarlet, don't argue with me. You'll do as I say, and that's an order,” I rumbled, using my alpha tone.

Scarlet stepped back, her eyes wide. I had never spoken to her like that before.

“I'm sorry,” I said. I hadn’t meant to frighten her, but I had more important things to worry about than dealing with her petulance at the moment.

“I've heard that before,” she whispered, then cleared her throat. “Go. I'll take good care of your, umm, pet until you return.”

I ignored the last part and approached the young girl. “Scarlet will take care of you, and I’ll come back for you soon,” I promised. “When I return, I'll take you to your home, wherever that may be.” I took her hand and gave it a gentle kiss. “Goodbye for now,” I said and then rushed out of the cabin with Scarlet hot on my tail.

“You like her,” she accused the moment we got outside.

I stopped and turned to her. “I feel protective of her,” I corrected.

“Pfft. She's human. Why are you so fascinated by her? She can't please you the way I can.” She grabbed my hand and yanked me toward her, then practically mauled me, jamming her tongue down my throat.

It took some strength to peel her off me. For the first time, I wondered if the mate bond I had with her long ago had blinded me. How had I ever thought she was my type?

“Scarlet enough!” I roared, pushing her off me. Out of my peripheral vision, I caught the tiny young woman running into the house. I focused on Scarlet once again. “You knew she was standing there, didn't you?”

“What if I did? I'm your mate. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Ex-mate,” I said firmly.

She growled but didn’t argue.

“Look, I’ve got to go. Mind link me if you need me.”

“Okay, Alpha,” she said formally, then bowed. I could tell she was fuming, nevertheless. Still, I had no more time to spend calming her.

I ran into the dense forest, my paws digging up dirt as I sprinted, leaving a cloud of dust in my wake.