Chapter 6

Caleb-

“It is headed right for us.” My wolf started howling out into the woods. I could feel it making circles around us, Sam couldn’t sense it as I could. The smell a rogue gives off is of the death that they have caused. This one was very potent.

He started running towards us, his wolf released a world-stirring growl out. The trees stirred and I finally saw his wolf emerge. I did my best to try to put my body as a shield between him and Sam. She was helpless when it came to our wolf form.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and headed away from us. What just happened? Why didn’t he kill us? Why didn’t he even fight? I shifted back and went over to Sam.

 “Are you hurt?” I scoped her over and didn’t see any injuries. This was good because I’ve known of humans getting hurt by being too close to a wolf that shifts.

“No. Was that it? The rogue?”

“Yes, but I don’t know why he left; they usually kill their targets.” I look around once more to make sure he was gone. Smelling the air, a couple of times I could make out that he was running away from us but where was he going?

Sam’s voice snapped me back to current events, “you were going to protect me.”

 I would protect this tiny human from anything I could. She’s my human, no one else can touch her, and I would kill anyone who wished harm on her. Even if I didn’t like it, she was mine.

I walked over to her and stood in front of her. She was so fragile and small compared to me. This female was mine, her black hair in the moonlight flashed silver back to black as it moved in the wind. Her ocean-blue eyes looked deep into my soul.

Her hand came up, toward my face, and out of reflex, I grabbed it. “Let’s go back to the house.”

“Whatever you say, Boss.” I could hear she was upset but why? My frustration with figuring out this small human was starting to bother me more and more. Then there was the fact that she insisted on calling me Boss, which irritated me above all else.

I needed to hear her say my name. Why was she always so angry? Why couldn’t she be more like Liam’s toy? She seemed nice, but she was far too normal for my taste. I’ve always liked the fiery ones.

We walked in silence back to the house, her hand still in mine. She was off in her own world every time I looked over, so I left her alone. She needed this time to think, I just hope she agrees to be my mate.

With wolves, once we find our mate, they are ours forever. If one of us dies, then the other is plagued to walk the world alone and empty, or sometimes follow us to our deaths. The kind of emptiness you feel when your world is crumbling apart, it’s dark, unforgiving, and cold. It can make even the best of wolves lose their mind.

The same thing happens if your fated mate rejects you, although the healing process isn’t as long. Typically the Moon Goddess will choose a mate for you if you’re lucky. You have the power of free will to pick your mate. With a fated mate, however, the bond is stronger.

So, while I didn’t much care for the fact the Moon Goddess matched me with a human, I also wasn’t about to give her up. This means, until this rogue is stopped, I wasn’t going to leave her side. I was going to need Liam to watch over the pack, while I try to keep my mate safe.

Slowly I started to replay where the rogue has been spotted, to create a small map in my head. His favorite spot is this forest. He killed six humans in it last year. On the other side of the forest, there’s a small lake where he killed two of my finest warriors.

On one side of that lake, I knew of a cave that Liam and I use to go to when we first started shifting. I made a mental note to have Blair and her team search for it. Hopefully, we can take care of this rogue before things get out of hand.

I look back at Sam, again. as we were coming out of the forest. She still kept her hand in mine, while she had her other hand rubbing her arm. I could see her shivering, causing me to remember that humans don’t have the internal heat that we do. We rarely get cold.

Pulling her to me she looked angry and confused. I held her against me for a moment, before scooping her into my arms. Cradling her against my chest, I took in her scent and fought back the smile that tried pulling at my lips. She fought me for a moment before she rested her head on my chest and stopped resisting me.

Looking down, I could feel the electrical current flowing between her body and mine, signifying that she is my mate. Everywhere that my naked chest connected to her skin vibrated. These vibrations caused my wolf to whimper, as he longed for her.

Walking up the steps to the house I carried her inside and into her room. Laying her down on the bed, I walked over to the window to look outside. I wanted to make sure that the rogue wasn’t lingering because I was getting a bad feeling about this rogue, one which I didn’t understand.

When I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, I turned around and sat next to her, on the bed. “I’m staying here tonight. I want to make sure it doesn’t come back.”

I watched her fiddle with the hem of her shirt for a bit before she finally met my gaze. “Will you stay in here with me?” I could hear the fear in her voice.

I tried to use my best ‘I’m not a threat to you’ voice. “If that is what you want.”

I could feel my wolf’s excitement at the idea of being able to hold her close. Even though, I couldn’t figure out what was going on in her head. Most human women I can figure out right away, but Sam was different.  

My wolf whined again; I knew what he wanted from her. He wanted to have her, to touch her skin, to see her naked wrapped in sheets. I shamed my wolf ‘knock it off, she’s had enough for today’ He whined again.

Her voice pulled me out of the power struggle with my wolf. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a brat to you.”

“Why are you always angry with me Sam?” I needed an answer.

She looked at me with wonder and anger, covering her face, after a moment it smoothed over to just confusion.

“So normal for you to assume.” She scoffed.

Now I was confused. I knew she had moments where she opened up to me but nothing close to what I wanted her to. Her short explanation was annoying to me I wanted answers. My frustration started to build. I tried to calm myself knowing that if I showed any anger or frustration again, she would shut me out. I was this close.

I lowered my voice “Explain.”

“You make demands to me as if you own me, or you assume that you know what’s going on in my head.” She was staring at me.

I tried to fish through my brain where I may have gone wrong. Was that how I was to her? I couldn’t stand her thinking that I was that guy. I had to be a leader to my pack but was I treating her like my mate or like another pack member? Giving them orders on how to run things or where to go, even what to do.

I looked at my feet, tossing her words around in my head.

“I understand, and I will try to do better.”

She was right. Ever since she walked into that bar, I knew she was different, she was only supposed to be for play, but I knew that she was more than that. Then she walked into that meeting room, I tried to push her away, purposely irritating her to keep my space. Then my reaction when I came for dinner. I knew what she was asking for me.

I felt her touch my hand. I didn’t realize it, but she had positioned herself to be directly facing me. She had this look on her face, but I couldn’t tell what it was.

“What are you thinking?” her voice held so much concern. Her face was scrunched up in the way that humans do when they are deep in thought.

“I’m understanding what you’re asking from me.”

She sat back as if I defeated her with just that sentence. I sat back as well laying across her bed I look up at the ceiling. What have I got myself into, she was clearly my kryptonite, but how was I going to make her mine?

Just as my mind started to wander, I could hear movements outside. I snapped up and went to the window. Looking around I couldn’t see anything, but I could smell it. It was a scent I could never forget. The smell of rot and death.