CHAPTER 4

Caspian POV

I pick her up and the sight of her tears tugs at my heart. I know immediately that she is my mate. I can feel my wolf going berserk, wanting to be let out on the ruffians that have dared to hurt her.

There are no noticeable injuries on her except Tyler's finger marks but he did not press hard enough to break her skin. Good for him, I doubt I will be able to control myself if he had dealt her any serious damage. I can smell blood though but it is quite faint.

I immediately notice that she is unconscious, it will be best to put her down but I don't want to let her go. I keep my gaze on her face, she is pretty. Her auburn hair has a glow that makes it look closer to red than auburn.

“Alpha," I hear a voice call and I snap out of it. “Would you like us to take care of them?" Damian, one of the twins, calls my attention.

His brother Damon chooses the moment to jump through the window and he sneers at Tyler’s goons. Damon is the quiet one but his attitude is a hundred times louder than his brother, he is always actively looking for trouble.

“You must be out of your mind. There are five of us, if you leave now, we promise not to harm you.” Tyler screams out.

Damon chuckles, “Give it a try. I promise not to block your first attack.” He takes a step forward, his shoulders spread out and his fangs protruding.

“Damon, I don’t want to fight against the crimson pack. I would prefer it if you didn't edge them on.” I blurt out.

Damon scoffs but he takes a step back and rests his back on the wall. His attitude doesn't diminish and he doesn't bother hiding the fact that he wants a fight.

“Leave!"

“What do you mean?" Tyler looks like his head is about to explode at my statement and I do my best to hold my anger in. “We got here first. You leave."

“We don't want to fight Tyler, we don't want Daddy pissed that his spoiled little brat got beaten to a pulp." I didn't bother hiding my annoyance. My eyes glow as it goes back and forth between my wolf and human form.

I want to beat him senseless but I did not come here to cause any trouble, we can’t afford any bad name. The only reason I am here is because of a letter I received about a week ago, telling me to come to this house and take in a new rogue wolf.

“As I said, we got here first. You leave."

“You can try to make us leave, even better, I'll have a justified reason for beating your ass up. I wonder how Daddy is going to react to the fact that you assaulted a young woman and threatened her with your goons?"

The color fades from Tyler's face. He looks as if he would attack.

“If you leave now, we can let it slide. However, if you think you can take on the lot of us and win, give it a try." I feel a tic in my neck as I resist the urge to transform. I won’t be able to stop my wolf from tearing into him.

Our paths have never crossed but the tales around him spread like wildfire. He is always up to one miscreant or the other and he tends to get away with it because of his father.

I take a step forward and I see him lose his confidence. If he knows me then he has heard the stories. I arch my head to the side. “What do you say, baby boy?”

His neck tics and his open palms turn to fists. His face is all red and puffed up but I can already tell what will happen from the faint smell of fear and hesitancy that wafts from him. He knows they don’t stand a chance. At least baby boy could gauge his opponent's strength.

His shoulders relax and he points a finger at me. “This is not over. Don’t think you can just walk in here and do as you want.”

I want to bite off his finger so bad. Give him something to remember me by. “Back at you, baby boy.” I snarl at him and he jumps backward.

He scoffs trying to put on an aloof attitude but I can see through the facade. “Let's go." He orders and the four on the couch rise to their feet. There is nothing impressionable about them and I know I will forget their faces by the time they step out.

Tyler scampers out, this time he uses the front door. It is funny to watch him struggle before the door listens to his command and opens.

“Don't you dare think this is over!" Tyler yells out and the door closes with a loud bang. I find it sad that he is all talk and no guts.

“I can’t believe you let them go,” Damon says, scratching a finger against the wall as he speaks.

“We are also intruding, Damon,” Damian replies.

“Nope, we got an invite.”

“Damon,” Damian whined. “Did you forget that we are not supposed to mention it?”

“What? She is unconscious.”

“Damon.” My voice echoes in the small space. The twin is annoying, he is pretty handy and comes through most of the time but his attitude and constant need for a fight are a pain in the ass.

“My bad," he sneers and raises his hands in mock surrender.

I don’t say a word as I walk further into the house with the girl in my hands. The letter I received was vague as fuck. Absolutely no information except this venue.

Precisely six days from now, on the thirteenth of the month. A rogue wolf will be in the abandoned house at the edge of the Grand Crescent Pack’s territory. Please, take this wolf into your care. I understand that you try to give a home to wolves who don’t have one.

Thank you and if you do, this is a debt I cannot repay.

It could have at least warned me that the rogue wolf is a young girl. I almost did not show up as I was worried it was some kind of prank. I bite the insides of my cheeks, I would have regretted that decision for the rest of my life.

I push open the door, the bed is not laid and the room smells damp but overall it is a pretty decent space. I lay her onto the bare bed and nozzle the side of her face, taking a deep breath. She smells like flowers and tears. She isn’t unconscious anymore, just asleep.

I stand to my full height and study her. Her breathing is steady, and the rise and fall of her chest is a nice assurance. I trail my eyes downwards, her belly button is exposed. I quickly move my gaze back to her face, I feel like I am doing something indecent, ogling her while she sleeps.

I force myself to turn my back and leave the room even though all I want to do is gather her in my arms and let her sleep in it but I know it is best to let her get some rest. I am sure the entire incident is quite overwhelming for her.

I get to the door and give her one last look before I close the door. I can’t get over how pretty and peaceful she looks, I just want to wrap her up with my hands. I scoff, barely ten minutes and I already feel this way, it must be the power of being fated mates. Still, I will be lying to myself if I say that if she isn’t my mate I will not be attracted to her.

I see the twins' sprawl on the couch making themselves comfortable. “How is she?” Damian asks as soon as he sees me. He looks genuinely concerned.

“Same thing, still fast asleep,” I say and throw myself on the nearest chair.

“What is the plan?” Damian asks after a while passes.

“Ask her to join our pack, of course,” I say.

“Huh? I can’t believe you are considering it. Irrespective of how you look at it, it is obvious she comes with a lot of baggage that our pack can’t handle right now.”

“Damon!” Damian scolds.

“Wouldn't that be against our policy? To give a home to those who don't have a place to call home?" I ask and glare at him. I am slightly ticked off.

“Yeah, if they have nowhere to go. By the looks of it, she has enough options to decline."

“You want to send her off with him." My pitch is a notch higher.

“No, it doesn't have to be him and you are not obligated in any sense. I-I just don't think stepping into this is a good idea."

I take a deep breath as I try to calm myself. Damon is annoying, hot-headed, and a nuisance but there is no denying that he has the pack's interest at heart.

“If I didn't want to be a part of this I would not have asked us to come here in the first place." And I will have regretted that. I am sincerely glad I threw caution to the wind.

“Damon, I can't believe you'll want us to abandon her after what you just saw. Tyler would be back and he has no qualms about harming her just to get her to go with him. I am with the Alpha. We should definitely take her with us."

Damian speaks to his brother with wide eyes, his voice is emotional as he speaks and I don't need anyone to tell me he has taken a liking to her.

“I never said I am not with him," Damon growls at Damian. “I just said to not jump into trouble we can't handle."

“Thank you for your concern but you're not going to change my mind."

“Figured," he replies and stands up.

“W-where are you going?" Damian asks.

“Don't get your nuts in a twist, I just want to check out the house."

I look at Damian and the tips of his ears are red. It is funny how totally different the twins are. I pick up the remote and turn on the television. All I can do now is wait.

Her smell floats toward me and my body immediately tenses up. I turn my head in that direction just as she walks out of the corner. I see the slight confusion on her face as her eyes do a quick scan of the room. I remember that she did not see Damian and Damon before she lost consciousness, so her shock is allowed.

“You are awake, I see,” I say, the silence feels uncomfortably long.

“Where is he?” She asks and stretches her head as if to see the corners of the room.

“Tyler?” I ask and she nods, her lower lips quivering a little. That bastard! I regret letting him go without at least a punch. “I chased him off.”

“Really?” Her face lights up and I suddenly feel warm. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention,” I say and rub my neck. Her gratitude makes me feel weird. “Say, will you join my pack?”

Her brows rise a little and I can tell she is interested. “What’s the name of your pack?”

“Rogue Pack,” I say with pride.

Her face falls and she says, “Aren’t you a bunch of wolves banding together, pretending to be one big happy family?”