Chapter 4

*Wade POV*

“Francis, I need you,” I call through the mind link. Standing, I limp over to my bed and lean down to pick up a shirt.

My chest is looking much better today, though there is still a sizable divot in my left pectoral. The wound itself is scabbed over and I’ve been cleared to move about as normal. I pull my olive green v-neck over my head and down around my waist just as Francis walks through the door.

“What’s up?” he asks, closing the door behind him.

“I want to know more about my supposed Guardian.” I don’t mince words. He gapes at me.

“How am I supposed to do that? Records are locked down, asking questions to the wrong person can get you kicked out of your pack no matter what your rank is.” he stumbles over his words in fear. I understand his worries, but there is something about her I just can’t put my finger on and I have to know what it is.

“I don’t know Francis. Search her things?” I offer a shrug before crossing back over to my desk.

“Right. Well, I get you don’t really care or follow the gossip surrounding the guardians, but I do. This girl is legit Wade. I mean serious shit. She is who they use to protect committee members.”

“She is not a girl,” I smirk at him, recalling the mistake I made the day she arrived.

“You’re right. She is a damn beast, she is freaking big leagues.”

“Then why is she here? Admit it makes no sense that she is here protecting me. I’m a small pawn in the game. I’m strong, yes, and stubborn, but our pack is average at best. It feels like this is a big set up and I want to know what it's really about before I do this stupid ceremony letting her into my head.”

“Maybe you will get more information if you just ask her,” he offers. I roll my eyes at him, annoyed. Francis is an excellent Beta. He works tirelessly and has always been insanely loyal. But he sure likes to whine when he doesn’t want to do something, even if he fully intends to do it. 

“Francis, I am taking her for an official tour around the pack grounds in a couple of minutes. That would be the best time to snoop around her things.”

“Seriously, maybe she is more open than she looks?” he offers in a last-ditch effort to get out of what I’m asking him to do.

I laugh at him. There is nothing about her that screams, asks me important questions and I will answer them. She is the ‘ask and you will receive a stoic silence until you figure it out for yourself’ type. And I don’t have time to waste, so I might as well try to figure it out. 

“Just do it,” I say, grabbing my watch and placing it on my wrist. Ethel mind links me.

Trudy is on her way up to your room Alpha

Shit. I don’t have time for this right now. I made Trudy a promise and I have never in my life gone back on a promise until Ali showed up. An alpha needs a Luna. Luna’s keep our wolves sane. They deal with our animalistic side and keep us satiated.

I have gone three years without one and in the past two weeks, my wolf has emerged without consent, taking control while common sense gets forced to the back. Each day is a race against time to find my true mate so I can be complete and lead my people. And if that doesn’t happen soon I will take Trudy as my mate as she is the only wolf in the area who does not have a mate at 21 as well. 

It’s not the same for female wolves. They can live a life without their true mate, though they won’t ever feel whole. Male wolves eventually take over and they get in trouble acting fools and eventually getting ostracized out of a pack. It’s what makes Rogues that much more dangerous.

Their human side is slowly whittling away, giving in to the wolf’s need for survival instinct as it wreaks havoc on the villages surrounding it, looking for its mate. It’s more aptly described as a love lust than blood lust, though they often leave a river of blood behind them when they search. 

The door is whipped open and Trudy flounces in her short leather skirt and barely-there crop top has my wolf trying to jump out as I fight for control. She knows how to toy with my wolf’s desires, and I have a feeling she enjoys the power she wields when she shows up randomly to force my wolf into overdrive.

I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to calm the beast. I inhale a very faint scent. Lavender and honey with a hint of lemon and my wolf no longer has a desire for the woman before me. I breathe frantically again, no longer finding the smell as my wolf claws at my mind begging for control with promises of finding the owner of the smell and making the wolf his. 

“Trudy. What do you need?” I bite out, my back to her. I can hear her saunter over to me, her high heels thudding against the carpet. 

“I thought you said we would have our own ceremony this week.” Her voice is whiny and sounds like nails on a chalkboard. A life with her sounds more and more painful by the moment.

“Things changed,” I say, turning to her.

I walk around her, giving myself a wide enough berth that she can’t reach out to touch me. I grab my boots and slip them on quickly, bending down to tie them and then reaching into my closet, I grab my black leather jacket and shrug into it. Finally, facing her as she pouts and tries to walk towards me, I walk back towards the door. 

“Look, I’m sorry Trudy, but I have Alpha business to attend to. We can chat about this later in the office with Francis.” I need to make sure I’m not alone with her, ever. 

I turn quickly, pulling the door open and running into Ali, who is about to knock on my door. I quickly try to adjust, but land on my bum leg and begin to fall. She is quick as she spins to move out of the way, and I’m not sure if she could see the pain in my eyes or the odd angle at which my leg twisted, but instead of releasing me, she has me flush against the wall.

Her hand is splayed across my chest as she looks at me in such a way that I feel naked before her. Instead of stepping back, she steps closer to me, her nose mere centimeters from my own as my heart beats wildly due to her closeness. She spins, looking behind her at a shocked Trudy. And when she turns back again, her eyes are filled with disgust. I have never felt more ashamed in my life. 

“Get your wolf in check, Alpha. My job is to protect you. I can’t do that if you’re busy screwing the only available flouncy around.” Her words are full of poison. I place my hands on either side of her arms and remove her from in front of me.

“My wolf is in check, Guardian.” I take a quick glance down at my leg. It hurts more than usual today. 

Healing has always been something werewolves thrive at. We heal quickly and we almost never have terrible scars, unless you are unlucky like me. The night I turned 16, I shifted. 2 years earlier than most and I was so happy I couldn’t help but take off running and embrace the feeling of euphoria it brought me. I felt invincible and strong.

Until I came across a ground of grown rogues. They were merciless, tearing at me from every side as I tried to fight. I was the Alpha’s son, the strongest of wolves, or I would have been if I had been old enough to actually shift. After they brought me to the brink of death, they carried me to the abandoned well on the property line and threw me in.

I waited to heal, but it was slow and painful. After a long time, my pack found me bloody and still injured. I should have healed by the time they found me. I should have been able to crawl out of the well on my own, but I had only gotten worse. It wasn’t until I forced myself to stand that I noticed the little wilted blue flowers thrown down with me. Wolfsbane. They tossed it in after me and they had crushed it into the gaping wound in my thigh. It never healed right after that.            

She follows my line of sight and looks at my denim-clad leg. Its full disfiguration is hidden but the outline of its lumpy state is noticeable to anyone who looks closely. Her eyes fill with curiosity as she tilts her head and looks at me strangely. Her eyes meet mine and my breath hitches as her beautiful eyes swirl shades of green, morphing into a pale purple. I don’t even notice that the pain is gone until she closes her eyes too long to be a blink but not long enough to be anything else and she steps back. 

“I’m ready for the tour when you are alpha.” She says, sounding robotic as she turns and walks away with a slight limp.

“Is she making fun of you?” Trudy whispers, her voice full of fury.

Anger, rage, and humiliation roll through me. She was making fun of me and my injury. I pride myself on thinking before speaking and trying my best to always be kind and understanding, but I can not contain my rage as I stalk forward with murder on my mind.