Chapter 3

Duncan POV:

Now that I was closer, I could see what she really looked like. The dark shadows under her eyes were prominent, and the clothes she wore hang on her loosely. She was a wisp of a girl who looked even more fragile than a human.

Sylvie, shift.

The crackling of bones could be heard and from the bowels of the grass, Sylvie appeared in her human form.

The girl yelped and stumbled, taking a step back before she stiffened. She seemed to have remembered that she was surrounded.

She let out a small cry and she looked behind her. The glowing eyes of one of my sentinels made her shudder.

I felt the urge to console her and held myself back. This girl was not of my pack. I didn’t have to protect her. Even if she was desperate and in need of help.

It was not my responsibility.

“What’s your name, girl?” Sylvie asked in that deep, angry voice of hers.

The little girl trembled. “… Can’t you just let me go?” she pleaded.

Sylvie’s eyes turned to me for the cue. The girl turned towards me as well. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she turned back to look at Sylvie, not even sparing me another look.

Look at me, I demanded. But I knew she couldn’t hear me.

“You’re lurking near our land and disturbing the animals. We’ll have to take you in for questioning,” Sylvie said, leaving no room for protest.

“Questioning?” she whispered, so silently that even I had to strain to hear the words. The girl raised her voice just a degree. “I haven’t even hunted on your lands. I’ve kept a safe distance and never approached anyone. I didn’t even use the water from your sources.”

Sylvie frowned. “How did you survive without food and water, girl?” she asked. She took a step towards the girl, who flinched and ducked down. “Answer me!” Sylvie claimed.

Alpha, Sylvie is questioning the girl here. The little girl looks like an abused wolf who ran away from her pack. I heard this thought and felt a cold hand grip my heart. I glanced towards Caleb, another of the Sentinels.

An abused she-wolf?

Wolves revered their women and children, especially those of child-bearing age. No pack would harm their females if they wanted their reputation intact. It could be verbal or psychological abuse, though. Many fathers and alphas demanded the female wolves do things a certain way.

You’ll scare her, I responded to Caleb. Neo, you should transform and guide Sylvie. If this girl is an abused wolf running and alone. We need to bring her to the pack doctor and make sure she is not sick.

As Alpha, I had to ensure the safety of my pack. I could kill a rogue or scare them away for the same reason. But if I saw someone in true need, I couldn’t turn them away.

This was what I told myself.

Neo yipped and shifted.

The girl let out a small cry when she saw another human emerge. “I’m sorry, okay?” she yelled in desperation.

I gritted my teeth.

“Sylvie, I’ll talk to her,” he said. Sylvie bowed and took a few steps back in acknowledgment. She waited around in her human form to see if she was needed.

Neo turned to the girl. “You’re near Blue Moon Pack lands. You don’t need to be scared. We just want to talk to you. You can eat, get a medical check-up from the doctor, and then if you want, you can leave.”

I saw Sylvie’s head jerk in surprise, but she didn’t say anything. Sylvie was too hard-headed when it came to protecting the pack. She was an unwilling fighter who just happened to be too strong. It took her years to embrace her role but now that she thought of herself as a protector, she didn’t allow her emotions to come in the way.

“I don’t need to answer your questions?” she asked timidly. She looked around suspiciously and I knew for certain that given the chance, she would run as fast as she could.

She knew that she would never be able to outrun a pack of shifters in her human form, but it looked like she had no intention of shifting.

It was odd. In such a dangerous situation, any wolf would have transformed to threaten the herd away, but not this girl.

“Of course, not,” Neo assured. It was a lie. There was no way I would allow a rogue to leave without proper procedure. But we needed this she-wolf to come willingly.

Attacking a possibly frightened and abused wolf was disgraceful and I would never allow my pack to be known as one that preys on the weak.

“You promise?” she squeaked.

Neo nodded. “Our Alpha, Duncan, is well known throughout the world for his tight-fisted rule and just attitude towards all.”

What a crock of lies. I had heard nothing of that sort.

The girl’s eyes wavered and she glanced at me immediately.

She looked! I rejoiced.

I stopped short immediately but kept my eyes level with hers. She turned to Sylvie and Neo. “Can… can you lead me to your pack?” she asked.

Naïve. I had no other word to describe her.

But I didn’t understand why I felt so outraged that she had given in to our plan so easily. It was good for me.

Sylvie eyed the girl suspiciously. “You can’t shift?” she asked.

The girl’s cheeks reddened and instantly, I could smell the change in the air.

“A latent,” Neo commented, awed. I growled, demanding he remain silent. Neo cleared his throat and looked at the ground.

Latent wolves were those that couldn’t shift. Indeed, they weren’t treated too well in a lot of packs, but they never ventured out either because they wouldn’t survive alone in the world.

With this information in mind, this girl was truly an anomaly. I grew more curious by the minute.

She followed Sylvie without a word. I trotted behind the group, keeping an eye out for threats. My eyes ventured back to her small body and I noticed more things. A small bag, cloth tied around her ankles, and nothing else.

How very strange. How did she survive in the wilderness with only these few things? It was hard enough for a rogue to survive in the wilderness and this girl was constantly in her human form.

We reached the living grounds and she stiffened.

I had already shifted and picked out my clothes from where I hung them last. As I slipped on my pants, I saw her waver at the treeline.

“Why did you stop?” I asked her.

She swiveled, her eyes wide at the new voice she had just heard.

“I’m sorry?” she replied, her eyes glazed.

“Why did you stop?” I repeated for her benefit.

“I—” she began but then cut her sentence off.

People had stopped to take a look at what the group had brought back. Maybe they thought it would be food, but instead, they saw a woman.

A foreign woman had entered their living area.

In a pack where unmated men and women were plenty, another female meant more competition. Someone could very well find their intended mate in this girl or like her enough to mark her.

I growled. “Everyone back to their houses,” I ordered. When no one moved, I raised my voice. “Now!”

They scurried away, knowing well that I rarely raised my voice. When I did, I meant business.

The girl shifted away from me.

“You don’t need to answer to them,” I told her. “I’ll take you to the infirmary. You will get a comprehensive medical check and then we will talk. Understood?” I asked.

She must have heard the authority in my voice because she hung her head and nodded demurely.

I saw her look around in awe of the living area and wondered what kind of pack she had come from. But I didn’t ask.

I would let Ed, our resident doctor check her before doing anything.

I led her into the infirmary and found Ed sleeping in his chair. I pursed my lips and turned to helplessly look at Neo, who had followed me inside.

Neo coughed and Ed stirred in his seat. He wiped the drool from the corner of his lips as he blinked. Bleary-eyed Ed looked around the room until he saw me.

“Alpha!” he said immediately, jumping to his feet. I saw him look dazed for a second before he shook his head. “Ah, old age is making it harder to move fast,” he explained sheepishly.

Indeed, Ed was one of the oldest living members of our pack and he had been a pack doctor for a really long time. The one who would succeed him was still in college, slaving away until he knew everything there was to know.

“I brought someone over for a consult,” I told him vaguely. Ed’s eyes traveled to the girl standing an arm’s length away from me and he appraised her with interest.

Ed sniffed the air and then frowned. “A half-breed?” he questioned.

Neo sucked in a breath.

No wonder she couldn’t shift. She wasn’t even a full-blooded werewolf. What a shame.

The girl hung her head.

“We don’t discriminate in this pack,” I reminded Ed. He looked up at me startled and then waved his hand in defense.

“That’s not what I meant!” he corrected quickly. “It’s important for medical history, Alpha,” he further explained.

“No need to tell me. Take the guest and report the results to me,” I announced. The word ‘guest’ rang in the air and Ed looked at me dumbfounded. I raised my brow and urged him to begin.

Ed cleared his throat and rushed over to the girl. Under his eyes, she didn’t seem too frightened.

“Little girl,” he began. “I’ll need to check your vitals and physical condition. Should I know anything?” he asked kindly.

The girl’s eyes flitted across the room and she grew quieter than before. If that was possible.

Ed glanced towards me helplessly.

“We’ll wait outside,” I informed. On either side of the door, Neo and I stood.

“Alpha, where do you think this girl came from?” he opened curiously.

“I don’t know, but I will find out,” I swore. Neo craned his neck to look at my face. “What is it?” I demanded.

“You could have asked one of the sentinels to stand guard. I am wondering why the Alpha is standing here when he has other things to attend to.” It was a fair question.

“We found a rogue nearby and brought her back. We don’t know how dangerous she is.”

Neo looked at me with a smile. “I don’t think she is dangerous. I think she is more in danger from the women in our pack.” He snorted.

I scrunched my nose and I looked at him. “Why would you say that?”

Neo now snickered. “Didn’t you see how they looked at her? We brought in a new female. If she decides on staying, we can’t say no!” he commented. “And if she stays, she’ll be the center of attraction.” He shrugged.

I had to think about that. “Is she that pretty?” I questioned.

Neo blinked. “Uh…” he didn’t have an answer. “Yes, people would call her pretty,” he said slowly.

Well, then.

“She smells weird, though,” I said finally. It was grating on my nerves.

“She does?” Neo asked, intrigued now. “Maybe I didn’t smell her closely enough,” he said. He looked at the closed door with interest.

“She smells… sweet.” There was no other word to describe it. “Like honey and lemon mixed together.” I frowned.

“Sweet is good… but she does look like she hasn’t had a bath in a while… maybe that’s why she smells funky,” Neo joked.

I groaned, not having expected that poorly delivered joke. “You don’t smell very good yourself. Let’s not comment on things that will bring you humiliation,” I warned.

Neo chortled. “Sweet?” he asked once again.

I nodded. “Too sweet,” I responded. He shrugged.

“I’ll have to press my nose against her clothes, I suppose. I want to smell what you are smelling,” he joked with the waggle of his brows.

If we hadn’t been born a few days apart and grown up more like brothers than Alpha and Beta, I might have been angry at his antiques.

I shook my head and decided that I would need to ignore him for the rest of the day.