05

At my grandmother’s house, everything is cozy and relaxed, while here, I am scared that if I touch something, it will break, shatter, and get me in trouble. It is a lovely house, but far too frangible, too fragile for me.

« Henry ? » I call out to him as we make our way down the same hallway, the one that leads to the Alphas office. « I need a favor. »

He peeks back at me, looking rather curious. « What ? »

« When I was in the cells, there was a girl in the same one as me. She needs to be let free. »

He lets out a hum, telling me that he is thinking, then he turns back to the hallway. When we come up to the familiar, gray doors, my heart starts to pick up pace and my nerves spike. The intoxicating scent of my mate fills my nose. Henry lightly knocks on the door, and I come back to reality. A low, familiar « come in » prods at my ears. Slowly, the door opens, and I am almost too anxious to see him again.

I enter the room, but Henry does not. He shuts the door behind me as if to trap me in. I glance up and see the Alpha sitting at his desk, as before he looks powerful and intimidating. I begin to feel extremely nervous. Something about this man has me begging on my knees and hiding behind my hands at the same time. He makes me feel desired without saying a word.

The Alpha stands up and slowly walks over to me. My breath hitches when he reaches only a few steps away, but he comes closer until he is right in front of me. His scent makes my mind go foggy.

« I see you found my robe. » His voice is smooth, like music to my ears. He rolls the very soft fabric in between his fingers, a spot right beside my neck.

I can hardly speak, and I am sure if I tried any words would come out as a squeak. I no longer have dirt smeared my face and dusty clothes, but my hair is damp and possibly tangled—and here I am again, worried about my appearance.

« The g-girl in the cell—she needs to be set free, » I say with the last of my courage.

« Making demands so soon ? » His hand gently scoops up my own, his touch soft on my skin, and I only begin to want more. The feeling of him, it is something so new, so addictive, so good.

« I love the way you react to my touch, » he chants in my ear, causing my mind to run blank, erasing all things I had planned on saying. A blush floods my cheeks, and I look away, not wanting him to see me as a gushing fool. I have never been in a relationship before, let alone kissed a boy. Obviously, at eight years old I was not running around kissing every boy I saw, for obvious reasons. With grandmother, I did not think about boys at all, as there were none around.

« Look at me, » he says.

« I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about packs and hardly anything about mates. I barely remember my old pack. » I gaze up at him and look him right in his emerald eyes. « I have to get back to my grandmother. »

His handsome face hardens. « Why are you not part of a pack ? »

« I don’t—I don’t know. » Truthfully, I think I know, but I do not see the need for him to know. My grandmother chose life this way, so I obey. My time in a pack was not great anyway, and now I have no desire to be in one.

« What do you mean you do not know ? Have you always been rogue ? »

« What’s rogue ? » I question, confused.

He looks at me, almost like he cannot believe what I am saying. « Where do you live ? »

« With my grandmother, across the stream, » I answer him while gently pushing out of his grasp, though I already miss the feel of him. « I have to get back to her. She doesn’t know where I am. » Suddenly a man comes through the office doors, and he seems startled. The Alpha immediately looks at him with hard eyes. « Alpha, we found two rogues on the border, so we brought them to the cells. What should we do ? » The man asks for orders.

« Get rid of them. »

Get rid of them ? The rogues ? I do not understand, Andrew called me a rogue, so why did they not get rid of me ? « What are you going to do with them, lock them up ? » I question.

« I don’t have time for this, Ryker, just do as I say. » My mate grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest. My eyes stay fixed on his bulging muscles, like a fourteen-year-old girl. I quickly snap myself out of my trance and cross my arms over my chest in response. He does not have time for what, my question ?

The man, Ryker, leaves the office in a hurry and I attempt to follow him out the door, but of course, it is not that easy. My mate grabs my shoulders and turns me back around, back facing him. The tingles from his touch slowly spread throughout my body, instantly relaxing me.

« I don’t think so, » he says.

« I have to go make sure my grandmother is okay. At least let me check on her, make sure she is at home and safe. »

He sighs. « Alright, but you are not going alone. »

« I don’t want to take you away from your work, » I protest.

His expression softens. « Evangeline, I don’t want to risk your safety, and I cannot trust anyone else right now. »

I lightly nod, agreeing to his offer. I tighten the string of the robe, preparing for the crisp autumn weather to hit me roughly when I step outside. Following him out the door, my attention drifts as my eyes watch the tall grass by the tree line. The long blades softly sway in the breeze, making me feel as if I have entered some sort of dream land.