by G. Bailey
"I won't hurt you. I really have no interest in fighting with you, either," he tells me. My rogue is way too smart and good at escaping, apparently.
"Then why escape? Why not just stay put until I came to you? And why are you still here if you know we are likely to just lock you up again?" I ask, sighing in disappointment when he finishes the Snickers bar, and I remember there was no chocolate in the fridge.
"I told you, I got bored. Plus...I think it’s best we get to know each other rather than you are thinking the worst of me without giving me a chance to explain," he says, meeting my eyes as I try to relax a little.
"Is this going to tell me the worst of you?" I hold the file up as I speak.
"That is going to tell you half the story, and not the good half. I am not proud of what that says," he admits, and his blue, haunted eyes stay locked on mine for half a second before he looks away. I don’t know why, but I believe him. I believe he isn’t proud of whatever this file says and that he likely regrets his actions.
"Will you explain everything to me? I have to believe there is something more to whatever this file says," I ask, walking over and sitting on the other side of the island. I turn, crossing my legs and waiting for him to look at me, but he doesn’t as he starts speaking.
"I was the alpha of a pack of twenty. The Tresan Pack. Tresan is my last name, it was my father’s and his father’s. The pack was given to me when my father felt I was ready. We owned four houses on a street, shifted in the nearby park and woods at night...we kept to ourselves for many years," he humorlessly chuckles. "We thought we were safe, that we could live happily for the next ten years or so, and then move around so the humans don’t get suspicious of us not aging. We had the next place planned out, and the place after that. We knew we would need to find somewhere move private eventually, but there was no rush in our minds.”
"What happened?" I ask.
"In one week, three of my pack members disappeared. They just vanished, and I couldn’t find any clue to what happened to them. I went mad looking, searching. They were my pack, and I was meant to protect them, and I didn’t." he says distantly, staring at the floor.
"Did you ever find them?" I ask.
"Yes. Another alpha had taken the three women. Two of them had children in the pack. They had lives...I still can never forget when I first saw them in that dirty room," he pauses, his hands tightening into fists as dread fills me. "The alpha was collecting women, human, wolves, elves, vampires...it didn’t matter to him what species they were. If they were beautiful, he collected them. He would rape them, lock them in a room, and use them until they died. Two of my pack were dead when I got there. I killed the last woman, Mila, because she begged me too," he stops speaking but I can feel the guilt and sorrow pouring out his words. They did not deserve that torture, and I am happy he killed Mila if she asked for him to end her pain. That is an alpha’s job, to look after his pack, and in my eyes, he did exactly that when faced with a horrible decision.
I jump off the table, walking slowly over to him and stepping between his legs that hang off the island. I place my hands on his face, lifting it up so he will look at me, feeling the wetness on my hands from his silent tears. When his eyes meet mine, there is nothing but sorrow and guilt in them.
“You do not have to feel guilty for the choice you had to make as her alpha,” I whisper.
“I will feel guilty for my entire life for not protecting my pack better,” he says.
"What happened next? Why were you hunted?" I ask, needing to know what happened. There is no way the royal family would have ordered him hunted for doing what he did.
"I killed the alpha, the betas, and everyone I scented guilt on. I let the rest of the pack go, and the women that were left alive. The next thing I know, I was shot with something in my neck, and everything went black," he says, his wolf's scent slowly drifting over to me and making me relax, even as he tells me such an awful story. He gently places his hands on my waist, pulling me a little closer to him.
"Where did you wake up?" I ask, moving my hands off his face, sliding them down to his chest where I can feel his heart beating rapidly under his shirt.
"In hell. I don't know exactly what the place was, but they took me and five people they managed to catch from my pack. Including my parents. We were all in separate cages, with hundreds of wolves and other creatures next to us," he tells me, his heart beating even quicker as he continues with this story.
"What?" I hiss in shock, feeling the truth behind his words and the fear coming from him. He is scared of the place he is telling me about, and I need to know why.
"They tortured us, performed tests on us, and did things I can’t even remember because I’ve made myself forget. I was the only one of my pack who survived. I had to watch, helpless, as they killed each one of my pack. My parents died together, the day before I escaped. I was going to break them out too, but I was too late…" he says so sadly that it breaks my heart.
"Do you know who they were? They have to pay for what they have done. If I tell my old pack and the Bearlay’s, we will have a big army for revenge and to free the other people still there,” I tell him, feeling so angry that anyone could do something like that.
"I broke out, killed three guards and ran out of the doors in a blur. I saw a man as I was escaping. I don't know who he is, but I would recognise him again if I ever saw him," he tells me. “I want revenge too, but now I have a mate to worry about…I won’t risk my past finding you.”
"Do you know where it was you were taken to?" I ask.
"No, I shifted and ran and ran. It is all a blur, and my wolf was too frightened to allow me shift back for a week," he explains, which is pretty normal. We have all had moments when our wolf is hard to control.
"So how did the royal family come to send us? They gave us a cloth with your scent on it that we used to find you," I question because I just can’t believe the royal family, our leaders, would have anything to do with something so evil.
"Can I see it?" he asks.
"Sure," I open the file, not looking at the information inside as I pull out the clipped rag on the top. It is cut off a bigger blanket, and a dirty one at that.
"This was my blanket in that place, the place they..." he stops, dropping the blanket and looking away as his jaw tightens.
"How did they get it then?" I gasp in horror at the realisation that the royal family could be behind all this.
"That’s what I want to know," he replies tightly.
"Do you think they could be the ones doing all that?" I ask quietly. If they are, I have to get Snow far away from the prince. He may be her destined mate, but if he has anything to do with this…
"Honestly? I don’t know. Do you have a photo of the royal family? I haven’t seen them in a long, long time, and I did see some people while I was in there," he asks.
"I don’t have one, but I know my sister in law had photos taken of them at a ball recently. I will ask her to send them to me," I answer.
"You must think I’m weak," he says carefully, traces of despair breaking through his words. I shake my head. I don’t think that at all, and I want to explain all that to him, but I don’t get a chance.
"What the fuck are you doing out that room?" Cain snaps from behind us, and I turn around, seeing Cain storming towards us from the bottom of the stairs. My rogue jumps off the table, darting in front of me.
"Talking to my mate, do you have a problem with that?" he asks, his voice going from sad to cocky in the blink of an eye.
"Yeah, I do," Cain calmly responds, and he swings his fist straight into my rogue’s face.
"Shit," I mutter as my rogue tackles Cain, and they both slam into the wall before rolling to the floor. I glance around the room quickly to find something to break them up as I hear their fight head into the lounge and something that sounds like glass breaking. I run out the back door in the kitchen, remembering I saw a hose on one of those circle holders near the door.
"This w
ill do," I say to myself as I grab the hose and turn the water on, holding my hand over the end as I run back into the house. Cain is punching the lights out of my rogue, his own face covered in blood, and it looks like his arm has been bitten. Ouch. I lift the hose, squirting them both with the freezing cold water. It finally snaps them both out of the trance they were in. They both turn towards me, dripping with water and blood.
"You are both idiots. One, did I look like I was in danger, Cain? Two, why did you have to act all cocky when you are genuinely a good guy?" I snap, holding my hands on my hips. Cain and my rogue look between each other, frowning and then pushing each other away as they get up.
"I am going to bed, and Rogue can sleep on the sofa tonight. I want him near me. Is that okay? Can I trust you both not to kill each other for one night?" I ask.
"He's an ass," Cain shrugs.
"And you're a twat. I'm sure we will get along for Gold’s sake," my rogue says, and I just shake my head at them.
"Night, guys. Maybe you two should have a drink and talk instead of fighting. You might get along," I suggest because I really think my rogue needs to be in a pack with people he connect with for a while. My heart hurts as I meet his eyes, and he smiles once at me. I know straight away that I want to help him forget his past, help him heal. I now know that under the cocky attitude he puts up, there is a very good man hidden there. A man destined to be my mate it seems.
"You look beautiful today," I say when I see Gold in the kitchen, drinking an orange juice. Her wary, stunning eyes meet mine, and I have to remind myself to not stare like an idiot. I move my eyes to her yellow dress that is tight in the middle and shows off her long, golden legs that I desperately want wrapped around me.
"Thanks. Am I overdressed?" she asks, thankfully distracting me as I make myself move to the fridge.
"Not at all. I have some jobs that need doing, and I have to wear boots for them, that’s why I’m dressed like this," I explain as I pull out a bottle of water and look back at Gold. She tucks a little stray piece of her gold, curly hair behind her ear as she watches me, a small smile on her lips.
"Okay," she replies. I’m so happy she is here, even if it wasn’t her first choice to come here. I knew she could be the perfect mate when I saw her at the party last year.
"Are you ready to go then? The earlier the better," I ask, holding a hand out for her as she jumps off the island and links her hand with mine. I don’t say a word, but I internally feel excited that Gold took my hand. It's a sign she is trying to trust me.
"See you later," the rogue says from his spot on the sofa, drinking a cup of coffee like he has always lived here. Cain sent us a text to explain that the rogue broke out the room, that they had a fight, but that Cain thinks he can be trusted. Cain also read his file, with the rogue's permission, and explained that the rogue only did what any of us would have done. I notice the way Gold looks at him, and I know we are stuck with him. I guess I will have to get to know the wolf if he has been able to earn a look like that from Gold already.
"We are going to a pack gathering tonight to celebrate a baby that was born last week. There will be food, music, dancing, and lots of beer. Do you want to come? Both of you?" I ask, and Gold gives me a slightly surprised look as she glances between me and the rogue.
"It would be an honour," the rogue says, nodding in respect at me. Gold smiles up at me when I look at her.
"I can't wait to go. Thank you," she says, and I know she is thanking me for more than the invite as I lead her out of the house. I walk Gold over to my Land Rover parked behind the house, opening the door for her to get in before I hop into the driver's seat.
"It isn't a long drive, only about ten minutes. The entire place is on pack lands, to keep it private from the humans," I explain to her, and she nods, looking entirely confused, but curious about where I am taking her. We drive in pretty comfortable silence for the ten minutes until we pull up at our work. I watch as she takes in the sign on the entrance and the ten paddocks full of animals that surround the building.
"The Bearlay Animal Rescue?" she asks.
"One of the biggest rescue places in Ireland. We take in any animal that needs a little love and care, and then find them a home. Or they stay permanently if they have been through too much to be rehomed. We have every animal from seals to bats," I tell her, and she smiles widely.
"I'm so excited to help you today. This is amazing," she exclaims, undoing her seatbelt and opening her door to get out as I do the same. I lock the car as Gold comes to my side, taking my hand once again, and I link our fingers as we walk in.
"Hey Cal! I've been waiting for you!" Gerry says, stepping out from behind the counter and coming over to me. She pulls me into a hug, which is odd as she never does that. I try not to cough at the amount of perfume she has on today, or her blonde hair which smells overwhelmingly of hairspray. Gerry is a very young bear, only thirty or forty, and she is spoilt by most of the pack.
"Jerry, this is Gold," I introduce them, and Gerry folds her arms, smiling at Gold.
"Nice to meet you. What are you doing here?" she asks.
"Gold is our mate," I answer, and Gerry clears her throat, looking Gold up and down, before walking back to her desk. Weird.
"We had a young female fox handed to us last night. The fox is pregnant and hurt, but she won't let the vet, or any of us, go near her. The vet knows how good you are with the animals, so he wants you to try and talk to her instead of the vet knocking her out," Gerry explains.
"Which room?"
"12C," Gerry says. "You might want to stay here, Gold, you look like you might pass out at the sight of all that blood."
"I'm sure my mate will catch me if I do," Gold replies, an overly sweet smile on her lips as she presses closer to me. I catch the light, possessive growl that slips from her lips. Gerry quickly looks down, showing submission as I wrap my arm around Gold's shoulders and lead her down the corridor.
"My mate, huh?" I ask.
"Sorry, I just-" she mumbles.
"Don't be sorry. We might not be officially mated, but I am your mate," I assure her as we get to the room we were looking for.
"I think I like you, Callum," she says, more to herself than me, but I still take it as I open the door and let her in the room.
"Mr Bearlay, it is good to see you again," the vet says as I come into the room. I haven’t met this vet more than once or twice, as we have two vets that the pack usually deals with. He is an older human, who appears to live with several animals and no other humans, judging by his scent. His grey hair is longer and tied back, and he has a white vet coat on.
"Call me Callum. This is my partner, Gold," I introduce her, and she shakes the human’s hand as I walk over and look into the holding pen. It is lined with straw, and there is a yellow blanket and a bowl of water in one corner. I glance around and finally see the poor fox. She is shivering in the far corner, half her body hidden in the shadows, and blood is covering the straw on the ground near her.
"I believe she is in labour by the sounds. I am worried about putting her to sleep, but if she hasn’t calmed down soon, I will have to. She is very thin, and I worry the drugs could put her into a coma, or worse kill her. I know you have a no kill policy here, but this poor animal would have been put down anywhere else,"
"That is why people bring animals to us, they know we fight for their lives. We treasure every animal as if they were a human," I tell the man. I open the pen door, closing it behind me as the vet and Gold lean on the edge, watching me. Gold looks worried, but she puts on a brave face as I walk slowly over to the fox. I start humming the old song my mum used to sing to me as a kid, knowing its soothing melody might calm the fox more than my deep voice. The fox growls slightly as I get near, its dark eyes staring at me fearfully as I see the two cubs she has already birthed. They aren’t moving, and I know I need to get them to the vet, if the fox will let me.
"I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but I promise I only want to h
elp you. We are the same, you know it, and so do I. Us animals need to help each other, right?" I speak quietly, going down to my knees and moving closer carefully. I reach a hand out, holding it in the air for her to sniff and make her own decision if she wants to trust me. I bow my head slightly at her, showing her I don’t want to dominate her, only help. I've learnt over the years that it is important every hurt animal doesn't become more scared when it scents you are a natural alpha.
"I need to look at them, and see if they are okay. Let me help you," I soothe her and reach for the babies. The fox doesn’t stop me as I pick the babies up and carefully stand, holding them in my arms and rushing over to the vet. He takes them both off me, and he disappears over to a counter in the room with Gold following. I go back to the fox, sitting on the ground next to her and after a few seconds, she lets me put my hand on her back.
"They’re alive!" I hear Gold exclaim in relief, and I take a deep breath. Thank god. Gold carries one of the babies back over to the pen, with the vet carrying the other. They carefully place them with the mother again, and Gold moves back as the fox licks her pups. I see Gold wiping tears away, watching me with a look I think is admiration. The vet checks the fox over while I sit speaking quietly, soothing the fox. After a while, the vet nods his head, and so we leave the pen.
"I will come and see you soon, I promise, little fox," I tell her. I don't know if the fox can understand me, but I like to think the animals and us shifters have more of a connection to each other than humans do. I've met so many animals, cared for them, and sometimes I really think they can understand every word we tell them.
"I think she will be okay. It looks like a dog got hold of her and bit her a few times, that's why there is so much blood. She is also extremely malnourished, but with some good food and water, she will make a solid recovery. I will come back and check on her in a week. Do call me if she doesn't drink or eat, and I can set up a IV," the vet explains as he washes his hands. Gold and I wash our hands next and walk out the room. I shake hands with the vet before he leaves. I turn to ask what Gold would like to see next when she suddenly leans up and kisses me. I groan when she wraps her legs around my waist, and her small hands go into my hair as I grab her hips and deepen the kiss. I swing us around, pushing her back against the wall as my tongue explores her mouth. I groan again as her hand slides down my chest, undoing the button on my jeans as we continue to kiss. I pull her off the wall, walking down the corridor and opening the door to an empty exam room. I walk her inside, slamming the door closed behind us and pushing her against it as she pulls my hard cock out of my jeans. Her hand doesn’t quite fit all the way around it, but that doesn’t stop her from stroking me until I feel like I’m inches away from losing all control. I drag my hand up her thigh, finding the side of her underwear and ripping it off with one tug. I growl as I cup her soaking wet core and slowly slide a finger inside of her. She moans against my lips as I relish in how damn tight she feels.