Rose looked at the earnest and compassionate eyes of the doctor and decided to trust her.
“The Alpha of my pack was trying to mate me by force. My grandmother tried to intervene, she partially shifted but couldn’t fully transition, that’s what caused the break to her collar bone. The rest, I suspect came from the backhand she got from the Alpha. After that she hit the ground hard. It was a couple of minutes before I could get to her to check her over.”
The truth felt easy to say, but the memories of it caused Rose to shudder. Cayden’s arms wrapped more tightly around her, and she sunk into his embrace.
“I see.” Samantha nodded seriously. “And do you require any medical attention Rose? Or emotional support?”
Rose shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks to Cayden.”
“And just so I know whether additional security is needed on the ward; this Alpha of yours? Is he still a potential threat?” Samantha looked directly at Cayden this time.
“No.” He uttered with finality.
“Good.” Samantha nodded and stood. “I can file the report to say I’ve spoken with yourselves and confirmed that your grandmother took a bad fall at her home. But a partial shift at her age?” The woman shook her head in disbelief. “That lady has got more grit than any elder I’ve known.”
Rose climbed off Cayden’s lap and stood, pride filling her at the doctor’s words.
“Can I see her now?”
Samantha shook her head. “She had to be sedated for us to reset the bone, so she’s sleeping now. But you are welcome to come back tomorrow during morning visiting hours. I’ll be on shift tonight and will make sure she’s taken good care of.”
“Thank you, Samantha. I appreciate that, can I give you my number in case I need to come in?” Rose asked.
“Of course, just as long as you don’t mind me calling you up again at some point so we can swap stories about this big, bad puppy dog?” Samantha grinned and gestured to Cayden who had stepped up behind Rose once more.
Rose looked over her shoulder and grinned at his frowning face.
“Oh, I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem.”
CHAPTER NINE
Cayden
Cayden was seriously reconsidering his friendship with the bear shifter as he and Rose headed out of the hospital into the warm and muggy evening.
He hated being defenceless against his own animal instincts. Having them pulled like he was some kind of puppet on a string, made him vow to return the favour when the bear’s time came to mate. Admittedly it wasn’t all Samantha’s fault, Rose had begun it by calling him her mate.
His wolf stirred at the thought.
Yes, it had felt impossibly good hearing her say it, but the fierce need to covet and claim that quickly followed had been a strange combination of pleasure and pain. The only thing that helped ground him was Rose’s closeness and tender touch.
Being soothed and talked down by such a delicate hand while his friend laughed on, had done nothing for his ego, what’s more the intensity of his feelings sent him to a dark place; made him think of his father. About the times that his father had violent outbursts on particularly bad days, all because he was denied his mate’s touch.
He didn’t forgive his father for the way in which he had treated him, but Cayden felt as though his eyes had been opened to what torment he must’ve felt. Cayden took away his father’s mate and now he had to go through the torment of discovering his true mate. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was all some kind of sick twist of fate, a horrible form of karma to punish him for being responsible for his mother’s death.
“So, do you know of a motel near here? I don’t want to be too far from Grandma tonight in case she needs me.” Rose interrupted his thoughts.
Cayden looked down at his petite little she-wolf. She rubbed at the shadows under her eyes and lightly massaged her temples. She had been through one hell of a tough day. The protective need in him rose again urging him to ease her stress.
“I’ve already booked a room at a hotel in town, that’s what I was sorting earlier. I figured you’d want to stay close rather than head back to Darkhills tonight. But if you’d be more comfortable in your own home, I can take you back. I need to meet with your Beta soon so,”
“I really don’t want to be back there tonight. I’m tired, I’m hungry and in need of a shower.” Rose interrupted. “And I’m not letting you face Russell and the council of elders alone. So, a hotel sounds perfect. The pack can wait until tomorrow, I’ll give my testimony then. Sam McClaw was crooked in more ways than one and I’m not going to let you be punished while he is held up as the perfect Alpha.” Rose strode forward towards where Cayden’s truck was parked up.
God, he admired her fighting spirit. After all she had been through, his mate hadn’t crumbled, quite the opposite; she’d come back up swinging. He wished he could share her optimism about the outcome of the trial. Then again, she was a pack wolf, she’d always received fair justice. The same didn’t apply to those who went it alone.
As he drove them the short distance to the hotel, his mind was dark with the impending meeting with the Beta. Killing the Alpha would result in severe punishment, although considering the circumstances, with enough evidence or testimonials he may be absolved of his crime. The Beta might even feel especially forgiving considering he now had the opportunity to rise to Alpha status. From what Cayden knew of Russell, he suspected the wolf didn’t have much chance of winning an Alpha challenge the old-fashioned way. However, the issue of his growing relationship with Rose would cause unrest, not just with the Darkhills pack, but with all packs in the area.
Although it could be argued that he had only stepped in to protect the female, he had kissed her, held her, and they continued to be drawn to each other. Hell, he was about to spend the night with her, and despite vowing to himself that he would be the gentleman and sleep on the floor, the pounding need to claim his mate was suffocating him. He had doomed Rose to a lifetime of being shunned by wolf packs everywhere all because she chose a lone wolf over her pack.
That was of course unless he stopped their bond from going any further. If he could somehow fight his mating instinct, overcome it where his father could not, and walk away from her without so much as touching her again, he may be able to convince the Beta and council that she was an innocent bystander. Convince them that he was the bad wolf everyone thought him to be, and he had seen an opportunity to seduce the female and taken it. She had only responded due to being overcome by the haze of pheromones released during his fight with the Alpha.
Painting his mate as some clueless she-wolf caused bile to rise in his throat, but it might just help her avoid punishment and she could remain in the sheltered bubble of her pack. With the old Alpha gone, she would be safe and could have a chance to find a good and kind mate among her own. Cayden would have to be satisfied with the memory of the few intimate touches they had shared.
He still had tonight and tomorrow with her. He would play the role of attentive mate for a while longer. He’d see to it that his Rose was warm, well fed and comfortable. He’d ensure she slept well and got to visit her grandmother in hospital in the morning. All being well, he would drive her home and then seek out Russell alone. Then he would face his punishment and leave her.
His wolf howled and clawed at him in outrage.
Rose turned her head sharply in his direction, concern dulling her pretty emerald eyes.
“Is everything alright Cayden? My wolf is uneasy.”
Cayden cursed himself. Of course, she would pick up on his wolf’s emotions. They were bonding, it was only going to become stronger the longer this continued.
“I’m fine, just a lot on my mind.” He answered while trying to quieten his wolf.
“Me too.” Rose placed her hand lightly on his thigh and returned her gaze to the road ahead of them.
The touch wasn’t sexual, simply reassuring. The strength of his mate flowed into him calming his wolf immediately and Ca
yden couldn’t ignore the warm, happy feeling that formed in his chest. Being with Rose felt like home. It made leaving her all the more difficult. He sighed. There was nothing else for it though, his mate would be protected no matter the cost to him.
CHAPTER TEN
Rose
Rose couldn’t remember a time when she’d been more grateful for a hot shower.
The room that Cayden had booked wasn’t at the fanciest hotel, but nor was it crawling with cockroaches. Rose wouldn’t have cared too much if it had been, she doubted she’d be able to get much sleep, not with her grandmother in the hospital and her future in the pack looking increasingly uncertain.
As the hot water eased her aching limbs, Rose started to wonder whether life outside of the pack would be so bad. She would miss her friends. She would miss the forest and the mountain trails that allowed her to run free in her wolf form. She would miss her grandma, unless she came with her, and she would miss the home in which she grew up, but she wouldn’t miss her job especially. She could get a bar job almost anywhere; she would probably even get a fairer wage without the Alpha skimming profits. Together her and Cayden could earn enough to put a roof over their heads and could build their own little pack.
Rose smiled. She had found her mate. Despite everyone saying that lone wolves were bad and dangerous, Cayden was good and kind and more than capable of protecting her. He was also the hottest male she had ever known. She wasn’t afraid to admit that a part of her was looking forward to spending the night with him. That was if he would quit being so stand offish.
As soon as they had arrived at their room, they’d had a quarrel over where he was going to sleep for the night. Cayden had wanted to ‘do the honourable thing’, as he had called it, and sleep in his truck. Rose had chewed him out for being ridiculous and told him that if he were sleeping in the truck then she would be too. After much huffing and puffing, he had agreed to stay in the room with her and had stormed out to find them some food, refusing to take any of the money she offered. Rose didn’t mind what he brought back, she was simply happy that he was going to be staying with her and that she was going to get fed.
Rose stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself up in one of the stiff towels hung up on the rack. She had rinsed her underwear under the faucet earlier and hung it up to dry on the heated rail, she fingered it hopefully, but it was still wet. Looks like she’d be going commando until the morning. She grabbed her clothes and opened the door, releasing a cloud of steam into the small but comfortable hotel room. The crisp white linen on the bed called to her. She couldn’t wait to climb under the cool, clean sheets. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she needed to eat first.
She dropped her clothes onto the chair by the bed and her heart sunk at the thought of putting on the dusty and dirty jeans and cami top. She especially didn’t want to climb onto or into bed with them on. She snuck a glance over at Cayden’s gym bag that he’d left by the door.
He had put on fresh clothes after his shift earlier, so perhaps he had something she could borrow for the night. Most shifters carried a bag of extra necessities in their cars. Clothes getting ruined due to an impromptu shift was an occupational hazard. Rose had grabbed her purse from her car before leaving her grandmother’s house but had absently left her spare clothes in the trunk of her jeep.
Thinking it was better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, Rose trotted quickly over to the bag and peered inside.
Bingo.
She pulled out a huge, oversized shirt and shook out the creases. It smelt musty like his clothes had earlier. Rose wondered how long the bag had laid undisturbed in the back of his truck. Mustiness and creases aside, it was perfect. She quickly dropped the towel and pulled the shirt over her head, smoothing out the soft material over her body. It swamped her but it was a hell of a lot better than the pile of dirty clothes on the chair. Rose picked up her towel and started rubbing it through her long, wet hair as she walked back towards the misty shower room.
She stood in front of the mirror and smiled at her reflection as she finished towel drying her hair. She looked a little ridiculous in the faded black shirt, all freckles and small arms and legs, but it was Cayden’s, and she liked the feeling of wearing something of his.
The sound of the hotel room door opening had her smile widening. She inhaled deeply at the delicious aroma that met her keen nose. Her mate was back, and he had pizza with him. Rose wasn’t sure which she wanted to take a bite out of first.
“Rose, are you decent?” Cayden’s voice called out hesitantly.
“Sure am.” She answered padding barefoot back into the room, “Well, sort of. I hope you don’t mind me borrowing a shirt, my clothes are too dirty to sleep in.”
Her wolf chuckled as she watched Cayden’s jaw drop as she sauntered over to him. Yes, admittedly she put in a little extra sway into her hips as she went, but it was worth it for the look on his face.
“Ooh pizza, it’s like you read my mind.” Rose continued, playing dumb to his continued wordless gaze.
Rose took the pizza boxes and put them on the small desk next to the window. She could swear she could hear his heart racing and his scent kicked up a notch, going from delicious to downright intoxicating. He sure was one enticing wolf.
She continued to play coy and ignored him when he walked up silently behind her, continuing to fuss over their dinner instead. Flipping open the lid of the first box she hummed her approval.
“Pepperoni, an excellent choice.” She picked up a slice and turned to face him.
Cayden watched her with barely contained hunger, his amber eyes burning brightly with desire. It would have been a panty melting look, had she been wearing any panties. The reminder of how exposed she was beneath his shirt and how easy it would be for him to put his hands on her caused a wave of arousal to flood her. Cayden’s nostrils flared as he scented her. Rose loved seeing him react to her in the same way she did to him and the temptation to provoke him further was too much.
“What’s the matter? Not hungry?” She took a bite of the hot slice and let out a quiet moan of enjoyment.
“Not for that.” Cayden growled as he crowded her in some more.
Rose backed up until her backside bumped the edge of the desk. Heat pooled low in her stomach as she felt the restrained power of her mate surrounding her.
“You want something else?” She asked, her voice betraying how affected she was by him.
“Rose,” Cayden warned, “You know exactly what I want but you have had the worst day possible and I’m trying to treat you with the respect and gentleness you deserve.” Cayden closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, “Please don’t make this harder than it already is for me.” He opened his eyes again and the look of tortured yearning struck her heart.
“I’m sorry Cayden.” Rose took a deep cleansing breath of her own and tried to ignore the heady scent of their lust in the air. “You’re right, today’s been insane. Why don’t you grab a hot shower and afterward we can eat and maybe talk a little?”
She turned and closed the pizza box up to try to keep it warm. Cayden’s hands came gently over her shoulders and turned her back to face him.
“That sounds good to me. I’m sorry Rose, I just need to make sure you’re taken care of. Please eat, don’t wait for me.” He cupped her face tenderly and for a moment Rose thought he was going to kiss her, but much to her disappointment he pulled away and headed towards the bathroom.
“I’m sorry for taking your shirt.” She called after him, feeling embarrassed and a little ashamed for being so brazen with a man she hardly knew.
He paused by the doorway and looked over his shoulder at her.
“Don’t apologize Rose. I don’t mind you taking it, truth be told, I love seeing you wearing it.” His lips tilted upwards into the softest smile that warmed her like a gentle hug. “Eat up my Rose, I’ll be back out shortly.”
Cayden closed the door behind him, leaving Rose free to let her own happy smile spread across
her face. She liked being his Rose.
She finished eating the slice of melting, spicy pizza she had started, too hungry not to, but decided to wait until Cayden returned before having anymore. This was the first meal she would have with him and she wanted him to actually be there to share the moment. It was one of those silly things that her children or grandchildren might ask her one day. What was the first meal you had with your mate? Although this wasn’t a traditional date, she wanted to be able to tell the memory of this night.
Rose quickly licked her fingers clean and rummaged around in the desk drawers until she retrieved a small hair dryer. If he was going to treat her with kindness and consideration then she should at least show him the same respect, starting with trying to make herself a little more presentable to help regain her dignity while her mate finished his shower.
A sudden realization struck her as she stared at her blushing cheeks in the mirror. Her hand-washed underwear was currently drying out in the shower room where Cayden was cleaning up.
Mortification began to heat her cheeks even further, that was until she heard the unmistakable growl of frustration from behind the shower room door. A giggle swept through her as she imagined his aggravated face as he shook the small slip of pink, silky material in an angry fist.
Rose quickly switched on the hair dryer before Cayden heard her laughing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cayden
Damn that woman.
Cayden stared at the tiny pink thong that hung innocently from the heated towel rail. His wolf was literally rolling over at the sight of it. He was practically ready to storm back into the bedroom and tell Rose exactly what he thought about the offending item. That it was sexy as sin and now all he could imagine was what she would look like wearing it.
Saved by the Big Bad Wolf: A Darkhills Romance Page 7