Striding quickly through the forest with his mate in his arms, Rafe took the time to take in every detail. Her hair was a mess, dangling down over his arm and tickling his bare skin, it was filthy and bore testament of her time running from the rogues. Her words earlier causing sadness to seep into his soul.
An entire Pack killed?
That was outrageous and he’d make damn sure to do everything in his power to get to the bottom of what happened. The grief he felt inside her almost taking his breath away and he guessed she’d lost loved ones. Rafe remembered too well how he’d felt when his father died. It was cataclysmic and the worst thing he’d ever experienced.
It had been unexpected. He was Alpha. Strong and fearless but something as simple as a drunk driver had ended his life. His mother barely hung on and it was through the grace of the Goddess that she’d survived. Her own grief at losing her soul-mate was the most horrendous thing Rafe had ever witnessed.
Days, weeks, and months passed in a blur as they all fought to keep her with us. Her desire to just fade away was so great that Rafe thought on many occasions that he would lose her too.
Luckily, with the help of the Pack, she’d finally turned a corner. The first time Rafe saw her smile after that fateful day made his insides flutter and his heart rejoice.
What his mate had endured was far worse. Her entire Pack, everyone she knew and loved, had been snatched from her and Rafe knew she would need a lot of support to deal with that. No matter what it took, he’d make sure she recovered. She was his mate, his love, the center of his life from this moment on. Rafe could afford her nothing less than everything he had.
Her scent ingrained within him, deep down, as if it had always been there and he knew without a single doubt, that this woman was his.
Rafe stopped, on alert, when he heard Wolves heading his way. He’d been so lost in his own thoughts that they were almost upon him by the time he heard them. Sending out his Alpha power he recognized Levi and two guards stampeding toward him. Levi’s massive light brown beast skidding on the wet leaves when he saw his Alpha.
“Jacy should be on his way, behind me, but I have to get her back to camp.”
Rafe noted Levi’s eyes widen as he inhaled, his beast’s nostrils flaring at the change to his Alpha’s scent.
“I’m sure you know what she is, but just to enforce how important she is. She is my mate. Now, go and help your Beta and I’ll want to see you at my cabin later. We have a problem with rogues.”
The brown Wolf lowered its head, whining once then taking off with lightning speed. Levi was one of the quickest Wolves he knew, his pace so fast that few could keep up. The two guards he’d brought with him falling behind within seconds.
Rafe smiled as he pictured the rogue’s face when Levi arrived. He was large, much bigger than most other Wolves, and he was an imposing and scary sight. When he wanted to be that is.
It was one of the reasons Jacy and Rafe chose him to deal with the Pack guards and dole out punishment when it was due for minor infractions. Anything serious was dealt with by Rafe, or Jacy if he wasn’t around, but they rarely had major problems within the Pack.
That may no longer be the case. Not if rogues had the power to take out an entire camp.
Rafe had to find out what happened and how to stop it. He refused to allow rogues to kill any of his people and he’d do whatever it took to ensure their safety.
He’d go so far as to call in the dreaded Council.
Rafe hated their rules and regulations but they had manpower behind them. If required he’d go cap in hand and ask for their help.
Even if the thought made him want to puke.
Rafe skirted the camp, not wishing to parade through it while holding his mate. His Wolf was jumpy and it definitely didn’t want anyone near her.
No, that’s untrue. It didn’t want any males near her.
He trudged up the back porch, hoping his mom was home. “Mother! I need your help.”
Hearing her voice chatting before she replied. “I’m in here. What’s got you so upset? If anyone should be upset it’s me! You’ve been gone for . . .”
Her mouth fell open as Rafe strode through, Alinka’s eyes dropping to the floor before popping back up to stare at the woman in his arms. “Mom, she’s hurt and exhausted.”
“Follow me.” Ellie raced toward the stairs, ushering him up as she went up side-stepping so she could keep her eyes on him. “Who is she? What happened? And, Rafe, is that blood all over you?”
Rafe ignored her. His entire being focused on the woman in his arms. He’d realized earlier that she was younger than he’d first thought, probably early twenties, if that. It didn’t make any difference to him, she was still his mate and Rafe would fight to the death to protect her.
He also realized he didn’t want to put her down. His mom held the cover back on the bed and urged him to place her on it. Rafe couldn’t help the growl that crept up his throat as he laid her gently down. The loss of her touch was a physical pain running through him.
“Rafe,” Ellie said his name quietly, her hand on his arm. “Are you all right? Your scent has changed and, well, that
