Rogue Mate, The Moltiare Collection: Bk1 (Sample)(Available on Amazon/SW)

Chapter 2 (Ethan)

I watched as her head went to rest on the brick wall, sweat rolling off her forehead as she stared me down with watchful eyes. Her breathing was heavy as I pulled the zipper and slid the hoodie off of her shoulders, but her hand stayed closed around my wrist, as if she were holding me down. She took in a sharp breath as my hand brushed over her skin and I did my best to stay calm.

My wolf was already threatening to burst at the seams, growling and barking around the borders of my mind. The thought of someone hurting her was already taking me closer to the edge than I would normally be, but she seemed so terrified when she looked up at me. She looked so tired and vulnerable that it was the only thing keeping me under control. The only thing that was working my mind for every string that I could pull to keep her safe.

The first would be spreading her scent, I thought as the door to Kim’s Kitchen burst open again. I could hear Aaron as he ran towards me, baseball cap off and wiping his face with the back of his hand. My mate made a scared sound as she noticed him round the corner, causing me to let out a dark growl that had him coming to a halt.

Aaron was, and had been, my best friend for years, and he knew that I would never turn on him, but the sound of the growl was just enough to make him consider the possibility.

“I came to look for you when you took too long.” He explained, watching carefully as I pulled the jacket off of her arms and handed it to him, “When Kim said you were helping her with a stray, I thought she meant a rogue.”

“She is a rogue.” I growled at him as I gingerly took her in my arms before looking him in the eye, “This is different.”

Aaron gave a slow nod, looking down at the hoodie in his hands before looking back to me “So what do you want me to do?”

“Use that to spread her scent out of town, and have Marie meet me back at the house.”

“Pass me your shoes then.” I paused to give a pointed stare before he rolled his eyes, “I’ll spread your scent with hers so that the others will believe that you chased her off the land.”

I gave the suggestion a thought. My mate had been here in this alleyway at the same time I was in Kim’s. Her scent was already spread across the area and the blood that was beginning to seep through the back of her shirt already assuring that only the rain would wash it away. There would be no way to deny that I had smelled her or felt her presence, and it would have been my duty as the Alpha’s son to take care of the matter in the best way that I saw fit. It was the only way that we could make this work.

“Fine.” I nodded and slipped off my shoes. I wouldn’t need them to get home anyhow. “Don’t tell Marie why, just send her over and tell her not to say a word to our father.”

“Will do.” He assured me and my mate let out a soft breath before her head began resting lazily on my arm. Her eyes were now closed, her defenses down, and her scent was only being held back by my own. “We better hurry.”

I nodded in agreement. She had already exhausted herself with the shifting, and on top of her injuries, she had now rendered herself defenseless. Rest would be needed to bring her health back up to standard, but I also couldn’t ignore the state of her body. So many mats of fur had been missing in her wolf form that it made me wonder what was beneath her clothing. How many bones were broken, muscles bruised, or skin torn just as it had been on her back? How much had she gone through to make it impossible for her shift without pain or control?

We waited in the alleyway as a group of humans unknowingly passed us. The sounds of cars passing had momentarily faded, providing an opening for us to step out onto the open sidewalk and move away from the crowd that was threateningly close.