Pet ✓

Chapter One

TW: abuse.

Kieran

Vito wipes the blood from his mouth and shuts the car door behind him.

"She's asleep in the back. Drive carefully," I warn him when he starts the engine. Vito mumbles at me before pulling back out onto the road.

"Vito," I grit my teeth at him when he speeds the car over a broken branch. I quickly glance in the back and the poor puppy is out like a light. "You are lucky she is tired."

Vito glares at her in the rearview mirror before driving the speed limit. We soon enough turn off at the exit for home.

I watch Vito huff and exit the car before storming inside. He was still angry about everything. Probably even angrier that I decided to at least keep this were-pup until we can find her family.

I pet the were's fur, trying to wake her up. Soon enough she bares her little sharp teeth at me, nipping at my hand. She looks like a feral animal on crack.

She takes a whiff of my scent and instantly lowers her head in submission, rubbing her snout against my fingers. She is anything but wild.

"It's all going to be okay," I scratch her ear which she seems to enjoy. "Can you shift? I want to talk with you."

She sneezes a few times, probably from the dust that puffed up with her tail thumping excitedly. She hops down from the car seat and whimpers painfully to begin her transformation.

I guess it was dumb for me to think it was easy. She had matted fur and wounds that healed poorly. It had likely been a long time since she has lived as a human. Her family will be fucked if I ever find them.

I could hear her heart work hard and pump blood throughout her body. She was laying limp on the cold concrete floor, her creamy skin covered in cuts. Her lip had been busted open from the looks of the scar running across her face.

The kid's had a rough life.

I wrap her with my jumper and run my thumb along her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly and looks over at me. She is truly beautiful. It is surprising that she had been alone.

"How are you feeling, are you okay?" I ask her, moving her head gently with my hand to get a better look at her skin. Burn marks, bruises, and slashes.

She smiles and nods at me. My own smile falters when she stands up and I see welts across her stomach. She had prominent bruises on her inner thighs. Whatever happened to her was recent. She notices and not-so-subtly covers her privates with her hands.

"I won't hurt you. What happened? Who did this?" I ask her, pulling my shirt off my back and helping her fit into it. My shirt dropped to her mid-thigh, and she seemed more comfortable. Her eyes seemed to stare at my chest, she seemed in a daze which was rather cute.

"Are you awake?" I mutter softly, she gives me a sly little smile before sitting on the floor again. She started rubbing her feet which were likely aching and sore.

"Can you tell me what happened?" I ask her again, tapping her leg for attention.

"My mate," she states simply. Moving her legs in front of her and looking at them weirdly. She starts poking at her skin and squishing her legs.

I have met plenty of werewolves in my lifetime. What confuses me is why her own mate would want to harm her. She seems sweet and docile.

"Your mate, he hurt you?" I confirm with her.

She nods at me, "he was mad at me. I am not a good wolf."

I feel my skin get warm out of anger. Jealousy, maybe. He had someone that destiny made for him, and he fucking mutilated her.

"What do you mean?" I push. Maybe I should stop asking so many questions when she just shifted. But I needed to know what... or who... to look out for.

"I don't love him. He is mad at me. He wants things from me that I can't give him..." she explained, crinkling her nose as she spoke.

"How long have you been by yourself?" I ask her nervously. Shit, when am I ever nervous? I want to know what she's been through.

She hums silently and drops her shoulders in a shrug. "My name is Kieran. What is your name?"

"Evangeline. I go by Eva."

"Are you hungry, Eva?" I ask her. She seems distracted by a small stain that was on my shirt. "Eva?"

She looks up at me and nods her head. Her eyes grow like saucers at even the thought of food. She must have been hungry for a while. Poor Eva, not even two hours ago Vito wanted to eat her as a pre-game snack.

She follows me inside, stumbling a little bit as she walked. It must feel funny to walk on two legs after being on four. I encourage her with my hand on her back and she gladly kept trying to move her feet.

She sits down on the couch. I should tell her that Vito is a bit obsessed with his seat, and the fact that her dirty bum has landed right on his spot, but I don't. She needs rest after a long day, and Vito has been rude to her enough as it is. Hopefully, he doesn't come downstairs.

I grab her plain crackers from the cabinet. With our diets, we hardly have guests over. We don't venture much with our food groups. I should go to the shops, but I can't leave her home alone with Vito seething like he is.

"It's not much," I hand her the box and she gladly accepts.

I sit beside her and she munches loudly and proudly. I find it amusing she hardly has any care or worry in the world.

All I can think about, however, is the fact that I know werewolves.

And werewolves hardly ever forfeit their chance with their mate.