The Lone Wolf

Chapter 2: Peeta

I look at the shivering girl before me. She stays low, only having lifted her head to look up at me. Her dark hair is held loosely in a tangled braid and her small frame clings desperately to the blanket she was given. Her beautiful, dark grey eyes look up at me, unsure of whats going to happen now. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"Lets get you some where warmer," I say reaching out my hand. She is extremely hesitant to take it. "I won't hurt you. I promise."

"How do I know that?" she asks.

"I'm your mate," I say. "Why would I hurt you?"

"I'm a rouge," she says. "I'm garbage, trash, a traitor of my kind. At least that's how the packs see me."

"I don't care," I say. "That's your past. I just want you to be okay and not freeze to death in here."She takes my hand and I pull her up but stop when she winces. I smell blood and look to see bite marks on her ankle. "Who did that?"

"Cato," she says. "One of the rouges. He pulled me out of the tree I live in. It didn't hurt before, but I guess the adrenaline wore off."

"Well we better go get that looked at," I say and pick her up and lay her over my shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asks. "Put me down this instant!"

"You're going home with me and the healer is going to look at your leg," I say.

"Can you at least let me walk?" she asks. "This is humiliating!"

"But I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore than you already are," I say.

"I won't," she says. "If you want me to, I'll lean on you. But please, let me have some dignity."

"Fine," I say. "But if I see you in any kind of pain, I'm carrying you."

"Deal," she says. I carefully put her back on her feet. I put her arm over my shoulder and she limps out of the Pit.

"What are you doin' with the rouge?" Haymitch asks.

"She's my mate," I say.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Of course I am," I say."I'm pretty sure I'd know my mate when I saw her."

"Well then," he says. "It is a pleasure to meet you Luna."

"Don't call me that," Katniss snaps. "That is not what I am."

"Well not officially, but someday soon, that's exactly what you're going to be," I say. She just frowns and allows me to help her walk through the forest. We get to my house and she starts shaking.

"I shouldn't be here," she says. "This is all wrong. I'm not welcome here. This is not my place."

"This is your home now Katniss," I say. "You're safe here. I want you to be happy."

"It's gonna take a while," she says.

"Come on," I say. "Lets get you patched up." I pick her up and carry her into the house. I take her to the back, where the clinic is, and look around for the healer. "Delly must be in her room, it being so late. I'll be right back."

"Are there others here?" she asks.

"Not right now," I say. "The others live in the houses in the valley. I'll show you tomorrow. They only come here if they need Delly."

"Your sure?" she asks.

"Yes," I say. "I'll be right back." I leave and knock on Delly's door she opens it, looking alarmed.

"Alpha?" she asks. "Whats wrong? Has their been a rouge attack?"

"Calm down," I say. "It's over. Some rouges chased my mate up a tree in our territory. She got bit and I think she needs looked at."

"Okay, show me her," she says and I take her to where I left Katniss. Katniss' eyes widen when she sees Delly and she tries to make herself smaller. She's obviously not seen other wolves who don't want to hurt her in a very long time. She's nearly feral. The only reason she allowed me to touch her was probably the fact that I'm her mate.

"Katniss," I say. "This is Delly. She's gonna look at your leg. She won't hurt you. I promise." Katniss nods but doesn't relax. I sit next to her and gently release her grasp on her calf. I roll up the tattered pant leg. There is a deep bite mark in her calf that looks extremely red and painful. Delly runs her fingers over it and Katniss flinches.

"I've seen worse," Delly says. "I'll make the Luna a poultice and send it and some bandages with you. I'd rather she have a bath and clean it before I bother wrapping it. I think you're quite capable of doctoring her up Alpha." I nod and Delly leaves.

"Do you have clothes?" I ask her.

"No," she says. "The rest of them are all rags like these, tied up in a tree far beyond your boarder. The rouges chased me a long way."

"I'll try to find you something in my room while you bathe," I say and she nods. Delly hands me a container and a roll of bandages. I hand them to Katniss and lift her back up. I say thank you to Delly and carry Katniss up stairs to my room. I grab her a T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts and hand them to her.

"They might be a little big, but I'm gonna make sure I get you some real clothes tomorrow," I say.

"This is fine, thank you," she says looking down.

"The bathroom's over there," I say pointing and she nods. She walks over to the bathroom and shuts the door tightly behind her, locking it.

I can't help but think that she doesn't like me. She gets extremely defensive when someone mentions that she's the Luna. She's a very cold person and that breaks my heart.

"There's a reason she's cold," Troyal, my wolf spirt says. "She isn't stupid like most females. She doesn't automatically fall in love with you just because you're mates. She doesn't see some spell cast by the Moon Goddess as a reason to automatically trust you."

"But she doesn't even let me in," I say. "She hasn't shown anything that suggests she even sees me as a mate."

"Give her time," he says. "It'll get better when her shift comes. I can feel her wolf spirit stirring. Its going to be very soon. "

"I hope you are right," I say. "By the Goddess, I hope you're right."

Because I don't think I could stand to not be loved by the beautiful girl I'm already desperately in love with.