The Bite (Book 1)

Original Edition - Chapter 62: White Hot

I knelt down next to her as she rolled her head around drowsily. Her nostrils flared slightly which made me breathily chuckle. God, she was so beautiful. Even all bandaged up she was the most perfect thing I had ever seen.

My fingers found her cheek and grazed it before I kissed her lips. I knew she needed to sleep but half of me wished that she would have woken up. She let out what sounded like a 'mew' from a kitten as my lips left hers; my beast stirred, he had waited so long for her. The female that constantly challenges us; a challenge that we love and constantly look forward to.

I sighed and kissed her temple before leaving her room reluctantly. My wolf tried to pull me back, and I wanted to go back, but I knew we had things to handle first. The other men were scattered around the couches while Billy started to unpack some files as I walked in. He looked up at me and nodded. Loyal. Billy was a good wolf, a wolf that could beat me around pretty good, but he was one loyal ass man.

Derek handed me a wet rag and an opened beer which I smiled and took. I didn't realize how gross I probably was from the fight earlier. I sat down and wiped off my face then tossed the rag around my neck before I took a long sip of my beer.

Billy looked at me and nodded approvingly before looking to Levi who nodded at him. "Tell me, Billy," I ordered gently.

He sighed a little and nodded. Evan came over to me and sat on my right. My brother. He held up well against me, very well. He's a good beta, a good man. I will never forget how he looked at me tonight in that ring, or how hard his fists and words hit me.

They hit me hard.

Hard because he was right. Right as he beat the truth into me. Literally.

Billy handed some files to Lander who passed them to Evan then to me. I looked at the worn folder then back at him curiously. "What are these?"

"Those are two reports of rogues a month and a week before the attack," he replied very matter of factly. My beast stirred. I didn't remember my dad talking about rogues then.

I opened the folder and flipped through the pages then looked back to him and nodded for him to continue. Billy let out a hot breath. "The first was a month before, it's all in there. It was a gamma on a run. Said he saw a rogue and didn't really realize it until he was right on him. He went back for some patrols who looked over the area and found nothing. Not a scent, it was like he wasn't there."

I felt my beast snap out as my chest vibrated. She was right. God to hell dammit she was right. Shit.

"Easy brother," Evan said from next to me. I let out a tense breath and nodded at Billy again.

"I reported it to Thomas who looked into it with Chris and I. We talked to the gammas whose story was a little shaky; I mean there were no leads, no trail. Thomas figured we should drop it but it drove your dad crazy.

"The next in there is same case. Two omegas saw some. They went to get patrols and when they came back there was nothing again. I brought it to Thomas who went with me to talk to the omegas. Again, the story was shifty so Thomas suggested that we drop it. He wasn't in favor of telling Chris."

"I bet he wasn't," I growled out. My beast rumbled. He remembered how Thomas' eyes looked when he saw Charlotte that day of the attack at her home, he looked scared. Scared of her, scared of me. I should have seen it sooner.

The attack.

She was a target. I knew she was. After that day, after those nights watching her have horrible nightmares that ripped my heart apart, I had been close to losing my damn mind. Losing it because there wasn't a damn trail. None.