Fated

Chapter 11: Bringing Her Home

We got two. The third chickened out, Gina linked.

Good. Keep one alive. One of them will talk, I said.

Yes, Alpha.

"It's all right. We got them," I told Addie.

She looked over at me in surprise, fiddling with the leash in her hands. "Were you just... talking to them? Kaden said if you're close enough you can talk in your mind."

I nodded in confirmation, watching her reaction closely. She licked her lips then looked over at me. Damn, I wanted to lick those lips.

"So you heard me?" She asked curiously.

"Not exactly," I said. "I could tell you were trying to talk to me but I couldn't hear words. Just felt you were telling me you were scared."

"Why didn't you come before that?" She asked frowning.

Her eyes met mine and I turned more towards her, reaching for her hair that was still damp from a shower. She didn't shy away from my touch so I ran my fingers through her hair. She smelled amazing.

"I didn't want to scare you. Or make you think I was... Not respecting your space. You left. I assumed that meant you didn't want me nearby," I answered.

Her eyes shifted away from mine and the dog she was walking whined, placing his head in her lap. She set her hand on his head, scratching behind his ears.

"Your dog?" I asked.

"No. He's a friend's I'm just watching while he's at work," she explained.

I nodded and reached for the dog. He responded well, pushing his head into my hand. He moved his head to my lap as I pet him and Addie's eyes widened.

"He's never affectionate with anyone except me," Addie said, watching curiously. "He usually shies away from strangers petting him."

"I happen to be good with dogs," I chuckled. "Kind of comes with the territory."

"Oh," she said, blushing again.

Goddamn she was adorable. And beautiful. And wearing another man's clothes. My jaw clenched but I exhaled slowly. I wouldn't scare her away again.

"So... They are still looking for me," she said, twiddling her fingers and staring at the ground.

"They will be for a while," I said honestly, moving my hand to her cheek. The contact caused her to turn her head and look at me. "They won't get you. I promise."

"So I will have a babysitter," she said, frowning.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "Would you rather I leave you unprotected?"

"No," she answered quickly. "It just sucks. I like taking care of myself. I've never liked accepting help so it bothers me it's not something I can just handle alone."

"Well, if you were a wolf I don't think they'd mess with you, for the record. You're already a force to be reckoned with without the added speed and strength."

She looked over at me again, a smile almost forming on her lips before she looked away again. She blew out a breath and looked over at me again.

"So who will be babysitting?" She asked.

"Stop calling it that. No one thinks of it that way," I said, rolling my eyes.

"It's how it feels," she muttered, folding her hands in her lap. "So, who?"

"Probably more than one person," I shrugged. "We'll set up shifts."

"That sounds like a pain," she said, wrinkling her nose.