Untamed

C H A P T E R 4

I heard his footsteps approaching, the rhythmic thudding against the porch being a dead giveaway. I had to admit that they sounded slower than usual. It was about the 27th time that he had come to give me food, which would mean that I had been there for 9 days at a minimum.

There was a part of me that didn't care how long I was here. Not anymore. As long as I ate without giving him any trouble, he didn't give me any trouble. The chain gave me a sense of security. It meant that I didn't have to look him in the eye and be respectful, calling him Alpha, while Ciara did what she wanted and called him Ryder.

I became aware of the familiar ache in my chest that came whenever I thought of the two of then together. He had replaced me before he even met me, and that said a lot about his character, about his morals, about him.

I heard the clink as the bowls smashed against each other when he put them down and I used my front legs to push my body off of the ground. I took a few seconds to shake any dirt off of my body before I trudged over to where he was waiting.

I drank the water first-as I usually did-and then ate the food without really tasting it. Once I was done, I went back to the tree trunk and curled into a ball, once again. I waited to hear him walk away, but it took a few minutes before I actually heard him.

I let out a slight huff as I readjusted my position to get more comfortable. I raised my head when I heard movement in the distance. I let my eyes wonder around the tree line, looking for a threat that I could not find. I stood up, shaking out my fur once again and started smelling through the air.

I growled when my eyes caught a flash of brown dart between the trees at the same time that I smelt the distinctive smell of rot. I set off running, letting out a loud yelp when the collar bit into my skin and yanked me back.

I started struggling wildly against the chain and I felt my body fall backwards as the chain snapped. I almost went limp in relief, but I heard frantic footsteps in the house and I immediately set off running, tracing the scent I already found.

I found myself in a clearing and I growled lowly as I watched 5 Rogues come out from behind various surrounding trees. I growled and snap my jaws as one of them tried to approach me.

I turned around and started biting aggressively at whoever had latched themselves onto my hind leg.

Ryder

I felt myself frown as I heard the chain outside strain again, but I forced myself to shrugged off the feeling of uneasiness that seemed to settle around me. This was the first time in the last week that she tried to escape.

I had to admit that there was a part of me that was surprised that she had waited this long to try and escape. I had expected her to be more determined, considering the fact that she was a white wolf.

And she's a Luna.

It came as somewhat as an afterthought and I let out a frustrated groan as I stood up from where I was sitting and walked over to the window that overlooked where Aurora was chained.

I had chosen Ciara as my mate because she ticked all the boxes. She was strong. Independent. She respected my wishes and the Pack loved her. She was bonded with everyone in some way or another. I wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was yearning to go out and find her real mate. There are times when she gets this distant look in her eyes. A yearning of some kind.

And afterwards, I always feel guilty for being so greedy and keeping her to myself.

And that was the thing. I felt none if those things with Aurora. I didn't feel guilt for chaining her to a pole-for the second time. I understood that having a white wolf as a Luna would be a major advantage for the Pack, but I just didn't want her.

I heard the distinct snap of the chain and my eyes focused on said white wolf and I watched as she fell backwards, the chain laying on the ground. I clenched my jaw as I darted from my office, hurriedly making my way down the staircase.

The white wolf has escaped. If any of you see her, engage with caution. She is dangerous.

I heard a chorus of replies from various pack members before I severed the link I had opened. I grabbed a shirt and a pair of basketball shorts before I rushed outside. As I expected, she was long gone.

I took a breath of air to find her scent, only to find the distinct scent of a Rogue lingering in the air. I sent a warning to the patrol wolves along and various trained pack wolves. The double threat was bound to have the pack up in arms if they knew about it.

I must have been walking for a while, because I soon found Xander-my Beta-roughly pushing a dirty looking Rogue to the ground. He looked like he was about to kill the laughing Rogue.

When the Rogue turned his head and caught sight of me, he laughed even louder, the blood running from his nose going into his mouth and staining huis teeth.

“I've never met of an Alpha as stupid as you.”

I felt my wolf surface as he spoke and I growled lowly as I took a rather threatening step towards him.

“What did you just say?”

I growled out as I grabbed a hold of his throat and lifted him from the ground. He continued to laugh, splattering blood onto my face in the process.

“Do you honestly think that a Rogue would trespass alone?”

His laugh seemed to turn more hysterical and I felt my grip on his throat tighten as he continued to laugh. I knew that my men were still looking for Rogues, and they were bound to find the others.

“I have to say that your Luna is a lovely little thing. My men must have found her by now.”

I growled as I took off towards the Pack House. I shifted as I ran and I felt my heart beat wildly as red seemed to cloud my vision. I knew that I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to Ciara.

I skid to a halt as I saw Ciara watching over some pups in the playground. I took careful steps towards her, hearing all the pups gasp in pleasant surprise at seeing their Alpha shifted before them. She smiled when she saw me and I leaned into her touch when she reached up to stroke my head.

“Alpha!”

My head snapped sideways as I heard the call and instantly recognized my patrol wolves coming towards me. It wasn’t until the leader sent a worried glance behind him that I noticed how blood smeared their clothes were. A few seconds after that, I recognized a very familiar looking mop of black hair and I felt my heart sink.

They laid her down on the ground, clearly tired from carrying her all this way. I watched as she turned onto her side and coughed up blood. I felt myself rush forward and I felt my heart sink at the various bites and scratches that covered her body.

“The boy…”

Her voice sounded even weaker than she looked and I watched as she tried to sit up, only to throw up once more. The metallic scent was slowly filling all the air around us and I knew that a lot of my pack members were watching the scene before them. I sent Ciara a grateful look when she appeared and covered Aurora with a blanket.

I watched as Aurora laid back down with loud whimper of pain and I took a moment to a assess her injuries. There was a rather vicious claw mark running from her eyebrow to her chin. Her whole body seemed to be covered in bruises, bites and claw marks. I stood back and watched as the Pack Doctor took over and started wheeling her away and I shifted, hurriedly getting dressed in the shorts and shirt I had somehow managed to keep.

“What the hell happened to her?”

I snapped angrily at the nearby patrol wolf who averted his gaze to the ground as he seemed to shrink into himself.

“We were doing border patrol when you linked us about the Rogues and the white wolf. We decided that the Rogues were a bigger threat and then we started tracking them. We found them in the clearing near the Eastern border. The white wolf was fighting off five of them and there were two bodies on the ground. We realized that she was their target. It seemed as if they were trying to get her to cross the border.”

He hesitated and I realized that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say. My shoulders tensed unconsciously as I waited for him to speak.

“And then Lucas ran into the clearing.”

I felt my heart sink slightly and then I felt myself frown as I saw a glint of excitement enter the wolf’s eyes.

“We immediately jumped into action, but the white wolf… She was no longer fighting to protect herself… She was fighting to protect Lucas. I’ve never witnessed a wolf fight with such dedication. One of the Rogues went for Lucas and the next moment he seemed to be suffocating on nothing. She killed 3 more and we neutralized the rest. They're in the cells now.”

I felt my blood run cold as my eyes traveled down Auroras blood splattered body as I remembered the Rogues words. Your Luna is a lovely little thing. My eyes darted to Ciara and a chill ran down my spine once more. I would have been stupid not to notice that there was a considerable size difference between the two if them.

But how could they have known that she was my mate when I haven't even admitted it to anyone?

I snapped out my of daze when I noticed Lucas running towards me, his legs chewing through the grass faster than I'd ever seen him run.

“Ryder! Ryder, the Luna!”

Tears were streaming down his face and I watched Ciara smile a little before she bent up and swept him into her arms before he could get to me. I watched as he started squirming in her arms and pushing her away.

“Where's the Luna?”

He continued to cry and I clenched my jaw before I reached out and took him from her arms. My heart was racing wildly in my chest as I wondered how it was possible for someone as young as Lucas to know that she was meant to be a Luna.

“Lucas, I'm right here.”

Ciara’s voice held a tone of confusion and her brows were drawn together in obvious confusion.

“You're lying! You're not the Luna!”

Lucas spat the words out as if they were poison and I felt my stomach sink as a chorus of gasps went up from the people surrounding us. Ciara had her hand raised to her mouth and I didn't blame her for her obvious display of shock.

“Lucas! Enough of this! What's going on with you? You can’t disrespect Ciara like that!”

I scolded him knowing that it was what was expected of me. He was squirming in my hold and pushing harshly at my chest, clearly wanting to make a get away.

“The Luna!”

He cried out again and I watched as Ciara continued to look at Lucas with a confused look on her face. I caught her eye and tried to apologize for the way Lucas was acting but I felt my stomach sink further as her eyes widened and she sent me an accusing look that said it all.

“She's your mate…”

The words seemed to hang in the air and I knew that everyone had been able to hear them. I out Lucas down, uncaring as he ran to who knows where. I reached out and grabbed a hold of her hands.

“Ciara, trust me, it's not what you think-”

She shook her head as she ripped her hands out of mine and took a disbelieving step backwards. I could feel the eyes of my Pack glued onto my back.

“It's not what I think? So, you didn’t put a collar on your mate, your Luna, the person who was destined for you? You didn’t introduce her to her very own replacement?”

Her voice boomed thunderously and the tone of disbelief she used cut me deep. But I still thought she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Even when she's angry.

“But she-”

“Don't but me! She risked her life to protect your brother-without even knowing he was your brother-and still, you're trying to fight fate!”

She shook her head and I felt my heart shatter as I deciphered the emotions swirling around in her eyes.

“You should forget about me. She's your mate and she deserves your support a lot more than I do. I also have a mate out there somewhere who probably deserves my abandonment even less that Aurora deserves yours.”

I grabbed her hand and shook my head furiously and then grabbed a hold of her upper arms, shaking her slightly.

“But I don't want her! Is that so hard to understand?”

I felt my heart sink even further as she shook her head as a slow but sad smile curved over her features. She reached up and cupped my jaw, causing me to lean into her touch.

“You might not want her now… But someday you will.”