Talons

Chapter 60: The Rogue

Colton’s POV

B is literally shaking on the ground and seeing that she is too scared to refer to her senses, Orlin retreats, plopping down in the dirt a few feet away. I wasn’t thinking when I shifted, and I don’t want to change back because I’m not sure how the girl will react to seeing me completely naked after what just happened and because of my past actions.

My wolf and I agree that while we have never been good to the girl, it was in our best interest to intervene when we did. I was there when that prostitute rumor started, and I could have stopped it from spreading, but instead I humiliated the girl, trying to impress another she-wolf who was visiting the Claw territory.

After what feels like forever, B peeks out from under her arm, and just stares at me. Her face is smeared in blood and dirt, and her eyes are swollen and puffy from the crying she was doing. 

I’m surprised she hasn’t screamed yet, but then again; the girl never really made any noise. Even when I used to torment her, she rarely ever cried out, and I remember hating her for it.

Orlin closes his eyes, not wanting to look at the weird girl for too long. We have complicated emotions toward B, who on one end played us for a fool, and on the other was a friend when we needed one.

My wolf hears the girl move, and he looks to see that she has sat up. She is inspecting her ankle with a pained expression on her face. She looks over to us and starts speaking as if we have asked her a question.

“It's not broken, just badly sprained. I will be able to walk in a couple of hours.” Orlin raises a brow, and the girl shifts a little closer to us. “Are you going to hurt me?” she asks, and my wolf shakes his head.

Relief is clear on B’s face, and she lays down on her back, gazing up at the sky with her hands behind her head. Orlin is staring at her breast, and I remind him that not only did the girl just have a traumatic experience, but he and I have crossed that line before, and we made a promise never to do it again.

He closes his eyes, deciding that it's safest for us to wait for help to arrive or for the girl to head back on her own. I can’t imagine her family not coming to look for her mere days after a rogue attack, but then again, they never came to look for her in the past, and with her being packless, it has probably only gotten worse.

Orlin and I drift into sleep and when he opens his eyes again, B is staring right at him. She is literally one foot away, laying on her belly, face to snout with my wolf, who doesn’t know how to react.

“Does it hurt to shift?” She asks, pushing her glasses further onto the bridge of her nose the way I’ve only seen done in movies. Orlin shakes his head and closes his eyes, but the girl speaks again. “Is fur hot?” My wolf opens one eye, looking at the strange girl in curiosity. He shakes his head again and the girl sits up on her elbows.

I’m not sure she realizes it, but she has just given my wolf and I a clear view of her cleavage, and while we know the girl isn’t doing it on purpose, it is having an effect on us.

Without warning, Orlin feels a light touch of the tip on his nose and he bares his teeth at the girl who sits up abruptly while lifting her hands in surrender. My wolf shakes his head at the odd female, and he closes his eyes again.

“Are you mated?” She suddenly asks, and my wolf head raises in shock. That is the kind of question that she should know the answer to, and it suddenly occurs to us that she has no idea who we are.

I feel bad for the girl, who obviously does not have a strong sense of smell, and now that I think about it, that is probably why I was able to sneak up on her in the woods that day. I have always known that B was weak, but this is the first time I'm realizing how pitiful she truly is.

Orlin considers for a while, and finally shakes his head at the girl. She nods and scoots a little closer to us, bringing her back within striking distance.

She rambles off more yes or no questions than I have ever heard, and I’m surprised that Orlin has entertained her for so long. His patience doesn’t end until she asks if she can pet him, but after a glare that lasted about five seconds, my wolf shocks me by moving closer to the curious girl.

She smiles before cupping the sides of Orlin’s face and massaging it the way she would if he were a cute little puppy. I think my wolf is going to snap at her, but the i***t leans into the massage, prompting B to add her nails into it, making my wolf's tail wag excitedly while she giggles.

“Bro, you are an alpha.”

"This feels amazing," he says, and I really want to retreat to the far corner of my mind until he’s done ‘playing’. I know he isn’t lying; I can feel it too, but I'm embarrassed by it, nonetheless.

B stops her massage and Orlin lays down next to her. She levels her face with his again, and she stares into his eyes in a way that makes my wolf feel strange.

“You have beautiful eyes,” she says, reaching out to trace the area around my orbs. I start to feel uncomfortable because I can feel us becoming aroused, and while Orlin won’t be able to do anything as a wolf; I don’t want to witness him go full chihuahua on the girl either. “Thank you for helping me, but you should go find a safe place for yourself now,” she adds, and without another word, she stands to leave.

Orlin and I stare at her departing figure, feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions that we know, or rather we think are coming from guilt. We are equally as puzzled by her telling us to find a safe place, but the truth is that we have never been nice to B, and if someone finds her injured with me, they will assume I did it.

My wolf and I get up, but we don't leave. We follow B, who turns to face us. She starts limping back to where we are standing, and she wraps her arms around Orlin’s neck in a tender gesture that almost makes him shiver.

"This area isn't safe for me, but thankfully you were still here. Please, take care of yourself now." Orlin’s heart is racing; we are still confused but rustling from far behind us distracts us. "Please," she begs, slightly pushing my wolf away. Orlin nods and flees the area.

We turn back to see B walk back into the field, grab the only remaining flowers, and vigorously rub them all over her body, likely trying to mask my scent.

"Is she embarrassed?" Orlin asks. I can hear a hint of agitation in his voice, but I shut his anger down before it gets out of control.

"I think she is scared for our safety," I tell him, “but I’m not sure why.” Orlin pushes forward full speed, and I can tell part of it is because he is upset. We don't understand what game B is playing at.

Suddenly Orlin and I have an 'aha moment.' B has never met us in wolf form, and while our scents may be similar, if a wolf's nose is not sensitive enough, they may not realize we are one in the same person.

Rhea's POV

I use the remaining half dead flowers to smear all over my body before the rustling can make it to us. I don't know how I know, but it's likely Luke or Lark coming to find me. 

The rogue who saved me was hesitant to leave, but I managed to convince him. Sylvia has taken a liking to the wolf, saying she felt safe with him.

We have made a promise to ourselves that if we ever encounter him again, we will allow him to live on the land I own, maybe even give him a job.

He was beyond respectful toward me, staying in his wolf form so that I'm not put off by his nakedness, which tells me that he, like the other rogue said, was watching me from young.

He knew how I felt about nudity, and he kept his distance, allowing me to get close to him on my own. 

"It's a Shame that he is a rogue," Sylvia says. "He could teach the men in Lark's pack the right way to behave with a lady." I remind my wolf that I’m busy trying to mask the rogue's scent, not male bash, lest my brother go after him. 

When Lark gets to me, I'm sitting in the flowers, massaging my ankle. It still hurts, just not as bad as before. He comes to an abrupt stop and shifts behind a tree coming back out in basketball shorts that I had seen tied to his ankle.

"B what were you thinking?" He says, and I look down in shame. I know I shouldn't have come to the field, but my feet moved on their own.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I would-"

"And to attack a pack member?" he interjects, and I look up in shock. 

"What?" I ask. Clearly my brother doesn't see that I'm injured or rather he is ignoring it.

"The omegas told us that you attacked them when they followed you. B they were just trying to make sure you were okay."

"Lark, look at me," I say, tears beginning to form in my eyes, but my brother looks away.

"One of the omegas presented with a wolf. He told us that while you were hitting him, his wolf pushed forward and fought back. B, I'm sorry, but you deserved it."

I just stare at my brother, who is accusing me without even knowing the truth. I get that I'm not a pack member, but I’m his little sister, and he should know me better than that.

"I will leave immediately," I say. I still have three days left before classes start, but truthfully, I haven't seen much of my nephew since the attack.