Alpha's Tortured Hybrid Mate

CHAPTER 7

　Number 42's POV

I spent a little longer by the pool after Nate and his men had gone, before seeking solace in the cave that we had claimed as our own. I sat in the cave entrance, hunched over with my knees hugged securely behind my arms embrace, staring forlornly at the path that his broad form had disappeared down.

I hadn't realised that I had settled within another's territory. There were no scent markings on our frequent wanderings nor had we previously happened upon patrols in this area. The seclusion was why we stayed.

?I longed to smell his comforting scent again, the scent that brought a promise of comfort and home.

My wolf whimpered sadly inside me.

'I have no doubts that he will return, yet I feel as though I am grieving. I'm not certain, but I think he may be our mate.' She whined sadly.

"I understand. I feel a connection to the man without knowing him fully but if I'm honest? I'm scared. We have only just regained our freedom. I don't want to be locked in a cage again." I moaned sadly.

'I do not think for a minute that our fated would cage us again. No. A cell would not be where he kept us. He would keep us by his side, protect us and our pups from all dangers and love us unconditionally.' she replied dreamily.

I snorted harder than intended and I felt a pang of hurt from her.?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. We are one and the same. You have always done what's best for us. I'm just hesitant. Being confined to any area, forbidden from wandering, scares me, even if it is done out of love. I don't want to be confined again." I tried to explain gently.

'It was something I thought about most whilst I was recovering after the time spent protecting you. You were so fragile and I couldn't do more to help. If our mate had been there, he would never have let those things happen. I was too weak to save us.' She said sadly, the grief and pain tearing my soul in two.

"You did more than I ever could have hoped in the situation that we were in and I am forever grateful. My heart aches at the pain and terror that you experienced on my behalf." I murmured quietly as I ran my fingers over the many scars that had refused to heal.

'Please, consider at least getting to know the man before you reject the idea of the mate bond. Our mates are designed to be the other half of us. Strong where we are weak, and weak where we are strong. Our bonding strengthens us beyond measure.' She pleaded.

As I considered her words, I stood abruptly. Moping would fix nothing, nor clear my head. The only thing that did that effectively was when we were running, wild and free.

?I grinned as I suggested a mental image of us racing through the forests, her tongue lolling happily as the trees flew past and her demeanour changed instantly. Her excitement was infectious and as the sun sank lower over the horizon, we shifted.

She had been right. The change became easier with each shift that we completed. And as she moved forward to begin the transformation, we felt the sensation of another pair of eyes watching us intently.

We did not pause in the change as we knew that my human form was still not strong enough to defend us if necessary, but my wolf? She was powerful, capable, and strong.

As I had become healthier with a regular source of calorie-rich and nutrient-dense food, so too had my wolf. As we caught our reflection in the pool, as we did after each transformation, we marvelled at the subtle changes that seemed to have taken place.

Compared to the first transformation, we had grown in size tremendously.

The bushes and shrubs that previously were slightly taller than us, now rubbed along our underside as we stepped over them carefully.

Our eyes were shiny and full of fire and life, and our coat of fur was glossy and smooth.?

Our paws and legs had grown powerful muscles, allowing us to run and jump further and faster than we had been capable of before.

Hunting had become effortless, our skills in stealth increasing with each successful catch as we explored new ways of stalking and camouflaging ourselves against the terrain.

Tonight, we felt energised yet restless, and we planned to use that energy to bring down a buck, or perhaps a stag, if we could find one without responsibility to a herd. We only had one rule with regard to hunting, never a child nor nursing mothers.

After having our freedom taken from us so young, I couldn't bear the thought of the young being alone and left to die without a mother's support, nor the young having no chance at life.

Nature was cruel, but it was not my mistress. We would hunt according to my morals, not to natural selection.

With the eerie feeling of being watched not abating, we raced off and into the rapidly darkening woods, racing over and through the undergrowth and revelling in the feel of the wind ruffling playfully through our fur.

After a while, we slowed to a trot. We were fairly sure that whatever had been watching us so intently had decided to set itself a challenge and follow us on our exploits.

?We sensed no ill intent from whoever followed us. In fact, we had been slightly impressed at their ability to keep up.?

We had circled around in our path a few times, playful in our attempts to mislead our pursuer, as we both held hope that perhaps it was Nate or one of his men sent to check on us and ensure that we were safe. He had mentioned a rogue presence here, after all.

The romantic notion of his potentially protective nature made my wolf whine happily and roll about on the floor playfully, nudging the exposed earth with her nose and immersing herself in the scent of the forest as she pretended it was the scent of her mate.

I rolled my eyes at her antics, as she wagged her tail happily.

'I am allowed my make believe and my daydreams' she smirked happily

"I wouldn't mind if you didn't share the imagery of your future plans with our mate." I chuckled. "Sixteen pups?! Really?!

'They will be healthy and loved and protected and well fed and.… '

She began as a sharp c***k in the undergrowth before us stilled our movements, as well as her narrative on our future pups.

?We crouched low, laying our belly close to the ground, and attempted to scent the air. There was no cover close to us as we had just emerged into a small clearing moments before, so we had no place to hide.

The familiar scent of deer washed across our nose, instantly making us salivate. As it emerged into the clearing cautiously, it took its time looking around before moving east of us, its line of vision in direct opposition to where we lay crouched.

I could feel our heart racing with anticipation and excitement at the sight of such a large prize and we began shifting our position slightly in order to be able to stalk as close as possible before going in for the kill.

Finally, when we were close enough, as it bent its graceful to graze elegantly on the forest's bounty, we made our move.

We brought it down effortlessly, ensuring its death was quick so that it would feel little pain.

As we settled into feasting on the still warm carcass, I glanced up briefly and spotted the intense pair of blue eyes, staring in admiration at us as we dined out of the corner of my eye.

We pretended not to have noticed, but preened inwardly as our soul sang with happiness at the realisation that Nate had followed us.

'Should I offer to share the kill with his wolf? Brutus? I'm sure he is able to hunt his own, but would it not be a nice gesture?' My wolf pondered giddily.

After a moment's thought, I had to agree. I couldn't remember a time since I had been taken that I had shared a meal with someone.

From what I remembered, it was an enjoyable experience. My wolf had never before experienced this, so I agreed without hesitation.

We made it look as casual as possible, and she stood, licking our muzzle clean of blood, before stretching languidly and yawning, ensuring the frightening beauty of her sharp teeth were on full display.

We paced around the carcass casually before turning to stare directly into his eyes abruptly.

Our sudden change in demeanour clearly startled his wolf, and he whined slightly as his face took on a guilty look.

We approached, sniffing curiously as he stood perfectly still, not daring to move a muscle. Brutus and Nate shared the same scent, which meant that I had been right with my previous guess as to the origin of the mouthwatering smell earlier today.

Our wolves were the same size which my wolf found curious, as Alphas were usually the largest of the pack.

Brutus seemed unsure of what to do next, so we butted his side, pushing him towards the carcass as he cautiously approached, glancing frequently at us to assess our reaction to ensure that he hadn't misunderstood our intention.

We took a position next to him, and my wolf leaned into him, whining gently, before continuing her assault on the flesh. As I studied Brutus' face whilst he regarded us with curiosity, I'm almost sure that I saw a grin appear across his face.

I am most certain, though, that his eyes danced with the same happiness that I felt in my soul, as side by side, my wolf shared her kill with the other half of her soul.