Alpha's Tortured Hybrid Mate

CHAPTER 8

Nate's POV

I had made my way close to the spot I had met with my mate earlier. I couldn't bring myself to call her Number Forty-two. It was just too impersonal.

I wanted badly to connect with her, but I had never truly considered how the absence of a meaningful name could impact on that.

'We can name mate. We can give her a name and she will love it'. Brutus stated confidently.

"You can't just call someone by a name and hope they'll like it. We don't know the first thing about her. She might not like the name we choose for her, you idiot." I snorted.

'Mate will love it because she will love us.' He reaffirmed sulkily.

"You have no idea, do you? Just because she's your mate doesn't mean she has to like everything you do. It's not that simple." I replied, rolling my eyes as I strolled leisurely up the dirt path through the undergrowth that led to the lake.

From our approach, I could see that she was no longer at the outcropping of stones that bordered the lake. I felt Brutus begin his worried pacing as I made my way towards the lake and into the overgrowth that preceded it.

I gripped tightly the bundle of clothing and food that the omegas of my pack had generously put together to avoid them snagging and being damaged on the spiky bushes I was weaving my way through.

Several pack members had been curious and asked questions, but my curt replies and steely glare had been enough to stop them from enquiring further.

'Why isn't she here? Maybe she was hurt! We need to find mate!' Brutus insisted frantically as he surged forward, taking me by surprise.

The transformation took a matter of seconds as I sighed heavily and tried to calm him down. He wasn't usually this pushy. Ordinarily, he was calm, collected, and firm.

Discovering his mate had really sent him into a frenzy, and I wasn't sure how to deal with it. He seemed to forget that there were human emotions attached to the wolf side, too.

Ordinarily I found females hard to decipher and I couldn't imagine how much more complicated it would be for someone who had so obviously been through hell.

"Brutus. You're overreacting. There's no sign of struggle. Her scent is still here. I attempted to reason with him as he attempted to force his way through the undergrowth. The bundle I had carried so carefully now lay discarded on the ground behind us.

As he poked his snout over the top of the bush, he went still momentarily before dropping to the ground , his ears flat and breathing slowed.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly, feeling the panicked racing of Brutus's heart.

"Mate. Mate is there." Brutus whined.

"And you're hiding? You freaked out because you couldn't see her and now you're freaking out because she's actually there?" I asked, stifling a chuckle as he grunted in response.

"Seriously? Are you kidding me?!" I half shouted in exasperation.

"Quiet. You're too noisy. Let me watch, mate." He grunted as he poked his snout partially through the bushes, creating enough of a gap to watch through without being seen.

"Like a p*****t Un-f*****g-believable." I muttered as I watched our mate approach the cave entrance and she looked around cautiously.

As I watched her pause, I saw how truly breathtaking she was.

Her naked body was graceful in its movements despite the obvious torment she had been through, evidenced by the scars that littered the entirety of her body.

An intense feeling of protectiveness and jealousy surged through me at the thought of what she might have gone through and of any other male being able to see her this way. I fought desperately to suppress the growl that threatened to tear from my chest.

We watched as she shifted effortlessly and marvelled at the unique colouring she held. Her sandy red fur and golden muzzle mirrored the tones of her beautiful hair that shone in the slowly dying rays of the sun.

Golden eyes shone with intelligence and confidence as she snuffed the air delicately before she set off at a sprint into the depths of the forest. Her white underbelly was a flash of light amongst the darkness.

Without a second's hesitation, Brutus bounded out from his dubious hiding place and followed after her, remaining at a distance and downwind from her position so that our scent wouldn't give us away.

"DUDE! What are you doing?! Are you going to add stalking to your repertoire as well?!" I exclaimed angrily.

'Mate is alone. Rogues might be near. I can keep her safe.' He grunted as he loped along behind them.

"You could have at least put the gift we put together for her in the cave." I grumbled.

'Keep mate safe first. Shiny things later.' Brutus huffed as I rolled my eyes at him.

We followed at a distance, managing to remain unseen for a while. As they stopped in a clearing, we took our position again downwind.?

Her wolf was beautiful and looked to be the same size as Brutus. Her size alone set her apart from the females we were familiar with in our pack.

'She will be a formidable Luna.' Brutus panted excitedly as she rolled around exuberantly on the floor of the clearing.

We watched with bated breath as she stalked and took down a fully grown male stag effortlessly. The pride that filled us both at the strength of her wolf made my heart swell. She was a perfect match for us.

As she tore into the carcass, we sat motionless, observing until, without warning, she stretched and focused her attention on us.

I snorted internally at the rush of guilt and panic that coursed through Brutus at being discovered by our mate. She approached leisurely, with a cockiness that made me grin.

?Her wolf would certainly keep Brutus on his toes if her attitude displayed in this moment was anything to go by. She circled us in an almost predatory manner, sniffing inquisitively as Brutus stood frozen to the spot.

'Help. Nate. What do I do?' Brutus pleaded.

"Don't ask me, my dude. This was your idea. Your circus, your monkeys. You deal with it." I chuckled as I felt his irritation at my remarks.

Her wolf prodded his side, and Brutus took a hesitant step towards the carcass. She kept prodding until we had taken our place next to her.

As we shared the fresh kill together, I felt Brutus elation as she leaned into his side. His chest rumbled happily with the contact.

'Stalking not so bad.' Brutus smirked at me as he chewed happily. 'Stalking got me next to mate. Nate stupid.'

"Whatever, you brute. Try telling that to any other female." I snorted in irritation.

'Don't want other female. Just Mate. Mate is mine.' He rumbled happily.

"Have you spoken to her yet? Or are you just enjoying irritating me with your smart ass comments?"

'Yes.' he answered smugly

"Yes, what?! Seriously, you turn into an i***t around her wolf. You're acting like a lovesick pup!" I exclaimed in frustration.

'Yes.' Brutus replied happily, his tongue lolling and I felt his tail swaying happily.

I resisted the urge to internally facepalm and scream in frustration. I wasn't going to get any sense out of him until we were away from them.?

It was ok. I could wait until we were back at the pack house to talk to him coherently. At least then he might stop talking like an overbearing caveman.

They ran together for a while, chasing each other and playing boisterously. I'd not had a chance to see this side of Brutus before.

?He was ever the serious Alpha. Stoic, stern, commanding and short on patience, yet watching him with our mate really opened up a side of him that wasn't ever displayed publicly.

I thought I'd known him well, having spent so many years together, but I was rapidly coming to the realisation that perhaps there was a side to him that he had obscured purposely. I made a mental note to ask him when we returned.

We wandered leisurely side by side, making our way slowly back to the place that she had decided to call her own. I still worried about the possibility of her being injured by the rogues that seemed to frequent the area of late.

"Will you ask if they will relent and come back to the pack house with us?" I asked Brutus hopefully.

'Already asked.' He grunted, shaking his massive head, 'Neither wants to be trapped again. Spent too long locked away.' He growled lightly, causing our mate to glance sideways at us.

"What about a name? Anything?"

'No name. Neither remember what they were called before they were given Number 42. '

I raged internally. I would find out. If it took me until the end of time, I would find everything that she had lost and give them their true name back.