Alpha's Tortured Hybrid Mate

CHAPTER 9

Number 42's POV

We returned to our cave together. I felt my wolf's happiness intensely and i smiled. We hadn't known happiness like this, and I wished the night wouldn't end in all honesty.

I didn't want to see Nate just yet, I was happy to let my wolf bond with Brutus and spend time with him whilst I worked through my feelings.

As Brutus loped off, we turned and headed into the cave. I was just about to begin the transformation again when a whine from the entrance caught our attention. My wolf's ears picked up, and she padded to the entrance, sniffing curiously.

Brutus stood on the bank with a bundle of material held gently in his mouth. He placed it almost reverently on the ground and nudged it gently towards us, before backing away with his tongue lolling and panting happily. He gave a short bark before turning and leaping over the bushes excitedly and sprinting off into the darkness.

'He is not as stern and angry as I thought he would be.' My wolf mused thoughtfully as she leaped effortlessly across the bank to the stone outcropping and padding to where the parcel lay.

"Watching you two interact was lovely, honestly. It made me realise how much we have missed out on. That b***h tore our life from us." I said, smiling sadly.

'She did. But that is in the past, and now we can heal and learn to live again. I do not think for a minute that she would have survived whatever happened where we were kept.' My wolf said gently, taking the bundle in her mouth and leaping effortlessly back to our cave.

'It smells good, whatever they have brought us.' She said excitedly. "I can't open this, though, not without destroying it. Let's shift and you can have the pleasure of seeing what mate has brought us."

I grimaced at the use of the word mate. It still held a lot of connotations that I was loath to accept back into my life. The thought of being bound to another for eternity, as romantic as it should sound, made my skin crawl.

I have spent too long bound already to accept it so easily.

We shifted quickly, and I stood from my crouched position on the floor, the warm night air caressing my skin gently as I reached for the bundle and sat cross-legged holding the package in my lap.

I fiddled with the knotted material that hid the contents and finally managed to tease the knot open. I gently folded the material back and revealed two packages carefully wrapped.

"That one! Open that one! It smells good! It smells a little like mate." my wolf giggled happily.

"Fine. Let's see what the puppy brought us." I laughed, rolling my eyes.

Opening the first package revealed various items. They smelled incredible, but I was too full from the meat we had eaten earlier with Brutus to possibly consider eating anything else at the minute.

"We can save it for when Nate comes back. Then you can eat with him too," My wolf suggested slyly.

"I see your plan. It won't work." I snorted, much to her disappointment. "I'm not just going to eat with him and roll over and be a slave to his bidding. As much as you want to bear a million pups, I'd like a little time to get to know the man that you insist I have to spend the rest of my life with."

"Your words make me sad." My wolf pouted as I laughed incredulously at her sulky demeanour.

As I prepared to open the second parcel, I ignored her comments as I set aside the delicious smelling items. I unfolded a variety of beautiful clothing and held it before me.

I hadn't worn anything that resembled clothing since the first night that I had been taken. These were beautiful and each item I laid eyes on filled my heart with a joy that I couldn't fully describe. Nate had brought dresses and tops, shorts and trousers, skirts and socks and 3 pairs of shoes.

I was speechless as my wolf growled softly.

"What's wrong?" I asked curiously. "I think these are beautiful."

"They smell like other females." She growled. "I will not wear them."

"I don't think they would fit you, anyway. Although I do wonder what a wolf in a dress would look like." I chuckled as she huffed and retreated to sulk.

"Listen," I offered gently, "Would you feel better if i washed them in the lake? I can lay them on the rocks to dry and it should take the scent off that's bothering you."

Her ears perked up as I suppressed another chuckle.

I understood that as a wolf she must be territorial to some degree, but we had nothing really that we could call our own. Would it really hurt her pride so much to accept the help that was so freely offered and not asked for?

"Don't need clothes." She huffed. "Clothes only hide the beauty of your true self. You ARE beautiful. you do not need to cover yourself up." She reasoned.

"Honestly, I feel vulnerable around others if I don't have myself covered." I said gently. "I understand, for obvious reasons, that clothes are not a necessity for you. But it would make me feel better. Can you bear it for that reason?" I asked carefully.

I knew she wasn't unreasonable, so I waited patiently while I sat by the edge of our cave and reached into the pool, carefully washing the clothes and checking intermittently to see if the scent had faded enough to her liking.

I was actually quite excited to wear the white dress that Nate had brought. I hadn't worn anything that wasn't covered in grime for as long as I could remember.

Once everything was laid out carefully along the edges of the cave's ledge, I moved to the back of the cave and curled up on the bed of moss and leaves that we had worked hard to collect and make comfortable.

I clutched the sheet that had wrapped the presents from Nate across my body.

"Mate even thought to bring us something to keep us warm at night." My wolf rumbled happily.

I did not need to answer her, she could feel my happiness and contentment as I smiled at the thought of Nate devising a checklist of items to bring me.

Perhaps he wasn't so scary after all, I thought sleepily as I drifted off.

I was woken with a start by a panicked push from my wolf and the sound of snarling from the mouth of the cave.?

We were shrouded in darkness where we lay but I could see clearly the silhouettes of two monstrous hulking beasts blocking the moonlight from filtering through the entrance, their snouts raised in the air as if scenting something.?

I was suddenly and intensely paralysed by fear as I realised they were probably scenting me.

"We need to shift. They will find us soon." Her voice urged fearfully

"I can't move. They'll find us if I make any sound."

"If we don't move, they'll find us anyway and we won't stand a chance. You can't fight. Let me take care of it."

I took a panicked breath and two sets of glowing red eyes turned and fixed on me simultaneously. I scrambled to press myself against the wall as I tried to let my wolf take over.

"Let me out!" she screamed

"I'm not stopping you!" I replied, my heart threatening to burst through my chest as the deformed creatures barrelled towards me.

I shut my eyes and turned my face, crouching in the cave's corner as I braced for the impact and a terrified sob tore from my lips as my wolf attempted to push through whatever was blocking her.

A deafening roar of fury echoed down the cave, reverberating and stopping the monstrous forms in their tracks.?

I opened my eyes in time to see the silhouette of two wolves soaring through the air and ripping the beasts to shreds that were in front of them.

I watched with morbid fascination as they tore them apart, the blood decorating the walls of the cave and all I could focus on was the stark contrast of the blood spattered across the damp white material of the dress that Nate had brought for me.

A soft whine echoed in the cave, a wet nose nudging my face in concern.

It brought me out of my daze and, with shaking hands, I reached my fingers up to grip the fur of the wolf that sat worriedly before me.

As I took shaky breaths, the figure of the wolf transformed into that of Nate. His concerned face examining me.

"Hey, it's ok. You're safe." he whispered gently as he gathered me in his arms and I felt my head melt against the firm flesh of his chest.

The tears expelled in wretched sobs, torn from the depths of my very being, as my wolf howled her sadness within.

"No arguments. You're coming home with me. It's not safe here." He stated firmly, "I won't confine you, but I won't risk losing you." Nate said, a little less harshly.

His tone brokered no argument, though. He lifted me and cradled me against his chest as he strode proudly out of the cave, carrying me as if I was his most precious treasure.

I didn't argue. I clung to him. His scent calmed me and his arms made me feel safe.

As we crashed through the overgrowth, I made a snap decision.

I would allow myself to be taken care of. Just for a little while.