I follow the river to their location toward the base of the mountain. As soon as I reach the place, I look at my men and nod. “You can go,” I tell the seven pack members staring at the cave entrance.
Water obscures the cave as it rolls down the mountain. I take in the almost fairytale-like view until the realization hits me harder than a wall of bricks. This must be where she had been hiding, and we walked straight past her.
My men leave, and I step into the water, gripping the rocks, so I don’t lose balance and slip, forcing myself through the waterfall. The weight of the pressure forces me under before I come out to a hollow in the mountain.
I step inside the small cave. The air smells damp and moldy. It is dark, and if I were human, it would be impossible to see anything inside.
Her alluring, irresistible scent instantly invades my senses. A growl erupts from her even before I notice her hiding. I walk about halfway in, and finally, I spot where she is cowering at the back.
Her head is cast down as she bares her teeth and a low growl tears out of her.
Her eyes are crazed with her fear, fight or flight has kicked in, and I can tell she is willing to try to fight her way out. Instead of provoking any immediate reaction, I sit down.
She is quiet, not taking her eyes off me, patiently waiting to see what I will do next.
“I have no intentions of hurting you,” I tell her, but she doesn’t relax. She is acting as any caged animal would act. I have no doubt she will attack me if I try getting closer.
“Just wait her out. She will settle when she realizes we mean no harm,” Donnie suggests. He sounds sad, defeated even. He isn’t just excited about this, Donnie is desperate to have her. He peers at her through my eyes, yet it’s clear that he doesn’t want to scare her, hence why he’s holding himself back so much.
Hours pass, and she doesn’t move closer, just stands there, watching us like a statue. Her eyes never dart away from us, as if she is afraid that if she looks away, even for a second, we will attack her.
I wonder what her life has been like before we happened to stumble upon her in that camp. Obviously, she was a prisoner to those vile fucking monsters. But before that, who was she? The men who got away, have signed their death warrants for hurting her. I’ll ensure they die slowly and more painfully than any of my rogue victims have before.
I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts and focus. “Can you speak to her wolf or her human counterpart?” I ask Donnie.
“Tried. She doesn’t reply, just growls at me,” Donnie sighs in defeat.
“Colten, bring me a shirt, some food, and water,” I mind-link.
“Yes, Alpha,” he replies, and I focus my gaze back on her.
My eyebrows furrow once I notice she has finally moved. Not much, but at least there are some signs of actual life. She lies with her head on her paws, yet her eyes are still alert.
“What’s your name?” I ask her. My voice echoes in the small cave, and I hate it because it does nothing but make me sound louder, I can feel a headache coming on from all this stress.
No answer.
“Well, my name is Andrei, little mate. You can shift back. There is no need to stay in your wolf form. I won’t harm you. I just want to talk,” I tell her.
She doesn’t move, doesn’t even acknowledge my questions. At this point, I’m unsure if she’s so dead-set on ignoring me hoping I will leave once I’m bored, or if she genuinely doesn’t understand a single word I say.
“Do you know what mates are?” I ask her, but once again, I get no reply.
It takes half an hour before I hear movement outside the cave, before Colten’s scent wafts to me. He steps into the cave, and she jumps to her feet, moving farther back till she hits the cave wall. I put my hand up, telling her to calm down.
“Just a pack member, he won’t come near you,” I reassure her.
Colten slowly steps in, walking over to me. His eyes dart between the she-wolf and me as he hands me a waterproof bag. He pushes his dark hair back that sits on his shoulders, dripping wet. “What’s with her?” He asks, curiosity lacing his words.
“She is my mate,” I reply.
While I open the bag he brought me, Colten’s mouth falls open in utter shock and disbelief. “What? But-?” He doesn’t finish.
“I don’t understand it either,” I glance at him as I speak. “But Donnie is adamant, and I can feel the pull to her.”
“Why is she over there, then?” He asks, glancing in her direction. My little mate growls the moment she notices his foreign pair of eyes watching her.
This mess is confusing for all of us. Colten can’t understand why my mate isn’t all over me, she can’t understand why we’re here, and I, for the life of me, can’t understand how this is possible.
Before my mind creates more questions, I remind myself that Colten still expects an answer, so I clear my throat. “Rogues had her tied to a tree,” I tell him, and he nods. We both know that can’t have meant anything good for her.
“Yeah, I saw the chain earlier. There are bolt cutters in there too. I thought you might find them useful.” Colten glances at the bag in my hands and nervously switches his weight from one leg to the other. He brings his hand to the back of his neck and scratches it. “Alpha, do you mind if I leave for a few days? I want to…”
I know where this is going, so I cut him off and speak up. “Just go. I already know. Clay already asked. You want to go look with them. Just go,” I order.
Colten glances at the gray she-wolf as if he’s trying to figure out if she’s any danger to the pack and me, and nods. “I will see you in a few days,” he promises before walking out of the cave and stepping through the water.