Cara’s povs
“Cara, I can’t follow you to the cottage tonight,” Debby said as I helped her by holding the trays filled with various herbs.
I nodded. “It’s fine, Debby. I’ll find my way home,” I replied, but curiosity got the better of me. “What happened? Lately, I’ve noticed more wounded warriors coming into the infirmary.”
“I’m not sure. Probably just patrol issues. But don’t worry about it, Cara. We’re safe,” she assured me. After helping Debby finish her work, I packed my bags, waved her goodbye, and set off on my journey back to the cottage.
The sun was already setting, casting its golden glow over the streets. I packed my bags, my body aching from a long, exhausting day of tending to the sick, helping Debby, and playing with the children, who, strangely enough, had taken a liking to me. Despite the physical exhaustion, my heart felt lighter. I had spent the day helping people, feeling useful to the pack. Slowly but surely, I was starting to believe I belonged.
The streets were still bustling even at this time of day. I couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t be so bad living inside the pack. But I sighed, knowing it was just a dream. I wasn’t complaining, though, if not for the pack, I would have been a wild rogue a long time ago.
As I reached the outskirts of the pack, the shadows deepened around me. That familiar, unsettling feeling crept back in, the feeling that I was being watched. I had felt it earlier in the infirmary, but now it was stronger, as if someone’s eyes were glued to me, lurking just beyond my line of sight.
My pace quickened, my heart pounding in my chest. The dense woods surrounding the path to the cottage suddenly seemed darker, more ominous. Every snap of a twig, every rustle of leaves, made my nerves tighten.
I forced myself to breathe, pushing back the panic. I hadn’t done anything to anyone in the pack. Who would have any reason to…
A movement in the trees ahead caught my eye, and my heart stopped. My stomach twisted into knots. Standing just beyond the line of trees, partially hidden in the shadows, was Gareth.
Of all people, it had to be him.
He stepped forward, his cold, piercing eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the air around me feel suffocating. His imposing figure seemed to blend into the darkness of the forest, nothing like the kind, easygoing Gareth I had met at the bar. But there was no mistaking him. Gareth, the Beta, was watching me.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. “What are you doing here?” I managed to ask, though my voice wavered slightly.
Garreth didn’t answer immediately. He just kept staring at me, his gaze unnervingly steady. His presence was like a wall, impossible to ignore, impossible to break through. He took a step closer, and I instinctively backed away.
“You’re not supposed to be here, young nurse,” he finally said, his voice low, almost a growl.
“I’m just going home.” I tried to sound calm, but the tension in my chest was undeniable. His eyes bore into me, as if he could see right through my thin facade of confidence.
“A new nurse in the pack,” he said, circling me slowly. “I could’ve believed that anyone would’ve believed it, but your scent is too obvious.” He smiled, his gaze taunting me, daring me to question him.
“What scent are you talking about?” I stammered, trying to feign ignorance as I backed away slowly.
“Cara, your acting skills are commendable, truly. Even I might’ve bought your story. But I’d recognize my brother’s scent anywhere,” he said, looking at my neck, the place I was marked.
His words hit me like a blow. How did he recognize the mark? My mind raced. cara said that with the lotion she applied to it, no one will perceive that i have been marked
“You’re not supposed to be *here*,” he repeated, his tone sharp, gesturing to the forest, the pack, the world I had foolishly thought I might belong to. His gaze darkened, and a chill ran down my spine.
“I’ve been helping!” I snapped defensively, refusing to let him intimidate me. “Debby brought me to help with the sick. I’m just trying to make myself useful, can’t you see that?”
Garreth’s eyes narrowed. “Useful? That’s what you think this is about?”
I blinked, unsure of what he meant. “What else would it be about?”
He stepped closer, his towering form just inches away now. I could see the tension in his jaw, the flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. “You think they’ll accept you because you play nurse for a few hours a day? Because you make the children laugh?”
My breath caught. His words stung, but it wasn’t just what he said. It was how he said it. Like he knew something I didn’t. Like he could see right through all my efforts to prove myself.
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper, dripping with threat. “You’re still an outsider, Cara. No matter how many bandages you change, no matter how many smiles you get from those pups, you don’t belong here.”
Anger surged inside me, mixing with fear. “Why do you care?” I shot back, fists clenched. “Why do you care what I do? I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“You were supposed to stay in the cottage. That was your Alpha’s order, and you disobeyed,” Garreth said darkly, moving closer.
“He is not my Alpha! Your Alpha ruined my life. He marked me without my consent and then disappeared, abandoning me like I meant nothing!” I shouted, trembling with frustration, my tears spilling over. The emotions I had bottled up for so long came flooding out.
Garreth’s lips twisted in anger. “Watch your mouth! You don’t insult your benefactor. He feeds you, clothes you. You have no right to complain.”
Before I could respond, he was in front of me, hoisting me over his broad shoulders. Despite my struggles, he carried me effortlessly, like I weighed nothing.
.