Chapter 3

HUNT

I could sense the doubt in the air the second she walked into the cabin. The rouge was petite and I could sense the fire within her, yet I knew she wasn't a threat to the pack. The other shifters however didn't trust the rogue one bit. Every shifter in this room gave up their freedom to their own thoughts and feelings when they submitted themselves to me as their master. Of course, they couldn't know the amount of power I held over them. They knew enough not to question my decisions. Yet, I still heard their doubts and felt the suspicion as they watched her sit in the dining hall with us.

She sat silently as we ate the roast beef. I could see how hard she tried to eat like the rest of us instead of ravaging the food in front of her. She was starving. She didn't have a pack and I could not sense her wolf. It was odd.

"What happened to your pack?" Sierra asked Della. "Did you kill them before going wild?"

There were a few chuckles around the table and I glanced over at Della to see her staring down at her plate. Her hand shook, so she left her fork down and she placed her hands underneath the table.

"I don't want to talk about my old pack," she replied softly.

"Why not? It's only fair since you are in our pack territory," Sierra said.

Della looked up at her and smiled. "Well, I would leave if I could." And then she glanced at me and her smile disappeared.

Her flaming red hair was long and a few curls were loose. I imagined them free and against her naked skin. Taking a deep breath, I remembered the way she stepped out of the tub almost as if to test my patience. Her body was beyond beautiful. Porcelain skin, full rosy lips and mesmerising blue eyes. I remembered the way her rosy nipples were hard and when I walked into her cabin, I found her touching herself and playing with those soft peaks I desperately wanted to suck and bite. Just thinking about it made me hard with desire and I knew that if I didn't relieve myself soon, I would go crazy.

After Hailey, I thought it wouldn't be possible. I still didn't understand it when the elder had told me that my mate wasn't dead and that it was not, Hailey. Hailey and I were meant to be. After her death, I knew that the fire within me had disappeared. Until now. We were only supposed to have one mate. How was it possible? I knew Della wanted me too. Her pheromones were all over the place.

I shot a look at Della again and watched as she ran her tongue over her bottom lip and then she raised a delicate hand and pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"Are we going to talk about the attacks?" Scott, my beta, asked. "For all we know, she could be with the other rogues."

I shook my head and left my fork down. "Highly unlikely."

Della was staring right at me.

"Why is that?" Scott sat forward and grabbed more meat from the platter.

I pushed my chair back and stood up. "Because I brought her here. I would know if I was bringing danger right into our pack."

I headed upstairs into my bedroom and waited patiently as I watched everyone leave the cabin. And then I smelled her scent. She lingered outside my room door. I heard her walking inside and then she shut the door behind her.

"You're my mate," she whispered.

I turned around to face her and saw the tears in her eyes as she stepped closer. "Why are you trying to deny it?"

"It's difficult to explain," I said.

"I've been waiting almost all my life for a moment with my mate and now that I've found you, you're pushing me away." Her voice was despondent. She was hurting inside and so I did the only thing I could think of to ease her pain. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into my embrace before crushing my lips to hers.

Della's lips tasted like the warm, spiced wine we'd been drinking at dinner and she smelled of the wild. I pressed my body into hers as we moved towards my bed.

I could feel her body trembling underneath mine as I got on top of her, my lips never leaving her as I slipped my palm underneath her sweater.

I watched her arch her slender neck and move her hips upwards, her body begging for each caress and each kiss, but I stopped midway and pulled back abruptly.

Della's eyes snapped open as I pulled away from her and stood up, keeping my distance from her as far as possible.

"Why did you stop?" Her cheeks were splotched with pink embarrassment as she pulled her sweater down and stood up.

"I can't do this right now," I told her. "I have a pack to look after and you showing up in our territory puts everything off balance. I need time to think."

"But you're the one keeping me here. Why won't you just let me go?" Her voice was strained with anger and before I could reply, Della turned around and stalked out of my room.

What could I tell her? That it wasn't possible that we should have been together because I already had a mate in the past.

Rubbing my temple, I kicked off my boots, before laying back on my bed. How did I tell her that she couldn't trust me as much as I couldn't trust her?

Bringing her here was a bad idea.

Leave our attraction aside. If I claimed her and took her as mine. Would it all be worth it in the end?

Scott had a point too. What if Della couldn't be trusted? I committed myself to the pack years ago and swore that after Hailey, my pack's safety and well-being cane first.

That's exactly what my father would have expected of me before he went missing three years ago and never came back.

Love only made someone like me weak and I couldn't afford to risk myself and pack again.

Della's feelings were going to get hurt, but it was a small price to pay for my pack's safety.