Chapter 3: Lucas

“Lucas, what are you doing? She could be dangerous.” Daisy came rushing into the room. “Get away from her.”

My fists clenched and I shot her an incredulous look. “Get out, Daisy,” I growled.

Uncle Rodney pushed her out the door as I ignored her protests. Now that I had separated her from the gown and that male odor, I could tell there was something different, something odd, about her scent. It was still the most incredible thing I’d ever smelled, but there was more to it. Rhonen couldn’t sense her wolf, but it wasn’t a surprise with the state she was in.

Aunt Lara returned with a steaming bowl of water and some towels draped over her arm. She set it on the table next to the bed. The color had already come back to the woman’s lips. I checked her pulse again. It was stronger than before, still weaker than I would have liked, but steady. I took a cloth and dipped it in the water.

“Let me help you, Lucas,” Aunt Lara said gently. “I won’t hurt her.”

I nodded once in agreement. Dipping another cloth and wringing it out, she walked around the bed to sit next to her. I started to remove the blood from her face, being careful not to re-open the gash above her eye. I moved on to her chest and neck. There was distinct bruising around her neck where hands had gripped tightly. Moving her hair away, I wiped down the curve of her neck to her shoulder, freezing when I saw what I had revealed. The silvery-pink skin that was set apart from the rest.

She had been marked. She already had a mate. Aunt Lara noticed my shift in demeanor.

“I’m so sorry, Lucas,” she whispered.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, continuing to clean her skin.

The tingling sensation was strong as I worked. Her scent was more powerful than ever. She was my fated mate. There was no denying that. If she had a mate, he was dead. Otherwise, I never would have felt our bond. A bond, even a fated one, couldn’t be formed over an existing one. She was mine now.

I pulled her arm from under the blanket. There were bruises from someone’s grip. Her wrist was hot and twice the size it should have been.

“Lucas…” Aunt Lara’s voice cracked. She lifted her other arm. “These are…”

“Bite marks.”

“These are from a wolf,” she said.

“I know,” I replied.

Bracing myself, I pulled the blankets down, exposing her abdomen. Aunt Lara gasped. She had dark purple bruises all over. A set of deep slashes from claws down her side. Various other small cuts and scraps along her legs. I didn’t understand why she wasn’t healing. But what hit harder was the scars.

A variety of scars riddled a gaunt body that made me suspect she had been starved. Rhonen was going crazy in the back of my mind. He was ready to break free and go hunting for whoever was responsible for this. But I would take care of her first. I would make sure she was okay. Make sure she knew she was safe.

I heard the front door open and more voices. I covered my mate back up. I could hear Dr. Callahan’s voice as Uncle Rodney led her back. I had never been more grateful she was the town doctor than at this moment. I never would have been able to handle another male touching her right now.

“Alpha Lucas,” the doctor greeted, coming straight to the bed. “Do you have any idea who she is? Did she say anything before she passed out?”

I reluctantly moved away, giving her space to access my mate.

“She only managed to ask for help,” I said. “I don’t know anything else.”

The doctor began to examine her. Shining a light in her eyes, feeling along her neck. My jaw clenched and my fists tightened when she removed the blankets again.

“She’s going to need stitches,” Callahan said. “I’ll have to do that here so they don’t reopen when we move her. We really need to get her to the clinic. I don’t like that head wound.”

“How bad is it?” I asked, sensing the worry in her voice.

“We need to get her on an IV and do some tests…”

“How bad is it?” I demanded.

She pursed her lips. “I don’t know, but if we don’t get her properly treated, she may not wake up.”

“Oh, goddess…” Aunt Lara gasped.

Rhonen howled in pain. My heart raced as I faced the thought of losing my mate before I even knew her. I didn’t even know her name. My stomach was in knots.

“Get it done,” I commanded before turning and storming out.

Grabbing the bag with the soiled nightgown, I left the farmhouse. Ignoring my uncle’s and Daisy’s calls behind me, I immediately shifted. I couldn’t hold Rhonen back any longer. He tore the bag open, shoving his nose into the fabric. We worked to move past the inviting aroma of our mate to the male scent that soured the clothing. Rhonen growled when he identified it.

She couldn’t have traveled far in the state she was in. He had to be close. We took off to follow her trail. Rhonen was halfway down the drive when Corin, Uncle Rodney’s wolf, leapt in front of us.

‘Wait.’

Rhonen snapped at him, growling viciously. Corin dodged, shifting back into my uncle’s human form. He held his hands up.

“Rhonen, wait,” he urged. “We need to think this through.”

Rhonen snarled aggressively, but Uncle Rodney held his ground.

“Please, Lucas, just hear me out.”

With some effort, I took control and shifted back.

“The bastard’s still out there, Rodney,” I yelled. “He’ll pay for this.”

“Yes, he will,” my uncle agreed. “But we need to get the whole story first. You aren’t heading into this level-headed. You’re going to kill the first wolf you see.”

“Are you questioning my competence?” I snapped.

“No,” Uncle Rodney said firmly. “I’m trying to help you. We’ll get some trackers out here. We’ll find out where she came from and we’ll go from there. For now, you need to take care of your mate. Get her to the clinic. Keep her alive.”

Rhonen fought to force the shift again. I managed to push him back. Our desire to be near our mate again won out over the desire for vengeance. At least at this moment.

‘She needs you, Lucas,’ Aunt Lara said through the mind-link.

My rage settled and I turned back toward the farmhouse. I would do whatever it took to save my mate.