Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kellan

I left the ceremony pissed off and done with all of it. Ryder rejected Sophia in front of everyone then grabbed Solia right after like it was nothing. That made my blood boil.

Solia and I had been together for a while. She was my last resort. But she chose him.

He showed interest in her and she went to him fast.

Everyone calls me the mistress' son. They don’t give me the same amount of respect they give to Ryder. And Solia? She immediately believed the rumors, rumors spread by Ryder himself to hide me and the truth I carry.

She left me for Ryder because she thought I was only the illegitimate child who would never be Alpha. Ryder spread those rumors everywhere. He was insecure and struggling hard. He knew the real truth.

The Moon Goddess put the Alpha mark in my blood long before Ryder started playing king. He knew it too that’s why he worked so hard to hide the truth behind bitter rumors and cheap propaganda.

Let him play his games to keep his stolen crown. His words didn't touch me. I was stronger, faster, and every warrior in this pack knew it. Unlike me, they didn't bow to him out of fear; they bowed to him out of respect as the first son of the Alpha.

I drove back toward the city fast with the music up loud. I needed to drown out my head because the all round sports Alpha sports training tomorrow meant I had to hit hard and forget the pack drama. My arm still throbbed from the fracture in the last training but I ignored it.

Then I saw the scene up ahead. A damaged car sat on the side of the road and three rogue wolves circled it aggressively. I hit the brakes hard and skidded to a stop.

I jumped out and ran toward them. My voice was loud and assertive. “Get away from the car now.”

The rogues turned on me with fierce snarls. They were big and nasty and out for blood. But I was much stronger.

My Alpha instincts took over. I shifted without thinking and rushed straight at them. Years of fighting guided every move I made.

My claws ripped through anyone who got close. They came at me together, hoping to take me down, but they couldn’t match my strength.

It didn’t take long before they realized they were losing. One after another, they turned and disappeared into the dark forest, leaving the fight behind.

I shifted back and rushed to the car. A woman sat inside bloody and barely conscious. Her leg looked twisted at a bad angle and bruises covered her arms and face.

I grabbed the bent edge of the door and planted my boot against the car. I pulled with all my strength. The metal groaned and ripped apart. The whole door came loose. I threw it into the bushes without another thought and reached inside.

I slipped one arm behind her back and the other under her legs. As soon as I lifted her, her scent filled my nose. It was sweet beneath the smell of blood and fear. She felt soft and warm in my arms. Even with her injuries, she felt light. My wolf went completely still, focused only on her.

The moonlight fell across her face.

Sophia.

The same girl Ryder had rejected in front of the whole pack only a few hours ago.

My jaw tightened.

Ryder really was a fool.

Without wasting another second, I carried her to my car and laid her carefully in the passenger seat. I fastened the seat belt around her and shut the door. Then I got behind the wheel and drove straight for the hospital.

She leaned against me. Her head was on my shoulder. Her body was soft and lush in my arms. I settled her in the passenger seat and buckled her in firmly.

“I am taking you to the hospital,” I said in a strong voice. “Stay awake if you can.”

“Hang in there,” I told her and squeezed her hand. “The hospital is not far.”

She was lucky those rogues did not bite her. Things could have been much worse.

My mind raced the whole way. Carrying her felt intense. Her softness and curves fit perfectly against my chest. Her scent stayed in my nose. Ryder cruel words about her tummy her thick breasts and her ass made me grip the wheel tighter.

My wolf woke up inside me, feeling a strong, powerful pull toward her. Solia wasn’t an old ache I wasn’t sure if I was over yet. But holding Sophia felt almost right. This was a feeling I’d never experienced before, it felt both right and wrong at the same time.

I pulled into the hospital parking lot, picked her up, and carried her through the ER doors. My voice boomed through the room. “Car crash! I need a doctor right now!”

Nurses ran over immediately. They seemed to have recognized Sophia. They placed her on a gurney and quickly cut away her ruined clothes to check her injuries. During the rush, the hospital gown slipped and fell wide open.

I stood there and looked. I couldn’t seem to turn away.

She was beautiful. She had a soft round belly, heavy breasts, and thick thighs with stretch marks. She was full, soft, and real.

I was truly convinced Ryder was a blind fool. She was made to be held and wanted, and every part of me wanted to make her mine.

Her eyes found mine, wide with embarrassment. “Kellan? You saw… oh god.”

I stepped up to the curtain, taking total control. “Yes I saw. Stop covering yourself.” My voice dropped into a rumble. “You look damn good, Sophia. Everything about you is soft, real, and beautiful. Ryder is an idiot.”

She tried tugging the gown back up. “Don’t pity me.”

“Does it sound like I’m pitying you?” I demanded, taking her chin firmly between my fingers so she had to look at me. “He was blind.”

The heat in her skin radiated straight into my palm. My wolf stirred, possessive and dangerous. She wasn't just a victim to save; she felt like something I wanted to guard.

“Are you staying as her guardian?” the nurse asked.

“Yes,” I barked out, not missing a beat.

“Alright then. We will need your signature.”

I took the clipboard, signed it on the spot, and tossed it to the table.

I started this night pissed off at a ceremony. I was ending it taking what Ryder was too stupid to hold onto.