Chapter 4: Rhys

I stood outside the packhouse waiting for Grace. I didn’t like that she was out of my sight already and I had only just met her. I rubbed a tired hand over my face. There was little that I ever felt helpless about. I was the Alpha King for a reason. I was known for being proactive and running a tight ship, but the fact that this girl had been living with those people under those circumstances made my heart hurt. How could I have not noticed what was happening in the last 6 years under my own reign? It had me questioning everything.

My beta, Leon, reminded me that it was impossible to know everything. But something about the incident today had me questioning everything, especially within this pack. There was more going on here than what met the eye, and I intended to do some digging into exactly what was being hidden. The alliance was now nothing but a ploy to learn more.

Of course, I had been travelling pack to pack for a while now. I always told everyone that I wanted to see what was happening within my reign, and that was true... But I had an ulterior motive too. I had yet to meet my fated mate, so I was casually searching for her as well. My Kingdom needed a Luna. I had tried taking a choosen mate several times, but it had never felt right, they always wanted the title, not me.

I had learned a lot about my people on my travels, but nothing had been this blatantly wrong. A 14-year-old girl had killed her stepmother? My chest hurt at the thought. This girl looked like she could barely hold a spoon, let alone actually murder someone. There was something about her that was just captivating. I longed for my mate. I knew my reaction to this girl was mostly because I was lonely, but I would feed into it a little. This girl would give me something other than war to focus on, and I could let the anger in me simmer down knowing she was coming with me.

I looked up as I heard yelling coming from within the house. I recognized Luna Kinsley’s screech directed at Grace. The mute girl who would be coming home with me. God, what was I doing here?

The front door opened, and my simmering anger reaches a boiling point as I see that Luna Kinsley has a tight grip on Grace’s arm. Grace’s blonde hair, which had been in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck when I had seen her five minutes ago, now was sticking out in every direction. Her pale face looked, if possible, paler, but her expression gave nothing away to how she was feeling.

Alpha Adrian stood at the top of the stairs to the packhouse, but did not approach me with Luna Kinsley and Grace. However, I noticed the way his eyes never left Grace. They way his gaze raked her body. I suppressed a growl and forced my expression to remain stoic. My wolf was going crazy in the back of my head. I was getting her the hell out of here.

“Alpha Rhys,” Luna Kinsley smiled, leading Grace over to me. “I really don’t mind keeping her here. I in no way want to inconvenience you.” She batted her eyes at me in a way that I was sure was supposed to be flirtatious, but it just made me feel sick.

“No inconvenience at all.” I assured her in my most

“Is that all you have?” I frowned, my attention now on Grace as my wolf paced uneasily in the back of my mind.

She was only carrying a single bag that looked like it had to be 100 years old and had been through war. The handle was all but falling off, and bag itself was maybe the size of a larger purse that looked to be practically empty.

Grace nodded. It was the first direct answer I had received from her, and my heart did a weird flutter at it.

“Okay then.” I answered, reaching my hand out for her. “Let’s go.”

Grace nodded again, reaching for my hand; it was so small in mine, it made me feel sick. However, instead of looking up at me, she looked back at Luna Kinsley, who was still holding her other arm.

“Is there a problem, Luna?” I asked coldly, finally showing my displeasure over the whole situation.

“Of course not,” Luna Kinsley began to cry as she let go of Grace. “It’s just she’s my only sister, and sure, she’s made mistakes, but I am just so sad to be letting her go.”

Grace looked disgusted at the notion, but didn’t say anything, and I tried to ignore the memory of her in tears 20 minutes ago.

“I’m sure the sentiments are shared.” I lied, ushering Grace into the car.

I climbed in behind her and slammed the door. I didn’t want to be in this place a second longer.

Grace crawled across the backseat and curled up in a ball.

I started chatting with my Beta Leon for a while going over pack business. I turned back to Grace to ask a question, when I noticed her eyes were wide with terror, and shaking from head to toe.

My heart pounded as I pulled her onto my lap and ran my fingers through her tangled brown hair. Her heartbeat immediately skyrocketed, and I wondered if I had made the right decision, but then it started to slow down again, and I felt better about my choice to hold her.

She looked up at me, her dark eyes questioning what I was doing. I gave her a small smile that I hoped was reassuring. My own heartbeat began to race, and I felt myself pull her closer. My wolf didn’t say anything as we just stared at the girl we had rescued. It was the first time he had ever willingly accepted me bringing home a girl. My gaze dropped to her lips, and I wondered what they would taste like. If she would taste as bland as she was portrayed or if maybe she’d have a hidden sweetness.

My gaze dropped again, and I scanned her torn up servant’s dress with a frown, snapping me out of my thoughts before I got impulsive. She may have been illegitimate daughter of an Alpha, but she was still the daughter of an alpha. She should have been treated better than this. I wondered how she would look in normal clothes. The thought had me fighting back images of a girl who was not sitting on my lap terrified, but of a future girl, who would be so stunning it was hard to even imagine, but I could see it now. She could be my future...

“Leon, she will need new clothes.”

Leon’s eyes met mine through the rearview mirror, and I could feel his hesitancy rolling off him in waves.

“Of course, sir, but what size is she?”

I frowned. How was I supposed to know? I didn’t buy women’s clothes. I placed my hands around her waist trying to use my hands as guide. She shivered at my touch. She was nothing but skin and bones, and my heart clenched at the thought. I felt her tense in my arms and put my hands back casually around her and fought my wolf not to make an appearance at this sudden new revelation.