3 - Awake

~Tate’s Point of View~

*This is just fucking sick. I hate stuff like this. I hate that we didn’t get to kill the bastards that hurt that girl,* my wolf roars, trying to calm down. I can only agree. You just don’t hurt someone who can’t defend themselves, and especially not a young girl who doesn’t even have a wolf. It’s beyond sick.

“I want to find the families of those males, and tear them to pieces too,” I mumble, under my breath. That crime scene was horrific, though I have seen much worse.

My eyes can’t move from the victim that is currently across the yard, my heart breaks for what was stolen from her. But I also have to wonder, what’s ahead for her? It’ll be a long recovery. Surely the male holding her can’t provide what she needs.

“He can’t just take her, councilor Black wouldn’t go for that. We could be trading one bad home for another. She’s obviously an orphan. My wolf says they’re not related,” I groan, irritated. 

My wolf Colt nods in my mind, confident in his scenting abilities. My team and I pace with frustration, not sure what to do. And that’s very unlike us, we always take control. 

Chance, my captain, sighs and nods in agreement. We both try to brainstorm a plan. While I’ve been a Shadow Warrior going on five years now, it never gets any easier. Victims are always hard to see and too often we get somewhere too late. At least she’s alive, though I hate what happened so much. I’ve been so blessed to grow up the way I did, especially with a large loving family. Not everyone is so lucky.

I watch as some of our team takes out the dozen or so smaller pups from the home that I hope will soon be burning to the ground. I truly loathe anyone that harms children, there’s no reason for it. Take your ego and power trip out on someone your own size. They’re nothing but scum.

“Who is he to her? He’s clearly rough,” I whisper, looking up into the purple eyes of my large captain. The tiger shifter clears his throat, and eyes the strange male across the yard, covered in dried blood. He’s more than rough, clearly no stranger to fighting, but he’s got an obvious soft spot for this female.

“Not sure. Don’t know who he is at all. It was a full on bloodbath though. He didn’t do it on his own. I make at least five sets of wolf prints, we’ll know more after the forensics are done. Whoever helped him fled. Maybe he wanted them to, he’s protecting them. This investigation falls to your father, hopefully he gets here soon,” Chance replies. I nod, wondering what the hell is keeping him. Since my mother is a fairy who can teleport, my dad is able to get around pretty damn fast.

When Blake, a criminalist vampire on our team lands nearby, I take note that the male I’ve been staring down perks up. It's the first time he’s even looked at one of us, he’s been completely fixed on the girl in his arms. I expect him to show fear for the vampire, but that’s not the vibe.

I’m not able to mind-link Blake since he doesn’t exactly have brain waves and all, but when he shoots me a look I know just what he means. He then dashes into the woods, ready to do his own investigation. 

It’s certainly natural for shifters and vampires to hate each other; there are thousands of years of bad blood between us. It isn’t weird for me since I grew up with a bit everyone being around. But Blake is a seasoned Shadow, and had an immediate opinion about him; something is off.

I grow tired of waiting, especially since we’ve been here half an hour with no answers. My feet move on their own, and when Chance sees me, he’s hot on my heels. As I approach the male, I take note of all his tattoos, but moreover his scars. There’s a clear aura of authority emanating from him, and perhaps that’s why everyone left him alone. He radiates a “don’t fuck with me” attitude. I’m suddenly wide awake, all senses on alert and desperate to get her away from him. I don’t like him touching her one bit.

But he’s an Alpha of some sort. But there’s also an air of… magic? While I am part shifter, part fairy, I didn’t inherit much of my mother’s mystical abilities though most of my siblings did. I’ve more than tried to learn, to teach myself how to do some of the things she can, but it’s just not there.

“Who are you to the child? A relative or someone from the pack,” I question, and immediately regret it. When questioning a victim or a perp, you should never lead them. It gives them a window to use your lead to lie. Let them tell you the story. I bite the inside of my cheek at the slip up. I don’t make mistakes, and while maybe insignificant, that will bother me. Too many people think I was shown favoritism in getting into the Shadows because of my parents, but fuck that. I earned this, I'm a badass warrior.

It also may very well be a stab at his manhood to assume he’s just any other male, since he’s clearly an Alpha. It doesn’t matter that I’m not pledged to him, he reeks of authority and now that I’m this close I’m damn glad I have Chance at my back. 

“I am… I was…I should have…” he starts to say, as he looks at me with obvious tears in his eyes. 

I wasn’t expecting that. His gaze falls back over the female, he’s clearly very fond of her. I catch a slight hint of her strong floral, sun kissed scent but it's so muddled down with all the nasty males that touched her… not to mention blood. My wolf perks up, imagining that she probably smells really damn good normally. 

Colt pushes me to get closer, so I dare to take the step, and peek into the giant gray blanket covering the girl. The male looks down at her, as if for confirmation. 

*Something just passed between them, but I don’t know what,* Colt says, wanting me to get even closer. 

“She just works for me, around my bar. You probably know it, “Hair of the Dog,” he says, flashing a half smile with crooked teeth. He doesn’t break his stare with her though. He’s well schooled, clearly thinking about what he wants to say. I doubt he cares this much for any other females that work for him.

“Harlow sweetheart, you know what the Shadows are, right? What they do? How they help people,” he asks, and I swear my heart skips a beat.

Harlow. Do I know that name?

It isn’t very common, but I’ve heard it somewhere before. For a moment, I get lost in my head. It's only when I hear Chance talking that I shake out of it.

“I know the bar by name, quite a reputation. Never had the privilege of meeting the owner though. Guess I’ll have to check it out sometime,” Chance says, ever the cool cat. He never gives anything away, and I groan internally, wishing I were that smooth all the time.

“Drinks for the Shadows are always on me,” he says, as he begins to shift Harlow in his lap. He props her, so she’s sitting up. I immediately cringe at how blank her eyes are, lifeless almost. Her hair is matted with blood, she looks almost fake. Something pulls at my heart, and I don’t know what to make of it.

Colt stirs in my mind, unable to take our eyes off her. For some reason I have the weird realization of just how awake I am right now, and how alive I feel. But how much she isn’t. I need to change that. 

What am I saying?? I’m hardly a therapist or a male that can get tangled up with a pup. But there’s just something about her…

“Perhaps it would be helpful for a female to assist Harlow with getting cleaned up and settled in her new home,” I hear, just over my shoulder. I turn to see my father, and a female I know very well. She’s the mate of three Shadows, and became one herself years ago once her own children were grown.

“That’s perfect, thank you, yes,” the male says, as he looks to Harlow for confirmation. She doesn’t stir.

Lilly gets a bit closer to her, so Chance and I back up to give her space. She knows what she’s doing and really doesn’t need us. We probably could go at this point, but I just can’t. 

*I don’t want to,* Colt adds.

I see my father and a couple others leave to go to the crime scene, but I blur out everything around me. Except the girl I can’t tear my eyes from.

“Harlow right? I’m Lilly, and I’m gonna help take care of you honey. The Shadows helped me once when I was in a bad way, and we’re going to do the same for you. Can I take you to my home to get cleaned up,” Lilly asks.

That time, Harlow looks to the male, as if for permission. He nods and rubs her back. 

“You can trust them Harlow. But wherever they take you, I can’t visit. Though I’ll still always do whatever it takes to help you. You do want to stay in your same school right,” he questions.

As if she speaks with her eyes, he moves in so she can whisper. Colt tries with all he has to hear it, but we can’t make it out. 

“This is my mate Hunter, would you allow him to carry you,” Lilly asks, as she reaches carefully to touch Harlow through the blanket. I hadn’t even noticed Hunter, but he’s a quiet guy. Colt practically wars with me, demanding we take her, but it's not my place.

I watch as they get her, and then a Shadow witch teleports them off. My heart skips a beat once she’s gone, hating it. I just don’t know why I care so much, I’ve seen situations like this before. Though they aren’t usually pups.

*I just don’t think that’s it…* my wolf whispers, as if someone else would hear him.

“It’s hard to see, never gets any easier,” Chance says, as he hits me on the back, and begins to walk away. 

“Don’t wait on me,” I mumble, as I turn and stare at the shack of a cabin. My feet push me forward and inside, my wolf suddenly on the prowl and taking over. I don’t question, I let him lead. Before I know it, we’re standing in front of a large pile of dirty laundry, and he forces me to hunch over and dig in. 

Clothes get tossed all over, until we freeze. I pull out a shirt that practically radiates Harlow’s strong scent and also… a hamburger? Some onions maybe?

I bury my face in it, completely lost in the scent. Wanting to somehow crawl inside of it and never come out. When the floorboards in the next room creak a minute later, I snap out of it. I lower the fabric, but I don’t let it go. Colt goes crazy in my mind, jumping around like he’s a wild caged beast. 

He wants this female.