#11 Meet Me in the Emerald Forest

Lukas

My teeth were immediately set on edge when my Beta, Garrick alerted me to the presence of rogues on our borders. We hadn’t been bothered by rogues for seven years, and, during that attack, both of my parents were killed and our pack nearly wiped out. I snarled dangerously and charged out of my office, bursting into my wolf, Bastian, as soon as I left the building. Garrick was already waiting for me, shifted into his black wolf, Raven.

“Where are they?” I asked as I followed him through the forest.

“Near the human town.” Garrick barked in reply.

“The human town?”

“Yes. They aren’t attacking us. They’re going after the humans.” Garrick explained.

“Damn them.” I snarled and picked up the pace.

We chased a group of a dozen or so rogues from the human town and into the Emerald forest. We had no idea that we were herding them in the direction of a human party. They were a few yards in front of us when I heard the pack slow. Bastian glanced sideways at Raven as we ran, wondering what had caused the rogues to stop. That’s when I sensed it, sensed her.

Her scent hit me before anything else. It was lavender and daisies, there was no question. Bastian threw his head to the sky and let out a haunting howl before running faster than he ever has before; even Raven struggled to keep up. Bastian plowed into the first rogue before he even knew what was happening.

Six rogues were snarling and growling at one, tiny human huddled against a tree with her eyes tightly closed. Bastian knew immediately, just as I did, that the human was our mate. She opened her eyes and a small sobbed escaped her lips, catching Bastian’s attention. He ran up to her and stopped a few inches away, bowing his head to meet her eyes; her deep blue eyes that were as dark as the depths of the sea. They were watching us intensely, taking us in.

I heard her heart rate slow, like she was no longer afraid. Just then, a rogue barreled into my side, and we rolled through the dirt and the leaves. Bastian tossed the rogue to the side just in time to hear a scream and see another wolf dare to lay its eyes on our mate. Bastian let out a viscous growl and lunged for the rogue, snapping its throat in a single motion.

Bastian turned back towards our mate to see that she was fleeing through the trees. Part of us was sad that she was gone while the other part, a larger part, was glad that she was no longer in any danger.

We handled the rest of the rogues easily and then Bastian was begging for us to follow our mate’s scent. I don’t think I could’ve stopped him even if I wanted to. We followed her scent through the street and all the way to the human neighborhood of Willow.

That’s when the smell of blood became so overwhelming that it nearly canceled out our mate’s scent. I called for my pack to come and secure the town, ensuring that there weren’t any more rogues loose on the humans, as I continued the search for my mate.

Her scent mixed with the smell of blood, causing Bastian to go wild. We were terrified that she was injured. Bastian came to a stop in front of one of the larger houses on the block and noticed that the door was wide open. He was just about to run inside when our mate came to a stumbling halt in front of the doorway.

She was covered in blood but none of it smelled like hers. I prayed that meant she was uninjured. She stared at me for a second, unmoving, until her mouth opened and a terrifying scream was unleashed. Bastian’s heart ached for his mate. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but we couldn’t, not with the human neighbors approaching. He snarled at me when I ordered him to leave her.

We circled the block and came up behind her house, hiding in the small garden. After a while, all manner of sirens and lights showed up on the street. An ambulance took our mate away and there was nothing else we could do.

“Garrick, do we have all of the rogues?” I asked my Beta.

“Yes. There was a gang of them terrorizing the humans, even killing a few of them. All rogues are dead or in custody.” Garrick updated me.

“One of the human couples killed were my mate’s parents.” I said and I felt Garrick’s surprise through the link.

“Your mate?” He squeaked out.

“The human girl in the woods today.”

“The human girl from the woods is your mate?” He repeated slowly.

“Yes and she’s being taken to the hospital. Get the pack doctor to check in on her.” I ordered.

“What’s her name?” Garrick asked.

“I have no idea.” I grumbled.

“Okay, do you know her address?” Garrick asked hesitantly.

“Hold on.” I huffed in frustration.

I shifted back into my human form and stole a pair of sweatpants from a washline behind a random house. I jogged between the houses, trying to avoid the attention of any of the humans as I scoped out the mailboxes. I quickly spotted the black mailbox in front of my mate’s sidewalk and memorized the number. Continuing down the road, I looked up at the street sign before mindlinking Garrick again,

“12 Rose Ave.”

“I’ll get Dr. Moreson on it.” Garrick replied before shutting off the link.

I was suddenly very glad that, when Dr. Moreson first joined our pack a few years ago, he had the foresight to form a working relationship with the local hospital. He thought it was important to have a contract and privileges at the human hospital in case any of our members were ever taken there or if we needed more than what our pack infirmary had available. I never guessed it would be because of my human mate.

I ran over to the house I stole the pants from and tossed them back on the line before shifting into Bastian once again. We ran to the packhouse for a change of clothes and to check on the welfare of the pack. All Bastian wanted to do was beatfeet for the hospital, but we had a responsibility to our pack first. Our mate was where she needed to be to receive the proper care. There was nothing more we could do.

“That’s a lie. We should be comforting her.” Bastian argued, pouting like a puppy.

“Oh yes, because that wouldn’t freak her out or anything.” I grumbled, rolling my eyes mentally at him. He just continued to sulk.

Garrick was waiting for me on the steps of the packhouse when I arrived. I shifted and he tossed me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I quickly pulled on my clothes and then we were walking through the packhouse.

“Everyone here is fine. The rogues never even bothered with the pack, they just went after the humans. We contained the rogues, disposed of the dead and imprisoned the ones we took alive. We didn’t lose a single pack member.” Garrick informed me proudly as I practically ran towards my office.

“And the human loses?” I asked.

“16 deaths total. Five couples, three children, an elderly woman, and two 20-somethings living alone. The human police are already talking about a serial killer.” Garrick replied.

“Let them think it was a serial killer. They’ll chase their leads for a while and then it’ll just be anothet cold case. They won’t find anything.” I said, bursting through my office door.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Alpha, but, why are you here?” Garrick asked as he stood in the doorway. I was fumbling with some paperwork on my desk and didn’t bother to look up when I replied,

“What do you mean?”

“You just met your mate and she’s in the hospital, possibly injured and definitely traumatized.” Garrick answered bluntly.

“She’s being taken care of by the doctors and Moreson is there. The pack needs me right now.” I mumbled, irritated that I even had to explain this.

“She looked young, man.” Garrick’s voice was barely above a whisper. I sighed and glanced up at him, my hands gripping the paper I was looking for,

“She’s not even of age yet, Bastian could sense it.”

“You should be at the hospital.” Garrick walked up to me and took the paper from my hand, “I can take care of this.”

The paper was a list of nearby packs who needed to be notified of the rogue sightings in case there were any more around.

“Where’s Mateo?” I asked,

“He took off with Dr. Moreson the second he heard it was his Luna in the hospital.” Garrick replied.

“She’s not the Luna.” I frowned.

“What’s with you, Lukas? This isn’t like you.” Garrick’s eyes narrowed on me suspiciously.

“She’s a human who isn’t even 18 yet.” I snapped.

“Yeah, so?” Garrick shrugged.

“How can she lead a pack?” I couldn’t believe Garrick was being so calm about all of this.

“She’ll need time and training, but none of that really matters. Lukas, she’s your mate.” Garrick grabbed my arms and shook me like he was trying to knock some sense into me.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just broken.” I muttered, frowning.

Bastian was whimpering in my head. He knew what he wanted and it was his mate, no question about it. He wanted to run to his mate and claim her as his. But, I couldn’t bring myself to feel the same way about her. Bastian was pure instincts, unlike me. All I could think about was the need for a strong partner and Luna for the pack, not a young human girl who would need me to hold her hand through all of this. She was five years younger than me, but it mindswell of been a lifetime.

“You’re overthinking it.” Garrick was looking at me with worry written all over his face, “If you’d just follow your instincts you’d know what you’re supposed to be doing.”

“You knew your mate your entire life, Garrick. It wasn’t even a choice for you when Lily turned 18 and you two were mated. It’s not the same.” I argued.

Lily was Garrick’s mate and she also happened to be my younger sister. Garrick knew from the moment he turned of age that she was his mate, but she’s two years younger than us and didn’t feel it until she turned 18. I forbade him from saying anything until she was ready because no 16 year old needed that pressure on her shoulders. So, how could I not even grant my mate the same courtesy I demanded for my sister?

“Just go to the hospital and worry about everything else later.” Garrick said and I sighed loudly.

“Fine.” I agreed before leaving Garrick behind to handle the pack.

I jumped into my car and sped off towards the hospital. The closer we got the more excited Bastian was and the more anxious I became. I pulled up to the front of the hospital and handed my keys off to the valet before heading inside. I followed the signs to the emergency department and found Mateo sitting angrily in the waiting room. He jumped when he saw me and hurried over,

“Dr. Moreson is with her now. They won’t let me back.” Mateo growled.

I put my hand on his shoulder and he immediately calmed down. We walked back over to the chairs and sat down across from each other.

“What have they said?” I asked.

“She’s fine, unharmed, but she’s mentally broken down. She hasn’t regained consciousness.” Mateo said and I felt myself becoming fearful. She lost consciousness inside her home over an hour ago now.

“She’s been through too much today.” I mumbled, trying to convince myself that everything was okay.

I cursed myself because it was my fault. I made the command to herd the rogues through the forest and towards the human party my mate was at and I missed the fact that there was a group of rogues in the suburbs. I put my mate through unimaginable pain and trauma before I even knew her name. Hell, I still didn’t know her name.

“She’s strong, I’m sure of it.” Mateo said, his eyes still black.

“She’s too young. Too human.” I disagreed.

“That doesn’t mean she’s not strong.” Mateo’s eyes narrowed on me and he seemed just as irritated with my attitude as Garrick was.

“Did you find out her name?” I asked.

“Clementine Reign, she’s 17.”

Her name hit me like a mac truck. I bit my tongue so I didn’t gasp and leaned back in my chair, blown away by the feelings her name gave me. My heart started beating faster and Bastian wouldn’t stop repeating her name in my head.

But, then came her age. 17-years-old. She’s not even out of high school yet. She has her entire life ahead of her and I wouldn’t be the one to take that away from her.

“Alpha?” Dr. Moreson’s voice cut through my inner monologue. I jumped up and moved to stand in front of him,

“How is she?”

“She’s okay, her mind just needs time to process what’s happened to her. She’s still unconscious but her vitals are good, she’s stable.”

“Why is she still unconscious?” My voice caught in my throat.

“She just needs rest. I’m sure she’ll be awake in a few hours.” Dr. Moreson assured me, “You can go in and see her now.” He turned his back and I blindly followed after him.

Mateo stood outside the door of her room as I quietly walked inside. The lights were turned down low and it was silent other than the beeping coming from the machines she was attached too. I walked up to her bedside and looked down at my fragile human mate.

Her chestnut colored curls were sprawled out around her head on the pillow and her eyes were pinched closed like she was having a nightmare or in pain. Her face was thin and narrow, coming down to a point at her defined chin and jawline. Her lips were bright red and pressed together in a thin line. I couldn’t help myself when I reached out and grazed her fair skin with the back of my hand. Her body twitched and her face suddenly relaxed.

I leaned down and took a deep breath, allowing her floral scent to fill me and my heart. At that moment, my choice was clear. I pressed my lips gently to her cheek and flinched as the sparks ignited between us. My mouth moved to her ear as I whispered,

“I won’t take your life away from you, Clementine. I won’t take away your future and force you to lead a pack of creatures you don’t even know exist, yet. I won’t bring you down. You’ll always be safe and cared for, I promise you that, and I will never take another mate. I will honor you for the rest of my life even if you never know my name.” I kissed the space below her ear where she would have worn my mark before pulling away.

Her face was pinched again like she was thinking hard about something. I gently caressed her face until every last worry line was gone. Then, I pulled away from her bed and left her room. Mateo looked at me, confused.

“She needs a protection detail for the rest of her life and I’m putting you in charge of it. She can’t ever know about them.” I ordered. Mateo’s eyes went wide,

“Lukas….”

“My decision is final, Mateo.” I felt my face hardened and the Alpha tone weighed heavy between us. Mateo bowed his head in submission,

“Yes, Alpha.”

And then I walked away from my mate’s hospital room and from her for the last time.

Or so I thought.