Moon Bound

(6) The Beginning|Regan's POV|

Carrying her through the woods like a small and broken child, never meant to play with danger as she did, yet there she was—safely cradled in the arms of danger, her mate's arms that hurt her.

To keep her.

I could drown in her scent, sink into her with the sparks of who she was to me roaming bountifully with her tucked against my bare skin, her heart beating against mine. I could lose control so easily it scared me to be that close to her when I knew she wanted none of it. Nothing of me.

Stepping into the house, I could feel my men's questioning looks on us as soon as I entered through the doorway. Eyes inquiring and filled with male appreciation that had my chest rumbling warnings.

"Look away," I growled in my steps, holding her ever closer to me to shield her from the eyes that were not meant to see her barren before them.

Hayden was the first to come my way, warily approaching steps as he flickered down a look at the mate lying bloody and naked in my arms before turning his inquiry to me.

"What's going on, Alpha? Did she go against your order again?"

Gritting my teeth to hold back the snarl, I shook my head. "She didn't do anything wrong."

It was all me. Always me.

"You should've asked the guards to bring her back after you punished her," he pointed out in blatant disregard of my answer. Lately, I'd been wondering if it was the man's intention to pick a fight with me.

"It's not what it looks like, Hayden," I clipped out, throwing him a look of warning. Beta or not, he was going too far with this.

He opened his mouth to try and cover his slip the way he'd been doing lately, but I cut, "We'll talk later. Now go fetch Christine and send her to my suite."

For a few moments, he just gaped at me, the implications of my statement clouding his face. I watched him scratch his neck as he thought about it—his alpha bringing this female of low stature to the master' suite to take care of her—then he nodded.

"As you wish," he consented reluctantly, lips forming a tight line while his hazel eyes narrowed in speculation then, with one last look at the female in my arms, he whirled around and went to do as bid.

Ignoring the men's looks, I carried my mate upstairs.

Once having reached the landing, I had to suck in a breath and squeeze my eyes shut just to compose myself.

This is just the beginning, I had to remind myself, knowing that I wasn't going to avoid the questions of the pack for long.

They had been right there with me during these years of waiting and hoping for their alpha to find his mate and bring the balance the pack needed. Having hoped for a luna who was going to heal them, help them keep their heads straight, now they were getting one who hated their guts.

And it was plain as day they weren't going to like that.

Burying my nose in the crook of her neck, breathing her in deeply, the house was making me feel like I was in a death trap, like I was the only one in the world who wanted there to be an 'us' in the future, and everyone else, even Scarlet, stood at the other side of the line.

I was the only one who wanted this to work.

Kicking the door open, I padded to the bed to place her there. The cuts and bruises on her body and face didn't even begin to show the extent to which I'd hurt her. It was barely a scratch on the surface.