Alpha's Mate : Daughter of the Moon (Book 2 of The Outcaste Series)

Chapter 4

"The townspeople were talking about us," I say as I peek out from my little cocoon-like fur wrappings. Ralphie doesn't let me explore beyond the tent unless I am completely cold-proof.

"Of course they were," Ralphie says, stretching his arms behind his head. "Why wouldn't they? You're the prettiest girl around."

"Very funny."

In all irony, while I am a walking fur ball, Ralphie is literally half-naked—wearing a pair of loose short-like pants that you'd never find anyone wearing back in my homeland. If anyone dressed like this back at home, they'd be considered vulgar and impoverished. However, from general observation, it's very normal here, especially for the wolves who are hot year-round.

Ralphie suddenly stops and holds me in place, resting his chin on my head.

"Look," he directs, pointing at a family coming out of a neighboring tent.

The mother was a human woman wrapped similarly to me, but in a more fashionable sense. She was holding hands with her baby son. He looked like any normal child from afar, but if you get just a little closer, you can see a pair of furry ears perk from his tiny head. Trotting gracefully next to them was the slender white-furred daughter in her wolf form. And following behind was the husband—a huge black wolf, four times the size of his human wife.

"That'll be us in the future," Ralphie states optimistically. As if teasing me, he adds, "But hopefully our family would be bigger."

"Ralphie, I-"

Before I could say anything, he excitedly spins me around to look at yet another interesting sight.

A brownish red wolf standing on his hind legs enter my line of vision. He is clearly in wolf form, but he looks somewhat human as well. I can't tell which one he is more of—man or beast.

"It's rude to stare," I mumble to myself, trying to look away from the strangely intriguing spectacle.

"More like gape," Ralphie commented a bit too loudly, catching the attention of the subject.

The wolf man and the one next to me exchange nods and I pull out a curtsy. Though my best effort probably amounted to a bending clump of fur, the gentleman didn't laugh and instead, sends me the same nod of acknowledgement.

"That's Rowan, the other pack's alpha," Ralphie says as the wolf man turns to go about on his own musings.

Since coming here, I learned that anyone with wolf blood coursing through their veins can adapt into several variant forms.

When a wolf is born, they can look completely human or completely wolf. As they grow older, they can interchange. But the special ones (like the baby son from earlier) can look both human and wolf—with human features but wolf ears, fangs, and occasionally the tail.

But...Rowan doesn't exactly fit the description of these categories.

"Is Rowan...a different breed?" I question, unsure if I was being rude.

Ralphie simply laughs, making me feel slightly stupid for asking something I wouldn't ever dream of knowing.

"What you just saw is our 'Lycan' form," he explains. "There's only a handful of us who can shift like that. Particularly, only the strongest of the pack."

"Wow," I admire aloud, taking last glances at the brown Lycan heading towards the more populated area where we just came from.

"Don't stare too much at other men. You already got me," Ralphie says as he tugs my hand gently in the direction of home.

I roll my eyes at the shirtless adolescent next to me. "You? I'm five years your senior."

"Four and a little more than half," he corrects. "But even if you're decades older, I'd still love you."

"How can you be sure?" I ask doubtfully.

"Because you're my mate."

"I can't confirm that. I'm not a wolf," I half joke.

Before I have time to try another one-liner, Ralphie delivers us back behind the privacy of his quarters and drops me atop his bed.

"Listen carefully," he orders. "If you never appeared in front of me, I wouldn't have tried to find you on my own. But since you did," he pauses and curves his lips upward. "I think it wise you know I'm not subtle with my feelings."

Hovering over me, we look intently at each other, his golden hazel eyes sparkling like yellow citrine.

"There's only one of you made for me..." he says and brings himself a little lower, pressing his completely healed body against mine.

I avoid his gaze, embarrassed to be so intimate, but he gently lifts me so that I'm still facing him.

"And there won't ever be another," he finishes with a low growl.

And again, the suffocating heavy feeling weighing in my heart, just became a little heavier.

*****

A/N: Thankies for your votes and love <3