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

Chapter 24

It was the middle of the night when I was adjusting the furs on Ralphie when he suddenly pounced up as if waking from a nightmare. He looked around and when he laid eyes on who he was searching for, pulled me in for a deep embrace. His hold was strong, but I could tell his muscles were much weaker than normal. It probably strained him to move around like that upon waking up, but I stayed still for him.

His head was heavy on my shoulder even though he was trying his best not to put all his weight on me. It pained me to watch him breathe heavily and not being able to talk because he was too weak. Still, he forced himself to at least speak in wolf tongue which came out more like a whimper.

"I'm not hurt, Ralphie," I assure him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Even though he was unconscious the entire time, it seemed like he felt my absence. His embrace loosened when his arms suddenly dropped to his sides and I helped him back down.

Ralphie whimpered and I gave him a kiss on the forehead which at least appeased him for the time being as he listened to everything that happened while he was out. By the time I was out of vampire territory, he fell back asleep and I went to wash up when the words Nero said before he left echoed again in my head.

I know you want to stay so I will not force you to go, but when the war starts...neither I nor Evelyn can guarantee anyone's safety on wolf territory. If I can, I'd at least want to spare you from some of the pain that is bound to arise.

Digging into my pocket, I took out a red vial Nero slipped to me earlier. If I were to change my mind, all I had to do was have a sip and that would be enough for me to cross the river alone and enter Argid without any complications whatsoever. My grip around the tiny glass firmed as I remembered what he told me to do with the remainder, not that he was hoping I'd ever have to use it.

When I asked if it had the same effect on wolves, he didn't give an answer as he wasn't certain. Sometimes it would have an adverse effect on other species. I had no intention of using Ralphie as my test subject either.

The sound of blankets shuffling got me scuttling back into our tent. The gentle giant has trust issues when it comes to waking up and not seeing me around. But as soon as I entered the room and noticed the wolf man in front of me, I couldn't help but laugh.

As long as I've known Ralphie, I had only seen him in three forms. If he wasn't human, he was wolf and on occasions, Lycan. But for the first time since I've met him, he had furry ears popping up from his head.

Ralphie wasn't pleased and brought his hands to cover his ears, which I tried to tug away but he wouldn't budge. At least he was gaining some strength back.

"Don't touch," he said while scooting away. That was when I noticed his tail. Oh lord!

I laughed another round. His ears were red—the human ones of course—possibly from embarrassment but I thought it was quite cute. I've only ever seen wolf children come across as half human half wolf. All the adults were either full human or full wolf but never ever both. Not that they couldn't become that way, but it was more of a personal branding choice.

This guy here is a bit sensitive when it comes to appearing childish despite never actually having looked like one from the moment I laid eyes on him as a teenager that towered over the mass. Perhaps it was due partially to my teasing him about being younger and therefore a child though I've stopped for quite some time now.

In the end, he still didn't let me touch his ears but tolerated me stroking his tail. I knew he liked it though he hadn't admitted to it—yet.

He fell back asleep very quickly, but made sure to retract his wolf "accessories" as not to have me mocking him later about it. It wasn't like I wouldn't ask to see it again. I promised myself I'd get him to show me when he was in a better mood.