Chapter Nine

Beta Seth

I pulled back the sheet for one last look at the young pup. He seemed to be sleeping, his face a picture of innocence. I shook my head, anger bubbling up inside me.

“This jerk shouldn’t get away with this,” I muttered.

The doctor glanced at me, nodded, then returned his gaze to the clipboard in his hands.

“They both had serious wounds that got infected. Probably from crossing the river, or maybe from the makeshift bandages they used.”

He sighed, looking back up at me.

“There were still faint traces of Wolfsbane in their blood. It would have slowed down the healing.

“In his case,” he gestured to the trolley where the pup was still lying, “his wolf was too weak, it didn’t heal him at all.”

I frowned, “are you sure he’s not a hybrid? That would explain the weak wolf.”

The doctor shrugged, “I doubt it. They both look about ten or eleven years old. It would mean one of the parents was a werewolf. Which would mean the other was a human. They would have to be mates.

“No male would leave his mate behind.”

I nodded in agreement. That was true, but it still didn’t explain why his wolf didn’t help in the healing process.

“Run a check anyway, you know how the Alpha likes to be thorough,” I concluded.

I left the hospital. We needed to arrange a proper burial for the pup. This wasn’t his home, but it might give some closure to the little female pup.

Whatever they had gone through, it seemed they had gone through it together.

I headed to Alpha Clayton’s office. He would want to know all the details.

I knocked twice and waited.

“Come,” I heard his voice respond.

As I walked into his office, I noticed a large bottle of scotch on his desk; he held a half-empty glass in his hand.

Clayton reached under his desk and pulled out an empty glass. He quickly filled it half full and slid it across the desk.

I nodded and picked it up, taking a large swallow.

Clayton only ever drank in the daytime in times of celebration or stress. Sadly, today was the latter.

I sat down in the chair opposite his desk.

“How did she take it?” I asked.

He shook his head and took another drink.

“She was devastated. She sobbed for a good hour. I just held her, tried to comfort her until she fell asleep.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“We need to take that bastard down, Clayton. The doc says they picked up the infection from the river or the makeshift bandages.

“In any case, we know they came across the river, which means they came from his territory.”

Clayton nodded.

“We will, but we need hard evidence. I’m not about to invade his territory and have the rest of the packs under the council retaliate. War is the last thing any of us need right now.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“Is a dead pup, and another badly injured one, not evidence enough?” I challenged.

Clayton stood up and walked around the desk. His hand rested on my shoulder.

“Your father would be proud of you, Seth. You’ve become such a good Beta. Just a little more patience and we will have our revenge, I promise.”

I sighed and nodded.

Under normal circumstances, the son of the Alpha and the Beta would take on the roles together, but Clayton never found his mate and my father had been killed by that bastard across the river.

My mother died shortly afterwards, unable to live without her mate. I’d had to take on the Beta role at the age of sixteen.

Clayton had been like a father to me and also mentored me in the role as Beta. Now at eighteen, I was a damn good beta.

“I couldn’t have done it without your help and guidance, Alpha.”

Clayton smiled.

“You should have been Beta to a much younger man than I, but we have to live with the cards that we’re dealt. Now I have a little job for you.”

I furrowed my brow in query.

“I want you to look after the little pup, befriend her, get to know her. Hopefully, she’ll open up, tell us everything that happened.”

I shook my head, “That’s crazy. Why don’t you get one of the she-wolves to do it? She’s likely just been brutalized by Zagan’s Beta. She’ll be scared shitless.”

Clayton shook his head, “You’re the first friendly face she saw after escaping from his clutches. You were gentle.

“Besides, she’s a fiery little thing, the first thing she did when I broke the news was to punch me.”

I smirked, the thought of a little pup trying to beat up Alpha Clayton gave some light relief to a sad day. Even though we didn’t know the little male pup, it was never good to lose one.

Especially not as young as that.

I swallowed the last of the scotch and replaced the empty glass on the table.

“Very well,” I concluded, as I stood up, “I’ll see what I can do.”

I headed towards the door.

“Remember, Seth, soft and gentle, she’s been through a lot...too much for such a young pup,” Clayton warned.

I nodded and headed towards the guest room where the young pup had been put.

As I walked in the door, I relieved the warrior who had been assigned to guard her.

Not that I thought she was dangerous in any shape or form, but it was protocol with rogues, especially if they weren’t secured in the cells.

Even though she was a pup, she still had the smell of a rogue. If she decided to go walkabout, she might well be attacked.

Walking towards the bed, I realized she was already awake. Her body was tense, not relaxed as it would be if she were still sleeping.

I sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched her shoulder.

She immediately flinched as though she was expecting to be hurt. Her eyes flashed open. A whimper escaped her lips, and she looked at me with a look of terror in her eyes.

She gasped as she tried to pull air into her lungs.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” I reassured her. “You’re safe now. Remember me? I’m Seth.”

I cradled her face in my hand, my thumb gently tracing her cheek.

“Just breathe,” I encouraged.

Her fear was palpable, overpowering the scent of the rogue. Her heart was racing, beating a frantic rhythm I could hear.

Her breathing began to slow, but terror still filled her eyes. They were wide and scared, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. I could feel her small body trembling.

This was not the same pup who had tried to challenge my Alpha.

She closed her eyes, fighting back a tear. But it slipped out anyway, and I gently wiped it away with my thumb.

“No one’s going to hurt you, sweetheart. I promise,” I whispered.

She opened her eyes, still shimmering with unshed tears.

“Why? I deserve it,” she mumbled. “You should have left me to die.”

I shook my head.

“That’s not going to happen, angel. What’s your name?”

Despite her sorrow, I could sense a spark of defiance in her voice. She was hurt and angry. The same fire that had been there when she had confronted Clayton.

The bravery that had been crushed by Zagan and his Beta, Dante. Maybe I could coax it back to life. Enough for her to share her story, let me help mend the broken pieces.

Give her a chance for revenge. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.

She looked me in the eye, searching for something. Perhaps trying to gauge if I was a threat, or looking for signs of pity or blame.

I held none, I only wanted to show her kindness, something I wondered if she’d ever experienced.

She looked away, her gaze drifting aimlessly across the room.

“He used to call me lots of things...runt...whelp,” tears welled up in her eyes, “but my name is Ellie.”

I took her hands in mine.

“Sit, Ellie,” I gently guided her to sit.

“You don’t deserve any of this, sweetheart. None of this is your fault.”

She pulled her hands away from mine, her gaze dropping to her lap.

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I’d done,” she replied, her voice cracking in a way that told me pushing her too hard would lead to a breakdown.

That wouldn’t help anyone.

I gently lifted her chin with my finger.

“It might help if you tell me,” I suggested.

She blinked a few times, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill.

She was a strong little pup; that was probably why she had survived this ordeal.

“What if I don’t want to tell you?” she challenged.

I smiled. “Then you don’t have to, but if...when you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

“I’m hungry,” she grumbled.

I smiled. Finally, some progress.

“Well Ellie, let me check your back, and then we can go and find you something to eat, ok?”

She nodded.

I gently lifted the back of her shirt. She flinched, a small whimper escaping her lips.

I frowned as I examined her back. Once the doctor had treated the infection, her wolf healing had kicked in.

The wounds were almost healed; the skin was a different shade of pink where her wolf had healed her. But that wasn’t what made me frown. There were other scars on her back, older scars.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been whipped. The scars were old, probably several years old. For some reason, her wolf hadn’t healed them. To me, it could only mean one thing.

The wounds had been inflicted before her wolf had emerged.

“It’s healing nicely. Let's get you some food.”

I gently lowered her shirt and helped her to her feet.

She was a bit unsteady on her legs. I was ready to catch her if she fell, but she steadied herself.

I gently placed my hand on her shoulder and guided her towards the door.

“Once you’ve eaten, we’ll see if we can find you some clothes,” I suggested.

She glanced down at the clothes she was wearing, which were far too big for her. She just nodded.

As we made our way to the kitchen, we passed some of the other pack members.

Some had heard about the two young pups that we had rescued. The looks she received were either of disgust or pity. Each look was met with a defiant glare.

I felt a surge of pride for the little pup. I was right, she was stronger than she seemed. She would be a great addition to our pack.

I would need to talk to Clayton about her back and also find out why the doctor hadn’t mentioned anything.