Chapter 3

Lucian

"Are you sure you can trust this woman?" Beta Marcus asks me worriedly as he knows that I have been doting on my mate for weeks now while she heals from the wounds that had been inflicted upon her, "I know that she is your mate, but we don't know her back history, we don't know what she has been through. We don't know if she is going to be able to even want to be a part of the pack. She could be a Rogue herself."

"Why would she have been there with the rest of the women if she was one of the bad ones?" I ask him, knowing that he is just worried, but I don't want to hear things being said about her, "and besides, I think she was taken too even if she doesn't want to speak about it. Maybe she was running away from a bad home and got caught in the process. We can't just assume what she has been through, Beta."

He nods knowingly but still decides to question it, "I know, Lucian, I'm just saying that I think we need to be a little cautious about all of this because it seems like she is playing some kind of game, and I don't like it. I don't want to be dealing with it. I don't want to even think about it. If it was up to me, I think that I would have turned tail and run away already if I were her if she didn't want to be around. She is extra cautious of you as well, Lucian, doesn't that raise major red flags?"

"Like I said, she probably has her reasons for being cautious and I'm not going to hold that against her." I end up telling him finally, running my fingers through my hair, "I know personally what it is like to deal with people that you are unsure about if you were in an abusive situation before. Remember how many times I was kidnapped due to my status as a child? Because I do."

His expression is a bit pained because he knows precisely what had happened to me, "I'm sorry, Alpha, I'm just worried. I'm not saying she will be like the rest of them but I'm just asking you to be a little cautious about it. Get to know her before allowing her to become one of the pack. Rachel told me how she was comforting some of the younger girls so that is a good sign, but we need to take this one step at a time."

I understand where he is coming from but I'm not going to say anything else about it.

All I have been doing right now is making sure that my pack and my mate are safe. Rogues have been spotted more frequently and I'm sure they are trying to worm their way back inside. I hate nothing more than a Rogue, but I know I'm doing the best that I can for my people. I know that my mate is cautious of me, and she has only given me her name, Celine. She is beautiful, too I noticed that right off the bat. She is smaller than me which is quite usual, with fair skin and a curvy body. Her long, curly brown hair goes to the middle of her back, and her eyes are this sky blue. She has delicate features, like she could break if I touched her wrong.

I have been nervous about getting close to her because I didn't want to do the wrong thing. I don't know if she likes me, and I have no idea what she might do if I end up accepting her either way. I can see the way she looks at me sometimes and I know she is feeling the pull. It isn't so easy to hold yourself back, that much is clear, but I know a part of me couldn't be sure about it either. I just hope that I feel the same way in the long run.

Running my fingers through my hair, I make my way into the pack house so I can go see her. She has been staying in my room and I have been sleeping in my office. I have felt more comfortable with her there and she didn't seem to mind. I kind of worried over the fact that maybe she wouldn't want to be around me but when I'd walk in, I'd see her curled up in my blankets and she would have one of my shirts in her hands.

It was really cute, and I make sure to always leave something of mine, wanting her to be as comfortable as possible. I don't know precisely if what we're doing is going to be okay, but I do know there's no way that I'm going to hold back either. When I see how she looks at me, it makes me smile and it makes me think that maybe something more might come from it. I couldn't be sure about it though but I'm holding onto the hope of our relationship.

Walking inside my bedroom, I see her walking around, but my mouth goes dry when I see she is wearing one of my shirts that is much too big for her. I don't care, loving every second of it as I lick my bottom lip and stare at her. I don't know what to make of this, feeling more and more nervous.

"Hi." I murmur, hoping that she won't see me as a threat, "how did you sleep?"

"I slept fine." She murmurs softly, "And you?"

"I slept alright." I admit, hoping that maybe something more could happen between us, "I know the doctor has said you're alright to start moving around some more. Would you like to have a tour of the pack? I can find you some shorts."

I want her to say yes, worried that she wouldn't. I know that I might be asking a bit from her, but it is pretty clear to me that we're trying to figure out where we both stand in this relationship. I don't know what I want but I do know what I want to come from it.

"Sure, I'd like that." She murmurs softly, smiling at me.

My heart almost skips a beat. She is just too damn perfect.