Page 4 of Unknowingly Adopting the Alpha
“I promise to take good care of you, Red,” he whispered, his tone full of promise and determination. And damn, if he didn’t already have my heart just for that. Said heart began thumping hard in my chest, reminding me even with the heartbreak earlier, that it still worked.
Was I still hurting over Darius and Milo being together? Of course I was. My feelings wouldn’t magically disappear just because I’d found my fated mate. But now I at least knew why Darius hadn’t been meant for me. This stranger was mine, I just had many speed bumps to deal with, literally and figuratively.
“Sorry, Red!” he called out from the front. “I’ve never driven on these roads before.”
I bet.
Another bump, another curse and apology from the man.Myman. Damn, this would take some time to get used to.
I couldn’t wait to learn his name, since he’d already given me one.Red.But I’d yet to be introduced to him. I guess I should just be grateful he was speaking to me in the first place. Not many people cared enough to soothe animals that way, especially since I couldn’t talk back. Hell, he didn’t even know I was a shifter. Another hurdle I’d face soon. How would this beautiful man take the news? I allowed myself to take him in, appreciating his appearance. He had brown hair, styled in a messy way that suited him perfectly. He wore a red and navy flannel and some light denim jeans. I couldn’t see further details from the back, but so far, I liked what I saw.
The fact he was so calm around me proved he truly was my fated. There was something soothing about being in his presence, and I knew he would be feeling it, too. Likely the only reason why he’d decided to take me home.
I wondered if my father was following the car, but then I brushed the thought aside. I had more pressing concerns, like how I would tell this man I was a shifter? He was pure human,no trace of anything supernatural at all. Would he like being mated to a wolf shifter? And an Alpha at that? It wasn’t as glamorous as it sounded. I had the full responsibility of the pack’s safety and survival. As my mate, he would bear some of the responsibility, too, once I’d claimed him with a mating bite.
My fangs ached at the thought of making him mine.
Chapter Four
Cassian
Was this truly it?
The house in front of me was so far from the home I’d dreamed about. The windows were broken. One was missing altogether. The front door was barely hanging on, and the light blue paint around the house was chipped with parts of the paneling broken off.
Blinking, I exited the car in a daze, nearing what was supposed to be my perfect home. My forever home. My new start. How could I possibly pay for the repairs? I had some savings, sure, but not enough to renovate an entire home! The roof needed changing too, unless you liked your roof with parts of it missing. Yay for water damage!
A whimper came from the car and I hurried back to let Red out. “Sorry, Red. I was just a bit surprised. This house wasnotwhat I was expecting.” I knew I sounded sad but I didn’t feel like hiding my feelings from the wolf.
He moved out of the car gracefully but it was still clear his back leg was hurting him. Even wolves liked to pretend they didn’t hurt, it seemed. It strangely made me more fond of him.
“This is the first time I’m seeing the house,” I explained, loving that I had someone to talk to. Diamond, Daisy, and Destiny would have to wait. My Red deserved all my attention and love. The poor cats would just end up killed if I brought them inside what was now Red’s territory.
Red followed behind me as I gingerly stepped on what should be the path to the front door. The garden had taken over so it was difficult to see the stepping stones. I guess I could add gardening to my list of things to do. This was what I got for leaving the city.Weeds. Go me!
“I inherited the house from my granddad,” I continued to explain as we approached the house. “I’ve only ever met him once, so it was a shock to learn that everything he owned is now mine.”
When we reached the front door, I was relieved to find that it was locked. I hoped no one had broken in. The lawyer I’d spoken to had told me the key was placed on top of the lamp to the right. I found it easily and then fumbled with it, eager to see if the inside was as bad as the outside. Carefully, I unlocked the door, only to be hit by a musty scent and a cold chill from exposure to rainwater and fresh fall air. I sighed, already dreading the next few days here. The weather would only get colder so I needed to put in a new window as fast as possible. If I wanted to rescue the house, heating would be crucial.
Red was still silent behind me, like my own protective shadow. It somehow made this discovery less daunting. Had I been alone, I would’ve been sobbing by now. Red helped even if he couldn’t tell me everything would be okay, or lie and say it wasn’t as bad as it looked. His silent presence was a comfort. Maybe it was fate that I had hit him.
I waited to go upstairs until I’d looked through the entire first floor. I made my way through the rooms. The water damage wasn’t as bad as I feared the upper floor would be. It was mostly just cold and worn down. The wall-to-wall carpets were covered in stains, some darker and bigger than others. On most of the walls the wallpaper was peeling off, and I even noticed a hole in one of them.
The kitchen was a mess, but at least it seemed clean enough. The wooden cupboards weren’t in the prettiest condition, but I had to prioritize what to renovate first, so the kitchen could wait a bit.
The living room had a fireplace that seemed to be in working order, not that I dared touch it. Fire and I didn’t always get along great so that would have to wait. There was one small bathroom with just a toilet and a sink. It seemed good enough for now, too.
Red seemed determined to go up the stairs before me. I chuckled and let him pass, eyeing his hind leg with worry as he made his way up the creaky wooden stairs. I guess they’d need replacing soon. I couldn’t bear the thought of Red hurting himself further, and these stairs seemed in real danger of breaking apart.
Red was sniffing the floors, as if he was searching for something so I left him to it, trusting his wolf instincts. He seemed to be feeling better already, walking around like he hadn’t been hit by a car an hour ago. The fact he still wasn’t using his hind leg proved he wasn’t healed, but I felt less guilty now that he wasn’t whimpering and out cold. Reminding myself that Red was a wolf didn’t do anything to dampen my affection for him. I’d never been close to a wolf before, but I felt oddly safe with Red. I knew instinctively that he would protect me.
When Red came back after searching the rooms, his tongue was out and he seemed very proud of himself. “Good boy,” Ipraised, petting his head like he was an overgrown dog. He leaned into my touch and any hesitancy about him being a wild animal was pushed to the back of my mind. A wild animal wouldn’t have reacted like he had. Maybe he was someone’s pet? Sucked to be them, because Red wasminenow.
Red led me into what would be my bedroom. It still had Granddad’s bed in there, in all of its horrible glory. Unfortunately it would have to do for tonight. The window that was missing was in the second bedroom, and luckily the door had been closed off. Red hadn’t checked this room yet, so he sniffed away, likely searching for animal scents or something like that.
He seemed to deem this room acceptable, too, so once again I praised him and scratched his neck.
“I hope you like chicken,” I said, looking through the closet for fresh linens. “We’ll do take-out tonight so I can clean up before bed. I wonder if they do deliveries in this town?”
