Uncovered Lightly

Chapter 5

"She was in the car with me. Why would your people not bring her back here too? She's just a child, and you left her out there alone? How dare you!" Mara rambled out, struggling to comprehend how someone could leave a child behind. Staring intently at the boy in front of her, she released a warning growl, probing him to answer. His eyes glazed over, and she immediately recognized he was talking to someone, which she found incredibly rude and only made her become even more impatient for his reply. As quickly as it came, his eyes returned to their regular color.

He hesitantly began to speak, quieter than before. "I'm sorry, when I found you, you were alone. I can assure you there was no one else in the car when we arrived. I have sent some scouts over now to see if they can track her." He watched her face fall. Milo slowly moved towards her again, only this time she didn't jump away. In fact, she didn't seem to acknowledge his presence at all, as she stared off into the distance, frozen. He was close to her now, close enough to see the flush on her cheeks, close enough to see a small tear escape her. He could feel her pain through their bond, and he couldn't shake the feeling of being responsible for it. He didn't want to make her cry. Milo's hand moved on its own accord and daintily stroked the tear away. Mara seemed to snap out of her trance after feeling strange little tingles spread through her, which forced her lips to part. Although her mind was screaming at her to move away, her body resisted heavily. She had never felt anything like what his touch gave her ever before. The warm feeling spread through her being when she suddenly realized something. This was the same warmth she experienced after the crash which soothed her immensely and eased her pain. She assumed her wolf was trying to speed up the healing process at the time. Only now did she realize it wasn't her wolf, it was his.

"You held me." Mara whispered. Raising her head, she allowed herself to really look at him. She took him in bit by bit. She noticed how his neck seemed tense, how his Adams apple was very pronounced, how he had no signs of a beard or scruff. He must be young, she thought to herself. She noticed how his lips looked soft and full, intently watching when they parted slightly as he wet them with his tongue. She felt herself blush immensely, never before had she paid attention to boys, and she couldn't believe she let herself get carried away enough to openly stare at him. Finally, she looked up high enough to lock her eyes on his. He was staring back just as intensely, but the crease at the corner of his eyes showed his confusion and made her remember what she was saying before she let herself be distracted. "At the crash, you held me. I remember the pain was overwhelming, and I couldn't even think, but then I... I felt this warmth travel through me, and it really helped, and it hurt less. I thought it was my wolf at first, but now I know." Her voice was barely audible by the end, but she wanted to thank him for easing her pain. "It was you, thank you."

Milo was in awe, he didn't know how to respond. His hand still had not left her cheek, and he gently moved his thumb back and forth in an attempt to comfort her. He spoke softly and stumbled over his words. "You do not have to thank me, I mean I didn't even know I was doing that." She didn't reply, only closed her eyes and leaned into his palm.

A stern grunt took their attention away from one another, causing Mara to immediately move away from him, positioning herself to face the unwelcome intrusion. In a way, she was slightly grateful. She could not believe she continued to allow herself to be so distracted by this unknown boy.

"Son" the man said in a gruff voice, while intently staring at Mara. Milo stood in front of her, shielding her view of who she realized was the alphas father.

"Dad, you took a while," the boy said, in a guarded tone. "Did the scouts find signs of someone leaving the crash?" Mara eagerly waited to hear the response, desperate to hear of anything to do with Cici.

"Milo, there is no crash site. No car, no debris. Nothing." the man replied strongly, "move out of my way and let me see the rogue." He angrily spat. Silence filled the room, Mara's gasp was the only response. Pushing past Milo, Mara hastily threw questions towards the man. "What do you mean there is no car? My sister was there. Take me back now!" she moved to leave the room, but was quickly blocked by the man, who was staring daggers at her. "How dare you speak to me, Rogue! My son should never have brought you to our hospital. What was your plan, to fake this crash and get into my pack ? Who sent you here!"

Milo immediately moved between them once again, this time growling in defense of his mate. "Leave her dad, she is not like the others. I would never bring one of them here." taking in a deep breath, Milo spoke strongly. "She is my mate."

Mara peered around Milo's body, eager to see his dad's reaction. He obviously was not keen on rogues and definitely did not plan on his son being mated to one. Although she wasn't sure why she cared what he thought of her, considering she didn't really want a mate herself, in fact she realized if he was so apposed to her, it would make it easier to forget this whole mate thing. A tight pain in her chest took over as soon as she thought about rejecting the bond, and she could hear her wolf whining in the back of her mind.

Whipping around to face her, Milo stared at Mara intently, his eyes reflecting his wolf. He moved towards her, having no control of his body. Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her palm. "Please, please do not reject me."