The Runt's Human Mate

Chapter 6: Daniel POV

Chapter 6: Daniel POV

"Not Lily...Rosie." My breath hitched when my father mentioned my twin. My parents told me she died in the womb and that I was the only one to get to meet her because I was with her for a couple of months inside our mother. Rosie was a sore subject for the family, my father especially. I was shocked when he handed me a beer and told me sit and listen to a story.

"Son, do you remember when we told you your mother has two wolf souls as well as her human soul?" I nodded. "You have the same gene, Daniel. You and your mother are what we call Bonded Twins. One wolf pup is more dominant than the other. In Willa's case it was her and her wolf while her brother William's wolf was too submissive. His wolf bonded with her wolf and so she became an only child with two wolves. Do you understand so far?"

I stared, confused. Was he telling me I killed Rosie and stole her wolf all in the womb?! I felt horror crash through me at even the thought of the possibility. He shook his head as if reading my thoughts. "You are not the cause of Rosie's death. The Moon Goddess gave you her wolf so that you'd be twice as powerful as other Alphas." I sniffed back tears. It didn't make it any better. "I know it isn't obvious because your mother is a runt but she is twice as strong and courageous as any runt you'd ever come across. You will see that Rosie will be a blessing the same way your mother considers William's dormant wolf a blessing. He only comes out when she is under a dangerous amount of stress. Are you under some stress I don't know about?"

I searched my mind. My heart was pounding. "I'm 19 and I don't have a mate and I'm scared my sisters will be stolen from us by unworthy mates. I mean for crying out loud Lily is hanging on the arm of a human! She meets one human and suddenly she acts like a love sick school girl. I was sure she was more mature than that!" My father sighed and poured himself some water to chase his beer. "Son, believe me nothing makes me more worried than your sisters, my babies, ending up with men who don't deserve them but right now I think you need to focus more on your own journey, your destiny. I know you sneak out to other packs looking for your mate." I felt my eyes bulge and my cheeks blush. I thought I was being discreet. He laughed at my response. "Don't ever think you can pull a fast one on me, Son. I watch and listen to everything my pups do."

Focus on my own destiny? How could I do that with so much going on? My sisters were turning 18, the pack was watching my every move as future Alpha, and to top it all off I have my dead sister's wolf talking in my head! It was so far mostly soothing words like "Relax" and "Everything will be okay." She didn't say much else but it still freaked me out.

The next week was painfully long and I tried so hard to ignore everything else and focus on me, my journey. It was the hardest thing to do. What kind of Alpha stays out of pack business? My sisters, the pups of the pack Alpha, were to me pack business.

Halfway through the week I broke down and started helping plan for the triplet's birthday party. I needed something to occupy my mind. I was sick of thinking about me, my absent mate, and my second wolf who kept chanting over and over for me to "relax." It made it harder to relax.

"Shut up, Rosie!" I screamed in my mindlink one day. Suddenly her soothing chanting stopped, she whimpered, and then she disappeared. "Good job, dumbass," my wolf said to me. I growled so hard my throat hurt before running outside and shifting. I couldn't take it anymore. I'm a shitty big brother was all I could think as I ran through the woods. Maybe I was never a good brother to begin with. I was possessive and overprotective and meddling. Did all my sisters hate me? Did they secretly resent my overprotective nature? Anxiety crashed through me like waves. I ran for miles, pushing myself to my limits. I was exhausted when I found myself at the lake. I sat at the edge staring out at the water and wildlife around me. I felt my chest constricting. I felt pathetic.

I laid in the grass for hours in my wolf form just staring, thinking. Rosie had not come back yet. It made me sad. I was a bad brother. I apologized over and over in my mindlink but she didn't respond.

"Help her..." I shot up to my four paws. Rosie was back! "Rosie, thank Goddess! I'm sorry about earlier!" She didn't say anything but repeat the same words. "Help her." I looked around but I didn't see anyone. "Help who?" I asked. "Mate..." I felt my eyes widen. I started running, searching.

My heart was racing as I ran from one side of the lake to the other. Then I trecked the hill over the waterfall. The closer I got to the top the more I felt Rosie surfacing. She was leading me to my mate.

When I reached the top at first all I saw was the stream and more nature. Then I heard it. Whimpering. I darted through the water and followed the sound.

I stopped in my tracks when I caught her scent. She was rogue. I smelt blood. She was hurt! I sniffed until I came across a small brown and tan wolf hiding at the base of a tree behind some bushes. She was shaking in fear. "Mate." The small wolf looked up and whimpered loudly. "Mate." But her voice in the mindlink sounded fearful.

"Don't be scared, Mate. My name is Daniel. I won't hurt you." She whimpered, "My human is Jeanie. Please don't hurt us." I moved closer and said, "I've been looking for my mate my whole life. I'd never hurt you or Jeanie." I realized I was talking to her wolf and not my mate. She whimpered. "Alpha P didn't mind hurting us. He made us rouge." I looked her body over and found many gashes and wounds. "Let me help you, Mate." She nodded and allowed me to nuzzle her face and lick her wounds.

"Can you stand? Walk?" I asked. She shook her head. "We have been here for days without food. I don't think our body can. Please forget about us and go. You deserve better." I shook my head, "Jeanie is my fated mate. I'm not leaving you to die. I won't reject her so don't think about asking me to." She nodded, looking exhausted.

I shifted to my human body and said, "Can you shift?" She closed her eyes and gasped as her bones broke to shift. I could tell she wasn't used to shifting like I was. I had been shifting since I was 10 years old. After several minutes I saw my mate for the first time. She was beautiful with brown hair and hazel eyes. I only glimpsed her eyes for a moment before she passed out. "Mate," she whispered, falling limp in my arms. I smiled at her. "Mine."