The Good Wolf's Alpha Mate

Chapter 3

Liam’s POV

I walked with the little bundle held close to my chest. I’d lived in this forest for almost two years now, so I knew my way around. So with long strides and an urgency in my steps, I headed to the closest human city.

The Sun was dipping low in the skies now, turning them different shades of pink and purple. Deep in the forest, it became dark quickly, but with my wolf's vision, it wasn't a problem for me to find my way around. But despite that, there still managed to seep an unsettling feeling into my bones that was quite unfamiliar to me. Not once in my two years on my own had I ever been worried when night fell. Despite not inheriting my mother's Beta-rank Wolf, I was more than capable of taking care of myself. Violence wasn't my thing. I wasn't a fighter, but I killed quite easily when the situation called for it. However, right now...

I felt vulnerable!

I didn't like this feeling. I didn't like that every shadow looked like a threat. I didn't like that every sound was a potential danger. And it was all because of the baby snuggled into my arm...

A baby didn't belong out here!

I was a Rogue. Out here, it was kill or be killed. The most primal laws of nature ruled these woods. And with a baby on my arm, I was easy prey...

We can take on anyone who would challenge us, my wolf challenged my thoughts. He didn't like this feeling any more than I did, but he liked the solution to the "problem" even less.

"And while we fight, who will protect her?" I countered, keeping my voice low so I didn't disturb the little one's sleep. Sure, I could just reply to my wolf in my head, but talking to him out loud somehow made me feel less lonely. At this point, it had become a habit, almost...

My wolf didn't reply but stretched out his senses to make sure that there were no threats out there. I shook my head at him...

Clusterfuck!

This whole situation was a f*****g clusterfuck, and I needed to somehow get out of it as soon as possible. Rogues and babies didn't mix and---

We're here, my wolf cut into my thoughts once again. I lifted my head, and sure enough, the smell of gas, greasy food, and strong coffee reached my nose.

"Finally," I sighed with relief, and before long, I could spot the lights of a gas station in the distance. Now all I needed to do was to send a little prayer to the Moon Goddess and hope they had some baby formula.

Yeah, my wolf scoffed and rolled his eyes at me. And while you're at it, mind praying that no-one will question, why you're covered in blood?

A bit taken aback, I took a look down at myself. And realized that my wolf was right. Not only were my hands, pants, and arms covered in blood, but the baby I was holding was also wrapped in a bloody T-shirt. And since the little Alpha was starting to wake up, she was getting more and more pissed by the second.

I couldn’t go in!

At least not without raising a million questions and probably having the police called on me...

"Fu---!"

I bit my tongue at the last second and swallowed the curse. Yeah, I wasn't about to get into the habit of swearing around a baby; despite the urge.

Looking around, I tried to see if there was somewhere I could put her down without her being in any immediate danger. I walked around until I found an old hollow Willow that looked like it had been struck by thunder at some point. Wrapping her up as tightly as I could without suffocating her, I placed her in the hollow stump. By some kind of instinct, I made sure that she was covered with leaves and branches, so she wasn't easily spotted...

“Stay!” I commanded her gently, carefully backing away from her hiding spot. I didn't like leaving her. Hell, everything inside of me screamed "NO!" the second I didn't have her close to my chest anymore.

But I didn't have a choice!

I looked back at the tree, and while she was completely out of sight, I knew that it was stupid to believe that she was safe. A wolf or some other predator could easily sniff her out. Not to mention that if she started to cry, her wailing would act like a homing beacon for any hungry hunters out there.

I had to hurry!

With inhuman speed, I rushed inside the gas station. Taking a quick glance around, I spotted the baby formulas and grabbed whatever looked good. With my wolf’s quick thinking, I also managed to grab a Package of diapers, a pacifier, and some dried turkey.

Hey! I was a big guy!

And I was stealing anyway, so might as well feed myself while I was at it…

I rushed back and let out a huge sigh of relief when I found Peach right where I left her. She was definitely more awake now and was making small, disgruntled noises.

“You know,” I said with a huff as I picked her up and sat her on my lap. “I used to be an honest man before you came along. Now I’m stealing for a living.” She didn't care and as it soon turned out, opening a Package of baby milk while also battling an increasingly fussy baby wasn't as easy as those moms made it out to be.

"Oh for fuc---!"

LANGUAGE!

I grunted again when my wolf loudly reminded me of my manners. Hell, the wolf reminded me so much of my grandmother that I sometimes wondered if he was still able to feel the family connection. But just like when my Pack bond had been broken, my family ties had been cut off too. And to be honest, I never thought there would be a day when I would miss her berating me about my manners.

I guess you never really know what you have until it's gone...

"I wish you were here, Nana," I sighed lowly, still struggling to keep the baby on my lap while also opening the stupid Package of ready formula. "She would know what to do with you, little Peach. Because I'm definitely not equipped to take care of a baby---"

And to prove that point, I realized that I didn’t have any bottles or anything to actually feed the poor thing.

“Shirts,” I sighed and ran a hand down my face. I wasn’t cut out to deal with this. I didn’t even know what I was doing. I didn’t even remember seeing any bottles inside the tank station since this wasn’t exactly a grocery store.

But I had to do something!

I couldn’t let the poor thing go hungry…

Now, I wasn't a fan of stealing. Normally, I worked odd jobs for any clothes I had, and food mostly came in the form of whatever I hunted while I was in Wolf form.

But desperate times and all that...!

Growling with frustration, I put the now-wailing baby back into her hiding hole. Knowing hiding her wouldn't do s**t, with her crying this loudly, I rushed back into the store. Grabbed a multi-tool knife, a Package of water balloons, some duct tape, and a reusable syringe. This time the clerk did notice my presence because he called out, asking if anyone was there. I was tempted to growl in his face and enjoy hearing his screams. But I restrained myself and instead grabbed another Package of dried turkey.

When I returned this time, a fox had found the crying baby. For a split second, my blood ran cold, and a fear I'd never felt before seeped into my bones.

Peach!

My wolf let out a terrifying growl, and immediately the fox ran off with his tail between his legs. Hell, I didn't even care about the stupid animal. I rushed to my baby's side and checked her over. She was still crying as if it were an Olympic sport, but otherwise, she was fine.

Not even a scratch on her!

"Good Goddess, Peach," I sighed in relief, feeling a literal weight lift off my chest. "You'll be the death of me."

She didn't care. All she wanted was food! Rolling my eyes at the demanding princess, I threw myself into improvising a bottle. With great difficulty (and a lot of duct tape!) I made a usable contraption by taping the water balloon to the end of the syringe. I poked the smallest hole I could at the end and then poured in the milk.

And almost cried in relief when it worked!

She latched onto the balloon and sucked until she’d gulped it all down. I refilled the syringe until she lost interest in the contraption. She then let out the king of all burps and looked mighty satisfied with herself. Grinning, I rocked her back and forth, watching as she looked around curiously.

"This is our home for now," I said softly, watching as the girl seemed to latch on to every word. "It's really beautiful when it wants to be. It's rough sometimes, but it gives us what we need most of the time." I looked up into the trees and noticed the stars and the moon above.

It made me think of home...

"I used to have a Pack," I found myself telling her, remembering those few blissful years I had. "It wasn't all that great, but my grandparents were amazing. I miss them." It felt like someone twisted an old knife in my chest, thinking about my grandparents. They...

"They raised me," I continued, without any real reason why. The baby couldn't understand me, but saying the words out loud felt... painful! But in a way, that also healed you. Like ripping off a band-aid.

It had to be done...

"They gave me all the love in the World," I told the little princess. And smiled as her dark, curious eyes seemed to hang on to my every word. "They raised me and my little sister without ever expecting anything in return. They loved us unconditionally, despite us being... different."

In that regard, my sister had had it worse than me. She was an Omega and was treated as trash by the Pack. I hated seeing her suffer and would always come to her defense. Because of that, we grew closer than most siblings would.

I hadn't seen her for years now...

"Sometimes I wonder what happened to her," I sighed, watching the stars above. "I pray that she's safe and happy somewhere out there. That she's living her best life."

Peach let out a yawn, and her eyelids slowly closed. Before long, she was fast asleep in my arms, breathing deeply and evenly. Lying like this, she looked even more tiny and fragile. Yet, I couldn't help thinking she was the cutest little pink thing that I'd ever seen. A part of me wanted to keep her, but the logical part of me knew that it was impossible. I didn't have the means to support her. I wouldn't give her what she needed.

A home...

A family!

"I'll get you back home to where you belong, Peach," I told her. "No matter what, you'll be happy. I promise you this!"

The baby didn't reply but continued to sleep soundly in my arms.

Well, you at least have some parts down, my wolf said with a proud smirk, smiling down at the baby girl now nuzzling against our chest. Smart thinking, human! At this rate, we might even succeed at keeping her alive.

I snorted my reply, but, yeah...! I did feel a surge of pride swell in my chest as the little peach slept. I hadn’t planned on ever taking on a responsibility this huge. Especially since meeting my Mate once I became a Rogue was slim to none. Rogues didn’t have the most honorable reputation, and there were a lot of Packs who killed them without discrimination. And since werewolves only impregnated their Mates, my chances of ever becoming a parent were as good as non-existing. She might be my only chance to ever---

Stop it!

I stopped myself and shook those thoughts aside. She deserved better than the life a Rogue could give her. Outlawed and never having a home. She deserved more than a DIY bottle and stealing for a living. She deserved her family and father, who was probably worried sick about her.

If he was still alive, that was…

Sighing, I walked deeper into the dark woods, taking my stolen loot with me. When I came across a river, I took off my clothes and made a little bed for her while I washed myself off. The water was cold, despite the season, and the dried blood wasn't coming off easily.

When I was finally clean, I realized that my clothes needed to be washed too. With a broken heart, I had to pick apart my baby's small bed, and soon she was crying again. And no, her mood didn’t improve when I tried to wash her off as well.

“Sorry, Peach,” I mumbled, feeling frustrated, scared, and basically close to tears, as I felt more helpless, right then, than the time my brother framed me for a crime he committed. I couldn’t do anything to stop my Alpha from exiling me. And I couldn’t do anything to make this little girl’s life just a little bit more comfortable by bathing her in hot water.

And she hadn’t even been out in the world for more than a day!

“I’m not cut out for this,” I growled, as worry too seeped into my bones. She was so cold! And while werewolf babies were sturdier than human babies, they were still vulnerable. If she died, I realized with tears pressing against my eyelids...

It would be my fault!

Get a grip! My wolf hissed, and before I knew it, we’d shifted into our wolf form and curled our huge, furry body around her much smaller one. I held my breath as she continued to cry, hoping that any second now, my wolf’s body would be enough to keep her warm. Hell, even my wolf was tense with worry; although he would probably rather lose his fur before he admitted that…

After long, tense seconds, the little Peach let out a couple of grunts before she dug her small hands into my fur. She clutched it, opening and closing her fingers over the rough texture. After a couple of tries, she finally relaxed and fell asleep. I let out a sigh of relief and little by little, my body also relaxed.

We need to find her family, I mumbled to my wolf, but he didn’t reply. I could feel that he was watching the little Peach with more adoration than frustration now.

I felt the same way...

Frustrating as she might be, the little Werewolf Alpha Female had somehow wiggled her way into my heart and taken a good grab of it.

We can’t keep her, I said, feeling more grief over that sentence than I felt losing her mother. Despite only knowing the vampire girl for a couple of minutes, we’d formed an indescribable bond that would stay with us forever.

I know, my wolf grumbled, pretending that he wasn’t as emotionally invested as I was. I didn’t comment. We couldn’t lie to each other since we were two sides of the same coin. My wolf lost his edginess and came to the same gut-wrenching realization as I had.

She needed a real family – her family…

We couldn’t keep her…