The Ruthless Alpha’s Bunny Mate

Chapter 4

Gideon’s POV

I did not answer immediately, for I could not respond right away. Her raw fear clawed at my chest, the panic in her voice constricting around my ribs. Her eyes were closed, but her whole body shook, as if she was bracing for some punishment that never came.

I unclipped the thick iron door to the tiny cell, the hinges complaining loudly as I pushed it open. She flinched violently at the sound and covered her head, her elbows forming a rough shield as she drew closer to the cold stone wall. I carefully stepped inside the cell, lowering my voice as I spoke.

"I'm not going to eat you." I kept my words steady as I continued closing the distance between us, making sure to drop the growling alpha persona I saved for my warriors. My fingers brushed the damp concrete floor as I dropped to one knee, my forearms resting on my knees as I stared at the frightened woman before me.

Slowly, she opened her hands, her fingers flexing as her other eye peered at me from beneath tangled hair. "Y-you're not?" she whispered, the words barely leaving her lips.

"If I wanted to kill you, rabbit, I would have let your patrol finish you off on the ridge." I took another careful step closer and stopped a few inches away from her, my tail making a lazy motion across the floor. "I don't waste bullets on broken things, and I certainly don't use them on wounded females."

She blinked rapidly, her fingertips ghosting over the dark bruise on her cheek as she tried to stifle a shudder. "They... they told me you were a monster. Elder Silas said you ripped out the throats of anyone who dared to cross the border."

"Elder Silas," I spat the name as if it left a nasty taste in my mouth. "Is that the drooling fool who led your herd? The coward who abandoned the pack to bleed in the dark woods?"

Her eyes widened in shock, a pained expression crossing her pretty features, one that made my wolf burn with something feral and dark. Her gaze dropped to her lap, her knuckles whitening as she gripped her torn pants. "I was slowing everyone down," she murmured. "I've always been slow... since the fall when I was little, my leg healed wrong. I can't shift as fast, and I can't run like the others. In the Colony, if you can't run, you're good as dead. They... they told me if I stumbled, they wouldn't wait for me."

"So they left you," I sneered, my voice low and rough. My beast was howling in outrage at the sheer pettiness of her people, who would rather walk away from this mangled little thing than risk their lives. "They killed you by leaving you to twist in the storm, little rabbit. Used you as a distraction to save their own worthless hides."

She didn't argue, only pulled her knee up, her bandage-covered thigh pressing against her stomach. "It's just the way it is," she muttered, her words barely leaving her lips. "The weak don't survive in the wild."

"The weak," I chuckled darkly, my golden eyes narrowing as I locked onto her face. "Little rabbit, your herd isn't weak. They're not survivors. Their bones are not forged from the fire of the mountain, and their hearts do not beat with the strength of the alpha blood. Strong ones do not hide in the tall grass and pray for the enemy to pass. Strong ones charge headlong into the fray, no matter what, and make room for those who can't do it alone."

Clover blinked up at me, her mouth hanging open in mild surprise. I could practically taste the foreign whiff of her scent that was not annoyance or aggression, but something else entirely, something akin to wonder mixed with a thick confusion. She was so very puzzled by my words, my tone, and most of all - this ridiculous notion that no one, and I mean no one , had ever told her about before.

"What's your name?" I asked gently.

"Clover," she whispered.

"Clover," I repeated, smiling faintly at the soft sound of the name. It suited her, somehow. "I am Alpha Gideon."

She gave a short, sharp nod, her gaze traveling over my arms, the thick scars marring the skin. "Are... are you going to keep me in these dungeons forever, Alpha Gideon?"

I looked around the damp cell, frowning as I took in the cold stones. For a moment, the thought of locking her in the dark, away from prying eyes and other predators, was something that made my chest tighten with possessive heat. "No," I said after a moment, rising to my feet. I offered her my hand. "You're going to stay in a room with a fire and a bed, and my healer is going to look at your leg."

"Why?" she asked, her voice small and hesitant. "I'm a trespasser. I don't have anything to give you. I can't do anything except..." She floundered briefly, her pretty nose wrinkling as she searched for the right words. "I can't work hard or fight or run..."

"I didn't ask you to fight, Clover." I tilted my head as I studied her tear-streaked face. "And on this mountain, no one is left to fend for themselves. Now, can you walk, or do I need to carry you?"