As the moon rises

Chapter 5

Sienna's point of view.

The guy that approaches us is nearly 6ft tall and massive. He has enormous shoulders and a massive chest.

Oh, Moon Goddess, his face, his face.

He has unruly black hair that is long on top and chopped short on the sides, piercing green eyes, a strong jawline, and lovely lips.

I hurriedly drop my head to gaze down at my feet before I disgrace myself any more. The last thing I need is to offend a senior member of the Black Mountain pack.

"Beta, this is the female we found on our territory," the b***h says, and I bite my lower lip to keep my lips quiet.

I'll wait till the Beta approaches me before telling him this is a simple mistake; it would be impolite to speak without first being addressed.

My heart starts to race as he approaches and takes a position in front of me; my eyes expand as I take in his broad muscular thighs, straining the worn jeans he wears. His huge combat boots in line with my petite ones is almost ridiculous.

Even as his mouth-watering, macho aroma rushes over me, I fight the impulse to lift my head. The enticing perfume makes my head spin.

He smells fantastic.

I startle as he lifts a massive hand and grabs my chin, raising my face up to meet his gaze.

The situation is extremely weird. His exquisite aroma assaults my senses, his rough touch sends tingles through my skin in waves, and his emerald eyes dig deep into mine, full of amazement and eagerness.

Moon Goddess's holy mother. I've tracked him down.

My mouth opens in amazement at the sight of my partner, and his probing eyes slide down to my lips. I believe I almost passed out when I saw the unexpected spark of yearning in his eyes.

We both remain silent, and I move uneasily, causing the shackles on my wrists to clang together. The commotion appears to jolt him out of his trance; he lowers his hand and takes a little step back, and I instantly miss the touch.

"Brianna, hand me the key to those cuffs," he says for the first time, sending a chill down my spine at the sound of his incredible deep and husky voice. Brianna looks shocked for a second before quickly pulling the key from her pocket.

"Beta," she mumbles as she places the key in his outstretched palm.

His gaze never leaves me until he walks behind me to release the shackles, holding my wrists gently as he does so, sending tingles up my arms. He returns to confront me after handing the cuffs to Brianna.

"What's your name?" he inquires, his gaze never leaving me.

I open my lips to respond, but someone interrupts me.

Cade's voice shouts out, "Sienna!" and everyone turns to face him as he hurries up to us.

Relief pours over me as I see him; he can get me out of this mess. I hurry up to him and wrap my arms around him.

"Cade, thank God you're here!" I say, relaxing as he wraps his arms around me and hugs me.

"It's okay, I'm so sorry I was late I-" Cade is stopped off by a snarl, and I'm grabbed and yanked away from Cade.

The Beta, or rather my mate, shoves me behind him and grabs both of my hands. I cast a glance over his shoulder at a perplexed Cade.

"Don't touch her," my friend hisses, and Cade becomes even more perplexed.

I carefully glide my hands down my mate's back, down to his waist, and hug him softly. I can't help but smile as the growls from his chest come to a halt.

"Si? What's going on?" Cade inquires, as I move out from behind my companion.

He wraps his arm around my waist rapidly.

"Um, he's my mate," I say awkwardly, glancing at him.

I feel terrible as Cade's expression darkens and he turns to stare at my friend.

"No way," he screams fiercely, which irritates my companion, who growls and tightens his grasp on me.

"She's mine," he snarls, and I'm hesitant to dispute with him while he's in this mood.

Cade seems to have restored some sanity in my mind, recognizing that we are still in the forest, surrounded by guards, and that this is probably not the ideal location to talk.

"Um, I think we should do this somewhere else, because as Cade can explain, this was all a big misunderstanding," I reply, turning over to the nasty Brianna, who is staring at me.

"You're right. Come on, Si, come back to the house," Cade says glumly as he walks away from us.

I pause for a second, daring a glimpse at my companion, and roll my eyes when I see him staring at Cade's back. I thank the guard for returning my purse and proceed to follow Cade. My friend takes my hand in his and swings me around to face him.

"You're mine," he says again, and I simply nod solemnly, wondering what to say.

We all make our way through the woods, towards Cade's home, in an unsettling quiet.

What a strange day this is.