Chapter 43 WHO'S THE KID?
BLAYNE'S POV
"Gamma Blayne, we have a rogue child by the west border. She's feral and demanding to get through." Warrior Thatcher mind- linked.
"Seize her. I am on my way." I was at the training grounds with my elites and warriors as they practice new sparing methods to improve their defenses. "I have to take care of something. Continue until I return. Wade is in charge."
I shifted into my coffee brown wolf and ran to the Grayline Patrol Station at the west border. It took me ten minutes to get there. Rogues showed up all the time but they know better than to misbehave.
Our patrol warriors knew that any resistance to abide by the rules for entrance is immediate termination. Because not all rogues are good or sane. Warrior Thatcher would rather avoid my fury by having me make the decision regarding the child than risk it. Since this was a child, I was hoping that she was not one of those rogues that I would have to eradicate. Killing children is not something that I do, unless under extreme circumstances where they could be potentially dangerous.
I got to the nearest birch tree by the border and pulled out a black casual athletic running shorts from the extra clothes that we stored there. Having a child see me naked is disturbing. But with women, having their eyes feasting off my abs and muscular physique is divine. However, I wished that my mate could ravel in my manliness, but instead all she does is push me away. That stubborn woman!
I walked briskly towards the child who was wrestling in an attempt to get out of the hold of the warrior in charge of that point. She was dark-skinned with short and soft curly hair in a ponytail, her eyes amber flared and she made the cutest angry pout. She ardently stomped her feet thinking that it might somehow help her in her efforts to get free, but of course, my warrior's strength was superior to hers.
She looked up at me like an angry little puppy. Her amber eyes glowed as her angry features observed my arrival as she whimpered from sensing my aura. I examined her from three feet away. "Hey little one, how did you wander into our territory?" Silence. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. This little spitfire would make a great warrior. "If you don't answer, we will throw you into a dark hole with snakes to bite you up." I never said I was great with children. I was an only child. And at the rate that my mate was behaving, I might not have children any time soon.
Apparently, that scared the shit out of her because she began wailing like her mom died or something. Now I feel like a douchebag. I sighed and wiped my forehead. I crouched down to her and she spits in my face. My wolf growled and she cowered to the ground. I wiped the wetness from my face.
"Listen, kid, you are trespassing and I need to know who's with you. Why did they send you here?" I tried in a softer voice, wondering what I could do to make this work. She continued to sob but in a calmer way, looking to the side.
"I sent three of my warriors out there and we realized that she came alone," Thatcher reported.
When I visited the mountain rogues, she wasn't one of the kids that I saw there when I did a head count of the children. There's no way that she is alone. Something was off about this situation.
"I bet that you're hungry from all that traveling. Would you like a burger or pizza?" Surprisingly, she stopped sobbing and wiped her wet eyes. She gazed at me furiously and her lips trembled. I was curious to see what she'd do when Thatcher released her hands.
Her stance faltered. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her legs, then biting her lips she asked, "Can I see the Alpha?" My interest was piqued, "My Alpha is a busy man but you can talk to me. How about we do that over some ice cream?"
"I don't eat from strangers." She stated defiantly.
"So you do not eat from a stranger, but yet you are bold enough to wander into the largest wolf territory unaccompanied by your parents? Aren't you tired and hungry?" I studied her with my lips tilted up in one corner.
She folded her tiny arms across her chest, pouting with her lips shot out. I wasn't getting anywhere with this kid. Prisoners in the dungeon I can handle but one little kid was making me and my wolf feel useless.
'Where are her parents?' my wolf asked, piercing himself to the surface to inspect the child. 'How the hell should I know?' I retorted, feeling highly irritated. "Then ask her smarty pants.'
I lifted her chin to hold her eyes to mine. "Where are your parents?"
"I will tell your Alpha!" She wiggles her little neck and pursed her mouth. I rolled my eyes. This little sassy mouth of hers.
"My Alpha is not here today, so I am going to take you for some ice cream or pizza. Then I'll have someone clean you up." I added a stern note, "And that's final young lady." That is something that my mom would say to me, so I was trying it back on this kid to see if it worked.
The sun was hot and baking my skin. Under my consideration, I knew she should be thirsty and hungry. So food was going to be my bribe to get the information out of her. She needed clearance with me before I let her talk to Luna Sianna.
She nodded and held her eyes to the ground. I don't think I'd be a good father at all. They say boys have a higher energy bar than girls at a young age. But this one was surely a handful already. I wanted to get away from this kid as fast as possible. My wolf laughed at my discomfort. "The big bad wolf can't handle a pup.' His raucous laughter might give me a headache. "Get me a shirt," I ordered, not taking my eyes off her.
Thatcher went to the security station for extras as I held her tiny soft hands. Her legs were smeared in dirt and the white on her sneakers was discolored into a dirty cream. "Did you fall?" She glanced up and nodded. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
She shook her head. I took the black shirt from my warrior and put it on. She studied me with her eyes. "Come on, let's get you fed." I am a Gamma, why am I babysitting? I thought to myself.
She held my hand and we walked back. I tried to build a conversation but this girl liked to be quiet or maybe she was being cautious with a stranger.
"What's your favorite ice cream?" I thought about the assortment of flavors, and which one to get her.
Silence.
"Aren't your parents missing you right now?'
Silence.
"Are your feet tired from walking?"
Silence.
"How old are you?"
Silence.
"Are you scared?"
Silence.
Why do I even try? I got us by the closest roadside and mind-linked for a cab to come by. I looked at her, she was nervously fidgeting as we waited.
As the Gamma, I was the head of all security for the three states that we occupied. My head was my road map, so I could find anywhere easily. But what's a kid doing here by herself? Her suspicious visit sent my alarm antennas highly up.
I cussed the parents or guardians that would allow a child to get away from them. If she was a runaway, we would have to find her guardians before making a decision whether to keep her or not. But what if her parents died and she's on her own? Or if they were using her as a decoy or something?
The number of rogues that we kept taking in had created a pileup of files and additional security work for us. We didn't have enough hands to manage the tasks ahead of us. The council wanted to lessen the number of rogue wolves that existed by giving them a chance to be a part of other packs. Thus, the Rogue Integration System.
Some wolves left their packs due to abuse and mistreatment, while some were just lawless and wayward, wanting their way. Wolves who left their packs and stayed on their own for too long normally went feral or insane. I didn't want that for this little
girl.
She was wearing beige pull-string shorts with a plain blue top with two little butterflies on the sleeves. Obviously, she was cared for and spoilt.
Look at this tiny child who was demanding to see a High Alpha. I scoffed as I mocked her request.
"To TeeBee's café on Bridgeton Street." We sat in the cab in silence. She braced herself upright to be able to look through the window at the buildings that we passed. She was taking in the environment as we drove.
The cab halted at the traffic light at an intersection. I looked away for a second and the next thing I knew was that she opened the damn door and slid out on the left side. By the time I tried to catch her, she was already out of the cab, slipperier than a
snake.
"Damn!" I snarled. Hurriedly, I got out of the cab without paying the driver and sped after her.
"Hey, you didn't pay me!" The driver shouted after me.
"Yeah, fuck you!" I hurled back at him. This was not my freaking day. If he knew who I was, he wouldn't have asked for me to pay him. Yes, I am in a foul mood right now.
I ran in between the two stores that she darted off to. I tried to pick up on her scent. Letting my nose lead me, I came to a mall and went all the way to the restroom. She was in the lady's room. I busted through the door and went in.
Two women were at the sink washing up and they screamed.
"Aaaah!"
"Pervert!"
"Shut it!" I barked, "I'm here for my kid."
I went from one cubicle to the next until I saw two dark little feet inside the last one. I sighed. This brat is going to get me mad!'
I feel sorry for our pup when we have one. You'd make a terrible father' my wolf said. 'Zip it.' I snapped at him.
"If you wanted to pee then you should have told me, kid." I tried to lower my tone so she wouldn't detect how freaking annoyed
I was.
Silence. I waited by the sink for the door to open from the stall that she occupied. An old lady opened the entrance door and gasped when she saw me. "What on earth are you doing in here?"
"I'm waiting on my kid!" I uttered through gritted teeth.
The woman gave me a funny face and went into an empty cubicle. It felt weird calling this brat my kid. I've never babysat or held a baby, much less handled a seven-year-old brat. I assumed that she was around that age.
The toilet door opened and she stepped out without looking at me. She went to wash her hands at the sink farthest away from me. Her deliberate actions had me blowing hard breaths because it was hard to conceal that I was mad at her.
She soaped her hands and rinsed them properly. She put them under the dryer and I observed her movement in silence. Then she opened the entrance door and I sailed after her as she ran away again. Because she's so tiny, she easily darted through the crowd, while I had to push some out of the way or slowed down to say, "sorry," or "excuse."
I caught her in the middle of the mall where there was an open eating area. I held her under my arm in one hand, with her back arched, her hands and legs flopping. Oddly, she said nothing but I grumbled all the way to the café.
Little did I know that I'd meet this woman there. Another sore point of my day. I scowled at seeing my unwelcoming mate.
The minute I put the little spitfire down, she looked around and ran towards Sianna and my mate, who shared a table in the café. Tara came around from the back to see what was transpiring in her café.
She passed Sianna and went into the open arms of Cleopatra. They hugged and I stood in the same spot noticing the scene. Sianna, who was clueless because I hadn't reported the child yet, gave me that quizzical look that demanded an explanation.
My mate was inspecting the child and consoling her as if she was getting away from a monster. I scoffed and went to sit beside Sianna, at the same table.
"You two know each other?" I asked sarcastically with my arms folded.
"Was he bad to you, sweetheart?" The child nodded and Cleopatra gave me a stern look. Guess that's another deducted point from my chances of claiming her.
"Cleo, who's this? I wasn't aware that you had a child with you." Sianna interjected.
She brushed the child's face and hugged her again. As the Luna, Sianna can differentiate outsiders from our pack members.
"She was found at the pack border demanding to speak with the Alpha." I rejoined.
"She's one of mine. She must have followed us here." Cleopatra allowed the child to sit on her lap. "Tara, may I have some water and two slices of pepperoni pizza please?"
Sianna smiled at the child, "Hi there, you are such a pretty little girl. My name is Sianna, what's yours?"
"Zoe," I couldn't believe that the little spitfire responded just like that. You would think that I had spoken another language to
her.
"You are such a brave little girl, but we are happy that you are safe now." Sianna complimented, and I wondered what was happening here. Why wouldn't she talk to me like that?
"I was looking for mommy." She explained and hugged Cleo.
"Who's mommy?" I inquired and Zoe gave me a scowling face. She might as well just slap me in the face. This child did not like
me.
"Who's her mom?" Sianna asked the same question. Tara came over with the pizza on a plate and a glass of water. She also
added a kiddy box of orange juice.
"Thank you," Zoe exclaimed enthusiastically, and ate her pizza.
"I'm her mom," Cleo remarked. "She's my baby." Her eyes shot daggers at me and I glared back at her. So that's why this spitfire didn't like me. There's never smoke without a fire, huh?
I didn't see this kid before, so now I'm suspicious. "How are you her mom?"
"Don't you know how babies are created?" She snapped. Zoe was too busy eating to pay attention to the adults in the room.
"Where's the father?" I demanded. Sianna gave me a warning look, maybe I was pushing it. But Cleo is not marked, so how did she have this kid?
"He died when she was a baby. We don't talk about things like that." She emphasized her words. I felt relieved despite the tragedy. I've got a feisty mate and a fiery daughter on my hands. Maybe this was my karma for sleeping around too much. "My condolences," I forced out, but not that I meant it. She was mine after all. "MINE!" my wolf growled and scared Zoe. Cleopatra pointed her fork at me as a deterrent, "Control your damn beast. I am not yours!"
"So sorry to hear," Sianna added sympathetically, and it broke the tension. "It's okay. We have managed on our own." Her tone was pacified as she responded.
"How old is she?" I thought it was better to leave the questions for Luna to ask. My interrogation skills weren't effective here.
"She's seven years old."
"But you are twenty-one years old. You'd have to be pregnant at age fourteen. So she's not your flesh and blood. Ouch!" Sianna rammed her heel on my foot underneath the table. Damn, that hurt like a bitch. It was just an observation. I did not deserve that. Zoe raised her head from being alarmed by my sudden outburst. Cleo patted her head and said, "He's just having stitches,
sweetheart."
Why can't I be her sweetheart instead of this stray kid? I pouted as the pain in my toes subsided. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have
said that, but you didn't introduce me to her in the mountains."
"Because........" She likes to emphasize words when addressing me, "you are not father or mate material. You are a bad role model and we cannot have someone like you in our lives."
So now my score is at zero? Zero points towards being her mate. Damn!
Cleo doesn't like me. Zoe doesn't like me. When did I become this unlikable?