Saving His Feral Mate
Chapter 81: An unexpected visit

Unknown POV

It was late in the evening and I was at the edge of the river washing some clothes. I preferred to do it at night since there was less risk of someone seeing me.

Suddenly, I heard a loud bang, it almost sounded like a gunshot. I couldn’t tell where it came from because of the echo that bounced around the canyon.

The sound had me on edge and I started washing faster. Being a rogue wasn’t easy, you constantly had your head on a swivel looking around for the never ending list of threats. Most packs hunted us down and kill for sport. Sadly, all rogues were labeled the same even if some of us weren’t bad people.

As I continued scanning the area, something red in the water caught my attention. Whatever it was, it got caught up on some logs at the edge of the water.

My curiosity got the better of me. I stopped washing my clothes and made my way over to see what it was. As I got closer, I realized that it was actually a person. All I could see was long red hair and the body was face down. I wondered if this had anything to do with the gunshot I heard? By the small size of the body, I would have guessed that it was either a woman or child.

My heart was beating fast. What if someone was actively trying to replace this person? I should run back to our hideout before someone sees me. But for some reason my feet stayed firmly planted where I stood. Something in my gut was telling me to check on the body.

I grabbed a long stick that was laying on the edge of the river and poked at the person in the water. There was no response and I was pretty confident whoever it was, they were dead.

I put the stick on the persons back and pulled them toward me. I moved fast and stayed on high alert incase someone showed up.

I finally got the body close enough that I could reach it with my hands. My nerves were a mess, I knew I was putting myself in unnecessary danger. Toby, my son, was going to be angry with me when he found out about this.

I pushed the thought aside and reached for the body. I pulled it onto dry land and flipped it over. I gasped when I realized it was a young woman and she was right around my son’s age. She was a beautiful little thing and my heart broke for her. She was far too young to die. I immediately noticed the gunshot wound on the left side of her chest. Who would want such a young women dead? She didn’t smell like a rogue, I wonder what happened? She also had a bunch of other injuries that weren’t nearly as serious. Looked like she had been in a fight before she was shot.

I wasn’t sure where the idea came from, but suddenly I found myself administering chest compressions. Maybe it was because I wasn’t ready to believe such a young woman could be dead. Or maybe it was because of that gut feeling I had early that made me stay in the first place. Either way, I felt the need to at least try and save her.

I was about to give up, when suddenly she started coughing and throwing up water. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. She was still alive, for now anyway. I needed to get her back to our cave. She might be alive right now, but that gunshot wound looked bad. By the smell, I could tell it was a silver bullet and if I didn’t get it out fast, it would definitely poison her bloodstream.

I was thankful she was so small because it made it easier for me to lift her. I quickly made my way back to our cave. I thought about sending my son back to collect the clothes I left behind and to mask our scent so that no one could track us. He wasn’t going to be happy, but I would deal with him when the time came.

Once I reached the cave, I put her down on the ground while I moved the rocks away from the entry. The cave was very well hidden and the rocks helped conceal it from anyone passing by. Once the rocks were out of the way, I picked the woman up and carried her inside.

“Mother, who is that?” Toby growled, when he noticed the body in my arms.

“I don’t know, I found her by the river. She’s injured.” I replied, as I gently laid her down on a makeshift bed.

“You shouldn’t have brought her here. Can’t you sense her aura? She’s a high ranked wolf, people will be looking for her.” Toby said and I could hear the concern in his voice. He was now pacing around the cave, looking stressed.

“That’s why I need you to go back to the river, grab my things that I left behind and mask our scent.” I told him pointedly.

“I’m not leaving you here alone with her. What if she wakes up? You know how packs are with rogues. She might try and kill you.” He argued.

“She won’t be waking up anytime soon, Toby. She was shot in the chest with a silver bullet. Now, go.” I ordered and he let out a defeated sigh before grabbing the bottle that contained a scent masking concoction. He paused to look at the woman. I could see the pity in his eyes and knew he cared more than he let on. He acted cold, but he really was a caring man. After letting out another defeated sigh, he quickly left the cave.

I turned my attention back toward the unconscious woman. First things first, I needed to get that bullet out. I grabbed the first aid kit and pulled out a pair of metal clamps. I quickly inserted them into her wound and dug around until I felt something hard. I clamped down on the item and slowly pulled it out. I was relieved when I saw the bullet was still in one piece. I dropped it into a bowl that was beside the bed and reached for the disinfectant. I cleaned out her wounds before wrapping them in gauze.

“That’s all I can do for you, sweetie. The rest is up to you, I hope you’re a fighter.” I said softly, while covering her up with an old blanket.

I took a seat next to her and waited for my son to return. I knew everything my son said was right, but I couldn’t help the feeling that I was meant to save her. Goddess, I sure hope I didn’t make a mistake by bringing her here. I was literally breaking all the rules that I created to keep my son and I safe.

—————

Chloe POV

My eyes fluttered open when I heard the angelic voice of a woman humming, but the bright light forced my eyes to close on their own.

The woman continued to hum, while my eyes adjusted to the light. Her voice was oddly calming and I didn’t feel worried about her presence.

When my eyes finally adjusted, I opened them. I was in a large field with long grass and wild flowers. I had never seen this place before, but it was beautiful. The sun was bright and high in the sky. I could hear the sound of birds chirping in the distance and the wind caused the grass to sway all around me in a fluid motion.

I turned towards the woman humming and gasped when our eyes met. She was stunning with long white hair and silver coloured eyes. She looked not a day older than 40 and was wearing a floor length light blue gown. The sun was hitting her at just the right angle that caused a halo of light to surround her creating an aura. Was she an angel? Was I dead?

“No child, you’re not dead.” She answered my silent question.

“Who are you?” I asked, as I got into a sitting position.

“The Moon Goddess, my child.” She replied with a smile. How could I see her if I wasn’t dead?

“You did die, but it’s not your time yet.” She replied, again answering my silent question. Could she read my mind?

“Of course I can, I’m the moon goddess.” She said and my eyes widened. She really needed to stop doing that it was freaking me out. I thought and heard her laugh.

“I’m sorry.” She said in a more serious tone.

“For what?” I asked with a frown.

“For bonding you to Cameron. I have powers, but seeing the future isn’t one of them. I thought by bonding you with him, you could guide him to be a better man. You’re a strong woman and I thought you would be good for him, but I was wrong,” she replied sadly.

“Thank you for that. I always thought I had pissed you off somehow and that’s why you matched me with him.” I said and chuckled dryly.

“No my child, that was all on me and because of that, I blessed you with your second chance mate. I knew Knox would love you the way you deserved to be loved.” She said.

“Is that what happened to Max and her first mate? You thought she could change him? s**t, Max!” I stated in a panic, suddenly remembering that she had been shot. Did she die?

“Don’t worry, she’s alive and healing.” The moon goddess said and I let out a relieved sigh.

“And to answer your question, no. I knew her mate was an evil man before I bonded her to him.” She replied and now I was confused.

“Why would you bond her to someone so evil?” I asked and I couldn’t hide the disapproval in my tone.

“Because, I knew she was the only one strong enough to end him. If I had paired anyone else with him, he would have killed them. If I had cursed him without a fated mate, he would have hurt so many more woman. I knew Max was strong enough to survive. I just thought she would have killed him sooner. I know that might sound cruel to you, but I did what I thought was best for all my children.” She replied and although I didn’t like what she did, I understood why she did it. Max certainly was a strong woman and she didn’t let that vile man destroy her. If anything, what he put her through made her stronger.

“Did you visit her too after she was shot?” I asked.

“Oh, hell no. I might have given her life, but she scared the crap out of me.” She said and chuckled. I couldn’t help but laugh with her because Max definitely could be scary at times.

“I must admit, I’m very proud of myself for giving her Jo as a second chance mate. They work better together than I had imagined.” She added and I nodded.

“Yes, they certainly do.” I replied.

“So what happens now?” I asked curiously.

“Your body and mind need time to heal. Once you’re healed, you’ll go replace that mate of yours and finally live the life you deserve.” She replied with a smile.

“But where am I? Last thing I remember I was falling off a cliff.” I asked.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. You’ll like the woman who saved you. She’s a fighter like you.” The moon goddess said, before winking at me.

“It’s time for me to go, Chloe, but remember what I said. Once you get back to your mate, live a little. Don’t let your past decide your future.” She stated and I nodded.

“I won’t.” I replied.

“Take care and remember, I’m always with you even when it doesn’t seem like I am.” She added and I smiled before darkness consumed me.