The Ripple Effect

Luca's P.O.V.
My name is Luca, and I was supposed to be an Alpha. But by some cruel twist of fate—aided by my ex-best friend, Daniel—my title, my family, and my entire land were stolen from me. The woman I loved as a teenager, Lorena, rejected me in favour of my little brother, Orion. And then my mate rejected me—again, for Orion... What choice did I have but to leave?

That was two years ago.

I still thought about her every day, about the few hours we spent together, about our one kiss, about the way she smells, tastes, sounds...

"What a lovesick dog!" I spat at no one in particular, reaching out and slashing at a tree with the claws that accompanied my half-phased form. Iah, my wolf, was just as pissed off about everything as I was, if not more. He refused to stay dormant, not since we left. But I knew that if I gave him control, he would run to her.

Every time she held him, we felt it; every time she kissed him, we felt it; every time she made love to him, we felt it. My heart was beyond broken. When she became pregnant, all hope for me was lost; and when she had his pup, the pieces of my broken heart broke into specs of dust. She was now pregnant with another pup, my niece. Not my daughter.

My feet suddenly stopped moving, and a shaky breath wracked my body.

I suffered every second, just as I had suffered every day since officially losing her. But I knew for a fact that she was happy with her family, happy with my little brother. She did not even think of me, did not allow her thoughts to wander for me for even two seconds as I thought of her for two years.

I knew because I still read her thoughts, praying for my name to cross her mind for but one instance. And it never did.

"So let us go back and make her remember us!" Iah snarled, using my own lips as he slipped past my defenses.

"No," I growled in response, shaking my head furiously as I forced myself to continue onward, to continue putting more and more distance between my brother's mate and I.

"Our mate," Iah corrected before I was finally able to lock him out. But for how long?

I sighed, and then I continued onward in silence. There was no destination, really. Perhaps I would just walk on for the rest of my life, worrying only about the journey and praying I did not screw up and turn around, rushing the world to have her.

My resolve slipped yet again, and my steps faltered.

"No!" I hissed, grabbing the tree beside me. "She is my brother's mate! I've done enough damage!"

But no matter how I rationalized it...

"She's still mine," Iah slipped out.

My lifetime just became a million years longer.

"Rogue! State your business!"

A low growl filled my throat. That was another thing: all these damn patrol guards kept hassling me, and it was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Come closer to me and say that!" I snapped, turning Alpha mode on full blast.

The wolf whimpered, tucked its tail between its legs like a stray cur, and shrunk back into its designated territory.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the pathetic creature. God, I really needed a new pack. I had survived this long without being an Alpha, but each day my skin began to itch more and more!

But then I heard an incredibly soft sound, a sound I would not have been able to hear if it had not been echoing off of...bark? I followed the soft sound until I was able to discern it as helpless whimpering. The sound was very feminine, but it wasn't the whimpering of a woman.

I ducked beneath some brush, and suddenly I was staring into the hole of a large oak tree. Two small and glossy, icy blue eyes stared back at me. The whimpering noise slowly turned to sniffles, and my heart wrenched as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

The source of the crying was a little girl, hardly ten years old. She had open scratches on her face, and her body was curled into a tight ball—the only way she could fit into the tree. Her knobby knees were covered in dirt and scrapes, and her long, skinny legs were awkwardly tucked inside the tree. Her midnight black hair was caked with dried mud...and blood.

The only words I could think to say were "Where is your mother?"

She only stared back at me, but she choked on an audible sob.

"Your...father?"

She looked away quickly as a shaky breath escaped her lips.

With no other options, I reached into the tree and wriggled my hands around until I was able to get a firm grip on her. She fought me as I pulled, but eventually she popped out.

The girl immediately scrambled from me and pressed her back to the tree, as if she was terrified of me. Her hands clutched at the bark, and only then did I notice that she wore bandages around her knuckles—like some common street boy.

"Why are you out here? Where is your pack?"

"Leave me alone," she whispered.

I shook my head and took a step toward her, but then her eyes darted—like she was ready to bolt. That stopped me in my tracks. Sure, I could catch her, but that wouldn't help my case of appearing harmless.

"It's obvious that leaving you alone is what started this problem. Just... What's your name?"

"No."

I sighed. Patience was not something I had been known for...

"My name is Luca. What's your name?"

She seemed to consider it, but then she shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Okay... My name is Luca, and when I was a kid, my brother lied to my parents and got me kicked out of my home. And my mate is with my other brother, so I'm, quite frankly, completely alone. What is your name?"

She opened her eyes slowly, and they were brimmed with tears.

"I... I don't have one."

Then she started sobbing tearlessly, like she was ashamed to cry. But this was a little girl, a little girl who was all alone; she had plenty of reason to cry!

"Hey now, it's okay," I murmured, stepping carefully towards her. When I was close enough, I knelt down in front of her. "That just means we can think of one together."

She looked up at me, brushing her eyes with the back of her bruised hands. This poor girl... Even though she clearly needed help, that distrusting look refused to vanish. I stood carefully and took a few steps back.

"I'm going to continue on with my journey, but you're welcome to come with me. I won't even turn around, if you don't want me to know if you're here." Then, I turned and started walking. I could hear her little footsteps, but she was keeping a safe distance.

And so I continued on, with my little shadow not too far behind.