Rescued a charlie hunter.., p.1
Rescued (A Charlie Hunter Novel Book 1), page 1
Rescued
A Charlie Hunter Novel
C.A. Human
Copyright © 2022 C.A. Human
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: C.A. Human
Editor: Kis (eponaauthorsolutions), Me, and Grammarly, haha
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
To my family, you guys mean the world to me.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Nightly Rescue
Missing
Uneasy Calling
Meeting The Pack
Protecting Pack
Fight
Beaten
Orders
Attacked
Unexpected
Awake
Talks
Concerned
Ultimatum
Troubled Thoughts
Sarah
Omega
Bad News
Potential
Running
Dinner
Dinner part 2
Broken bonds
A little Desperate
Cowards
Talking
Shifted
Close
Collide
After
End
A Little About Me
Coming soon…
Nightly Rescue
Something wasn’t right; the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the bus stop and the ground around him should have been soothing, helping him relax. Instead, Charlie felt on edge. He wasn’t the only one either. His wolf was agitated, pacing and pushing against his mind, telling him there was danger nearby. Problem was, no matter how many times he looked around, he couldn’t spot what had them both on edge.
He had lived in this town for about seven months and had his routine. Tonight he had messed it all up.
He sighed, looking around again. The movement caused his wet, light brown hair to fall into his eyes. He moved it out of the way and cursed himself for taking his boss up on the offer of overtime. Being short on money, he had accepted without a second thought, which broke one of his rules.
The very rules he created and stuck to because they kept him safe. He already knew the area and the people; he knew he wouldn’t come across any other shifters, especially wolves, during his daily routine. But working late at night changed things.
He sighed and turned to scan the area again. Maybe that was what bothered him, the change in routine. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
After all, it was close to midnight, and he sat alone at an empty bus stop in the pouring rain. It was a total cliché horror movie opening. He laughed a little, imagining the wolf being the victim in a bad horror movie, like some kind of reverse Red Riding Hood tale.
Being on edge was causing his wolf to push forward. It wanted out, wanted to sniff and check the area. It needed to know they were safe. Working double time had been a bad idea, not just because of the change in routine, but because now he was exhausted, and his control was slipping. He knew if anyone could see his eyes right now, their normally green coloring held a slight glow of gold as his wolf enhanced his eyesight, searching the dark.
He relaxed a little when he saw the bus coming down the street. One red light left, and he would be off this creepy ass bus stop.
He stood up.
Just as the light turned green, he heard a whimper from across the street. His head snapped away from the oncoming bus and toward the sound. He knew a scared shifter when he heard one.
It was stupid. Charlie knew that. He should just ignore the sound, get on his bus, and get as far away as possible. But he couldn’t, not if someone was hurt.
He cursed and darted across the street, rain soaking his already damp clothes.
Whoever it was tried their hardest to remain hidden. He could barely hear anything through the rain, but when he focused his hearing, he heard an erratic heartbeat and muffled breathing. He heard no other whines or whimpers since the one that had caught his attention.
He was afraid to call out to them in case whoever they were hiding from was still around. He stayed in the shadows, letting his wolf guide him. It didn’t take him long to find a small bundle hiding behind a dirty dumpster.
“Hello?” he whispered, slowly lowering himself to the ground. He showed he wasn’t a threat by placing himself on his knees, or so he hoped.
The small bundle he had thought was someone in their animal form turned out to be a scared child, a girl, maybe around 9. But he couldn’t be sure. She looked dangerously pale, her hands and body shaking, most likely from a mix of the cold rain and fear. He leaned in close, ready to help, but froze when he caught her scent.
Omega.
She tried to back away from him, her long blonde wet hair falling and sticking on her face, but the dumpster prevented her retreat.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered and showed her his hands. He scooted back, giving her a little more space. He felt his stomach tighten as he got a better look at her. Her eyes were bloodshot, probably from crying, the skin on her face red and puffy, and her shaking was getting worse. He needed to get her out of the rain, fast.
He was also worried about the smell of blood in the air. The smell was weak, hidden by the downpour of rain, but he could still pick up on the lingering coppery aroma. He couldn’t see where she was hurt, not with the way she was huddled in on herself and not with the damn rain messing with his sense of smell.
All his instincts were telling him to help her. To reach out, pick her up, and hold her tight. Check her for damage, stop her from shaking, and help with her fear. But he knew that would just scare her more, so he shoved all that down and took a second to think about what to do.
He looked at the terrified girl and made up his mind. It was a risk, even if she was just a kid. But it would help her trust him, and they needed to get out of this area before whoever was after her came back.
Slowly he brought his wrist to his mouth and licked his skin. After he carefully took his shirt and rubbed at the area, it took a couple of tries, as his scent blockers were made specifically to stick to him, but slowly the blockers washed away. He knew when his scent reached the girl because she tilted her head, and her eyes widened.
“My name is Charlie,” he said quietly.
“You're like me?” she asked, slowly reaching out for his wrist. He let the child grab a hold and pull him towards her. Once she seemed satisfied that it was really his scent, she jumped to her feet and rushed into his arms, sobbing into his chest.
He tightened his arms around her; omegas craved being touched. He knew being held would comfort her, and if he was being honest, it had been so long since he had been around one of his own kind; it comforted him a little too.
“We need to get out of here, okay?” he whispered and felt the small head against his chest nod.
Holding her in his arms, he noticed she was taller than she had appeared. He thought about how strange it would look carrying her around but then shrugged it off. It was late at night, and she was still small enough that anyone who saw them would just assume she had fallen asleep.
Taking one last slow look around, he searched for any signs of the people that had chased after her. He didn’t see, hear, or smell anyone, which was a relief.
What wasn’t was the fact that there weren’t any more buses and from how late it was, just after midnight, there wouldn’t be another. The buses in town stopped running at midnight and didn’t start again until 5 in the morning.
Which meant they were walking.
He looked at the girl, who had no jacket to help protect her from the rain. He didn’t like it; wolves were hardier than humans, and it took a lot to get them sick, but walking miles in the pouring cold rain might be just enough.
Charlie shifted the girl around in his arms until he had her in a spot where they were both comfortable. He ended up with her arms around his neck and his left arm under her knees, the other supporting her back. Once she was situated, he began to walk. Without the bus, it would take them a good half hour to reach his apartment.
By the time he reached his door, both of his arms and the young girl were asleep. It took some work and some careful maneuvering, but he got his door open and his lights on.
He gently placed her on his couch and rushed into his room to find something dry to give her to change into. Not that he really had anything for a kid to wear. He grabbed a couple shirts and a pair of his pajama pants, figuring he could cut them into something smaller, and a pair of his shorts, leaving her a few options.
He set them on the coffee table before leaving the room again to find extra blankets so that she could go back to sleep once she was changed and he had looked her over.
Once he was satisfied he had everything he might need, he shook her awake gently. She grunted and tried burrowing into his couch cushions. It would have been adorable if he wasn’
“Hey, you gotta wake up, just for a few minutes, okay?” He tried to keep his voice low and shook her again.
This time she rolled over and looked at him, and he saw her confusion as her gaze quickly shot around the room. Then her whole body sagged, and he knew she remembered what was going on.
“I got you some clothes, so you can change. I’ll wash yours, and you can have them back when they’re dry, there…” he said, pointing to his small bathroom, “…is a place you can change. There is shampoo and soap if you want to take a shower.” The little girl nodded, but she didn’t move from the couch.
“Are you hurt?” She lowered her head and shook it. The bitter scent from before had faded. So whatever had been causing her pain had already healed or started to.
“Hey, what is your name? And…” Charlie hesitated; he was hiding from his own family. Could her own parents or pack have hurt her? He swallowed around the lump in his throat and prayed her parents weren’t as fucked up as his, “Is there someone I can call?”
Now the girl stared at him with big brown eyes filled with uncertainty. He understood; he really did, but he had no idea what to do with her. Normally he would take her to the nearest pack or to a wolf he trusted, but he didn’t know any other wolves.
He’d spent the better part of his life hiding or avoiding them. It was one of the reasons he normally chose to live in the city; it was less likely to have a pack, and if any lone wolves happened to be around, busy streets and large crowds made it easier to disappear.
While not a city, Bracken wasn’t tiny. The population in town was still large enough that he could blend in and vanish if needed. He had fought with himself for days before moving here. He knew he should have picked another city, but his wolf had been desperate for the wilderness, for trees, fresh air, and space. It needed somewhere to run. So he had caved and settled in Bracken, North Carolina.
The girl didn’t answer him, just picked up the clothes and rushed into the bathroom.
Once she closed the door, he let his head drop. He was so tired, confused, and frustrated. He would have to call into work tomorrow for a sick day, even though he couldn’t afford it. He had no idea what to do with the girl, but he knew she couldn’t stay with him. It wouldn’t take long for people to start asking questions, and he didn’t need to end up in jail for kidnapping. Because what grown-ass 25-year-old started having what appeared to be a nine-year-old around? It screamed wrong to anyone with half a brain.
He heard his shower turn on and sighed again.
She would stay tonight, and hopefully, he could get some information out of her in the morning.
It didn’t take long for him to cover his couch in spare blankets and pillows. Once her bed was finished, he went into the kitchen and made a couple of sandwiches, making sure to put an apple and chips on her plate before placing the food on the table in front of the couch.
Then, it was his turn to get out of wet clothes.
Missing
Zach watched as a few members of his pack argued. They had already been at it for hours, and his wolf was starting to feel irritated. It didn’t like how loud and childish they were being. The wolf in him, the Alpha in him, didn’t like that no one was asking how he wanted to handle this. It felt disrespectful and rude. Meanwhile, the human in him was just annoyed. They bickered like children, none offering any real ideas or plans.
He hated these kinds of meetings, especially when his pack was already on edge. It had been over two years since he had last called one. This meeting was to talk about a group of rogue shifters who kept coming into their territory.
His pack knew little about the rogues, nothing past the fact that the shifters kept showing up. First, it had been a couple random sightings inside the woods, toward the very edge of their territory. It could have been an accident, but the frequency had made him suspicious. Then it was wolves appearing in town. They weren’t staying long, and no shopping or eating had been done. The shifters simply came in, walked around for a bit, and then left.
The encounters were happening more and more over the last couple of weeks, and it pissed him off.
While the town wasn’t as heavily watched or guarded, at least not like the lands the pack house was on, it was still their territory, and it seemed like these rogues were trying to test them, see how they responded, and that made him nervous.
It made his pack anxious. While they had done a good job of chasing or scaring off the rogues, the outsiders didn’t stay away long. His pack, he felt threatened.
The wolf in him wanted to fight, protect his home and pack, and rip apart anyone or thing that threatened his family. The human in him knew they had to work out a plan. This was deliberate; these rogues wanted something, and he knew he needed to think instead of act. While he always felt he was a strong Alpha and a good leader, this diplomatic, talking thing, wasn’t his forte. Hence, the meeting--which he was now starting to regret.
While two of his wolves screamed at each other, he wondered if it was his fault these other wolves were testing them. His pack hadn’t faced a threat in years; maybe they had let the peace lure them into a false sense of security.
There was a growl from his second, Matthew, causing Chris, the one arguing with him, to lower his head in submission, “We should stop with the scare tactics and actually punish these trespassers.” His friend’s golden eyes found his as Matt’s wolf showed its displeasure at the situation. Even sitting down the man was intimidating.
Normally his second didn’t have to use his dominance or show his wolf to get his way. His broad shoulders and height of over 6’3” kept most people in line. The fact that he allowed his wolf to show now meant he was beyond pissed at what had happened and unhappy that his advice wasn’t being listened to.
Zach wanted to agree. He normally did agree with Matt. The man was smart and loyal, traits that made it easy for him to be next in charge. But this time, he had his doubts. He didn’t want to start a war with another pack until he had all the information. Something about the way they were coming, one or two at a time instead of in big groups, bothered him. It seemed like his pack was being studied.
Watching his pack argue, he decided to put the meeting to an end for the night, as this was getting them nowhere. It was close to midnight when his office door burst open, slamming into the wall behind it, the sound vibrating through the room, which had fallen silent.
Zach felt his wolf raise its hackles, a growl escaping his throat before he even processed who had interrupted the meeting. He and his wolf stopped when they saw Jason leaning against the open door.
The young wolf was pale and shaking. He seemed to be trying to talk but was out of breath, and his teeth had started to change. A sign his wolf was fighting to take control.
When the smell of copper reached his nose, Zachary rose immediately and rushed to his nephew. He heard his pack around him start to move around, probably looking out the windows and door for a possible threat.
“Jay, what happened?” He tried to remain calm, but his wolf was worried about his kin. His eyebrows pulled together from concern and the effort of reigning in his wolf.
“Em-ily,” the young wolf stuttered out.
Zach’s heart stopped. He looked at Matt and back at the door. His second must have seen the fear he felt on his face because he turned and ran out of the room.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the younger man repeated, freaking out. Panic, fear, and guilt were coming off Jason in waves, the scent permeating the air. Zach’s attention was drawn back to the younger wolf, and he wrapped his hand around his nephew’s neck and squeezed, his grip firm but not damaging. The reaction was immediate as Jason’s body lost some of its tension, and he leaned into Zach’s touch.
Even with Jason somewhat relaxed, Zach still heard his nephew mumbling how sorry he was and felt how badly his nephew’s body shook under his hand.
“Calm down,” he ordered in a voice that only an Alpha could use.
This time Jay’s voice fell silent, and he let out a relieved breath. The young wolf scooted closer and pressed his forehead against his Alpha’s chest. After a couple of seconds of getting his breathing back under control, he told Zach what had happened.
