A few days went by, and the mate festival was coming up. A pack would be coming to visit, a pack with an alpha heir that is really... ego-driven? I guess? His name is Hendrick. The twins both hate his guts, and the girls hate how perverted he can be. I don't look forward to seeing him or his friends, his packs Gamma Soren, and Beta Mordecai. The twins are constantly increasing security, every warrior the pack can spare. Selene even joined the security measures. I was told by the twins and the girls have told me to stay away from the entire pack.
I went out to just do some light shopping while the others were busy. Anny is trying to keep the unmated members of the pack safe, fifteen and up. Since I haven't rejected the four of them, we will be mated in a way, especially since the others have been covering me with their smell constantly since the sleepover. While I'm out and on my way back from shopping, I heard loud whimpering. I looked over, and this blonde guy with a helmet cut threw a girl I don't recognize in anger. I felt something primal come over me, and I moved faster than I could think.
By the time anyone realized I was there, I had clawed the blonde guy in the eye, and the others saw what I did, and saw that I had clawed the blonde in the eye, my body blocking the guy from the pup. The girl was trembling, covered in dirt and bruises. The damn blonde hand bruised knuckled and holding his cut eyelids. The others of the pack that I knew glared at the blonde. The pup grabbed onto my leg, sniffling. My claws never came out until today. This man's blood was on my claws.
"Is it fun to beat a pup who can't even fight back?!" I said loudly, glaring at the blonde idiot. The pup clinging to my leg was trembling and buried her face in my leg. The others were talking shit about the guy in front of me. The guy looked about ready to snap back at me. I let out a growl that echoed off the streets. I felt the wind come up behind me. My white wolf came up behind me, standing tall, growling behind me. The guy in front of me went pale.
"Wait, isn't he from that pack, golden claw?" one person said in the crowd.
"So that pack isn't just known for perverts," another said, "There's also kids getting abused,"
"Disgusting, if any packs were to be outcast, it should be Golden claw, abusing a pup, how pathetic," Another said. I stood my ground, and my wolf stood behind me. The pup clung to my leg and soaked my pant leg in tears. Then I heard many footsteps coming. I glanced over my shoulder, and the twins were running over. Looks like I'm in a situation again.
"Rose!" Drew called over, and my wolf disappeared when the twins came over. "What's going on?!"
"Someone throwing a pup to the ground," I said, glaring heavily at the blonde man. The pup didn't let go of me. The twins looked from the pup at my leg to the man in front of me. Knowing the twins, they will go absolutely feral and rip this guy a new hide. I picked up the pup and took her home with me. I left the twins with the man, so I didn't care what the twins did to him. My priority right now is the pup.
The entire walk home, the pup kept shivering and clinging to me like I'd let her go. I got home and brought the girl inside. My parents weren't home, so I could clean up this girl and figure out what to do here. I took the girl upstairs and got her a bath. The poor kid was covered in bruises over old scars across her body. Whoever that guy is, he clearly did not treat this little girl well. She didn't say anything, and the amount of dirt in the water was disgusting. It was practically mud. I had to rinse the tub and give her a second bath before she was even half clean. This continued three more times before the water was clear around her.
"Okay," I sighed, finally drying her in a towel. "You are all clean now,"
The little girl didn't have any other clothes but the clothes that barely fit her, and I don't think my parents kept any of my little kid clothes. I dug out a belly shirt and shorts and tied them so they fit snug. Then I brought her to the living room and set up the TV so she could watch Backyardigans while I figured out what to do.
The little girl said her name was Kiera, and that man was her older brother, Kole, and their parents didn't care. So she was hit, thrown, and dirt dumped on her constantly, and not fed much. I shook my head, collecting some items and began to put together some spaghetti with a sauce that had vegetables and meat in it. It's a big meal, so there will be plenty for us. Especially if the other four come by and we end up eating together. I am very certain they will show up after today.
After the food was finished, I called over Kiera and sat with her at the table. We got to eating. Kiera was a little slower with eating, but at least she didn't eat a nibble and then stop. I saw she started to slow down eating, so I got up and got her some water, and we just ate in silence. Then the door opened. I looked over, and my parents came in, with the girls and the twins. At first, they just came in with the thought that I had just come home after taking the girl somewhere safe. If the twins explained what happened, and when they saw me eating with the girl, they looked surprised.
"Rose," my mom started, setting down her purse. "Who's the little girl?"
"This is Kiera," I told her. "She was abused by her brother and neglected by her parents."
The others looked to Kiera with concerned expressions. The twins looked even more pissed than earlier when they found me in front of Kole, when I found Kiera. My parents looked concerned for the girl, and both Selene and Anny saw the oversized clothes tied to Kiera's person.
"I guess she doesn't have clothes to fit?" Selene asked. Anny was already on her phone looking at deals on kids' clothes. "How old is she?"
"... eight," Kiera's voice was tiny, but just loud enough to be heard.