The Sigma's Reluctant Mate novel Chapter 5

Keller’s POV

“Hey, Jensen. Ping my phone and send a car to my location. I think I got one with some potential.” I pull my car over and park. When I double check the rearview mirror, I can see the girl still sitting on the curb.

“You sure?” Jensen asks with a sarcastic tone in his voice, making me roll my eyes.

“Have I ever been wrong before?” I snarl into the phone at my oldest brother.

“Hey, don’t get an attitude with me, you little shit,” he snarls back. “I’m not sending out a car unless you’re sure.”

“Send a car, asshole,” I say, and hang up on him.

I take a deep breath and frown internally. Now it’s time for the part I hate the most. It feels more slimy and disgusting every time. Secretly, I want to get out of the family business. I don’t know how I could even approach Dad with the subject.

I step out of the Range Rover and smooth my clothes down before I approach the shabby-looking girl sitting on the curb.

“Uh, hi. This is kinda a rough part of town. A-are you okay?” I squat down, examining her carefully. The last thing I want is for her to bolt and hide.

She looks and smells like she hasn’t had a shower in days, if not longer. Bruises and infected scabs dot her pale, thin face. She looks at me with cold, empty blue eyes. Her light brown hair is in a dirty, matted ponytail. I watch her blink a few times, like she’s trying to decide if she should speak to me or not.

Under her natural stink, the slightly sweet tang of ketamine is exuding from her skin. To humans, it’s odorless, but werewolves can smell and taste it. It’s one of the few drugs our kind can use to get high. She doesn’t look like she’s down a k-hole. Maybe she’s coming off the high? Maybe someone drugged her?

“Twenty dollars,” she says, with no emotion in her voice.

“What?” I feel hopeful about this one. Maybe she’s just an addict, but I don’t think so.

“You gotta pay, just like everyone else,” her tone is dry. “If you want me to suck you off, it’s an extra ten dollars.”

“Oh, no. I-I’m not trying to… I don’t want to have sex with you. Just a nice guy making sure a pretty girl, sitting on the curb in a bad part of town, is okay?” I put my hand on my heart and sit next to her.

She rolls her eyes at me. “Don’t be stupid. Everyone wants to have sex with me.”

I ignore her tone of voice and raise my eyebrows at her simple statement. Everyone? That’s a good sign for me. I lean back on my hands and glance at her midriff, exposed below the gray crop top she’s wearing. There are deep scratch marks from where her last John dug into her skin. A distinctive sideway ‘M’ birthmark is on her back, right above the waistline of her jeans. Sigma. I was right, as usual.

“Look, I’m not trying to trick you. I want to help you. I swear. My name is Keller.” I put my hand out for her to shake.

She snaps her head with a wary look and stares at me, considering if she should trust me or not. She slowly puts her hand out and shakes mine. “Katie.”

“Nice to meet you, Katie.” I nod and gesture with my head to the surrounding area. “How long have you been out here?”

“About twenty minutes. My last… uh, job was a little rough, but my wolf will heal me so I can get back to work soon,” she explains.

“I see. Sooo... just curious. How old are you, Katie?” I tilt my head at her, trying to sound genuine.

She gives me a dazed look before she answers, “Nineteen. Maybe twenty. What’s today?”

I look at the date on my phone to be sure. “July seventeenth.”

A blank look crosses her face as she turns back toward the street, “Huh? I-I must have lost track of the days. We turned twenty, three days ago.”

“Well, happy late birthday, Katie.” I press my lips together and think for a moment. I’m pretty sure she said ‘we,’ but I don’t know who else she would talk about. “So, where do you live when you’re not on this curb? Do you have a pimp, or are you a free agent?”