Chapter 3 #2
"Nothing's wrong, Alpha. Just reporting in." Ryan’s gravelly voice sounds tired. "Wade, Alex, and I have been patrolling the northern sector. We picked up the rogue's scent again, near Blackstone Ridge."
"How fresh?" I'm already pulling up a mental map of the territory.
"A few hours old, maybe. He's circling, staying just inside our boundaries. It's like he's testing us."
"Or looking for something," I mutter. "Keep tracking him, but don't engage unless he poses a direct threat. I want to know what he wants before we chase him off."
"You think he wants to join the pack?" Ryan sounds skeptical, and I don't blame him. Rogues rarely seek pack membership. Most prefer their independence.
"I think he's interested in something in our territory. Could be the land itself, could be something else. Either way, I want eyes on him until we know for sure."
"Got it. We'll keep you posted." Ryan pauses. "Alpha? About that researcher we heard about... Is she going to be a problem?"
Word travels fast in a pack. "How did you hear about her?"
"Mona mentioned it to Wade. Said you brought in an injured hiker this evening."
Of course Mona knows. The pack's healer has her fingers on the pulse of everything that happens in Willow Creek. "She's not a problem. The woman’s here doing research and had an accident. I helped her out."
"I heard she's asking questions. About wolves."
I sigh. "She saw the rogue. And me. She didn't see us shift, and she doesn't know what we are. But she knows she saw wolves, and she's not the type to be easily convinced otherwise."
"You want us to keep an eye on her? Make sure she doesn't get too curious?"
The protective growl rises in my throat before I can stop it. "No. I'll handle it. You focus on the rogue."
There's a weighted pause. "Understood, Alpha."
After I hang up, I sit in my study, staring at the portraits that line the walls. Generations of Willowcreek wolves, all of them Alphas or destined to be. All of them mated to wolves, continuing the bloodline, keeping the pack strong.
And here I am, unable to stop thinking about a human woman with green eyes and a stubborn streak a mile wide.
My phone is in my hand before I consciously decide to pick it up. I pull up Ava's contact, my thumb hovering over the call button.
It's after midnight. She's probably asleep. I shouldn't?—
The phone buzzes with an incoming text, and my heart does something stupid when I see Ava’s name.
Can't sleep. Ankle is throbbing despite the meds. Any suggestions?
I'm typing a response before I can think better of it.
Ice it again. Elevation helps too. Prop it up on a couple of pillows. The first night is usually the worst.
Voice of experience?
I've sprained my share of ankles. Hazard of the job.
Right. All that property management. Very dangerous.
I can practically hear the dry humor in her tone, and it makes me smile despite everything.
You'd be surprised. These mountains can be treacherous.
I'm getting that impression.
There's a pause, and I'm about to set my phone down when another text comes through.
Thank you again. For today.
You’re welcome. Get some sleep, Ava. I'll check on you tomorrow.
You don't have to do that.
I want to.
I send the text before I can second-guess it, and then I sit there staring at my phone like a teenager, waiting for her response.
Okay. Goodnight, Hunter.
Goodnight.
I set my phone down and lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow I'll check on her, officially this time. Make sure she's healing properly, maybe bring her some groceries so she doesn't have to navigate the store on that ankle.
I'll also need to meet with Gregory and the other elders, discuss the rogue situation and figure out how to handle Ava's research before it becomes a bigger problem.
Tomorrow I'll have to be the Alpha, putting the pack first, making the hard decisions that keep everyone safe.
But tonight, I let myself be Hunter Turner, a man who met a woman in the woods and can't stop thinking about her green eyes.
The knock on my door comes at seven a.m, aggressive and insistent. I'm already awake. Have been for an hour, actually, my wolf too restless to sleep past dawn.
I know who it is before I open the door. Gregory's scent is distinctive, and the old wolf has never been one for subtlety.
"We need to talk," he says without preamble, brushing past me into the house.
I close the door and follow him to my study, where he's already making himself comfortable in one of the leather chairs.
His silver hair is neatly combed despite the early hour, and he's dressed in his usual uniform of pressed slacks and a button-down shirt.
Gregory may be in his seventies, but he carries himself with the authority of someone who's been an elder for four decades.
"Coffee?" I offer, mostly to buy myself time.
"No." He fixes me with those sharp gray eyes. "I want to know about the rogue situation. Ryan called me after he spoke with you last night."
I settle into the chair across from him, relieved this is about pack business and not?—
"And I want to know about the human researcher you've been helping."
Damn.
"There's not much to tell. She was injured on our land yesterday, I helped her get medical attention, made sure she got home safely. Standard protocol for hikers in trouble." I keep my voice neutral, professional.
"Ryan said she saw the rogue. And you." Gregory's eyes narrow. "That she was asking questions about wolves."
"She saw two wolves, yes. She didn't see us shift. She thinks they were just animals. Unusual ones, given that wolves aren't supposed to be in these mountains, but animals nonetheless."
"And you redirected her concerns?"
"I tried. She's smart, though. Insisted they were wolves, not dogs or coyotes. But there's a difference between knowing you saw wolves and understanding what that really means." I lean back in my chair. "She's a scientist. She'll rationalize it away eventually."
Gregory is quiet for a moment, studying me in that unnerving way he has.
Like he can see straight through whatever mask I'm wearing.
"Ryan also mentioned that you were quite...
focused on ensuring her safety. That you personally drove her to Urgent Care and then to her rental house.
That's going above and beyond for a stranger, Hunter. "
"She was alone and injured on our territory. What was I supposed to do, leave her there?"
"You could have called emergency services. Let the humans handle their own." His voice is mild, but there's steel underneath. "Instead, you spent several hours with her. And from what Ryan tells me, you've ordered the enforcers to back off. Said you'd 'handle' monitoring her yourself."
I should have known Ryan would report every detail. That's his job. "The situation requires a delicate touch. If we have multiple pack members watching her, she might notice. One person checking in occasionally is less likely to raise suspicions."
"And that one person needs to be the Alpha?" Gregory raises an eyebrow. "You don't see how that might be problematic?"