The Alpha's Saviour

Hayley POV Oh f**k, the kid. The loud squeal of tyres skidding fills the peaceful morning air and I whip around to see where the noise is coming from. And then I see him, a young boy in bright blue coat, standing in the middle of road, his little face frozen in shock, staring wide-eyed, as a large dark grey van hurtles towards him despite the drivers’ best attempts to stop it. My heart jumps into my mouth and I take a step towards him, already knowing that I am too far away to help as the horrific scene unfolds in slow motion in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a blur of movement and realize a man has launched himself into the road from the opposite side at speed. In a split second, he has reached the boy and pushed him clear, onto to the grass verge running along the side of the road. Just as he goes to take another step in a futile attempt to get out of the path of the van, it barrels into him with a sickening thud, and his body is sent flying through the air. My stomach lurches, and a wave of despair knocks the air of my lungs. Nobody could have survived that.   The sound of screaming fills the air and breaks me from my frozen stupor, I see the little boy’s mother race to his side and collapse on her knees beside him, holding his little round cheeks in her two hands gently, and checking his body over for injuries. He is half sitting up by himself already, and even though he is crying too and clutching his leg, somewhere in the back of my brain I register that its’s a positive sign, at he’s least conscious. An older man appears beside her, one hand on her shoulder and he already has his phone out calling emergency services. The driver of the van pushes open the door with a loud groan, trying to get out from behind the deployed air bag and collapses on his hands and knees, blood pouring into his eyes from a gash above his brow. Without thinking about it, my feet have already started moving at speed in the direction the man’s body was flung, dreading to think what I might find when I reach him. At the side of the road, there is a grass verge a few meters wide which drops away into a steep slope down to the wide winding river. The wide-open expanse of the public park where I had been enjoying a run only minutes earlier stretches out on the far side before turning in forest and eventually mountains rising in the distance. I sprint across the grass and scramble down the steep slope almost on my backside, using my hands to keep my balance as my feet slip and slide underneath me on the loose rocks as I try to move as quickly as possible. As I hit a slightly flatter gravel section of the riverbank I straighten and look around, desperately searching for where the man has landed. I see him, and my blood runs cold. He is floating face down in the middle of the deep water, arms spread out to the sides, his head bobbing slightly in the slow-moving current. s**t, s**t, s**t. He is not moving and is clearly unconscious, if not already dead. I toe off my runners, peel off my hoodie and t-shirt in one go and launch myself into the ice-cold water in my running shorts and sports bra. It is a beautiful sunny spring day, with clear blue skies, but the water is still shockingly cold after making its way down from the still snow-capped mountains. I gasp as plunge into the dark river and my lungs constrict, refusing to work properly at the same time as a sharp pain goes through my head like the worst brain freeze ever. I fight to keep my breathing even as I swim out to reach him as fast as I can, approaching him from behind and rolling him over quickly to get his mouth and nose out of the water. I tip his head back, wrap my arm around his neck and start to swim backwards towards the riverbed. I am going against the current, slow as it is, and I am panting hard by the time I reach the edge. I grab him under the armpits and plant my feet firmly into the mud once I reach shallow water, pulling him backwards onto the bank further with each attempt, using every ounce of strength I have left to haul him onto dry land. Without the buoyancy of the water to take his weight, the size difference becomes an issue as he is clearly tall and well built, compared to my slight frame and shorter height. I drop down beside him, stones sticking into my bare knees and shins, but I’m so cold that I can hardly feel them. I see a couple of bystanders watching horrified from the top of the bank, and I am vaguely aware of sirens in the distance, but nobody has come down the slope to help me yet, perhaps thinking the same thing that the rational side of my brain is telling me, that he is surely dead. I feel a strange desperation, and something clawing at my mind, telling me not to give up yet, and know I must at least try to help him. I touch under his clean-shaven jaw and check for a pulse but there is nothing, I can barely feel my fingers though so it’s hard to tell. I put my cheek to his mouth to see if I can feel any air coming past his lips or nose, but my face is too numb from the cold water to register anything. I rock back onto my heels and focus my eyes on his muscular chest, but I can’t see any sign of movement to indicate he is still breathing. I grimace at the nasty cuts and deep red marks across his forehead, cheek and jaw, his clearly broken nose and the blood dripping down the side of his battered and bruised face into his dark wet hair. A quick glance down his body confirms that he has suffered some serious injuries, his left forearm is bent at an odd angle, bone sticking out through the skin, and his shoulder on the same side appears to be dislocated, maybe broken at the collarbone as well. A long deep gash to his thigh is visible through his torn dark blue jeans and is bleeding profusely, making my stomach clench, and those are just the external injuries. Nervousness over me when I consider what damage he could potentially have to his brain or spine, and quickly decide I can’t chance trying to move him any further and making things worse. It seems too cruel and unfair for him to die after committing such an act of heroism, sacrificing himself for the small boy, but any other outcome seems unrealistic looking at him now. I shake my head and refocus on remembering my first aid training, silently thanking the gods for mandatory health and safety training. I start CPR even though I am still struggling myself from the effort of pulling him from the water, and my limbs feel tired and heavy. I hope with all my heart that the approaching sirens get here quickly because I am not even sure what I am doing is correct, but it is better than doing nothing. Minutes later, I hear the rattle of a stretcher being carried down the bank behind me, and gravel sliding as several people clamber down to where I am. Relief floods through me that help is finally here and I pray that they can do something for him, and that I’ve done enough to keep him alive until they got here. Just as the thought enters my head, he coughs violently, choking and gasping as his body expels the water from his lungs. Happiness floods through me and tears prick my eyes as I tilt his large shoulders over to the side on his good shoulder to allow the water to pour past his almost blue lips and out of his mouth into the dirt. “It’s ok, you’re going to be ok.” I whisper into his ear with as much conviction as I can muster, as I smooth back the hair from his beautiful deep brown eyes which are open but unfocused. The paramedics crouch down beside him and take over, I attempt to stand from my kneeling position to give them more space but collapse backwards when my legs refuse to work, landing on my ass in the mud. Strong hands reach under my armpits from behind, gently pulling me up to a standing position and back a couple of steps so that we are out of the way of the emergency services. I glance over my shoulder quickly to say thank you, but my helper isn’t even looking at me, he is staring at the man on the ground and knows him well judging by the level of his distress. He continues to let me lean against him until my jelly legs start to work again and are eventually able to hold me upright on their own and I take a step away. He pushes his nearly jaw length blonde hair back over his forehead roughly with one hand, blinking back tears and cursing loudly. He laces his two hands behind his head and looks up to the sky as if praying for a miracle, or maybe unable to bear looking at the sight in front of him anymore as paramedics work to lift the man onto a back board and fix the straps in place. I put one hand on his arm to silently offer him some comfort and place the other to my heart and rub hard, trying to soothe the ache in my chest. It’s as if I can physically feel his gut-wrenching fear for his friend and it’s overwhelming. My body starts to shiver violently as if the cold has finally seeped into my bones and it’s just registering with my brain now that the initial adrenaline rush has passed. My legs suddenly give way again and the man behind me catches me before I hit the ground with very impressive reflexes. He turns me to face him, holding me steady by my shoulders and I stare dumbly into the brightest pair of icy blue eyes I have ever seen. He bends down to my eye level and looks at me with concern as my teeth start to chatter, slowly looking me up and down and taking in my wet hair and lack of clothes. “Are you ok? f**k, I think you need to get warm…” he looks at me expectantly and I am aware he is waiting for an answer, but even though I am trying to fight through the fog to agree, my brain can’t seem to force out any words and I just continue to stare into his eyes. I don’t even manage a nod. I can’t muster the energy to protest as he picks me up bridal style, and my head rolls back to rest on his shoulder as all the energy leaves my body and I just kind of flop in his arms. As he adjusts my position and holds me tightly to his solid chest, I hear a deep rumble, almost like a growl. He whips his head back to glance at his friend who is now being carried up the slope and a frown crosses his handsome features, before he looks back at me with a curious look on his face. He carries me with surprising ease back up the steep hill towards the waiting ambulances before depositing me carefully on a waiting stretcher parked behind its open doors. I look up at him and want to express my gratitude, but I still can’t seem to form any words, so I grip his hand and give it a quick squeeze before resting my head back. A paramedic steps in front of me and quickly covers me with a foil blanket, checking my heart rate and flashing a light into my eyes. She asks my name as she continues to check me over, quirking an eyebrow and glancing to my helper when I don’t respond quickly enough. “Um… it’s Hayley. Is he…? Is he going to be ok?” I finally manage to stutter out as I am strapped down and loaded into the back of the ambulance. I try to sit forward so I can see into the ambulance opposite where there are two paramedics working on the other man. My mystery man goes to leave now that I am in capable hands but pauses, narrows his eyes slightly and stares at me again, before nodding once, sprinting to the back of another ambulance where his friend is and jumping in beside him before the doors close. There is quite a crowd gathered around now, drawn by the flashing red and blue lights, all huddled around with worried faces and speaking in hushed voices. So much for laying low and avoiding any drama. I shut my eyes and despite the paramedic beside me asking me to try and stay awake, I feel myself drifting into sleep as the siren turns on and the ambulance pulls away.   Coopers POV I have no idea why I am here, and I barely remember the drive. Most days after work, as soon as I get home, I go for a run in the woods either at the packhouse if I have been trapped in the office there for the day, or at the back of my cabin. But today, for some reason I can’t explain, I drove straight to the park near town without even realizing it. I step out of my truck into the crisp spring air and stretch my arms up over my head, hoping to release some of the tension I have been feeling since I woke up this morning. I need to stay active and burn off some energy to keep myself on an even keel, which normally means at least a 10-kilometer run every day. As the future Alpha of our pack, my wolf is particularly powerful, and will become irritable and harder to control if I don’t get out into nature and allow him to stretch his legs regularly. I normally prefer to run closer to home, in our private territory which is the land immediately surrounding the pack house including around my little cabin. I enjoy the freedom that comes from not having to worry about bumping into humans there in wolf form and scaring the life out of them, or hunters. I have been feeling antsy all day, maybe it is the change in seasons making my wolf so eager to get out and explore somewhere different today. It really is a beautiful day so maybe a change of scene would be good for my soul. As my family keep pointing out, I have been poor company lately despite my attempts to put on a cheery façade in front of friends and family. I lean over to grab a pair of shorts out of the gym bag on the back seat of my truck when the wind shifts, and something catches my attention. Along with the scent of freshly cut grass and the various flowers and plants springing to life at this time of year, there is something else, something faint but tantalizing. The heavenly scent wafts past me again on a gentle breeze and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. My feet start to move of their own accord, following the delicate scent as if in a trance. My senses heighten and my heartbeat immediately picks up as adrenaline pumps into my veins and courses through my body in anticipation. I know immediately what this means and who is nearby, at last. My mate. Any thoughts of a leisurely run are immediately abandoned as I try to find the source of the intoxicating smell. I jog briskly towards the road that separates the car park and the entrance to the public park, quickly scanning the wide-open green areas, picnic benches and walking trails on the far side of the river. I can tell that the scent has been left very recently and my heart soars, knowing I am about to meet her, my mate, the other half of my heart, after all this time waiting. I smile to myself as I think of how thrilled my family will be when I bring my mate to meet them. They know that the reason for my foul humour lately has been due to me losing faith that I would ever find her. I will need to warn her first about how overenthusiastic my family are going to be. I need to find her first though I remind myself before I get too carried away, so I suck in another deep lungful through my nose, trying to capture as much of that amazing smell as possible to calm myself, and focus on working out which direction it is coming from. My concentration is broken by the screech of skidding tyres to my left and a shout of warning, and I immediately spot a little boy standing in the middle of the road in front of me, frozen in fear as a van slides out of control towards him. Without a second thought, I launch myself at the boy, using my enhanced speed and strength to push him clear, knowing full well that I am not going to be fast enough to escape getting hit by the van myself. I brace myself for the impact and my final thought before I feel the van smash into me is that I can’t believe I never even got to see her.