The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 6

COOPER POV

I sulk all the way back to my house and there is silence for the entire 30-minute drive. I try to stay calm and fight the urge to kick Ethan and Leila out of the car and race straight back to the hospital. Even though I know Ethan is just enjoying getting a reaction from me, it doesn’t stop my wolf from wanting to tear his head off for daring to touch what is mine. Worse though is the gut-wrenching anxiety at the possibility that she might have a human boyfriend or husband, or that she simply will not want me. My beat up old blue pick-up is parked at the side of my small log cabin as we pull in, one of the other pack members must have picked it up for me at the park and driven it home, and beside it is my dad’s shiny brand new one. A loud sigh escapes my lips and as I swivel and glare at my sister in the back set who at least has the good grace to look ashamed of herself.

“You told them?” I ask her in disbelief, “I haven’t even met her yet and you told them?”.

“I was just so excited!”, she says sheepishly, “and I only told Dad. Not Mum. I am not that stupid. She would have been down in the hospital trying to fit her for a wedding dress already if she knew”. I wish she were joking but it actually sounds about right.

Hopefully Dad had the good sense to keep it to himself as well. I have enough on my plate without managing damage control from my mother as well. I climb gingerly out of the truck and walk slowly up my porch steps. Even with wolf healing, I still feel like I’ve been hit by, well, a van, and I need to rest. As I let myself into my home, I am looking at my rustic log cabin through new eyes. The cabin has always just been a bit of a bolt hole for me to get away from the madness of the packhouse where I tend to stay most nights mid-week, but now it could potentially be my home with my mate. No way am I bringing her to stay in the packhouse with all those unmated males wandering around. A small rumble starts in my chest just at the thought of them looking at her and Ethan throws me a curious look as I cough to try and cover it up. I wonder what she’ll think of this place though. Is it good enough for her? I make a mental note to get some plants and finish the barbeque I have been building at the side before I bring her here. Whipped already, but I know I’ll gladly do anything for her. I immediately regret all the smart comments I have made to the mated members of the pack when they do sappy romantic things for their mates. I can understand the impulse now.

           As soon as I walk in the door, my father stands and shakes my hand, pulling me into a man hug and thumping my back. I can feel his pride as he beams at me, as if I have done something epic instead of just stumbling across my mate.

“God it’s good to see you boy.” he says, his deep voice warm and emotional. “This is just wonderful, not only are you home in one piece but you’ve found your mate. This calls for a celebration. When is she coming here?” He hands me a beer and even though he has stepped away, he still has his hand on my shoulder squeezing repeatedly as he tries to contain his enthusiasm. I swivel and shoot another glare at Leila who shrugs her shoulders at me. She obviously didn’t give him the full story.

“I must be the only one who doesn’t feel like celebrating around here,” I growl, sinking into the couch and taking a long draw from the bottle of beer. My father looks from me to Leila, and back again, completely puzzled as to what I am talking about.

“She’s human. I couldn’t even meet her because she’d have seen that my injuries have healed already. What the hell am I supposed to do now? How do I explain all of this?” I gesture back and forth between us. My father’s jaw drops open and for a moment, the man who has known exactly what to do and what advice to give my entire life, is stunned into silence. I know he can sense my misery, so he plonks himself down onto the worn tan leather couch beside me and thumps his hand on my knee in an awkward dad attempt to comfort me. Any mated wolf would understand how strong the pull of the mate bond is, especially when you first recognize each other, and how crazy my wolf must be going to get to her. I tip my head back and stare at the ceiling, throwing my feet up on my old wooden coffee table and wallowing in self-pity and frustration. I try to ignore Ethan and Leila who are still loitering just inside the front door, seemingly ready to pounce on me again if I decide to make a break for it. My father’s silence doesn’t last for long though, as he switches from Dad mode back to Alpha mode and takes control of the situation. He just can’t help himself and for once I am extremely grateful.

“While I must say that I am impressed you have restrained yourself from just k********g her and bringing her home, this pity party is not very becoming of the future Alpha. No son of mine is just going to sit here and drown his sorrows,” he says pointedly. I sigh and roll my eyes like a teenager, resisting the urge to remind him he was the one who gave me the beer. I glance up and see Leila smirk even as she keeps her head down and hides behind a curtain of dark brown hair, she is obviously thinking the very same thing and trying not to laugh.  

“What do I do then? Uncle John has a human mate, what did he do?” My father frowns at my last question and thinks carefully before answering.

“I would suggest taking his story as a ‘what not to do’ rather than as a good example. Suffice to say turning up at her work and punching some guy she was having lunch in a jealous rage did not make for a smooth start, especially since it turned out to be her brother. Not exactly the kind of first impression you want to make with your in-laws”. He is chuckling and shaking his head at the memory, and everyone seems to think this is hilarious except for me. Seeing that I am not amused, he rubs his hands over his face and gets serious again.

“Okay, practical stuff to start with. While I’ve never heard of an Alpha being mated to a human, you will work it out. Your wolf is worried about her because she is away from you and you haven’t marked or mated with her, and he will torment you until you do,” he fixes me with a stare to emphasize his point, as if he needs to tell me, “But you’ll feel better if you at least know that she is safe. Ask a few of the pack to watch out for her when you’re not around, mated wolves only. You can let on it’s because she took care of you, and you want to make sure she’s recovered fully.” I nod, this makes sense. This is the type of clear direction and the basic suggestions I need. I should be capable of thinking them up myself, but at this moment, I feel like I need someone to spell it out for me as the exhaustion from the accident and my wild emotions take their toll on my ability to think straight.

“Next, don’t tell anyone who she is to you until you are together properly, and she knows what you are. And for God’s sake don’t tell your mother!” He looks straight at my sister rather at me as his says that part, “I don’t care how excited you are, you’ll be putting her in danger if anyone outside the pack, or any jealous she-wolves find out. And you’ll open up the very real possibility that your mother will kidnap her for you.” Ethan smirks but nobody laughs because we all know he is not actually joking.

“Do some basic research, you can get a name from the hospital, find out where she works and where she lives and erm…who she lives with, if anyone.” he adds diplomatically. I know he is avoiding saying out loud that she could be living with another man to keep me calm and I appreciate it the effort, it doesn’t really work though as I feel nauseous at the thought of my mate being with another man. How is it possible to be this possessive of someone I haven’t even seen yet?

“Go and see her, see her face. It should help your wolf act a little less manic once he knows he can recognize her. Just don’t do anything stupid! Decide a reasonable time frame that you need to stay away, that it wouldn’t be too suspicious for your bruises to be gone and for you to be up and about after surgery. And use that time to work out how you can woo her,” I hear Ethan snort from where he is standing at the door and shoot daggers at him. My father and Leila try to hide their smiles.

“Woo her? For f***s sake, what does that even mean?! You are all loving this just a bit too much.” I mutter, stabbing my finger in Leila and Ethan’s direction. Leila pulls me into a hug and ruffles my hair, kissing my cheek.

“It’s ok big bro, we can have a rom com marathon so you can get some pointers.” A giggle bursts past her lips and I shove her shoulder. She knows that I am totally out of my depth. Wolf true mating is normally very straightforward.  You meet your mate, you feel the connection and recognize each other as mates immediately, you jump each other and mate, you mark each other, biting where the neck meets the shoulder so that other wolves can scent that you are both taken and live happily ever after. It’s permanent and there is no going back. The relationship part comes after because with a true mate bond you know that this is the one person meant for you, perfect for you in every way, and so you are pretty much guaranteed you will work things out and adore each other for the rest of your lives. Except in this case, my mate hasn’t got a clue about any of this.

“Patience son, I know it is going to be a little bit harder, but she will be worth it, fate has put you together for a reason.” My Dad thumps my leg again before standing to leave, ushering Ethan and Leila out in front of him before they can wind me up anymore.

I stretch out my long legs and feel a bit calmer now. Go see her, come up with a plan to make her mine, try not to come across like a stalker, simple. Just be cool and take it slowly. Ethan is barely out of the driveway before I mind-link him and tell him to get me her address, but he already has it, great best friend that he is. I am surprised when he says that he isn’t sure if she owns the property or not, and whether anyone else lives there. He needs to do some more digging.

I wait until dusk before leaving my house, leaving the front door unlocked as always, and shift into my wolf form outside the front door, before bounding off the porch and into the trees on the opposite side of the road. I know where the house she is living is, it’s been empty for a while and I didn’t realize that it had been bought. It’s crazy to think she has been living close by without me knowing it. I figure the run there will help to burn off some of my pent-up energy and frustration, and my wolf form will be easier to hide in the woods. My sleek black wolf glides gracefully and silently through the forest, and in no time at all, we are sitting on the crest of the small hill that runs down to the back of her property. I can smell her everywhere and it is driving my senses wild, she must come out here a lot. The house is an old ranch style wooden cabin, but it has seen better days and needs a good bit of work done to it to bring it back to its former glory. It’s large, bigger than my place and too much for one just person. I start to panic as I wonder if she already has a husband, a family, and that is why she needs all this space. I force myself to calm down and think logically, I have done a lap of the house and haven’t picked up any other strong recent scents. In fact, it doesn’t appear that anyone else has been here in a good while, which in itself is a bit strange. Normally the scents of recent visitors, friends and family would linger for a while. If someone else was living here, I would know. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend, but if she does, it can’t be anything too serious if he isn’t coming round here.

All the light’s downstairs are off and only the soft glow of a bedside lamp is coming from what must be the master bedroom upstairs. Satisfied that there is no immediate threat to my mate or any other men here to steal her away from me, my wolf has relaxed. I return to my spot on the hill and settle in for the night, happy in the knowledge that my girl is safe and sleeping soundly close by.