The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 8

HAYLEY POV

           My hands are still trembling slightly as I open the back door and step back inside the house, never turning my back until I am safely indoors. I peer out through the window, but I can’t see the wolf anymore. It ran off at such speed that it’s probably long gone by now. I have never seen such a beautiful creature, and when our eyes met, I could see the intelligence there. The intensity of its stare had set my heart racing and yet somehow, I wasn’t afraid of it, not really. My sister is a vet and she always says for any animal, they are more afraid of us than we are of them, and the wolf seemed to be as stunned as me by our encounter. I have always had a healthy respect for nature though and I decide not to take any chances, not wanting to disturb it any further. My run along the forest trail could wait for another day. Instead, I snatch up my car keys up and wallet from the kitchen counter and head for the front of the house. I have a never-ending list of DIY projects to be done in the house and decide I might as well take advantage of this unexpected long weekend.

           I bought the house 2 months ago, draining my savings and the proceeds of a redundancy package from my investment banking job. It had been tricky to keep its purchase a secret from James but hopefully it would all be worth it in the long run. As a lawyer himself, he would have expected me to come to him for help with something like this, but he was the last person I wanted to know anything about it. This house was my escape plan. I had already begun to feel jaded with work in the last couple of years, stuck on a hamster wheel of 60-hour weeks, entertaining clients in the evenings and then spending what little free time I had with James and his douche bag friends. The glamorous parties and fancy restaurants had all seemed so exciting at first but the sparkle had long since worn off, and I hated how shallow and vapid the whole scene was. Very few people were really your friends; it was all about setting up the next move and keeping up appearances. Most would stab you in the back if an opportunity to get ahead presented itself. When James had announced our engagement, without having asked me to marry him, the blind panic that had gripped me was enough to shake me out of my stupor. I had always talked about wanting a simpler life and getting out of the rat-race once I had enough money pulled together, but James had laughed at me and never took me seriously whenever I brought it up. He could never understand why I wasn’t impressed by the flashy cars and other ostentatious displays of wealth that surrounded us. He couldn’t fathom why I always tried to escape the city at the weekends and get out into nature. He had been so charming at the start of our relationship, probably too charming and smooth now that I look back, and he could still turn it on when he wanted something. After the ‘engagement’ when I refused to wear the ring that he had given me, the mask had slipped, and I needed to get away fast. This house represents my new life, a fresh start, surrounded by nature, part of small community which had been nothing but welcoming.

           I parked my car outside the hardware store and grabbed a trolley. As I wandered up and down the aisles, picking up the bits and pieces that I needed for my next few jobs, I daydreamed about what the house might eventually look like. Hopefully, I won’t be living in it on my own forever but being alone was better than constantly walking on eggshells, and maybe I would find someone out here, a proper partner to share it with.

           “Hayley!” A familiar voice broke my thoughts and I look up to see Ethan strolling towards me with a big smile on his face. He was such a gorgeous man, and while I couldn’t help being aware of him, it was chocolate brown eyes I had dreamt of last night and not Ethan’s blue ones.

           “Oh, hey there. How are you doing Ethan?” I reply casually, throwing some paint samples into the trolley.

           “Great, but I think I should be asking you that. What are you doing here? I thought you’d be resting up at home.” He investigates my cart, taking in the tape, brushes, tins of paint, tiles and grout and raises an eyebrow.

           “Oh, I’m fine, nothing a good night’s sleep didn’t fix. Just doing some bits around the house. I only just moved in, and I’m trying to do as much of it myself as I can.” He nods but he doesn’t look totally convinced and I try not to take it personally. I know I don’t really look like I’d be handy but it’s amazing what you can teach yourself when you have no money. Thank you, YouTube.

           “I presume it’s your own place if you’re doing all this work?” He asks, trailing along beside me as I start to move down the aisle again.

           “Yep. I’m going to turn it into a bed and breakfast, rent out a few rooms to get some extra income. But I need to get it a bit more presentable before I can do that.” I gesture to the loaded trolley. He steps back in front my trolley and stops dead, blocking the way and frowns down at me, arms crossed over his muscular chest.

           “So, you’re going to have complete strangers coming and going, staying overnight in your home?” He asks slowly and when I nod, he lets out a long breath and shakes his head as if this is the worst news he has ever heard. It’s a bit dramatic. I’m not really sure what his problem is.

           “That’s the general premise of a B&B. I am not going to make much money if I don’t let people stay overnight.” I am totally baffled by his reaction to my plans, he’s making it sound like it’s the most bizarre idea he’s ever heard.

           “It’s not safe though.” He states flatly, and I swear I see his pale blue eyes darken slightly. I roll my eyes at him. Great, another guy who thinks he knows what I should be doing.

           “Oh yes, because you regularly hear stories of bed and breakfast owners in sleepy towns up and down the country being killed in their sleep by guests,” I say sarcastically, and his frowns deepens, “Anyway, Jack will look out for me.” I don’t bother to tell him that Jack is my 80-year-old neighbour who has told me he is just a phone call away; he still has a shotgun and his driver’s license and he’s not afraid to use them. I smile at the memory of him appearing at my door to welcome me the first week I arrived, and I wonder what it is with all the men in this town being so over-protective. I push the trolley around Ethan who still looks very disturbed and start loading up my items up at the cash register. I say hello and flash a smile at the white-haired gentleman, who sits down to start scanning my purchases. Ethan nods at him.

“Sam,” he says in greeting before he brushes past me to start packing everything into the boxes that I brought with me.

           “Can I ask you something Ethan? This is probably going to sound a bit strange, but do you know anything about wolves? Around here?” I ask quietly.

“Some,” Ethan says smoothly, his face unreadable as he stops what he is doing and faces me. Sam lets out a choking sound, that turns into a cough, before composing himself again and returning to his work.

“I saw a wolf this morning, watching my house. I didn’t think they would come that close to town. It was massive, jet black…”

“Black?!” Sam shouts, cutting me off, and his mouth drops open, before he whips his head around to face Ethan. Ethan gives him a stern look and Sam immediately drops his eyes and starts scanning again.

“Yes…” I say slowly, “A massive, black wolf. It was just watching me, nothing bad, but I was wondering if it’s normal for them to come so close to a house?”

“No, it’s definitely not normal.” sighs Ethan. I see Sam raise his eyebrows in curiosity as he tries to pretend that he is not listening to our conversation. “I think I actually know the one you’re talking about, and I can assure you he’s harmless. I am sure he was just…. curious.” he finally says, struggling to find the right words. Sam snorts at the word harmless but keeps his head down and his thoughts to himself. Ethan helps me load all my purchases into the boot of my little car and waves me off, and it’s only as I drive off that I realize he didn’t buy anything or go back in after I left. Was he just in there looking for me?