The Alpha's Heir Deadly Salvation

Chapter 2

Linne’s POV

I look at the scowl the poor girl has across her face. I stand amused without a hint of guilt in me. I've always been a mischievous person but there's something about this lady which makes me interested.

Her blonde hair for one is something very rare in my pack, her body is well sculptured and her face is a bit above average but with the annoyance evident on her face, I'll rate it a ten. I love it.

“Oh I see what got your attention”,Grey my cousin says too close to my ear.

“She's hot”, he continues.

“No she's not”, I huff out feeling slightly jealous.

Almost all the girls I had my eyes on were taken by Grey. He has always been the man of the people with his sly tongue.

We're always mistaken for twins since we have the same height and skin tone, the eyes hold the difference; Grey has black ones.

“What?”, he asks me half smiling.

“I thought you came here to pick me up”, I ask.

“Sure man, get in the car already”.

I cast a last glance at Miss Blonde hair as we leave. I hope to see her soon anyway.

Grey shifts his Jeep into gear and pulls away from the airport. My trip to Seattle had been a waste of time, just another dead end in my search for answers about the illness spreading through our pack.

"How did the meeting with Dr. Leyton go?" Grey asks, his eyes fixed on the road as we head toward Blackwood.

I run a hand through my hair, frustration rising beneath my skin. "It was fruitless. He's just another doctor who knows nothing about our kind. He thinks we're nothing but legends and myths."

"You didn't tell him..." Grey's voice carries a tone of alarm.

"Of course not”, I snap. "I'm no i***t, I just presented it as a theoretical disease affecting wolf populations. But didn't reveal what we really are, there's only so much these human doctors can do after all."

Grey nods, relief evident in his statue. "The Council meeting tonight is going to be tense. There are four more members showing symptoms now."

My jaw clenches. The illness starts slowly with heightened temperature, inability to fully shift during the full moon, then progressive weakness until the victim can't maintain human form at all, becoming trapped in a half transformation before death finally claims them. We've lost two pack members already, both elders whose wisdom we desperately need.

"Any word from the Silverthorne territory?" I ask

Grey sighs, "Their scouts have been spotted twice this week along our western border. Marking trees and testing our boundaries."

"Those vultures," I mutter. "They sense weakness and crowd around like carrion birds."

The Silverthornes have coveted our territory for ages. The forests around Blackwood are ancient and rich, the running paths are clear and beautiful. A perfect werewolf territory. My ancestors claimed it centuries ago, and my family has protected it ever since.

"Your father wants you to take a mate," Grey says after a stretch of silence, the tone of his voice is neutral.

I growl low in my throat,"Come on, not this again."

"The pack is in need of stability, Linne. And with you as the next Alpha plus the illness spreading, people are scared. A strong pair bond would calm their fears."

"And who exactly am I supposed to choose? Selene?"

"She is the strongest female in the pack..."

"And about as warm as an Arctic winter” I finish. "Besides, you know as well as I do that true mates can't be forced. I'd rather lead alone than bind myself to someone who doesn't carry my mark on their soul."

My wolf stirs at this thought, agitated and restless. At twenty nine, I'm well past the age when most werewolves find their mates. Some never do. But something in me refuses to settle for anyone yet.

As we drive through the ancient forest that surrounds Blackwood my wolf stirs. This land runs in my blood. My wolf knows each hunting trail, and den site.

"Sierra called while you were in Seattle," Grey says, putting off my thoughts. "The wildlife researcher the DCC said they would send arrives today."

"Great! Just what we need right now. Some scientist researcher poking our territory." I groan and lean my head back against the seat.

"Should I tell the border guards to turn her away?"

“The thought is tempting but no, the DCC has too much influence. If we block their researcher without a good reason, they'll just send someone else."

"So what's the plan then?" Grey queries

A smile slowly spreads across my face, definitely not a pleasant one. "We'll let her come and allow her set up her little research station. And then make sure she finds absolutely nothing of interest. After few weeks of tracking ordinary wolves and coming up empty on her special theories then she'll leave on her own."

Grey laughs. "Sabotage? That's more my style than yours, cousin."

"I adapt quickly," I reply dryly and let out a low laugh.

“My wolf needs to run tonight, the fulll moon in three days has me on edge."

As we move into town, the familiar sight of Blackwood calms something in me. The timber buildings, the small shops, the people who nod respectfully as we pass are all mine to protect.

My father may still hold the title of Alpha but his illness has transferred most responsibilities to me over the past year.

"Drop me at the clinic," I tell Grey. "I want to check on Marissa's cub."

Marissa's daughter, Emma is the youngest victim of this mysterious illness. She's only seven and the first child to show symptoms. The thought of the little girl suffering makes my blood boil with anger.

Grey pulls up to the small medical clinic run by Dr. Helen Reyes who's one of the few humans aware of our secret. Her grandmother was part of the pack, though Helen herself never inherited the shift. Still, she's family and the only medical professional we trust.

"Council meeting’s at eight" Grey reminds me as I step out. "Don't be late, your father insists you attend and you know how he gets when you're not punctual."

I nod grimly.

My relationship with my father has always been complex, more Alpha and heir than father and son. His deteriorating health has made him more demanding and focused on ensuring the pack future after he is gone.

The disinfectant smell burns my sensitive nose as I enter the clinic.

Dr. Reyes looks up from her computer and her expression conveys everything before she speaks.

"Emma's worse," she says without preamble. "The fever’s increasing and she partially shifted twice last night without control."

I close my eyes briefly, centering myself. "Where's Marissa?"

"She's finally sleeping in the back room. I had her sedated, she hasn't left Emma's side in three days."

I move to the small isolation room where infected pack members are kept. Through the window, I can see Emma's little form on the hospital bed, her golden skin now pale and wet. IVs and monitoring equipment surround her, technological attempts to fight a supernatural disease.

"Any progress in identifying the cause?" I ask

Helen shakes her head. "Nothing conclusive. It's not viral, not bacterial, at least not in any way standard tests can detect. It seems to target the part of your DNA that controls the shift."

I press my forehead against the cool glass. "There has to be something we can do."

"I'm trying everything Linne but I'm a small town doctor with limited resources and no precedent for treating werewolf specific diseases." She hesitates then adds, "Have you considered reaching out to other packs because this may not be the first time something like this is happening."

"My father sent messages to our allies. No one has seen anything like it." I don't mention his stubborn refusal to seek help from packs we consider rivals. Pride has always been my father's weakness, perhaps mine as well.

My phone buzzes with a text from Sierra:

Researcher landed

Heading toward Blackwood now

Name: Dr. Elara Winters

Specializes in wolf behavior and conservation

I stare at the name, something tugging at my memory. Then it hits me….the blonde at the airport. The woman with the broken suitcase and fierce eyes, her name tag dangling from the suitcase. Of course, the universe has a sick sense of humor.

"I need to go”, I tell Helen, my mind already racing with implications. "Call me if there's any change with Emma."

"Linne" Helen calls as I reach the door. "This researcher the Council is worried about could actually help us if she's studying wolf genetics..."

I pause considering "She's a human scientist who doesn't know we exist. Revealing ourselves has never ended well for our kind."

"Neither has extinction," Helen replies quietly.

Her words follow me as I leave the clinic, the weight of responsibility pressing heavier with each step. A dying child, a threatened territory, and unknown illness and now, a beautiful, hot, nosy researcher with government connections poking around our secrets.

I pull out my phone and call Grey.

"Change of plans" I say when he answers. "I need to know everything about Dr. Elara Winters, I mean everything."

"What happened to simple sabotage?" Grey asks.

I think of the woman at the airport, her fierce determination as she confronted me, the flash in her eyes. Something tells me Dr. Winters won't be so easily discouraged.

"Keep your enemies closer, right?" I reply. "I'll handle our wolf researcher personally."

As I hang up, my wolf stirs again, more insistently this time. Interested…Alert…Hungry in a way that has nothing to do with food.

Trouble, I guess. But whether I mean Dr. Winters or my own unexpected reaction to her, I'm not entirely sure.