His Destined Mate

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

The first thing Nicole noticed as she became conscious was the silence surrounding her. Not silence when twigs would be snapping, or the sound of her ragged breath filling the air. This was a different silence. She'd grown so accustomed to the harmonious chirping of birds, and the howling of the wind throughout her journey in the woods that she wasn't certain whether or not she was surrounded by natural silence.

She allowed her eyes to flutter open and tried her best to get acquainted with the light around her. Next, she noticed the white walls above her. From what she'd seen from the many days she'd been running in the forest, there were no walls in the trees. Well, none that she'd encountered. The walls were polished in what could probably be the finest paint in the world.

Moving her head from side to side, she saw that she was hooked up to machines, where a faint beeping seemed to be coming from. When she tried to put her head back into its upright position, the movement made her aware of the injuries she had received. Her neck ached and bringing her hand up to investigate, she felt a large bandage there. Someone had tended to her wounds. But why would anyone want to save her? A stranger...A rogue. Because she was practically a rogue. She'd left her home and her family with no idea where she was headed.

The room was illuminated by rays of sunlight entering through the windows. 'What day is it?' She thought. And where is she?

The last thing she could remember was being...attacked. She'd expected to die from such a vicious attack by such a creature. Though werewolves were creatures, rogues were on a totally higher level of danger.

She couldn't possibly be in heaven. Heaven certainly has no machines that beeped alongside her bed. She knew she could only be in a hospital. But where? She looked around the room wondering if she'd been here before. Had her father found her? Or was she captured?

The door was suddenly pushed open and she watched as a man came into view. But not just any man. A doctor. He seemed to be around his late forties or early fifties but in a werewolf sort of age. Only a few strands of his hair were grey.

The doctor was certainly surprised at finding her awake, and that was clearly shown by his facial expression.

"You're awake," was the first thing he said, before moving further into the room. He went forward and checked the machines before moving to remove the I.V from her hand. He then explained to her the injuries that she had received from the attack, and she silently released a breath upon hearing that her wounds would heal and she would be back to her normal self in no time. Great! She needed to be out of this place as soon as possible.

There wasn't much that Nicole could say or do. That rogue had almost killed her, and there was no denying that fact. But she could remember him running away before she had fully lost consciousness. That was unlike a rogue. He must've sensed something or someone to have bolted at such speed.

She looked at the doctor. "Who are you?" This was one of the top questions on her mind. And she did have a lot of questions that she needed to be answered. Like how she got here, who had saved her, and when she could leave.

"I'm Dr. Paul," the doctor replied. Even if he had expected her to give her name, she wouldn't have. She needed to get out of there- and quickly. She needed to be as far away from her dad as possible. And having been in a coma for what could possibly be days, she knew she'd need to catch up on the distance she needed to cover.

As she thought about leaving, she wondered where her new home would now be. Where was she headed? Her near-death experience only made her realize how dangerous it is being a female werewolf and in the wild on her own. She knew she could defend herself. Packs' rules were that every female werewolf needed to train to be able to defend herself from the age of fifteen. She knew quite a bit to attack someone, but it's not every time she will see her attacker in time. Like when she'd stopped to drink some water. She should've seen him coming through. With Alpha blood, wolves' senses were always heightened, more so than average wolves. Yet, it was too late, and he was too strong for her to ward off.

"Where am I?" She asked, needing to know her exact location.

He sighed before replying, "The Sentinel's pack."

Nicole's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to laugh at herself. How great it is that she just had to stumble upon this pack out of all the packs in the US. No doubt she had to leave. The Sentinels' pack has been known to be the most ruthless, and with an alpha that could tear apart a hundred men without breaking a sweat. She'd heard stories, and given the chance, others would've written books if not for the fact that they needed to keep their race a secret. Alpha Jake D'Amore isn't a man to be trifled with, and even as she thought about his name, she felt an unexplainable feeling settling in her chest. Was it from fear? It had to be.

And to have found herself on his pack! She's good as dead. So why isn't she dead? Technically, she wasn't within pack territory so someone must've found her. She could clearly remember sensing that a pack had been near the stream.

The Alpha probably has no idea that she's here. All rogues who have ever crossed unto this territory haven't lived to tell the tale. How could they? She'd never seen the man before but wanted to believe that just looking at him would not only make her scared but dead too. Did they treat her wounds just so she would be alive, then die later? These thoughts only added questions to her obvious never-ending list, and she felt like she would soon have a headache.

She moved on the bed, trying her best to ignore the slight pains radiating from her wounds. She needed to get out of here. And fast!

"Where are you going?" She heard the doctor ask, but she'd already moved across the room to search for her bag. "Miss, you shouldn't be out of bed in your condition."

'There are worse things that hurting a wound', She thought. How about dying? That's surely the worst-case scenario.

"I need to leave," was all she said and continued to search for her belongings. Where is her bag? Had they hidden it?

Before he could reply, she heard the room door open, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She wanted so badly to be swallowed by the ground- or the wall.

Slowly, she turned towards the newcomer, only to be greeted by a very blonde-haired man whose frame would no doubt tower over her if he was standing near her. His gaze came over to her and Nicole watched his surprised expression. Her gaze quickly ran over his features, taking in his toned muscles and amazing height. The man was perfect. The kind of man that women would be killing each other over. No doubt he has women falling at his feet just by looking their way! But she wouldn't fall for his charm.

He walked over to her, and Nicole quickly took a step back, wondering what he was about to do. Realizing her inner turmoil, he stopped in his tracks.

"I'm not going to harm you," he said as if he was speaking to a child.

"I need to leave," she repeated her statement and watched as curiosity crossed his face.

He seemed to have ignored her statement because he turned to the doctor, "Have you checked on her?"

Dr. Paul nodded. The new-comer then turned to Nicole and said, "You should get back in bed before you hurt yourself."

Ignoring their stares, she silently strutted back to the bed before getting in. She wanted to get out of the hospital gown, but she also wanted to get out of this pack. She couldn't trust anyone here, and if they find out her true identity, they could call her dad, letting him know that she's there. That's the last thing she wanted. If this did occur, then running away would've been for nothing.

After the doctor had changed her Band-Aids, she sat up in bed, her gaze not moving from the wall across the room. There was nothing there, per se. She just preferred her gaze being there than on the others in the room who still hadn't left.

"What's your name?" The man asked, and she turned to notice that the doctor had already left the room. She turned her gaze back to the wall. Interesting wall!

"It's none of your business," she replied, disregarding that she was being rude to him.

He sighed before taking a seat on the chair next to the bed. He would've been intimidating for a normal wolf, but she was the least bit normal. She could tell that he had a high rank in the pack, but she still didn't care. With Alpha blood running through her veins, she'd never allowed anyone to disrespect or intimidate her. She could remember beating the crap out of the packs' beta's daughter after she had said some hurtful words to her. Plain to say, since that day, she'd learned her lesson.

"It's my business if you're in this pack. I need to know that you won't endanger members of this pack by you being here."

Nicole thought about his reasoning. Of course, her being here could be a potential danger. If people found out her location, it will be like going back to the life she once had. Maybe this pack being the strongest did have its advantages. She would be protected, and safe away until she found her destined mate.

"Can I trust you?" she asked the man beside her, and she watched his interest peak before he slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Sighing, she found herself telling him the truth. "My dad wants me to mate with a wolf who isn't my mate. I refused, but the only way I could change his mind was by running away."

She watched as he went from shock to anger, and she wondered why. She didn't need his pity. Her life sucks, and no one knew this better than her.

"That's why you're running away," he whispered, finally understanding why a lone wolf would've been away from her pack, and in the packs' infirmary.

She nodded, keeping her gaze down as she played with her hands.

"So where are you headed?" He asked, and she shrugged. Way to ask a question that she didn't even have the answer to. She didn't have any idea where she would be heading at first, and neither does she have one now. Now, it was mostly thoughts about if she would be alive enough to reach somewhere. She couldn't afford another incident like what had occurred between herself and the rouge. This pack had shown her a little mercy by taking her in, but others would turn a blind eye, not even bothering to ask if she was okay...

"What's your name?" He asked again, and she thought about telling him the truth but decided against it.

"Sarah," she replied bluntly, and she heard him chuckle.

"You don't look like a Sarah, to be quite honest."

She shrugged, not wanting to elaborate. "And what's your name?"

"Call me Mike." Then a moment later, he asked, "Would you like me to put in a word for you with the Alpha?"

Nicole stilled, not sure how to respond. This also answered her question that he wasn't the alpha. She didn't think Alpha D'Amore would be sitting here chatting with her anyway. He's probably busy torturing rogues and making money.

She chuckled, "Your alpha isn't the nicest man on the planet. I'm not sure he'd appreciate a rogue on his land."

His eyes lit up before he chuckled, "If you were a rogue, you wouldn't be here."

She nodded in agreement. If she was an actual rogue, she would've been dead by now, or they would've left her to die. And as she thought about dying, the question of how they came to find her resurfaced.

"Who found me? I never got to ask."

"A pack warrior. His name is Connor." She nodded.

"Please let him know that I appreciate what he has done for me, and thank you for keeping me here although you could've left me to die."

He chuckled before nodding. "I will let him know. And besides, I would've never allowed you to die. The guilt would've eaten me alive for the rest of my life." He stood up to leave, before turning to face her. "I will have the doctor send you something to eat. I can only guess how hungry you are right now."

Thanking him, he left and she was greeted with the silence around her once again. Oh, Nicole! How did your life become so complicated?

**

Jake frowned at the paperwork ahead of him, hating that he had to be in his office. It was unheard of that he could ever go on a real vacation, and this one had been no different. All the paperwork that he'd left on his desk were still here, and times like this he wished he had someone to help him. He instantly shot that thought down.

He looked around his office noting the colors that perfectly described his life. Everything was so dead- so sad. Just like him. He couldn't explain the sadness that he felt daily. About everything.

One thing had changed though. He wasn't sure whether the cleaners had begun using a new air-freshener, or someone had begun planting flowers in the garden outside, but since returning from the trip, there had been a constant aroma of roses and strawberry. It was extremely annoying especially when he was trying to have a good night's rest.

Jake frowned at the page he had been on, scowling at himself that he could get so distracted by his thoughts. This hardly ever occurred, and now it was becoming a habit.

Suddenly, a knock resounded on the door, and it was then pushed open to reveal Mike. He entered the office, and took a seat on the couch, watching out the window.

Standing from his desk, Jake walked over to the couch and took a seat.

"The girl has woken up," Mike said, and Jake raised an eyebrow in silent question. "She won't tell me her name, though. But she did mention that her dad had ordered her to mate with a wolf who isn't her mate."

At this story, Jake certainly was interested, and curious. "So that's why she ran away?"

He nodded. "Yes. I would've done the same thing if I was a girl and in her position."

Jake silently agreed. "So where is she headed?" He asked, knowing this couldn't be easy for her. She must've been left with no other choice for her to have run away from her pack; her family. He couldn't stomach the thought of his parents forcing his younger sister, Ava, into a loveless mating. He would disagree too.

"She has no idea."

Thinking about a defenseless female on her own, Jake felt obliged to help. His parents had had a mating filled with love, and three children from their union. It's unheard of that wolves didn't mate with whom they're destined to be with. He couldn't imagine what she's going through. But that didn't mean he trusted her. He still hadn't met her yet, and he didn't plan to. She's not his problem anyway. She's Mikes' problem and had been since he brought her unto pack territory.

"She can stay here, but as I said before, you're responsible for her. If she does anything to put this pack in danger, I will personally end her life. No questions asked."

Mike nodded. "I understand."

They continued to chat about pack business and the official opening of a few pack homes in the housing scheme. Their aim was to give every wolf family an equal opportunity to own their home. He knew from personal experience that wolves needed privacy and space to grow, but they also needed their pack to flourish. Wolves still resided in the packhouse, but the numbers weren't as much as it used to be.

His parents had given him the best childhood he could've ever had, and he enjoyed every moment, and still remembered those precious memories. He wanted to give his and every child the same gift too; opportunity at education, social development and life as a whole.

"I will be supervising training tomorrow morning. Will you be available?" Mike questioned.

Jake thought about it. "I'll be taking an early morning pack run so I'll join you all after."

Mike nodded. "Good." They were quiet for a while until Mike's voice broke the silence. "Since we discovered her, I've wondered how many people have died at the hands of rogues with no one to save them."

Jake didn't need to ask who 'she' was. No doubt Mike was referring to the wolf in the infirmary. He'd wondered the same thing too. Mostly, he wanted to know if there were any more rogues doing the same to defenseless people. Had humans also been subjected to such attacks? They needed to plan a search. They couldn't allow such assaults to be occurring right in their back yard. It's unacceptable!

"We'll have to discuss this during the pack meeting next week," Jake said and Mike nodded.

A while later, Mike left saying that he needed to assist the female wolf as she was moving into an empty room in the packhouse. Jake was left alone again.

He stood to pour himself a glass of whiskey and chugged it down. The only presence of the alcohol in his body was the slight heat left in its wake as it traveled down his throat. He only drank alcohol when he was frustrated. It's not like it helped him forget his problems. For the hundredth time, he cursed werewolf's high tolerance for alcohol, and for once he wanted to just...feel.