The Beta and the Lost

Chapter 4

Michael

A large wolf heading in the direction of our pack would have been concerning enough, but as soon as Lexi mentioned the moon shaped marking on his hip, I knew we had a real problem. I raced back to talk to Chris and tell him what I had learned. I found him in his office with a few of the elders of the pack, from what. I could hear, he was filling them in on the current situation. “The woman in our hospital saw a large wolf not far from the trail. I sent Mike to go and see if he could get any further information from her.” Upon hearing my name, I entered his office and relayed what Lexi had told me.

The look on Chris’s face mirrored those of the elders. The moon marking was known among all the packs in the region, and when it was seen near your pack, it always meant trouble. Chris. Excused the. Elders and as I turned to leave, he said, “Michael, please stay.” Not wanting to leave Lexi alone for long, but also, not wanting to disobey the Alpha, I turned around and took a seat in front of Chris’s desk. He looked at me and said, “do you think we can trust this woman?”

“I believe her. She has no reason to lie,” I replied. He looked out the window, as if weighing everything we had learned today. Since it was just Chris and I in his office, I decided it was a good time to tell him about the feelings I have been having. “Chris, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about.” He looked at me with eyebrows raised. We were now just Chris and Mike, two guys that have been friends since we were kids and could talk to each other about anything. I continued, “when I am around Lexi, I keep getting this strange feeling in my stomach. And when I touch her, it’s like electricity goes into my hand and through the rest of my body.” Chris smirked, but before he could respond, I continued, “I don’t know what it all means or what to do about it.”

With a smirk, he finally said, “dude, that is what it was like for me when I met Jessie. It was like every nerve in my body was extra sensitive.” I didn’t really know what to say except, “but she’s human.” Chris became contemplative, then responded, “are you sure? Even if she is, it doesn’t mean she can’t be your mate. It’s not common for a wolf to mate with a human, but it’s also not unheard of.” This got me thinking, was she a wolf? But if she is a wolf, her cut would not have needed medical attention. Chris interrupted my thoughts with, “I guess she is not going anywhere just yet. Talk to her, maybe she just hasn’t shifted yet. It would explain why she needed to see Doc rather than being able to heal herself. I would caution you to take things slowly. If she is a wolf, but doesn’t know it, finding out can be traumatic.” I nodded, thanked him and walked out. I had a lot to think about.

If Lexi is indeed my mate, and she’s human, how would that work? Would I leave the pack? Could I leave the only family I have ever known to go live among the humans? What is we wanted to have kids? Would she be able to carry a baby that is part wolf? Or, if she is a wolf, how does she not know about it? Being raised among humans could account for her lack of knowledge about us. There is so much that I wanted and needed to find out and I was on my way back to Lexi to do just that.

Lexi

Michael left so quickly that I knew something that I said had upset him, or at least gave him cause for concern. He seemed interested when I was explaining how I had ended up passed out in the woods, but as soon as I mentioned the moon marking on the wolf, he turned and left without another word. I had to admit to myself that it made me sad when he left. I enjoyed having him around, though I still could not understand why. I barely knew him, and I knew nothing about him, but I still wanted him nearby. Something about him made me feel safe, like no matter what has happened, everything will be okay. Michael walked in, interrupting my train of thought.

“I think it would be a good idea if you stayed here for a while,” he said. This startled me because the doctor said that I was okay to go home. “Why do I need to stay here? I don’t even really know where ‘here’ is.” Without answering my question, he continued, “we have spare rooms in the guesthouse, you are welcome to use one of those. I can take you there now.” It was an intriguing offer, it’s not like I had anyone that would go looking for me. I never knew my parents and I aged out of the foster system six months ago and have been on my own ever since. The look on his face didn’t chance and all I could say was “ok.”