The Alpha's Warrior Mate

No One Else Is Left

The Red Aspen Alpha loomed over me. His eyes were black as night. They didn’t move from mine. He reached towards me and grabbed my face in one hand. “You can’t hide from me” he said darkly. I lifted my chin up to look him square in the eye. His hand traveled down to my throat. His laugh echoed through my mind as I lost consciousness. 

I sat up in bed breathing hard. Sweat was pouring down my chest. I felt the bed dip to the side and Ethan was right there. He showed me where is hands were before putting one on each of my hands. The electrical shock of the mate bond brought me back to reality. Tears started to form in my eyes as I leaned in to Ethan. I knew he didn’t want me there. I knew my presence was irritating him, but for that moment I needed him. I needed the mate bond to fight the nightmares. Ethan wrapped both arms around me and laid back in bed. I held on to him and sobbed into his shirt until sleep finally overcame me.

. . .

When I woke, Ethan was still under me. His even breathing let me know he was still asleep so I studied his face. His eyebrows always seemed to be furrowed, carrying the stressors of is Alpha title, but now they were relaxed. He looked so much younger. I wondered how old he was? The stubble coming in on his face showed just how tired he was. He was gorgeous and in a perfect world he would be the perfect mate. It wasn’t perfect though. I knew it was too good to be true. His rejection would be coming any day now. I breathed him in one more time before pulling myself up and finding my way to the closet. I changed clothes quietly and slipped out the door. 

The cool air hit me as I wandered down to the lake. The fresh air was good for my lungs. I watched the sun come up over the trees, feeling peaceful. I sat down on the dock and wrapped my arms around my knees. Images of home flashed through my mind. My mother and father laughing as they chased my brother and me around. My best friend, Ivy, sparring in the field behind the pack house. It was different at home. Everyone lived together in the house like one big family. Here everyone had their own homes. I saw my brother and his mate’s ceremony. How happy they looked. I took a breath and opened my eyes deciding I needed to head back to the house.

“Oh my god.. Anna?” A voice said behind me.

I turned to see a sandy blond haired man standing in front of me. 

“Carter?” I asked. 

“Yes! Oh my god I cannot believe it’s you!” He exclaimed. I launched myself into his arms and he picked me up to swing me around before placing me back on my feet. 

“How are you here?” He asked. 

“It’s a long story, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” 

“How are YOU here?” I asked. 

Before he could answer, a large black object flew through the air towards us. Carter shoved me behind him and stood directly between me and the wolf. 

“It’s our mate” my wolf said quietly. I quickly stepped around Carter to face Ethan's wolf. 

“Carter is a friend from home. He is my only friend from home and I would appreciate it if you would not kill him.” I said, testing my aggressive mate. 

He shifted right there. 

“What the hell, dude put some clothes on!” I said as Ethan passed me to face Carter. 

“I was just explaining to Anna how I met my mate when I shifted and how she was a part of your pack, Alpha, so I transferred. She was going to explain to me how she survived the massacre.” Carter talked quickly. 

Ethan turned to face me. I shrugged. 

“I’ve known Carter since I was five. He was my brother’s best friend.” I stated. Ethan turned towards the house without another word. 

“He’s super charming.” I joked to Carter. 

“Anna, how did you get out?” Carter asked softly his blue eyes questioning mine.

I closed my eyes, “I didn’t. I was one of the last ones standing. They took me. I was there for a long time until Ethan found me.” 

“Is anyone...” 

“No one else is left,” I said. The emptiness of my statement weighed on me. 

“Carter! Let’s go!” Ben called from behind him.

“Hey, will you come over for dinner tonight at our house? Sage would love to get to know you.” He asked lightly. 

“Sure. I’m pretty sure I can’t go anywhere solo though,” I said nodding in the direction of the house. 

“Definitely invite Alpha Ethan as well! 7 o’clock! ” He said running off to join Ben. 

I turned around and stood face to face with the large black wolf. He stood still and studied me for a minute before nodding his head in the direction of the tree line. I followed him through the tall grass into the wooded area. We came upon a small river that I assumed fed into the lake. Ethan’s wolf sat on the edge of the river bank and looked out onto the water. I took a seat next to him and wrapped my arms around my knees. 

“She’s not ready yet.” I told him. My wolf whined in the back of my mind. She knew I was right. 

His amber eyes turned to me as he c****d his head. It was beyond cute for this giant wolf to be staring at me so curiously. I smiled as he moved to nudge my arms off my knees, placing is huge head in my lap. He let out a huff when I put my hands through his fur. We sat in silence like that for a while listening to the sound of the river. Ethan’s wolf finally got up and walked back into the trees and came back a man. When met him at the tree line he reached for my hand which I sidestepped and walked in the direction of the pack house.

“So I noticed that not many wolves live in the pack house.” I offered instead

“No, they don’t. We have the neighborhood for them. Most of the pack are mates with pups. Those who aren’t usually live with a friend.” He answered

“Oh, okay. So Jacob is your Beta, right? So he and Emily live...”

“On the other side of the pack house. They have their own living quarters over there with a kitchen and stuff.” He finished for me

“Oh okay. So who keeps the house?” I asked, genuinely trying to get a feel for how things worked. 

“We have pack members who are hired to do most of the daily stuff. Cleaning, cooking and all of those extras.” I looked at him confused. I hadn’t seen anyone else from the pack. 

“I asked people to stay away for awhile,” He answered sensing my confusion.

“Thanks for that,” I said quietly. I hadn’t seen many other wolves in a long time it and it might have been overwhelming. “How many members do you have?”

“Anywhere from 250 to three hundred. Mates are transferring in and out all of the time. I’ve got a total roll in my office.” 

“I see.” I said remembering the room I heard voices coming from. I shuddered when I recalled the conversation about the Red Aspen Alpha. “Speaking of pack members, Carter, my friend from earlier...” I tested the waters. When he didn’t react I continued, “ he wanted to know if we would have dinner tonight at his house.” 

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Would that make you happy?” 

“It would make this all feel a little more normal.” I sighed knowing that it would never be normal.

“OK. Let’s head back home so I can get some business taken care of before tonight.” He grabbed my hand this time and I let him. I wanted to know him better, so I had to try. I followed him to the house and we split ways at the base of the stairs.