The Alpha’s Exceptional Mate

Chapter 3

Leila was seated in the middle right window seat of the bus. It was her favorite seat. She would’ve sat in the middle left window seat if she couldn’t have this seat. If both were occupied, then she had no choice but to sit on the vacant seats. The bus was one of the primary modes of transportation in the Ozirus, especially when traveling far, and the fare was cheaper.

Leila wanted to sleep but couldn’t when she knew her brother was in a dangerous place. She wasn’t sure if the rumors about the werewolves in the South were true. She didn’t know if she’d believe it, but she wouldn’t be at ease knowing that she and her brother were not together.

What she did to entertain herself was to put on earpieces in her ear, listen to the songs on her phone and gaze at the magnificent view outside the window.

The travel time from Ozirus North to Ozirus South would take five hours if there were no stopovers and traffic. And it was good that she had brought some food with her in case hunger knocked her out.

After five hours and twenty minutes, the bus reached the bus terminal, and Leila had fallen asleep for fifteen minutes already.

Leila moved a bit when she felt someone tapping her shoulder.

“Miss, we’re here.”

Finally opening her eyes, she noticed a middle-aged woman next to her.

“We’re at the bus terminal now. You have fallen asleep. That’s why I woke you up.”

“Thank you.” Leila plastered a shy smile on her face.

She stood up, grabbed her things, and followed the woman heading out first before her. As soon as she stepped foot on the land of Ozirus South, a cold breeze of air embraced her. Though she was wearing a jacket, she still felt the cold. And now she knew why as she roamed her eyes around. The South had several trees with bright, colorful leaves.

Leila didn’t notice her feet dragging her to the other empty road full of fallen dry leaves. She was like walking on a colorful carpet with the trees as her audience. She couldn’t help but admire nature’s beauty in the South.

“I didn’t know the South was a paradise,” she commented with a low voice.

It was far different from the North and Center. As for the East and West, she couldn’t tell since she had never been there even once.

A peeping sound of a motorcycle passing by the road she was walking on caused her to step aside. She then remembered the reason why she was here. She’d admired the South so much that the thought of finding her brother escaped her mind.

Leila glimpsed at her wristwatch. It’s 4:04 p.m. now. Where do I start? I don’t know this place! I’m so stupid!

Grabbing her phone, she dialed Drew’s phone number, hoping this time it’d ring. However, it didn’t. She was about to call him again when a notification message from an unknown number popped on the phone’s screen.

“Hi, Lei. It’s Frank. I got your phone number from Marie. I tried locating your brother’s phone, but I failed since the distance was very far. Why don’t you try it with your phone since you’re maybe in the South now? Maybe it would help.”

After she’d read the message, Leila did what Frank said. She walked around and lifted her phone in the air, looking for a better signal.

“Please, please…”

After less than five minutes of trying, she finally found a better signal. She saw her brother’s phone’s location. It was just a few meters away from where she was standing now.

She walked with haste, following the direction based on the phone. After a while, her forehead creased when she realized she was going to the woods.

“Is this really true? Why would my brother go into the woods?”

“What are you doing?”

Leila jumped in surprise when someone spoke from behind her. Her phone almost slipped out of her hand.

“Gosh, you startled me, Sir!” She held her chest, stepping back to distance herself a bit from the old man.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.” The old man’s voice was serious and strangely sent her a little creep.

“Uhm, I’m just looking for someone.” She plastered an awkward smile.

The old man looked at her from head to toe. “You’re not a Southern, are you? Be careful, Miss, especially when you’re here alone. You don’t know what’s in the South.”

For a moment, she was stunned and confused. She was about to ask what the old man meant to say, but he was far already, like he had disappeared from her sight like a bubble. His words sent shivers down her spine. She couldn’t help but think that the rumors were true.

Leila looked at her phone again and went in the direction pointed by her device. Even if she looked crazy as she was passing by through different grasses and bushes and trees, she didn’t care for the sake of finding Drew.

Finally, she stopped when she arrived at her device’s exact point.

“Drew? Are you here?”

But Drew and his phone were not there.

She wandered a bit and accidentally stepped on something—a black phone. She picked it up and found out it was Drew’s phone. She turned it on, but it ran out of battery. In a split of seconds, it turned off by itself. Now she knew that he was here or had been here.

“Drew? Are you there? Come out now! It’s me, your sister!” Her voice cracked. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you! I promise it won’t happen again! Just come back and don’t leave again!”

Leila slid her phone into the pocket of her jeans and continued searching for him in the woods. She didn’t want to think that he was gone. If werewolves were true, she didn’t want to think he was gone. She felt he was alive. And she wouldn’t stop searching for him.

***

Austin’s eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times as gleams of sunlight hit his face with dry blood from his facial wounds. His face grimaced as he still felt shards of pain stabbing him. While one of his hands touched the grassy ground for support and the other hand held the biggest cut on his side, he tried his best to sit. Yet he couldn’t. He lay back again.

Triston and Brett’s evil faces appeared in his mind. He gritted his teeth in anger. Those bastards! I can’t forgive them!

Remembering the fight, he wished he had shifted. Maybe he wouldn’t end up like this.

Finding it hard to move and get up, he wanted to shout to ask for help, but he didn’t like the idea. For him, that thought seemed cowardly for a strong next-to-be Alpha like him.

He stayed lying for a few minutes to breathe with a slight comfort, although the pain was still present. Later, he decided to ask for help so he wouldn’t be wasting time watching the sky.

“H-help…” His voice wasn’t stable, so he tried clearing his throat. “Anyone there? Help me!” This time, it was good.

Austin observed and listened to his surroundings. He smelled a scent coming nearer.

“Molly? Is that you?” he asked like he was talking with someone invisible.

He knew Molly’s scent and knew it was hers, but he felt something was strange. Molly’s scent began to slow down, and another stronger scent overpowered Molly’s.

The scent was the sweetest and the most flowery he had ever smelled. It was like rain, the sweetest dessert and the most fragrant scent of a flower combined. And for the first time, Austin felt his wolf fight him for control.

It only meant one thing.

“Mate.” It was only in his mind, but the word came out of his mouth. “My mate… It’s my mate!”

And the scent was coming closer and closer and made him go crazy.

Excited to see her, Austin did his utmost best to move and sat up at least. His eyes searched until his world exploded upon seeing the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his entire life.

“Mate…”

The young woman heard his voice and turned in his direction. They were just less than five meters away.

Their eyes met, and both of them found it hard to break, and his heart pounded harder than usual.

“My mate…” His eyes glistened with tears, which he quickly held back.

Before he could move, the lovely gal took one step backward. He knew he was human, but what he and his wolf knew that pricked their heart was the emotions from her deep brown eyes.

Surprise. Discomfort. Sympathy. Fear. Attraction.

And he and his wolf couldn’t claim her yet.

Yet Austin pitied himself because of how terrible he looked in front of his mate. He wished he looked neat and pleasant and didn’t have wounds, blood, or dirt. He also knew this wasn’t the right time to reveal his identity to her. If she’d known, he would’ve freaked out, gotten more scared of him, and avoided him.

When he felt she was leaving, he thought of an idea to make her stay longer at least.

His Adam’s apple retracted. “C-can you help me?”