Alpha of the Ranch

The Date

Victoria pulled her truck to a stop a little outside of town. She was very hesitant when Oliver told her coordinates instead of giving her an address, but decided she was going to just go with it. It was still early enough to where being on the edge of town wasn’t too dark and creepy. She had no intention of staying long enough for it to get that way either.

Just ahead she could see Oliver in his casual outfit and gave an appreciative grunt to herself. Every time he’d stopped by the ranch he was in some business casual outfit with slacks and a button down. He looked good in it, but she thought his casual appearance was just as good if not better. He wore black jeans that were ripped at the knees and sat low on his hips. His shirt was a great fit that allowed her to picture the muscles underneath with fair accuracy. With the cooler weather, he’d pulled on one of his long sleeve button downs over his shirt, but left it open. Overall, he looked fantastic and Victoria took a moment to wipe the drool from her mouth before stepping out of the truck.

Oliver had turned to look at her when he heard the truck pull up. She made her way over to him and watched the smile stretch across his face. Save for the time she whacked him with a stick, he was always so excited to see her. It made her heart soar when his green eyes lit up in excitement as he looked at her and she couldn’t stop herself from being excited by him too. It just made her more resolved to follow these feelings and give him a fair chance.

She stopped a little in front of him. “So…our date is on the edge of the woods? Odd choice.” She glanced around at the tall trees.

Oliver rolled his eyes, the grin never leaving his face. “No. Our date is in the woods. Obviously.” he gave a chuckle.

She turned to the forest again. Looking closer, she could now see a small path a few feet away from them. She assumed they were planning to follow it. “Well,” she started, glancing back at him. “Lead the way.”

They walked for a few minutes down the trail in a comfortable silence. Victoria enjoyed just taking in the sights and sounds of nature as they traveled deeper down the path. The light broke through the trees at various intervals, giving soft light and bathing them both in bright glows. Eventually, Oliver stopped and turned back to her. He still had his grin on his face, though Victoria thought she saw a hint of nervousness.

“It’s just this way.” he said, and veered off the main path. She followed him, her curiosity growing. A few feet in and she had to stop again.

The trees broke and opened into a large meadow. Even this late, with fall so close, it was filled with small flowers. There was a small pond off to the left reflecting the sun and glistening in the light. Straight ahead, Victoria spotted a small cabin. It was very rustic and beautiful, its wooden exterior calling her. The roof looked thatched with a chimney on top. She could see a small pile of wood off to the side, just ready for winter nights. The whole scene excited her.

Looking over, she could see Oliver watching her. His nervousness seemed to have faded and he looked at her with enjoyment in his eyes.

“I’m glad to see you like it.” he said, his grin back again.

“I love it.” Victoria whispered, looking back at the wonderland before her. “I never even knew this was here. How’d you find it? It’s gorgeous.”

Oliver shrugged at her. “I was told about it. I don’t think it gets much use anymore, but I came out and cleaned it up for us to hang out in. Want to go inside?”

She gave an enthusiastic nod and moved after him towards the cabin. The door was unlocked and as he pushed it open she got a smell of wood smoke and meat. She could see from the outside that the cabin was small, but inside it felt luxurious. There was a wood burning stove, a sofa, and a round coffee table in the living room area. The small kitchen held a stove and fridge and a few cabinets to hold food. A window over the sink allowed her to look behind the cabin and see more meadow that slowly slipped back into thick woods. Stairs led up to a small loft she assumed was for sleeping. This whole thing felt like a fairy tale.

“This is amazing.” she mumbled, stepping closer into the room. She turned to Oliver. “How’d you manage to snag this for a date?”

He gave another shoulder shrug. “I know people who are kind enough to do me favors.”

She could only grin at him. “Well, I hope you pass along how thankful I am to them.”

“Will do. So, do you want to explore while I make us some dinner?”

Victoria had made her way over to a bookshelf built into the wall and was running her hand along the spines when he said that. She turned to him. “You’re making dinner?”

He laughed. “Of course. Why else would we be out here?”

“I don’t know. I figured we’d relax and eat take out and enjoy nature out here. You really are going all out, Mr. Hemming.”

Oliver closed his eyes, savoring the way she said Mr. Hemming. His wolf was a fan of it too, he noticed. He opened them again, smiling. “You said this was my one shot. I want to make sure I put in as much effort as I can. You never know. It might earn me a second shot.”

Victoria rolled her eyes and turned back to the books. She heard him chuckle behind her. “I’m going to get started. Feel free to explore while you wait.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. Victoria immediately set about checking things out, from the wood burning stove to the walls. Something about everything in here felt personal and loved. It seemed as if someone had put a lot of effort into building this cabin and it wasn’t just a quick construction.

As the smell of meat and veggies began to fill the air, Victoria made her way through the back door and into the yard outside. With a better view of it all, she could see a small area to the side that was clearly once a garden. Now overrun with weeds and overgrowth, she could imagine how it once was a thriving addition to whoever lived there. She moved closer to inspect it and noticed a sign hanging on the gate to the area. It had been etched on with a wood burning pen.

For my light, who always moves me to be better

Victoria smiled despite herself. It was a very cute dedication and the love showed in the garden, the cabin, and the entire setting. She took in a deep, calming breath, closing her eyes and savoring the moment. She hadn’t had time to stop and enjoy the world around her in so long.

A nearby sound made her open her eyes. She peered past the garden and thought she saw something just inside the treeline. Concerned it was a bear, she started to make her way back into the cabin to avoid it. Two things happened while she moved; the wind shifted a cloud and the sun’s rays spread in that direction and the creature stepped forward a bit. And then, she saw it was actually a wolf.

The reddish-brown wolf watched her from afar, clearly a little hesitant. Victoria figured the food smell coming from the still open back door was what drew it in and it didn’t think it would cross paths with a human. She wasn’t particularly afraid of it; working on a ranch she had learned to fake confidence with animals long ago. She also had run into a few wolves in her years. She was certain they were hanging around to pick off any weak or stray animals on the ranch, but she’d done a lot to deter them and hadn’t seen them around much anymore.

But this wasn’t her home. It belonged to the wolf much more than it did her. She assumed the animal would turn away and search for something small and weak to hunt since it ran into a person blocking its route to food. But still it stood there, watching her as if it was waiting for her to talk. She put her hands on her hips.

“I don’t have anything for you, friend.” she said in a normal voice. “This isn’t even my place. And even if it was, I probably wouldn't feed you anyway. Wouldn’t want to encourage you to depend on people for food. That’s how you’ll get yourself killed. Why not go and hunt for something? I’m sure your mamma taught you that, didn't she?”

The wolf c****d its head as if it was listening to her, then slowly took a few more steps towards her. Victoria was shocked. “Hey! You’re supposed to turn around. Tuck tail and run!” she shouted. “Coming closer to me might get you killed! You don’t know what I have.”

Still, the wolf moved closer, body low to the ground and ears flat. If she was honest, it looked a little pathetic with its small frame.

“What’s the matter? You haven’t had any luck hunting? Planning to domesticate yourself for survival?” She chuckled at herself as the wolf stopped a little out of her reach and laid flat on its side. It stretched its head forward, baring its neck and exposing its belly. Victoria wasn’t sure, but she thought this was a sign of submission. “Or just begging for belly rubs?” she mumbled to herself. Still, she wasn’t going to risk getting too close to a wild animal. She knew better. Instead she squatted down where she was and took in this odd behavior. “You think I’ll take pity on you because you’re cute?” she scoffed. “I mean, you’re right, but you don’t need to know that.” she against her better judgement while the wolf's eyes seemed to lighten.

The odd, but enjoyable moment was suddenly broken by the loudest, deepest growl Victoria had ever heard in her life. The sound and force of it coming from behind her had her whipping around, tossing herself off balancing and falling on her behind. The wolf had jumped up, ears pressed back and teeth bared in a growl. They both looked towards the open doorway to see Oliver. His face was distorted with anger, his chest heaving as he took in loud breaths and she could see that his whole body was vibrating. But it was his eyes and made her breath catch in her throat. His eyes had turned from their beautiful jade green to an animalistic orange.

And as she tried to process everything she was seeing with him, the wolf next to her, and the complete insanity of it all, she watched as his mouth opened wider than should be humanly possible and he let out another massive growl.