The Lone Wolf

It felt colder than usual that day, there was a bite to the air that froze his breath and made him draw the scarf around his face and neck a little tighter. There was a storm brewing, and it looked like a bad one. They quite often had snow storms like this in Drayda, the small mountain village he lived on the outskirts of. The kind of storms that you need to prepare for, have canned goods in, and plenty of wood ready for the fire. It could be days or even weeks before he could get supplies again. He just had a few more logs to cut and then he’d be done for the day outside. He almost missed the slight change to the landscape, hurrying to finish before the light started to fade. The first flakes of snow had started to fall, collecting in his dark scruff of a beard. A dark tangle of hair was out of place on the edge of the small clearing, and when he looked closer, a splash of colour became apparent. It appeared to be a red woolen jumper that wrapped the bundle he saw. On further inspection, there were legs and arms and he gasped as he realized it was, in fact, a woman. He didn’t think she was from the village; no one usually came out this way, this was his domain. Whether she was alive or not, he had to find out. Brennan was not a typical Alpha in stature, he was not a small man at 6 foot, but he didn’t have the mass bulk of some of his counterparts. He had lean muscles gained from hard labour borne of necessity, and he knew he still had strength enough. He knew he should probably get in touch with the authorities, but time was of the essence here. A quick check and he could tell that there was breath in her body, although she was ice cold. The red wool was the only thing giving her warmth, a bright jumper she wore with jeans and absurd little ballet pumps that seemed totally inappropriate for the weather and the terrain. Her right ankle was bent at an unnatural angle, but otherwise, he couldn’t see or feel any other obvious injuries. Brennan decided that his priority was to get her somewhere warm. He picked her up and she made no response, not even a groan, which he took to be a bad sign. The quicker he could get her back to the cabin the better, he thought. He quickly gathered up the remaining wood onto the sled and attached it to his belt in precise, practiced movements. Then he gathered up the unconscious form and started back to the cabin, praying the weather would hold.