Alpha Gideon’s deception

Meeting Samuel

The bear roars loudly and angrily, and for a split second, Jesse assumes this is the creature’s battle cry, a call to challenge her. Temporarily letting go of the branch, she adopts a defensive stance, getting ready to roll over and fight. Then, she realizes the bear isn’t looking at her as it was before. It’s staring over her shoulder, focusing on something right behind her.

Noises are coming from that direction, the sound of another creature getting closer and closer. The bear freezes in its movements, ignoring her momentarily. It looks guarded, defensive, somewhat scared.

Suddenly, a creature emerges from the trees behind her, snapping tree branches as it bursts out of the scrubs violently. The animal is moving so fast, it looks almost like a black shadow. It moves too fast to recognize any of the finer details, but she can see it’s big, larger than the bear itself. Suddenly, the creature howls loudly, returning the bear’s prior roar — a sound Jesse immediately recognizes. Relief washes over her, fear evaporating. It’s the call of a werewolf, coming to her defense.

The wolf sets off high into the air, jumping over her head and landing in the water, mere meters away from the bear’s position. A fight ensues almost immediately. The wolf lunges at the bear’s side, strategically maneuvering it away from her, biting and scratching its opponent's belly and side. In response, the bear lashes out viciously, slashing the wolf's fur with its sharp claws. Blood gushes, but not much damage is done — the wolf barely flinches.

Eyeing up the werewolf, Jesse can tell it's most likely an Alpha; it's much larger than average, it's resilient and strong, delivering powerful blows to the bear. Judging by its magnificent size, it's most likely a male wolf.

He has beautifully dark, luscious fur, but what captures her attention the most are the eyes. They have a bright purple hue, a very rare color for a werewolf. Jesse has never met another wolf with purple eyes before. Amethyst, her wolf, always stood out from the crowd as the only one with such a striking eye color. Looking at this wolf, she can suddenly understand why others are so awed by it. It looks truly magnificent.

Hearing the wolf whine softly as the bear claws him up snaps Jesse back to reality. She’s just been standing idly by, staring at the stranger as he is fighting to defend her. That won’t do. Even in her fragile human state, she can still assist her rescuer as best as she can.

Calmer now, she reaches back up to grab the branch once again, bending it at first, then finally breaking it off. She heads closer to the center of the lake, where the fight is occurring. Grabbing onto the branch firmly, she rests it against her shoulder like a bat. Wading through the water, she hides behind the bear’s heavy back, unnoticed as the predator is solely focused on the wolf in front of it. Mustering up all the strength she can summon, Jesse swings the branch towards the bear's head, hitting it right in the middle of its skull.

She jumps away quickly, wading through the water back towards the shore as she can see the bear getting unsteady on its feet. It is waddling a little. The blow was not hard enough to take the bear out, but it has made it dizzy and disorientated, unable to focus on its attacker. Seizing the moment, the wolf jumps against it with his full might, pushing the creature over. It tumbles onto its back, splashing the water as it scrambles to get back up again, but its reflexes aren't fast enough. It is still on its back, vulnerable and exposed, when the wolf dives in, biting and slicing open the bear’s neck.

The water turns red, the color of diluted blood, as the bear finally loses consciousness. Jesse stares at the lifeless body, feeling somewhat dazed. The fight was over so quickly, too quick to comprehend. Only mere moments away she was in mortal peril; the adrenaline is still rushing through her veins, a sensation that is now utterly useless. She’s fine. She’s safe.

Whoever this wolf is, he just saved her life from certain death.

Turning towards her rescuer, she reaches out to pet the blood-stained thick black fur. “Thank you.”

She steps back, giving him some space. The wolf starts to shift into his human form. As she watches him curiously, he slowly turns into one of the most handsome men she's ever seen.

His eyes grow bigger, long lashes framing them as the purple gradually changes into a vibrant blue. The black fur withdraws to shoulder-length hair in the same shade, but with slight waves, wet locks falling in front of his eyes. He's tall, perhaps a full head taller than her, with a slim build. His body is shaped like that of Michelangelo’s David. His shoulders are broad, his muscles defined, but his physique is lean — the body shape of an athlete, not a bodybuilder. The perfect triangle shape at the top, trailing down towards his hips, his butt pert and round.

He’s her type in every way.

Having just shifted, he’s fully naked. It’s a common occurrence in werewolf communities to see one another naked; it often happens when people shift in groups. The norm is to pretend not to avert your gaze and give the other some privacy. Pretend not to notice. But this time, she struggles to adhere to those unwritten social rules. She can't tear her eyes away from him, staring at his body somewhat unabashedly. He’s just too beautiful.

He doesn't seem to notice, seeming more preoccupied with her injury. He takes a few steps closer, giving her leg wound a worried look — it’s still gushing blood.

“Are you okay? Did that bear hurt you?”

His voice is soft, gentle, full of genuine concern. Jesse is taken in by how sincere he seems to be. His remark helps to break her stare, shifting her focus towards the aching in her leg.

“I’m okay. Nothing a bandage won't fix. Are you okay? Did the bear get to you?”

She looks at him guiltily, noticing the scratches and cuts where the bear slashed his skin. He put his life on the line for hers and he doesn't even know her.

He gives her a gentle smile, waving off her concern. “It's just a scratch. I’m an Alpha, I heal quickly.”

His brow furrows slightly as he eyes her.

“Why didn't you shift? That bear would have killed you. Why didn't you use your wolf?”

Jesse hesitates. She has barely processed the loss of Amethyst herself. She isn't ready to talk about it, let alone a total stranger. But she knows she owes him an explanation; he put his life on the line for her; the least she can do is share the reason why. She falls silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

The man looks over at her expectantly, his gaze focused on her. It feels like he’s waiting for more than just an explanation, like he's waiting for her to do… what, exactly? She's not sure, but she can feel the tension hanging heavy in the air.

Jesse is about to confess to the stranger that her wolf has gone, when she hears a sound coming from the other side of the narrow lake. Someone is yelling something. She spins around, surprised by the sudden interruption, and sees the figure standing on the other shoreline. Broad, short, wearing a T-shirt that fits too tightly around the chest. Gideon. She doesn't know how he got here, but it's him for sure.

“Jesse? Is that you? Are you okay?”

She holds back a sigh. The tension has been broken; the moment with the beautiful stranger is gone. The loud interruption is an unwelcome distraction, an unpleasant reminder of the stress she was trying to escape earlier this morning. But he’s her mate, she knows she can't ignore him. Raising her voice, she yells back.

“I’m okay! I got attacked by a bear, but I’m safe!”

Gideon stands with his arms folded, unmoving, waiting for her. She thinks he looks agitated, but it's hard to tell for sure from this distance. “Come here! I need to see you're fine!”

The stranger coughs gently to get her attention. “Your…friend?”

Jesse bites her lip. “My mate. I’d better get over there.”

The stranger’s eyes widen as she mentions the word ‘mate’. He looks shaken up for a moment.

Jesse is not quite sure why it triggers him the way it does — but he looks as if he can't believe what she just told him.