. 02

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for all the comments you've given me and to apologize for the shortness of the postings. I'm posting by scene because I have a bad habit of going back five chapters ahead and wanting to change something integrally important for the continuance of the story. That being said, most scenes are at least 5-6 pages in Microsoft word or more, and because I'm currently on chapter three, I should be posting scenes fairly regularly as I get them perfected.

Thanks again!

DGN

Great. Just

fucking

great. It wasn't like he needed an injured human on top of all the other shit piled up on his proverbial plate, but there she was, sprawled unconscious on his forest floor with a lump the size of Texas on her fucking forehead. If it was up to him -- and it was because he was Alpha -- he'd simply leave her where she lay and forget he'd ever seen her. It would serve her right for trespassing on his property and then being stupid enough to get herself hurt in the process. But the problem with that was that someone would eventually come looking for her, and that would mean a swarm of humans running amuck in his territory which would seriously piss him off.

He growled in frustration. This was all his sister's fault. If she hadn't been so damn insistent, he wouldn't have even been here this weekend. None of them would have been. But it had been over a year since his pack and hers had gotten together, and she wanted to keep 'connected', plus, she was pregnant and whiney which made him say yes just to shut her up.

Now he wished he hadn't given in so easily. Life would have been so much easier if he was at home taking care of the ever growing mountain of paperwork on his desk. Instead, he had to deal with an injured, unconscious, human female which was not only straining his already aggravated mood, but would probably result in more fucking paperwork.

He scanned the tree line. It didn't take him long to pinpoint his nephew, Kaden, who was standing solemnly nearby, his expression flitting between guilt and concern. How he'd gotten wrangled into babysitting duty, he had no idea, but he was fairly certain it had something to do with his brother-in-law wanting to spend some 'quality' time with his sister. His growl turned into a menacing rumble that had the youth's eyes snapping up and then back down in submission.

"Could you please explain to me what the hell just happened?" he asked, waving a disgusted hand towards his newest source of frustration.

Kaden didn't look up as he spoke but kept his eyes firmly rooted on a spot right in front of his feet. Smart boy. "I was chasing a rabbit when I smelled her on the edge of the forest, so I went to investigate. When she saw me, she took off running, and I guess she tripped and hit her head. I'm really sorry, Uncle Evander. I honestly didn't mean to scare her."

Evander waved off the apology with a mental sweep of his hand. It wasn't the kid's fault. Humans were just stupid that way and had horrible instincts. If Kaden hadn't been there, she would have probably gotten spooked by her own shadow and ended up in the same predicament.

"What was she doing here?"

Kaden shifted uncomfortably under his probing gaze. "Um...peeing?"

"Peeing?"

The boy nodded, his face turning redder than a cherry in July.

"You were spying on her?"

"Well, I hadn't intended to... It just sort of happened that way."

Evander pinched the bridge of his nose in a desperate attempt to fend off the headache that was quickly building up behind his eyes. It would be fun, his sister had said. It would be relaxing and enjoyable and a whole host of other pleasant things. Gods, had she ever been wrong, and he was going to let her know it the moment he saw her if he didn't strangle the life from her first.

"What are you going to do with her, Uncle Evander?" Kaden asked, his quiet voice tinged with concern.

Good question. What was he going to do with her? He couldn't just leave her here. She'd probably die of her own stupidity, and there was that swarm of humans he was trying to avoid. And he wasn't about to take her to the authorities because that would just result in more paperwork that he really didn't want to fill out. He let out a sigh that sounded more like a mix between a huff and a growl. "We'll take her back to the den," he said after a moment of deliberation. "Let the healers patch her up and then figure out what to do with her after that."

He knelt on one knee beside her, fully intent on picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes when her scent wafted to his nose. Mmm. She smelled like moonlight and magic, and secrets yet to be revealed and something... something he just couldn't quite put his finger on, but it was -- he sniffed again, inhaling deeply -

intoxicating

.

His wolf suddenly surged to the surface in response, and it took every ounce of willpower he possessed to force it back down. What the fuck? He hadn't lost control of his wolf since he was a hormonal teenager chasing after his first piece of tail, and even then, he hadn't been affected like this. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him. He could feel his fangs elongating, his skin tingling with the need to shift. What the hell was wrong with him?

His mind went into overdrive trying to come up with a reasonable explanation, but the only one that fit was...

No, it couldn't be.

It was impossible.

She was

human.

His wolf didn't seem to care. Leaning over her, he dragged his nose across her neck, nostrils flaring and eyes glowing greenish gold. It was almost hidden beneath flowery perfume, citrus shampoo, and powder fresh deodorant, but it was most certainly, undeniably there. This woman -- this fragile, injured,

human

woman -- was his

mate

.

Injured.

The reminder had him scooping her up in his arms and dashing off towards the den, leaving a confused Kaden to follow along in his tracks. A myriad of questions began ramming through his brain, but he didn't have time to reflect on any of them. The only thing that mattered right now was getting her to safety.

Gods, she was like a ragdoll in his arms, so limp and lifeless that he was almost afraid she was already dead. Damn it! Why hadn't he realized sooner? He could have had her to the den and healed already if he hadn't wasted so many precious minutes. He picked up the pace, and then slowed down -- just barely - when she let out an agonized moan. His speed was jarring her, and undoubtedly causing her undue pain, but there was no help for it. He

had

to get her to safety

now.

Less than two minutes later, the cabins came into view. The closer he got, the more protective he felt. His wolf hovered right beneath the surface, ready to break free at the slightest provocation, and he knew there'd be no way for him to stop it. A whole mix of emotions, from elation to anger, lust to worry, all had him close to the edge of no return. It gave him a new understanding of why newly mated males were so damn pissy all the time.

He stepped into the clearing and headed straight for his cabin trying, and failing miserably, to ignore the pack members who were outside enjoying the night. A number of heads, both lupine and human, shot up as he sprinted past. He growled a warning, just loud enough to get his point across, and the stares ceased immediately though their curiosity was still a tangible scent on the air.

He stopped abruptly as a figure stepped into his line of sight and growled louder, fully incapable of preventing the sound from emerging from his throat even though his rational mind realized the young female omega was not a threat. She lowered her eyes submissively, and though she was trembling with fear, stepped forward to open his cabin door.

If he'd been able to, he would have thanked her for the kindness. Instead, he rushed inside and headed towards his bedroom. As gently as he could, he lowered her to his bed. It comforted his wolf somewhat to know she was there -- where she belonged -- but it did little to ease his worry. She was so pale and motionless, her chest barely rising and falling with her breath. He didn't want to leave her. Every instinct in his body warred with his good judgment over whether to stay and protect his defenseless mate or to go find help. Thankfully, reason stomped his instincts down in a matter of seconds.

He didn't have to go far. Evander was just opening the door when he literally ran into, or, more accurately, plowed over Mathias, the pack's lead healer. His first instinct was to rip the man's throat out. Healer or not, he was a male near his cabin where his newly found mate lay unconscious. He bared his teeth, his expression feral and every muscle in his body tensing, ready to spring.

Mathias quickly assumed a submissive position, eyes lowering, shoulders slumping.

Not a threat,

his wolf concluded quickly, which allowed his rational mind to leap back to the forefront. "She needs help," he managed to say once he regained control of his vocal cords, and hurried back into the house to be with her.

Mathias followed quietly behind and only entered the bedroom when Evander calmed down enough to give him leave to do so. The healer moved slowly, ever watchful of the Alpha's tenuous mood, and approached the bed where the young woman was sprawled.

Evander had to choke back another growl. He didn't like it. There was only enough room in here for his testosterone level, which was currently skyrocketing through the roof. The addition of Mathias' hormones was enough to make him foam at the mouth.

His mate let out a breathless whimper, snapping him back into the current situation and reminding him of exactly why the healer was there.

"I'm going to need to touch her," Mathias told him, his voice quiet and measured, almost soothing. Evander gave a jerky nod. No wonder there were so few male healers. It would have given him a new appreciation of Mathias' devotion to healing if he hadn't been so wound up. As it was, he was watching the male with a murderous eye, ready to turn his offending hand into a bloody stump should he do anything he didn't like to his female.

Mathias inched closer to the bed, just close enough to touch the unconscious woman's forehead. A pale blue glow immediately encompassed his hand and spread slowly over his patient's face and head. "She's got a severe concussion," he told the Alpha at length, his voice slightly pained.

Evander barely heard him. His eyes were flicking between his mate, whose head wound was already beginning to heal, to Matthias, whose forehead was starting to bruise. The alpha remembered once finding empathic healing fascinating. Right now, however, he just wished the healer would hurry up with the process.

After a good thirty minutes -- which felt like no less than an eternity to Evander -- Mathias broke contact. He was breathing heavily and trembling with exhaustion. "I've done as much as I can, my Alpha," he said in a respectful, though weak, voice. "She still has some bruising and is going to have a headache when she wakes up, but I don't suggest giving her anything for it until you know if she has any allergies."

"Thank you," Evander managed to say, though his eyes were now fixated on his mate's face. The bloody knot that had been there mere moments ago was all but gone now. The only reminder that it had ever existed was a large purple bruise that stretched from her left temple to the middle of her forehead. His wolf calmed down quickly now that she was safe and well, and retreated for the time being to the back of his mind. "How long will she sleep?"

"I can't be sure, my Alpha. It may take her body a while to process the trauma she's just been through. No more than eight hours, I imagine. Maybe less, maybe more."

It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but it was good enough for now. Ignoring the healer, he slid into bed next to his mate and wrapped his arm protectively around her middle. Full body contact gave him a momentary surge of lust, but luckily, it didn't last long. For the moment, he'd be content to hold her. Tomorrow, however, would be a whole different story.