Chapter 2: The Alpha

RORY POV

I frowned as he offered his hand to me. Blinking in shock, I grabbed his hand gingerly, and he helped me sit up. Who was this beautiful man, and where did he come from? I quickly looked around and tried to remain calm, scanning the trail and the surrounding forest for the wolves.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded frantically and ran my hands and fingers over my torso and thighs to ensure I was unharmed. I hadn't felt being bitten, but I wanted to ensure I was in one piece. There was pain shooting up from my knee area, but I gathered myself and stood up, brushing the dirt and spruce needles off of my black leggings.

"That was a close one," he said quietly. I looked up from my brushing and cocked my head as I wondered where he had come from. I had not seen him approach the wolves or me, and I certainly did not hear anyone scare the white wolf away. It was almost like he appeared from thin air. But that wasn't possible. There had to be an explanation.

But more importantly, why did I feel this uncontrollable connection to him? He was attractive sure, but it was more than that. It was an intense feeling that I needed him, and I needed him on me. I had never felt anything like that before, and it was such an intense feeling. For some reason, I trusted him. I felt safe. And it wasn't because he had just saved my life either. It was a different feeling. I felt something unexplainable that flowed throughout my entire being, almost like a small voice urging me to be with this man forever.

"I didn't see you. Did you scare those wolves away? I appreciate it. You pretty much saved my life," I said finally, "I can't thank you enough," I added. I finally looked at him. Now that my life wasn't in complete danger, I could bask in this man's beauty. He was tall, with sharp facial features. He had piercing grey-blue eyes, a strange color I had never seen before. And his muscular frame nearly popped out of the tight white shirt he was wearing. I had never seen this man before, and I would have remembered him. You didn't see buff, handsome men in Wayford. Hell, you didn't even see men that looked like this in Fairbanks. He had a perfectly chiseled jawline and high cheekbones. He had the type of face people paid for. I was smitten, but I tried to keep my composure. My legs and body were still quivering in fear.

"Look, my house is only a few minutes of a walk from here. You have a scrape on your leg. We should clean that," he said, motioning to my knee. I looked down and saw an abrasion on the side of my leg near my knee. That would explain the feeling of pain I had felt earlier.

"I have a first aid kit. I should be fine," I stammered, but even as I said it, I was secretly grateful he was offering. I needed a moment to calm my nerves down and rest for a moment before I started back down the hill. And I was curious as to why I was so drawn to this man. It certainly wasn't just his good looks. There was something else. Maybe if I spent a few more minutes with him, I could figure it out.

"Nonsense, we will clean that up, and let you rest for a few minutes, then I'll take you back down the mountain. I have a quad, and we can ride down the hill." My eyes lit up at the thought of a ride.

"Okay, you've convinced me," I said smiling, "a ride down the mountain sounds pretty amazing right now." He smiled back and turned around, motioning for me to follow him down the trail. I noticed he had the most irresistible butt I had ever seen on a man. Where did this man come from, and where had he been hiding all these years? I had never seen a man like this in Wayford.

We walked down the trail in silence. True to his word, a few minutes later, he motioned for me to follow him off the main trail and down a narrow path towards the northern side of the mountain. I had passed this small side trail before and had assumed it was for hunters. We followed the path down for a few minutes until it led down the mountain to a small stream. We crossed the stream, and as we continued walking through the dense spruce forest, we came upon a wooden fence. I glanced to see a massive stone house beyond the fence, barely contained in the small clearing in the woods. There didn't seem to be any roads or driveways leading in, which was odd, but maybe there was a road on the other side of the house outside my view.

He pulled out his keys, unlocked a padlock on the fence, and then pushed a door in.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he said, grinning. I clenched my fists to contain myself. Every time this man spoke, chills and tingles went up and down my body. He licked his lip and bit it as he motioned me in, and for a brief second, I told myself I didn't care what this man did to me. Usually, I didn't go to strangers' houses, but I felt safe with this man. Something told me I could trust me. And those piercing eyes were gentle. Even his voice was smooth. I felt like I had known him for years, not for just a few minutes.

He closed the gate behind me, and I ran my eyes over his pristine physique. How did he have such a perfect body? He possessed broad shoulders, tan, sun-kissed skin, and judging by the way the shirt clung to his stomach, and he probably had a killer set of abs. Watching him closely, I followed him up the short path towards the massive stone mansion with its enormous stone courtyard. I looked up to see two stories, with at least a dozen windows. I didn't even know Wayford had a house like this.

The man turned to me and grinned as he opened the front door. I noticed that the door was unlocked.

"I'm Oliver, by the way. I was so concerned to get you out of that area I didn't even think to introduce myself."

"Rory," I said smiling, "it's totally fine. That was really scary." I followed him inside. The inside of the mansion was beautiful. It had a Mediterranean-style vibe with luxurious rugs, antique-looking paintings, and two picturesque stone statues in the entryway. There was a grand staircase directly in front of us in the foyer, with a large living room to the left and some sort of family room or maybe a second living room to the right.

"Come," he said, turning towards the left living room, "let's get that wound cleaned up. Go ahead and sit on the couch, and I'll grab some water and something to clean that wound."

"Oh, that's fine. I have some alcohol wipes in my first aid kit and my water bottle," I insisted. He had already saved my life; I didn't want to be a burden. I sat down on the plush velvet couch and retrieved the first aid kit from my backpack. Oliver sat across from me, and I squirmed. Why was my body aching for his touch? I desperately wanted him to come and touch me. I wanted to run my hands all over his muscular body and stare into those grey-blue eyes. I needed to keep it together.

Retrieving the wipes out of my first aid kit, I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I cleaned the wound. He was watching me intently. I swallowed as I tried to keep the uncontrollable desire to touch him out of my head.

"Where did you come from anyway? I didn't see you show up," I said finally.

"I guess I was at the right place at the right time. Do you always hike alone?"

"No, not always. I've just been so busy with work lately that I needed an escape, you know? I run TAAS, The Alaska Animal Sanctuary. Have you heard of it?" He shook his head. I frowned in surprise. The small town of Wayford only had a few establishments, the store, the post office, and my sanctuary. It was odd for anyone living in the vicinity to have never heard of TAAS. He must have seen the look of puzzlement on my face because he smiled.

"You look surprised, but I'm new to this area. I just moved to Wayford."

"Oh, that makes sense. Why do you think the wolves came at me like that? They were so aggressive. It was strange. I rescue a lot of wolves; in fact, they take up most of my sanctuary. I've never seen wolves behave like that before. And then a bigger one showed up out of nowhere. He was pure white. He stood over me, and they just disappeared. It was so weird. Then you showed up. Did the big wolf just run away when you approached?"

"He knew to run away," Oliver said, shrugging, "he knew I was an Alpha."