Chapter 3: The Mate

OLIVER POV

"You're the alpha, huh? We're all alphas in some way, I guess," she said smiling. "I run a sanctuary, and you could say I'm the alpha there."

"So you have a sanctuary, huh?" I asked, grinning, "that's pretty cool. That's basically my dream job."

"Yeah, it's mainly wolves we rescue, but we have some animals too, mainly porcupines, squirrels, birds. We have a couple of grizzly bears too. My mom lives there with me. She helps run the place and does most of the office work. She used to work in admin, so she takes care of everything. After I got my Master's in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, my mom and I got together to open this sanctuary. It was either do that or be a game warden."

"I love having my own rescue," she continued, "I'm my own boss, and I do what I love, which is rescue animals. I'm fortunate, honestly. Where do you work? It's bizarre. I haven't seen you around since Wayford is a pretty small town."

"Uh, I just moved here," I stammered, "and my cousins too. This house is my family's vacation house, and it's been in the family for generations. We all had our reasons, but we collectively decided to move up here and start over," I added.

I gauged her for a reaction. The scent of her was driving me crazy. It was all I could smell. Is this what they had meant? I had never felt such an incredible pull towards another being before. It was all-consuming. My heart raced, and I could feel the blood surging through my veins. And the scent of her was all I could smell. My body seemed to be fighting every urge to pounce on her. And all I could feel in my bones and being was something telling me this was my mate. This woman was the one.

My head was swimming, and I noticed a rise in my temperature. I tried to stay in control, but the irresistible pull of her kept me from thinking straight. I tried to stay focused, but my palms were sweating, and I had to shift the way I was sitting so she didn't see the rising bulge in my pants.

I looked at her coyly. Indeed, she must have known it too. But if she did, she said nothing. Jeremy had told me my mate would communicate with me telepathically. So, I tried sending her questions and inquiries and waited. Nothing. Perhaps she didn't sense it yet. But everything in my being told me she was the one. Maybe she was shy. But that still didn't make sense.

"So, it's only you and your mom, huh, no mate?" I asked.

"Mate?" she giggled.

"Yes," I said flatly. I shot her a look. I wanted her to know I was serious.

"Um, no. I haven't had a boyfriend in a really long time. I'm always busy. With the sanctuary, I don't have time for dating. I mean, I am looking if I found the right person." I looked at her intently as she shot me a coy smile. She was so beautiful. She possessed an exquisite beauty with an almost ethereal vibe, with her long, flowing brown hair and dark, deep brown eyes. Her pale white skin over her petite frame contrasted elegantly with her dark eyes and hair. She had delicate, dainty features that gave her an almost fairy-like appearance. And the entire time I watched her for a response, a signal perhaps, to let me know, she knew I was her mate. But it never came.

"So, your family just decided to move, huh?" she asked.

"Yes, my cousins and me. We lived in Fairbanks, but we decided we all wanted something quainter." I couldn't take it any longer. I stood up from the recliner and walked over to her on the opposite side of the couch. I was sitting dangerously close to her.

"Plus, packs have been disappearing everywhere in between Wayford and Fairbanks, and we wanted to know why," I said, looking at her. I knew her response would tell me everything I needed to know.

"Packs? Do you mean, like, wolves? Why would that matter? You never told me where you worked, by the way," she added.

She looked away uneasily. She didn't know. I silently sniffed the air. I wanted to make sure I didn't imagine this. I wasn't. I wanted her so bad.

"I trade Crypto and stuff," I said quickly. There was no way in hell I was going to tell her I was a trust fund wolf shifter. I highly doubted she had a clue I was a wolf. And I don't think she had the slightest hint about her own identity. So, I pressed.

"So, are you from Fairbanks originally? Is your family from Alaska?"

"Yes, both of my parents were born here."

"What tribe are they Inupiaq? Athabascan?"

"Haha, no, we're not Native American. My mom is Italian, and my dad is French. I'm not sure how their families got to Alaska, honestly. I know my mom's family came here in the late 1800s, but I don't know much about my dads' family. Maybe they're from Canada," she said as she smiled at me with her infectious smile; what I would do to that woman.

"Huh," I said, thinking. I didn't want her to know I was confused, but I had many questions.

"My dad died when I was very young," she said quickly, "I don't remember him at all."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"My mom doesn't tell me much about him. It's weird. He's always been clouded in mystery my entire life. I've always wondered if maybe he was like a criminal or something. And I've never met anyone in his family either. I've always thought about doing one of those DNA tests so that I could look for my dad's family. Who knows, maybe I have a sibling or something. This house is nice," she added, "this has to be one of the biggest homes I've ever been in."

"Six bedrooms, eight bathrooms."

"Wow, that's amazing," she said, impressed. I followed her gaze to the front door where my cousin Jeremy was coming in. Jeremy closed the door and turned around to face us. He shot me a look.

'Who's that?' he asked in mind-link.

"Jeremy, this is Rory, Rory, this is Jeremy," I said, ignoring him. Jeremy wasn't fazed and eyed her suspiciously.

'What pack is she from?' I ignored him as Rory waved hello to him.

"Beautiful home," she said to Jeremy.

'So, we're just bringing in random wolves now from other packs?' I finally acknowledged him.

'Wait, so she IS a wolf?' I asked Jeremy. Jeremy shot me a confused look.

'Um, yeah. You okay, man?'

I grinned at him and thought, 'I don't think she knows. If she does, she hasn't addressed it. But I don't think she knows, and I tried throwing hints.'

"What pack are you from?" Jeremy asked impatiently. I rolled my eyes.

"Pack? Is that slang for something?" she laughed uneasily.

"Yes, he means town," I said quickly. I didn't need Jeremy scaring away my mate with his stupidity.

"Fairbanks. I moved here a while ago," she said, standing up. I didn't want her to leave. Not just yet.

"Jeremy was just leaving, right?" I shot him an aggressive look. As the alpha, I was in charge. And I wanted him out.

'She's my mate, you moron, get out.' Jeremy rolled his eyes.

'But she doesn't know she's a wolf. How are you going to tackle that?'

'Don't worry about that, just get out,' I thought viciously.

"I forgot something, so," Jeremy walked over to the coffee table and grabbed the mailbox key, "here it is. Rory, it was nice meeting you." As he turned to leave, he gave me a sympathetic look. 'She reeks of a wolf. Good luck, my man. I'm happy you finally found your mate.'

I watched as he slipped out the front door, quietly closing the door behind him. I caught Rory's eyes watching me out of the corner of my eye. I didn't want her to leave yet.

"Before you go, I want to show you something," I said, standing up. I motioned for her to follow me and led her out of the family room and back into the foyer.

"I think you'll appreciate this," I said as I led her to the hallway leading into the downstairs bedrooms. I flicked on the hallway light to reveal the hallway covered in exquisite paintings. All of the paintings were of wolves.