My Alpha's Wolfless Daughter

Ayla Packing my backpack, I was excited to get out into nature this weekend. It’s been one hell of a week, and I just needed a moment to breathe. I also needed to get my article done. This was also a work trip, but taking pictures of nature never felt like work to me. I’m trying to make it as a freelance writer and photographer, so I can quit my day job and just travel the world. After the sudden death of my mother, this place never felt like home. Deep down I was hoping my father would come back into my life, but it’s been four years and I’ve never seen him. My mom died in a car accident four years ago, just after my 15th birthday. And I’ve been on my own ever since. Neither my mom nor father had any family that I knew about, so it was me and my blue-nose bully named Bluey. I moved out of my father’s house right after the accident, not that he was ever there, and I’ve been on my own. Well, I had to be in foster care, but I was still on my own living in a stranger's house. I didn’t get Bluey until after I could afford a place of my own, which took a few years as I was finishing school. But I did it. I graduated and started working at a law firm as a receptionist. I’ve been there for over a year now and I could buy a small house. Then I adopted Bluey. And it’s just been her and me against the world. Now if only I could get my foot in the door of being a writer. I’d be able to make my own hours and spend more time in nature with Bluey. But for now, the firm pays the bills, and I don’t hate it. It’s just not something that I love. When I was throwing my bags in the back of my vehicle, my phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. “I wonder who that could be?” I asked out loud, talking to Bluey. I already knew who it was before I pulled my phone from my pocket, and saw his name on the screen. “Babe, I’m just leaving now. Bluey and I will be there in 10 minutes to pick you up.” I answered the phone. “Ayla, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it this weekend. Something came up at work and I can’t miss it.” Jordan said. “Jordan, you promised. And this is the fifth time you've canceled on me.” I told him, frustrated. “I know, and I’m sorry, but I can’t leave, baby. You know I would be there if I could.” He said, and I sighed. “Fine,” I breathed out. I won’t argue with him. Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m still with him. “Ayla, don’t be like that. We will make plans when you get back. But I have to go.” He said before ending the call. Pulling the phone from my ear, I stared at the screen before letting out a sigh. “I guess it’s just you and me this weekend,” I told Bluey, closing the back hatch of my vehicle. Bluey jumped into her seat when I opened the door on the passenger side. I buckled her in before hopping into the driver’s seat. “Let’s get a coffee and hit the road. We need to get there in enough time to at least make it halfway to the waterfall before nightfall.” I told her while turning on my vehicle and the SUV purred to life. Bluey curled herself into a ball, resting her head on the console. After picking up a much-needed coffee, I turned onto the highway to start the two-hour journey out of the city and into the nearby mountain range. This drive was always beautiful, and I loved being on the open road. I took the day off so I could get out there and back before the end of the weekend. Resting my hand on Bluey’s head, I let out a sigh. I don’t even know why I even bother with dating or relationships. They all seem to end the same. Jordan and I have been dating for almost a year and whenever I think we are going strong, he cancels, or he picks a fight with me. Sure, he’s hot with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. And he has an impressive body, but you’d think after being together for almost a year, I would feel love for him. I like him, but I know I don’t love him. He’s just filling the boyfriend's void for now and that’s not fair. I think we need to have a long talk about where our relationship is going when I get back home on Sunday. Finally, pulling off the highway, we made our way down a dirt road to where we would start our journey up to the waterfalls. Going up the mountain takes more time than coming back down, so we will camp on our way up and then spend the night at the falls before heading back down. I’ve done this hike before, but never at this time of year and this is private property, so I had to wait for permission. Not that Jim wouldn’t grant me access. He’s been great when I needed new photos, and he was always giving me ideas and pointing me in the right direction. I always wondered how a little old man could keep so much prime land. Not that he was little, the man was built like a house. The land tax alone must be excessive, and I wasn’t even sure what he did for a living. He was sweet and helpful, but vague when talking about himself. But he was always curious about my life, and I got this sense of familiarity from him, but I couldn’t place it. Turning off the dirt road onto a hidden path, I pulled my vehicle behind some thick trees that blocked it from vehicles traveling down the dirt road I just came from. I unbuckled Bluey before hopping out, closing the door behind her after she jumped out. Going to the boot, I retrieved Bluey’s backpack and my own before closing the back and making sure I locked everything up. Before throwing my hikers’ pack over my shoulders, I stuffed my purse in. Noticing my phone, I saw I had a few missed texts from Jordan. Rolling my eyes, I threw my phone in the side pocket of my leggings before pulling out my camera. When I was all ready to go, the pack was sitting comfortably on my shoulders and I did all the straps up. Bluey and I started our hike up the mountain. The sun was high in the sky as we made our way up the trail, which was barely noticeable. This was a dense, untouched forest, and it never ceased to amaze me. The fall colors turned the forest into an autumn wonderland as we hiked higher up. Bluey was wandering in and out of the trees in front of me, enjoying being out of the city. We were both enjoying being away and just hearing the forest made me feel like I was home. I always preferred to be in nature and my mother would take me out as much as she could. After her death, being out here made me miss her less. I felt closer to her, like she was with me. It had been a few hours, and I knew we were getting close to where we would step up camp for the night. I wanted to get everything set up before the sun fell below the trees, but I wanted to make it to the river. Listening to the river always puts me to sleep. I was walking by the cliffs; the river flowing below as we made our way down to the riverbed. Not paying attention, I tripped over something. I cursed before looking behind me to see what I had tripped over. Seeing that it was only a small tree root sticking out of the ground, I shook my head and turned my attention back to the path ahead. I had this eerie feeling of being watched before I entered a small clearing. And when I say small, it was a place in the dense forest that had a few trees missing. It was maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. One step into the clearing I was staring at six naked men. I was confused but also terrified. Being outnumbered, and my gun was in my pack. I brought it just in case, but I’ve seen no one out here. All the men looked young and built with hard, defined muscles. All of them towered over me, and I immediately felt small. One man in the center instantly caught my attention. He was taller and bulkier than the others. He had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. I felt like he was staring into my soul. “Miss, you shouldn’t be here.” One man spoke, and it pulled my attention from the very attractive stranger. “I have permission from Jim to be out here.” I stumbled out, cringing at the sound of my voice. Great, I’m going to die in the middle of nowhere and no one will ever find my body. Not that anyone would look. “Bluey,” I called out, and I heard her coming up to the left of me. She entered the clearing, coming over to stand in front of me. “You said Jim gave you permission to be out here?” Mr. Dreamy Blue Eyes asked me. And even his deep voice was incredibly sexy. “That’s right. Umm, did I interrupt something?” I said, finding the trees behind them very interesting, and I could feel my face heating up. Still facing in their direction but not looking directly at them, I shuffled to the other side of the clearing, with Bluey panting beside me. “Sorry for the interruption. You guys have fun.“ I said before disappearing into the trees on the other side, in the direction that I was originally heading in. I was walking faster than before, trying to put as much distance between myself and them as possible. What the hell did I stumble upon? Yes, they were all sexy, but maybe it was some kind of s****l thing? Why else would they have been naked in the middle of nowhere? Even though I didn’t fear they would kill me, all of them could have taken me for a ride. And I would be okay with that. “What the hell was that?” I asked Bluey, not that she could answer me. I probably should have stopped to pull my gun out of my pack, but for some reason, I didn’t feel unsafe. Not sure why, you would think that growing up in a city, I would be leery of everyone, especially a group of men. I must be losing my damn mind. Bluey and I finally found the clearing that met the riverbed. I was exhausted and starving and thankful to put this pack down. What the hell did I bring that was so heavy? Setting down my pack, I knelt to get some water while Bluey came panting over to me. I pulled out her water dish and filled it up for her. “Go find some sticks,” I told her after taking her bag off for her. I’m not sure whether she’ll listen, but she wandered away from me while I dug out the tent and the lantern. I’m glad the tent is just a small pop-up; it was easy to set up. After it was all set up, I rolled out my sleeping pad and then my sleeping bag. And now the sun was setting behind the trees, and I was thankful the fire pit was still where I built it last time I was out here. “Bluey,” I called out, and she came running through the trees with one stick in her mouth. At least she brought me one. “What a good girl! Now let’s go find some more.” I praised her, patting her head. It took about an hour to get the fire going and to make sure I had enough wood before the sun went down. It was getting cold, so I put on more clothing, and I even brought a sweater for Bluey. When we were both cozy and sitting by the fire, I pulled out some beef jerky and a couple of granola bars. It was finally time to relax and watch the stars. If we were lucky, we may actually see some northern lights. “Bluey, what should I do about Jordan? I know you like him and sure he’s okay. And it helps that he doesn’t charge me for your visits, but I don’t feel sad thinking about him not being in our life.” I told her. I was sitting cross-legged beside the fire. Bluey was lying with her head in my lap. I knew she couldn’t speak back to me, but I also found that talking to her made me feel better. Just saying my problems to her would help me understand what I needed to do. And I feel like I have just wasted a year of my life on someone who I didn’t see a future with. Jordan made me happy when he was around, but was he someone I wanted to share these moments with? No. And if he wanted to share them with me, he would be here. Bluey lifted her head. Looking behind me, she let out a growl. I heard a twig snap behind me, and I whipped around to see three naked men walking up to my camp. All of them seemed to be in rough shape. Scars covered their bodies, and they were scruffy-looking. I could immediately smell them, and they needed a shower. Bluey bared her teeth in warning, causing them to laugh, as I stood up from where I was sitting. I immediately regret not pulling out my gun now. I didn’t get the same feeling around these men as I did the others. These men were dangerous, and I was terrified. “Now, look who we have here, and she’s all alone.” One chuckled. Stepping around the fire, I grabbed Bluey by her sweater as I moved back, away from them. I had to think of a plan quickly or I knew they would kill me. “What do you want?” I stuttered out, hating that my voice betrayed me. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here all by yourself? And in Wolf country, no less. Don’t tell me you have a death wish?” Another spoke. Wolf country? I’ve never seen a wolf out here, and I was no stranger to the area. “I have permission to be here.” My voice came out a little braver. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life. In the city, at least someone would hear you scream, but out here there was no one. “At least one of us does.” The third one taunted. I backed up until my back hit a tree and they circled me. Bluey was growling, trying to get away from me, but I knew these men would kill her if they got the chance. “Kill the dog. Let’s have some fun with her before we rip her throat out.” One man commented. In a blink of an eye, Bluey was ripped from my grip, and I was thrown to the ground with a thud, bouncing my head off the ground. My vision blurred before I felt something heavy on my chest and my top was ripped open, the cold air hitting my chest. I let out a scream when something sharp cut down my chest and stomach. I could hear Bluey barking, but it was the earth-shaking growl that brought me back to my senses. The heaviness lifted off my chest but was replaced with a burning sensation as something sharp ripped horizontally across my stomach. “Bluey,” I called out, rolling onto my side, holding my stomach. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out what I thought were wolves fighting. Bluey, licking my face, pulled me from the chaos happening around us. “Bluey,” I panted out before my vision went black.