The Rise of the Alpha

18

Initially unsure how to respond to the information Sarah shared, Xavier plopped down in his corner of my mind, but I internally thanked the Moon Goddess for the fact that my village had such a caring, knowledgeable, in-tune-with-her-witchy-side healer. We really were lucky to have her with us and on our side!

"Alright, it's your turn now," she said. "Spill it! What happened?"

As my mind went back to the events I'd witnessed, the distinct desperation and acute fear that had overtaken my being came trickling slowly back, reminding me that yes, I did save my mate from certain d.eath Before proceeding any further, though, I inhaled a breath of warm, night air deeply into my lungs then released it nice and slowly. "Well ... it started with me minding my own business searching for a few limbs and some kindling to restock my stash, I began to explain, then from there, I recounted my side of the harrowing tale in full, vivid detail.

By the end of it all, she was in tears! It wasn't my intention to make her cry; the details were, unfortunately, not very pretty. "Wow, Jay ... you're her savior," she praised me, using her fingertips to brush away the remnants of tears from her cheeks. "You truly saved her life."

"Yeah ... well ... I couldn't just not step in when I saw her fall, y'know?" I replied. "Besides, it wasn't all me. I didn't bring her back to life. That was you and your goddess."

"Yeah, but you pulled her from the water," she pointed out, f.ollowing it up by letting loose a sleepy yawn.

Her yawning made me yawn as well, only I paired mine with a stretch of my arms above my head in reiteration of how exhausted both my body and my mind were feeling. They needed their rest, of course, but I doubted it would be coming so easily to me tonight. Nope – I don't see myself sleeping in peace until I'm able to hear my mate's voice again. That terrified, lung-splitting s.cream on the way down just isn't gonna cut it, damn it!

Stifling another yawn, Sarah drew me closer to her, affording me silent, much-needed comfort (even if only for a moment or two). "Well, Hon ... I can promise you this – I've done everything within my limits for the girl. Now, it's up to her." She paused for a few moments…and since I felt there was a bit more that she wanted to tell me, I pressed her for more information, to which she relented and revealed that she'd had to block an attempted vision ofmy mate.

Huh! Strange, chimed my wolf, his ears pointed in heightened interest.

"So … what's that mean?" I inquired in addition.

"It means someone's actively looking for her," she answered without missing a beat, giving way to a flood of imagined scenarios in my mind.

"Someone's trying to find her...," I repeated her words, averting my gaze to the expanse of forest ahead that stretched for miles.

"I'm of the opinion that yes, there's definitely someone attempting to locate her ... which is why I blocked the vision," she explained. "Something within me told me to intercede, and you know I'm the type to listen to my body when it speaks so clearly. Truth be told, I wasn't sure if the vision was coming from someone who meant her harm or otherwise, so better safe than sorry, right?" She paused for a few moments to look toward the sky in what I perceived to be recollection, then averting her sight back to me, she continued. "Y'know, now that I'm sitting here analyzing it, I'm thinking it's her nail trimmings that are the reason why that vision even tried to come through to begin with. Typically, one must possess something that belongs to someone else before they're able to accept or reject an attempted vision of them, so it just makes sense that those trimmings are the possible link. Maybe I should hang on to 'em just in case the person who attempted that vision tries again." I sort of understood where she was coming from, as over the years I'd learned a thing or two because she'd mentioned a thing or two.

A blocked vision, Xavier restated, pairing it with a chilling, possessive growl. Even I, myself, wasn't quite sure how to feel about some random being's attempt to find my mate; what I knew for certain was that going forward, Xavier and I will be protecting her at all costs. We'll do anything in our power to see to that! After a couple of more minutes of chit chat, I asked Sarah if I could stay the night, and to my expectation, she agreed.

"It's only because you're her mate," she clarified her reasoning, then she hopped up and gestured for me to do the same. "It might actually do her a bit of good to have you nearby, now that I'm thinking about it … because as she comes back to us, she might be able to feel your presence which, in turn, could potentially make all the difference in the world."

"Thank you!" I gushed wholeheartedly, then I dashed over to my house, changed into some dry clothes, grabbed my pillow and a blanket, and raced back to Sarah's. She hadn't yet moved from our spot, but as soon as she saw me, she stood and led the way inside. Upon entering, she made a beeline for her bedroom and emerged a minute later carrying a wadded-up bundle of bedding. "Make yourself comfortable in any room except for mine," she joked with a cheesy smile as she handed the stuff over, then she excused herself back to her room for the night...but not before letting me know that I was welcome to whatever drinks and food she had on hand.

I thanked her profusely for all she had done, then on my own at last, I tiptoed to the medical wing and ever so carefully turned the knob to let myself in. My sweet mate was now lying in the bed, her tantalizing scent filling my nostrils even more than it had done before. The thought of her occupying the same confined space as me had me practically salivating, however I casted aside the thoughts consuming both my wolf and myself and went about making my pallet on the floor beside her bed.

Before calling it a night, I took a long, hard look at the unconscious beauty wrapped in the comfort of her warm blanket then grabbed her hand and held it tight. "I'm here, mate ... whatever the hell your name is. And I'm not going anywhere, either," I vowed in a soft whisper, then I brought that soft hand to my lips and kissed the back of it in the type of old-school fashion that I remembered seeing my father display so often with my mother. It was bound to be a hell of a night for both my mate and myself, but simply knowing that she was within arms' reach of me was enough to comfort both my worried wolf and my weary soul.