Loving Her Alpha

3. The Rescue

Early the next morning, Everly awoke with a start, hearing loud voices nearby. Blinking slowly to clear the sleepy haze, she raised her cloaking, prepared for whatever was coming. She didn’t want to be caught off guard and have her secret accidently revealed. It was much colder than Everly realized and she was damp all the way through her clothes. Her ankle was throbbing. If she wasn’t careful, between the ankle, her wet clothes, and the dropping temperature, things could get dangerous. A few minutes later, a couple of attractive men and a woman approached her little camp site.

The woman spoke, “Mam? We smelled the fire and were concerned that someone might be hurt and caught in the storm. Do you need help? We own a small hunting lodge not far from here and we could help you to safety to ride out the storm. Seems like it’s getting worse.”

Sitting up, Everly waved at the group and nodded, “That would be great! I was out here trying to track the storm for my graduate school studies, but slipped, fell down a hill or something, and twisted my ankle.”

While Everly’s cloaking was up so they would be unable to sense her magic, she knew immediately they were supernatural beings. Their aura screamed werewolf, but they could be Lycans. Nonetheless, the shelter would be great and it’s unlikely she would be in trouble with their Alpha. These days, witches were generally on good terms with other magical creatures, unless there was some specific grudge or something. Plus, these wolves would have to be pretty in-tune with magic to pick up on Everly’s power, and the general rank and file werewolf was not. Lots of brawn, immense loyalty, some real pretty men, fierce fighters, and intense lovers, but not a ton of brains generally—unless you were dealing with a ranked member, which these guys were not.

Still, it would be safe enough and certainly safer than waiting in her makeshift cave through the blizzard. Everly stood up and caught her balance before rolling up her sleeping bag and shoving it into her pack. “I’m Everly. Thanks so much for helping me.”

“It’s our pleasure,” the woman assured her, “you look like you could use a warm shower and some food. Would it be ok if I carried your pack? Promise I’m trustworthy.”

Everly grinned, “yes, please. Just be careful. I have some sensitive tech in there. I track storms which is why I got stuck out here.”

The woman nodded, “I’ll be careful.”

Everly swayed a bit, trying not to put too much pressure on her ankle. Noticing her condition, one of the guys stepped forward, “My name is Jake. Would you like a ride?” The biggest of the three knelt down, and motioned towards his back.

Everly grinned, “That would be great. I haven’t taken my boot off yet, but my ankle is pretty sore.”

“Climb on. I’m stronger than I look,” Jake commented with a little wink. He was definitely cute, and a little bit flirty, which Everly found flattering in spite of her messy condition.

After about 45 minutes, a large lodge appeared, situated beautifully in front of a large mountain. There were several out buildings and garages. The whole place was surrounded by well-developed forest and it looked like something from a storybook—especially covered in snow, with the warm glow emanating from the windows. The wind continued to increase as they walked and by the time they reached the lodge Everly was freezing, in spite of the warmth seeping through Jake’s back. Another sign to Everly that these were werewolves. The heat was a telltale indication. Plus, they were all wearing coats, but hardly dressed for the blizzard otherwise.

The group hadn’t said much on the walk, just exchanged some furtive glances like there was something about which they were nervous. Everly didn’t read too much into it. They were the ones offering the shelter. Once inside, Jake gently helped Everly off his back and steadied her until she found her balance. One of the other male wolves walked off without a word.

“Ben went to go find the lodge manager. We will just wait here until she comes. I know we’ve got some empty rooms, but Whitney will have the specifics. I’m Bridget, by the way, I don’t think I introduced myself earlier. Whitney, the lodge manager, is my sister. We all work here, and were just out doing some hiking when we found you.”

Everly sat back against a little bench in the lobby, “Thanks Bridget. I’m glad you guys found me. It was a long walk back to my car, especially with my ankle injured.”

Everly leaned her head back against the wall and looked around. She loved the space! The lodge was a high A-frame entry with three wings. To the left, there was a large dining area with a rustic looking bar and lounge. To the right was a long hallway with rooms or meeting space of some type. Straight ahead was a large stairway with a wall of windows along the back wall. The whole place gave off an elegant rustic vibe with some distinctly masculine undertones. You could tell it was designed to appeal to a certain type of clientele—probably some upscale, wealthy business man. After a minute, a lovely woman came down the main staircase. She was quite tall, further confirming Everly’s suspicions that this was a front for a werewolf pack. Everly wasn’t small by female standards, but Whitney was several inches taller.

“Hi! I’m Whitney. The guys told me about your predicament. We’re happy to have you. Luckily, it’s slow right now so we have plenty of space. Let me help you to your room.”

Jake and Bridget were still standing by, very much making it clear that Everly was not to be alone in this space. Everly chuckled to herself, if only they knew who and what she really was.

“Whitney, I’m Everly. Thank you so much. I was so lucky these guys were hiking in my area and found me. I’m grateful for your hospitality.”

“It’s our pleasure. Do you think you can walk? Do you need an arm? We will get you settled in your room and then see what we have for your ankle. I’m assuming maybe some ice, meds, and a wrap of some sort?” Whitney looked Everly over with a critical eye, but not judgmental, more like curiosity or concern, like she might be a threat.

“An arm would be great. And a warm shower. I don’t want to inconvenience you. I have a first aid kit in my pack and can probably figure something out.”

Jake stood up and gallantly offered Everly an arm, “My lady,” he smirked.

Whitney grabbed Everly’s pack as the trio headed to the elevator. “I hope you don’t mind. I put you at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor. It will be quiet there and you can rest. It’s a bit far from the dining room so feel free to call down if you want your meals brought up,” Whitney commented.

“The fourth floor?” Jake asked curiously.

“Yep. Thought it would be the quietest,” Whitney emphasized.

“Okay … but I live on the third floor and Everly might get lonely,” Jake winked at Everly again and she grinned at him.

Everly patted Jake’s arm, “don’t worry. My other personality keeps me company.”

Jake gasped a little and Everly giggled, “I’m teasing you! I will be fine where ever Whitney would like me. Is there something special about the fourth floor?” Everly asked.

Whitney laughed, “Oh no. It’s a private floor for VIP guests. With the storm, we are all coalescing in a few places in case we lose power and need to use the generators. Last I looked this storm was supposed to last for several days.”

Everly agreed, “Ah. Yeah, I was tracking the weather models before I left and this front is one of the largest we’ve seen in a while.”

“Tracking the storm?” Whitney looked confused.

“Yeah. I’m a storm tracker and getting my masters in environmental engineering with an emphasis in climate change at the university. I was hoping to gather enough data to finish up my research so I could start on my thesis for graduation.”

“Cool. A storm tracker and a professor,” Jake commented. “Got any other special skills?” he asked.

Before she could answer Whitney interjected, “What a cool job! If you think you can get any readings from here, I’m sure you could set up your equipment or whatever.”

“Yeah, I could help!” Jake offered, a little too enthusiastically for Everly’s taste. He was cute, but Everly wasn’t interested in getting entangled with another magical being. Her life was too complicated.

“Maybe. It’s all in my backpack. After I shower, I do have to check and make sure it didn’t get damaged in the fall,” Everly hedged.

They got to the room and Whitney opened the door, handing Everly the key. The room was delightful. There was a fluffy looking king bed and lovely ensuite with a fully decked out shower. Everly couldn’t wait to peel off her damp clothes and get warm. Her stuff had gotten soaked during the fall and the dampness along with her cloaking had her cold deep down.

“We will leave you to get settled and bring up some tea, or would you prefer coffee in an hour or so?” Whitney asked.

“Coffee, please. And thank you again.”

Jake butted in, “I’ll bring her coffee, Whitney. I know you’re busy today.”

Whitney practically rolled her eyes at Jake’s suggestion, but she didn’t say anything. “Someone,” Whitney emphasized, “will bring you coffee and some food in about an hour. Enjoy your shower.”

“See ya, prof!” Jake yelled with wave as he headed down the hallway. He was cute, but dorky. Jake was probably a warrior of some sort Everly guessed, assuming they found her during a routine patrol. Everly learned a great deal about werewolves and how a pack functions last year when she helped out the local Coven. A pack had initially busted up the human trafficking ring and the coven was aflutter with conversations about the attractive warriors—and the “super-hot” Alpha.

Everly was biased in her opinion of the species in general, thinking they had more brawn than brains, but had a huge amount of respect for how a pack functioned, the community wolves had, and the way they cared for each other and their children. Plus, she was secretly fascinated by the unconfirmed rumors she heard regarding their fabled “mate” bond, the marking, and ensuing consummation of the bond. Even though Everly lived in a magical world, the concept of a soulmate and the subsequent se*ual satisfaction was the stuff of legends.

Witch’s history held that each witch was granted a “chosen.” It was a similar concept to a “soulmate” but no one Everly knew had ever met their actual chosen. Legend held that when a witch found her chosen and they touched under the light of the moon, a blue glow would sparkle between the fated pair, identifying and solidifying their bond. Before she died, Everly’s mom told her the story of the last Gray Witch who found her chosen. It was Everly’s great-great grandmother and the love between the couple was still spoken of in reverent tones among the covens. It was Everly’s secret desire to find her chosen, but she wasn’t looking and she had little to no hope of that desire being fulfilled.

All the witches in her acquaintance found love or at least companionship with fellow magical beings—mostly of the witch and warlock variety. There was a lot of arranged marriages and breeding of sorts in the hopes of procuring certain magical gifts of their offspring. Everly found the whole thing rather garish. She was too busy hiding from Shadows of the Dark to worry about any sort of coupling, though she was confident that her aunt had turned down any number of proposals to mix Everly’s bloodline with others.

Everly and her aunt (not by blood … it was her mother’s best friend) had not discussed any sort of arrangement or coupling to date, but eventually she would have to figure out something or the Gray Witch line would die with her. Everly felt lucky to survive to this point. If she made it to 30, four years away, she would be the oldest Gray Witch in generations. The Gray Witch’s tended to die young. Her own mother had died at 25. Nevertheless, Everly was determined to make the most of the time she had in this realm, regardless of her fate.