Page 2 of Semi-Rejected Life

“Is he alright?” a woman called, heading in our direction. “Do I need to call an ambulance?”

“No ambulance,” the stranger said.

“He’s okay,” I called back to her. “I’ll take care of him.” She began to walk away and I turned back to him. “Come on, I should at least take you to the urgent care or something. Inhaling water is a good way to get pneumonia.”

“I’ll be okay,” he replied, sitting up at last. He coughed a few more times, but it sounded much better already.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine.”

I glanced up at the cut on his forehead and let out a small gasp. A moment ago, it had been freely bleeding. But now it was already scabbed over and quickly knitting itself shut. As the sun warmed his skin, I finally noticed the scent of wolf rolling off him. Not to mention something else, a sort of licorice-like floral smell that I’d never come across before.

“Oh…” I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a wolf.”

He looked up at me suddenly, his nose flexing as he inhaled. There was a look of recognition on his face, then something else as he leaned closer, breathing me in deeply. I thought he was about to kiss me when he suddenly collapsed against my chest.

“Take it easy,” I said. “You tried to swallow half the lake.” I reached down and unstrapped my ankle from the surfboard before I scooped my arms under him. “Put your arms around my neck and hold on. I’m gonna get you out of the sun.”

He nodded silently, doing as he was instructed. I lifted him easily, surprised by how light he was. His scent washed over me again and I couldn’t help a stirring in the pit of my stomach. He smelled damn good. But right now wasn’t the time. He needed some time to rest. Being a wolf would mean he’d recover without needing to go to a hospital. But he was still gonna be a bit rough for a couple of hours. At the very least, I could help with that. The van had a bed in the back, in case I was somewhere without a hotel.

Nearly killing a fellow werewolf wasn’t what I had in mind for my first day in Shifter Grove. However, having a cute wolf in my arms that smelled heavenly definitely wasn’t a bad way to finish it.

Chapter Two: Vincent

My head was still spinning as I was carried off the beach. I wasn’t sure if it was from being hit by a surfboard or this stranger’s intoxicating scent, but it made it hard to concentrate on anything. It wasn’t until I was laid on a soft surface that I realized he’d taken me back to his van in the parking lot.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, patting me on the shoulder. “Just rest. I need to grab my board. Take all the time you need.”

I nodded and leaned back on, my arm thrown over my eyes to block out the light. I coughed a few times, but it was mostly from irritation now. Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel my werewolf healing kicking in, repairing the damaged lining of my lungs from inhaling so much water. At least that was a perk. Had I been human, I’d need to be taken to the emergency room immediately to make sure I wasn’t going to die later from second drowning.

Still, I was surprised to have been literally run over by a wolf I’d never met before. Shifter Grove wasn’t a very big place, and I knew most of the wolves there through Sam. However, I didn’t remember hearing about any of them surfing. Plus, if my brain wasn’t playing tricks on me, I thought I smelled the telltale scent of Alpha on him. There weren’t many wolves in town with that kind of heritage. Those that did have it usually ended up at Sam’s hotel. But this guy seemed a bit too put together to be a new rogue in town that had just lost everything. Newbies had a tendency to look and feel more like a dark storm cloud than a happy-go-lucky surfer.

Not only that… but I was pretty sure he was hot. Like really hot. And there was something about his musky, earthy scent that made me dizzy. It could’ve been the head injury, but I liked to think it was just because he smelled amazing. Considering the way my dick chubbed up just thinking about it, I figured I wasn’t making it up. I was fairly certain getting hit by a surfboard didn’t make you hard.

I pushed myself to a sitting position and pulled my shorts back into place so my problem wasn’t showing. Hopefully, that went away before he got back. Of course, no sooner had that thought crossed my mind before he suddenly appeared at the back of the van, giving me a start.

“Sorry,” he laughed, leaning his board against the van. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He gave me a good once over. “You’re sitting up. That seems like a good sign.”

I nodded. “Still a bit dizzy, but it’s going away.”

“Good to hear.”

For the first time, I got a look at my surroundings. I knew I was in the back of his van, but I didn’t realize until that moment that I was not only sitting on a bed, but getting wet sand all over it.

“Oh my god…” I started to get up. “Your bed is soaked now! I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it,” he laughed, pushing me back down. “It can be washed. I’m going to the hotel after this, anyway.”

“The hotel?” Maybe he was a rogue after all.

“Yeah. I sorta planned to surf all afternoon, but hitting you kinda put a damper on that.”

“Sorry…” I shook my head. “I didn’t see you coming.”

“I didn’t see you either, so no fault to either of us.” He waved it off like it was nothing. “I’m just glad I hit a wolf instead of a human. You’ll heal and they… well, they’re a little fragile. Anyway, I’m glad I was able to grab you and bring you to shore before you inhaled too much of the lake. You were out cold in the water.”

“I almost drowned?!”

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