Page 2 of His Reluctant Mate

With a final glance at the panel, Joe turned and walked out of the courtroom, the echo of his boots on the floor a solemn reminder of the end of one chapter of his life. The cold air outside hit him like a slap in the face, and he took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever came next. He was no longer Captain Joe Crawley of the United States Army; he was simply Joe, a man starting over, haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions.

Denali, Alaska

Present Day

Joe stood at the edge of a steep cliff on Denali, the highest peak in North America. The vast expanse of snow and ice stretched out below him, a dizzying drop that made his heart race. The wind howled around him, carrying with it the bite of freezing temperatures. Joe tightened his grip on the rope, feeling the cold steel of his carabiner and the reassuring tension of the rope that would guide him down.

He glanced over his shoulder at the panorama of Alaska’s rugged wilderness, the peaks of the Alaska Range jutting into the clear blue sky. It was a breathtaking view, one that few had the privilege to see. The sun, low on the horizon, cast long shadows across the snow, adding to the surreal beauty of the moment.

“Ready?” his climbing partner, Rick, called out, his voice muffled by the layers of gear and the roar of the wind.

Joe nodded, though he knew Rick couldn’t see him. “Ready!” he shouted back, his voice barely carrying over the wind’s roar.

Taking a deep breath, Joe leaned back into the harness, trusting his weight to the rope. His crampons dug into the ice as he began his descent, each step measured and deliberate. The initial jolt of fear subsided, replaced by a steady focus on the task at hand. The ice-covered rock face demanded respect and precision. It didn’t matter how many times he climbed Denali, each ascent and descent was different and required his full attention.

With each step down, Joe’s confidence grew. He kept his movements smooth and controlled, his eyes scanning for the next foothold. The rope, his lifeline, slid through his gloved hands with a satisfying rhythm. He could feel the cold seeping through his gear, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins kept him warm.

Halfway down, Joe paused on a small ledge to adjust his line and catch his breath. He looked around, taking in the pristine beauty of Denali’s slopes. The silence was profound, broken only by the occasional crack of ice and the whisper of the wind. He felt a deep connection to the mountain, a sense of awe and respect for its majestic presence.

Signaling to Rick, Joe resumed his descent. The final stretch was challenging, with more treacherous ice and increased wind. He focused on his breathing, each puff out a plume of frost in the cold air. The ground below came into view, a stark contrast of white snow and dark rock.

Finally, Joe’s boots touched solid ground. He exhaled a sigh of relief, the tension in his body easing as he secured himself. Looking up, he watched as Rick made the final stretch of the descent, his movements fluid and practiced. They exchanged a silent nod, a mutual acknowledgment of their shared accomplishment.

As they prepared for the next leg of their journey, a return to Anchorage, Joe took a moment to appreciate the serenity of the mountains. They would spend the night in Anchorage and return to Kodiak in the morning. The endless sky above, the sprawling landscape below, and the feeling of having conquered yet another challenge. This was where he belonged, in the wild, untamed heart of nature, with nothing but his skill and determination to guide him through.

High above, a bald eagle made a high-pitched, whistling call as if sounding an alarm. Joe wondered what the eagle knew that he didn’t. Only time would tell.

CHAPTER 2

MELINDA

Melinda King hunched over her desk, the pale glow of her computer screen the only light in the otherwise dark research station. Outside, the Arctic night was unrelenting, a blanket of darkness and biting cold. She glanced at the clock on the wall—nearly midnight. No wonder she was so tired. She glanced around; the rest of the team had long since retired to their quarters, but Melinda, ever the dedicated scientist, had stayed behind to finish her data analysis. Her colleagues teased her about that, but her research was really all she had, and that was the way she liked it.

The rhythmic hum of the station’s machinery was a comforting background noise as she pored over the latest readings from their field instruments. Melinda kept going back and double checking the information. They were far from what she had expected. Over and over, she reviewed her findings. Suddenly, something caught her eye. A spike in the data seemed out of place. Her brow furrowed, and she leaned in closer, fingers dancing over the keyboard as she pulled up more detailed reports.

The methane levels they’d been watching had skyrocketed—far beyond anything they had recorded before. Melinda’s heart began to race. Methane was a potent greenhouse gas, and a release of this magnitude could have catastrophic implications for global climate. She double-checked the calibration of the sensors, hoping against hope it was a malfunction, but the numbers held steady.

Pushing back from her desk, she stood and paced the small room, her mind racing through the possibilities. If this data was correct, it meant that the permafrost was melting at an unprecedented rate, releasing trapped methane into the atmosphere. She knew this could trigger a feedback loop, accelerating climate change far beyond current predictions. This wasn’t good—wasn’t good at all.

Melinda’s breath fogged the air as she exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself. She needed to alert the team and begin preparations for further investigation immediately. The team needed to convene and confirm her findings. Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up the radio, calling out to her colleagues.

“Dr. King to all team members, we have a situation. I need everyone in the lab ASAP.”

Within minutes, the small lab began to fill with her bleary-eyed teammates, all of them sensing the urgency in her voice. She quickly briefed them on the data, showing the alarming spike in methane levels.

“This can’t be right,” muttered Dr. Harris, one of the senior researchers, staring at the screen in disbelief. “You’ve done something wrong, or the calibrations are off, or you’re misinterpreting the data.”

“That isn’t possible. I’ve checked everything twice,” Melinda replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “We need to verify this on the ground and prepare a report for the main research center. If these readings are accurate, we’re looking at a major environmental event.”

The team sprang into action, the fatigue of the late hour forgotten. Melinda felt a mix of fear and resolve. The Arctic had always been a place of harsh beauty and scientific fascination for her, but now it was the forefront of a potentially devastating discovery. If she could do something to make a positive impact on the situation, she was going to see that it got done.

As they prepared their equipment for an early morning expedition, Melinda couldn’t shake the weight of the responsibility that now rested on her shoulders. The world needed to know what was happening here, and it was up to her and her team to make sure that their message was heard loud and clear.

The data was alarming, and the implications even more so. But as she looked around at her dedicated colleagues, she felt that perhaps they could ensure that the world took notice and began to address the global concerns that environmentalists and climatologists had been warning about for decades. They were in this together, and they would face whatever challenges came their way. The Arctic had revealed a dangerous secret, and it was their duty to uncover the truth and protect the planet they all called home.

Melinda’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, beginning to compose the report they would need to send to get the urgent message out to their funding sources and the world at large, when the muffled sound of voices reached her ears. The remainder of the team was in the other lab. She paused, straining to listen and figure out who was talking and what they were talking about. The research station was typically quiet at this hour, the hum of machinery the only constant. But now, angry words floated through the corridor from a nearby room.

Her curiosity piqued and a sense of unease settling in her gut, Melinda quietly stepped away from her desk and moved toward the source of the commotion. The voices grew louder and more distinct as she approached the door to Dr. Marcus Greaves’ office. She recognized Marcus’s voice, sharp and agitated. There was no other voice to be heard, so he must be on the phone.

---