Page 5 of His Reluctant Mate

He hit the button to call him back. “Asher Wells,” came the steady voice on the other end.

“Ash, it’s Joe. I was just finishing up with the cruise folks. What’s up?”

“Joe, thanks for calling me back. I need your help.” Asher’s voice was tense, the urgency palpable even through the crackling connection.

“It’s yours. What’s going on?” Joe asked.

“There’s a missing scientist, Dr. Melinda King. She was working at the Arctic research station and hasn’t been heard from in several days. We’ve got some search teams out, but... there’s something off about this whole situation. I need your expertise.”

“If she’s been alone in the arctic wilderness? Her chances for survival aren’t good.”

“Understood, but she may be one of us.”

“Us as in shifter? Wolf?” Doubtful, as wolves tended to act as a pack and if one of their own was missing they’d be out in force.

“Not wolf, but something else, and before you ask, I have no idea what kind of shifter. In fact, she may not be a shifter at all. The bottom line is she needs our help.”

Joe felt a twist in his gut. Ash was one of the few people who knew all about his past and knew that he still had nights where his dreams were filled with horrific visions of that last op that had gone so terribly wrong. Joe had tried to leave that part of his life behind, but the past had a way of catching up. “Can’t someone else handle it?”

Asher’s voice dropped to a near whisper. “Joe, this isn’t just a missing person case. There’s been talk of foul play. I have a bad feeling about it. Your experience as a Ranger could make all the difference. But you need to be careful.”

Joe clenched his jaw, memories of Afghanistan flooding back. The failed mission, the lives lost. He didn’t want that responsibility again. “I’ll help, but I’m going alone. I can’t be responsible for anyone else.”

Asher hesitated. “Joe, it’s too dangerous to go alone. I have a team ready?—”

“No,” Joe interrupted firmly. “I do this alone, or not at all. I can move faster, stay under the radar. I can handle myself.”

There was a long pause before Asher sighed. “All right, Joe. Just... be careful.”

Joe ended the call and took a moment to steady himself before returning to his own cabin to grab his gear. He placed a call to his mountain climbing store, To the Top, and explained to the staff worker who was covering for him today that an emergency had come up, and he would need to be away for several days or longer. He explained the situation as best he could as he packed the gear he would need. After ending the call, Joe finished packing quickly and efficiently, his mind already shifting to the task ahead.

Asher had made use of his connections, and a private helicopter touched down outside of Joe’s A-frame cabin just as he finished. Once on board, the pilot lifted off and headed north into the wilderness, Joe felt the familiar tension in his muscles, the heightened awareness that came with preparing for a mission. Despite his reluctance, he could feel a surge of responsibility for the life of another and knew this was something he needed to do.

When they landed, Joe understood why Ash had called. The area was isolated and was one Joe frequently visited as he could shift and run in his sabretooth form, relatively free of discovery. He headed toward the forest as the chopper lifted off. If and when it was needed, Joe could call for it.

As the forest closed in around him, Joe disappeared into the shadows, determined to find Dr. King and uncover the truth behind her disappearance. Trudging through the harsh tundra, the biting wind cut through his heavy coat and stung his exposed skin. The snow beneath his boots was deep and unforgiving, each step a reminder of the treacherous landscape he now traversed. He couldn’t shake the memories of his last mission in Afghanistan, the way it had all gone wrong. The weight of his comrades’ deaths hung heavily on his shoulders, each gust of wind whispering their names in his ears.

His mind drifted to the faces of his fallen brothers, the chaos of the ambush, and the guilt that still gnawed at him. He had vowed never to lead others again, the responsibility too great a burden to bear. Yet here he was, alone in the frozen wilderness, on a mission that dredged up old wounds.

Suddenly, through the swirling snow, he felt assaulted, not by the elements or an enemy, but by nausea and dizziness. There was a sense of disorientation as he scanned the horizon with his binoculars. It was as he was doing so that he spotted a dark figure stumbling and then collapsing into a drift. Joe’s instincts kicked in, and he quickened his pace, pushing through the snow with renewed urgency. As he drew closer, he saw it was a woman, her clothing ill-suited for the extreme cold. She was barely conscious, her lips blue and her movements sluggish. He could sense she was a shifter and wondered why she hadn’t remained in her shifted form.

“Hey! Can you hear me?” Joe shouted over the howling wind, dropping to his knees beside her.

She mumbled incoherently, her eyes barely open. Joe quickly assessed her condition—severe hypothermia. He knew he had to act fast. He shrugged off his pack, pulling out two chemical hot packs, activating them and placing them on her neck and abdomen before wrapping her in an emergency blanket. Then, he lifted her into his arms, her body alarmingly light and cold.

“We’re gonna get you warm,” he said, more to reassure himself than her, as he began the arduous trek back to an emergency shelter he knew to be in the area.

He could sense that Asher was correct, the woman—if she was Melinda King—was not only a shifter, but his fated mate as well. Joe was just about to ask if she felt strong enough to shift when he realized she’d passed out. He squashed down every other feeling than that of urgency to get her to the shelter. It was her only hope for survival.

He pulled up the locator that could home in on the shelter’s emergency beacon and began the trek toward it. The journey was grueling, the added weight and the worsening storm pushing Joe to his limits. He focused on each step, blocking out the memories that threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn’t afford to fail again. Not this time.

Finally, he reached the small emergency cabin. Kicking the door open, he carried the woman inside and laid her gently on the cot. He immediately went to work, stoking the fire and layering blankets over her shivering form. He rubbed her hands and feet, trying to stimulate circulation.

As the warmth began to seep into her, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Joe watched her closely, sensing there was more to her story than a simple accident in the snow. Ash had been unclear as to how she had ended up stranded in the arctic wilderness. The details, in fact the entire situation as far as he was concerned, were sketchy at best. There was a determination in her eyes that belied her fragile state.

“Who are you?” Joe asked softly, continuing to warm her hands.

“Melinda,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Dr. Melinda King.”

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