Page 5 of His Stubborn Mate

Rance’s voice was the only thing tethering her to the world. “You’re strong, Amanda. You’ve got the spirit of this land in you. Just hold on a little longer.”

But Amanda was fading fast, her body too weak to fight any longer. She could feel herself slipping away, the edges of her vision going dark. And yet, even as she hovered on the brink of unconsciousness, a part of her was drawn to Rance, to the mystery that surrounded him. Who was he really? And why did she feel so strangely connected to him, as if they had known each other in another life?

Just as she was about to succumb to the darkness, she heard the distant sound of a helicopter. The rhythmic thump of the rotor blades cut through the silence, growing louder with each passing second. Relief washed over her, but it was quickly followed by another wave of nausea and dizziness. Amanda’s stomach churned, and she felt the bile rise in her throat. She barely managed to turn her head to the side before retching into the snow.

Rance was immediately beside her, holding her hair back, his voice calm and reassuring. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

But Amanda wasn’t so sure. The world was spinning, and she couldn’t tell if it was from her injuries or from whatever Rance had done to save her. She was too weak to question it, too weak to do anything but lie there as the rescue team arrived.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Amanda was vaguely aware of hands lifting her onto a stretcher, of voices shouting over the roar of the helicopter, but everything was distant, as if she were underwater. She tried to hold on to Rance’s hand, but it slipped away as the medics took over, their hands gentle but firm as they worked to stabilize her.

As they loaded her into the helicopter, Amanda caught one last glimpse of Rance standing in the snow, watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. She wanted to say something, to thank him, but the words wouldn’t come. The darkness was closing in again, and this time, she didn’t have the strength to fight it.

The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Rance’s face, his eyes locked on hers, filled with an intensity that burned into her memory. And then, there was nothing but darkness.

When Amanda woke, she was in a hospital bed, the sterile smell of antiseptic and the soft beeping of machines filling the air. Her body ached all over, and her head felt heavy, as if it were filled with lead. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, and slowly the room came into focus.

Her best friend, Eva, was standing by her bed as a nurse checked her vitals. She smiled when she saw Amanda’s eyes flutter open. “Welcome back,” Eva said softly.

“Your friend’s been through quite an ordeal. We need to let her rest.”

Eva nodded. Amanda tried to speak, but her throat was dry and raw.

“Can she have some water?” Eva asked, reaching for a cup. The nurse nodded as she made notes on a chart. Eva held a straw to Amanda’s lips. Amanda sipped gratefully, the cool liquid soothing her parched throat.

“Where… where am I?” Amanda croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re at the hospital in Kodiak,” said Eva. “You were in an accident. Your vehicle rolled down a steep embankment. It’s a miracle you survived. The rescue team was amazed you’d been able to pull yourself free of the wreckage.”

“It wasn’t me,” said Amanda. “It was Rance. Where is he?”

Eva and the nurse both frowned slightly, as if confused by the name. “I’m not sure who you’re talking about,” said Eva.

“The rescue team said they found you alone at the scene,” added the nurse.

Amanda’s brow furrowed in confusion. “No… Rance was there. He saved me.”

Eva looked at her sympathetically. “You’ve been through a lot, Amanda. Sometimes, the mind plays tricks on us when we’re in shock.”

But Amanda knew what she had seen, what she had felt. Rance had been there—he had saved her life. Yet, as she lay in the hospital bed, her thoughts spinning, she realized she knew almost nothing about him. Who was he? How had he found her? And why had he disappeared without a trace?

The questions lingered in her mind as she drifted back into a restless sleep, the memory of Rance’s face the last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her once more.

In the days that followed, Amanda recovered, her body healing from the trauma of the accident. The doctors were amazed at her resilience, remarking that it was a miracle she had survived. There had been gashes and cuts all over her body as well as numerous internal injuries, but Amanda knew that the real miracle had been Rance.

She tried to ask about him, but no one seemed to know who he was. The rescue team insisted that they had found her alone, and there was no record of anyone named Rance Manville in the area. It was as if he had never existed, a figment of her imagination.

But Amanda couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story, that Rance was somehow connected to the island in a way she couldn’t understand. She thought about the stories he had told her, about the ancient creatures that once roamed Kodiak Island, and wondered if there was a connection.

Eva brought her some of her things from home, including her computer. The familiar clothing and items brought her some comfort, but the questions about Rance continued to haunt her. She spent what hours the medical staff would allow her, researching the history and folklore of the island, looking for any clue that might explain what had happened. But the more she searched, the more elusive the answers became.

And then, one evening, as she was going through an old article on legends associated specifically with Kodiak Island, she came across a passage that sent a chill down her spine.

‘Legend speaks of a guardian of the island,’ the passage read. ‘A man who is neither fully human nor fully spirit, who walks the line between the living and the dead. He is said to appear in times of great need, sometimes as an enormous bear, offering aid to those who are lost, before vanishing into the wilderness once more.’

Amanda stared at the words, her heart pounding in her chest. Could Rance be the guardian mentioned in the legend? She shook her head. It had to be the drugs that made something so fanciful seem so real. It was so real that it almost seemed impossible, but then again, so much of what had happened to her defied explanation.

As she sat there, staring at the screen, Amanda made a decision. She would find out the truth about Rance, no matter what it took. There was something about him, something that called to her, and she knew she couldn’t rest until she understood the mystery of the man who had saved her life.

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