Page 6 of The Alpha's Reclaimed Mate

Instinct told me to give chase, so I did. Maybe that was my Alpha impulses telling me to assert my dominance. He was fast and agile—faster than I expected for a mere subordinate. Always keeping a few meteres lead, he leaped over fallen debris and slowed me down with sharp turns, occasionally glancing over his shoulder. But I’d received enough training in my wolf form that I was able to keep pace, at least for the first couple of minutes.

In the end, he turned out to be faster than me. I found myself alone in the dark again, chasing shadows and his phantom scent before realizing he’d run me in a big circle. Growling, I slowed down to catch my breath, frustrated that I’d allowed a subordinate to get the better of me.

Putting my nose to the ground, I tracked his scent instead, thinking maybe he was standing around waiting for me—then the scent of blood tinged the air. The moment I raised my head, I saw him standing in front of me with a hare in his jaws.Great, I thought.He’s going to show me up and brag about it by catching a rabbit while he was waiting for me!

But Luke stepped closer and only placed the hare at my feet, catching my eye as he stood straight.“Hope that’s enough to take your mind off whatever’s been bothering you,”he rumbled.

How could he have known that something was bugging me?

Skepticism gripped me. I didn’t know what to say and was grateful when a distant howl caught our attention, splitting the silence of the night. We both turned to look. I recognized it as belonging to Dax.

“Your cousin’s looking for you,”said Luke.

I swiftly grabbed the rabbit, embarrassment driving me to put distance between myself and Luke, but I couldn’t help stealing one last glance at him. His eyes lingered on me for as long as the darkness allowed him to discern my shape. It didn’t occur to me until after I’d left him behind that he somehow knew Dax was my cousin.

Just like last time, Luke absorbed my thoughts, but I didn’t forget him so easily by the time I reunited with Dax. My cousin stood at attention, quickly bridging the gap between us.

“Aria! Geez, I thought I lost you! We gotta get back to the villa. I ran into one of your scouts. Your Alpha’s back from his trip early,”he said, looking concerned.“And, uh… he brought home a girl.”

The rabbit fell out of my jaws, and my heart dropped.

Chapter 3: Aria

Dax hit me with question after question on our way back to the villa, which I was sure were meant to distract me.“What were you doing out there? Did you hunt that rabbit yourself? Who is that I smell on you?”

But I could barely focus on anything other than walking through the dark to the illuminated villa across the field. The rabbit in my jaws made it hard for me to answer, anyway, so I was grateful to have an excuse to keep silent. I would have eaten it if I weren’t so anxious about what I’d heard; the thought of Oswald meeting another girl ripped apart my appetite. Eventually, we reached the outer walls of the villa and transformed back into our human forms. I got dressed and tried to rush back inside before Dax put his hand on my shoulder to stop me.

“Aria! I can tell something’s wrong.” His voice strained with concern.

An explosion of unpleasant emotions nearly caused me to lash out. Instead, I sealed my lips into a tense smile and met Dax’s eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just going to deliver this rabbit to the kitchen, okay?”

“Sure, but listen… if you’re worried about that new girl, don’t be. Oswald isn’t reckless—I’m sure he only brought her in to keep her safe because he had no other choice. It can be dangerous for females on their own,” Dax told me, his gaze softening for me.

I knew he was just trying to reassure me, and maybe I was being foolish, fretting so much over a stranger when my fated mate was doing what Alphas do—taking care of people. But I didn’t find any comfort in his words. “I know. Thanks.”

Dax smiled back and squeezed my shoulder. “If you ever need anyone to talk to, you know where I’ll be.”

Since I discovered my fated mate and started Alpha training, friendships have been hard to come by, but Dax… He had always been there for me. Every worry that bogged me down threatened to spill and beckon him back, yearning for comfort of any kind. Instead, I just swallowed it down and watched him walk away.

After a brief visit to the Lodge to deposit my rabbit at our food stores and a conversation with our quartermaster, I figured out where Oswald was. My feet were on autopilot, heading toward the pack’s medical center. The smell of the new girl was already saturating the air, clogging up my throat. I arrived at the receptionist's desk, staring down the hallway as if expecting to see Oswald there with the stranger.

“What can I help you with, Miss Gunn?” asked the nurse.

“I was told Alpha Moore brought a rogue in tonight,” I replied, resisting the urge to fidget. “Is he here? Can I see them?”

The nurse nodded and stood up. “One moment. Let me check with them.”

I was left suspended in uncertainty while the nurse went down the hall, knocking on and entering the second door to the right. We had three pack healers, but this late at night, only one of them was working at the medical center. The others were our packmates who had gone to nursing school and come back to provide nursing care and perform office duties. The remaining doors were ajar with the lights off, so I could only assume the healer was in that room with Oswald and the new girl.

A few minutes later, the nurse emerged with Oswald in tow. My heart fluttered at the sight of my fated mate, but he looked tired, his suit jacket missing and white dress shirt partially unbuttoned and rumpled. He briskly guided me to the corner of the lobby, away from the prying ears of the nurse. “Why are you here?”

“I was told you brought a rogue home,” I answered, confused. “Why wouldn’t I come to check in on you?”

“That’s not necessary,” grunted Oswald. He was visibly annoyed, whether at me or the situation, I couldn’t tell, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was the former.

“I just want to make sure you and she are okay. Who is she?”

“A wounded wolf shifter.”

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