Page 21 of Alpha's Promise

Dakota began to sift through the boxes methodically, each item whispering hints of history until her fingers brushed against a leather-bound spine. An electric jolt shot up her arm as she pulled the book from its hiding place. The cover was adorned with symbols that called to something primal deep within her—the curling shapes reminiscent of wolves mid-prowl, eyes showing ancient wisdom.

Her heart galloped as she traced the embossed patterns, the connection undeniable. Her grandfather's words echoed in her mind, a puzzle begging to be solved. Could it be that the Savages were more than their name implied? Were they the very wolves her grandfather had spoken of in tales that danced between myth and reality? But how could that be?

Dakota flipped through the pages, each turn revealing more cryptic symbols, each one speaking directly to her soul. She could almost hear the pack's distant howls, feel the pull of the moon on her blood. Here, in the musty silence of the attic, surrounded by the ghosts of generations, she teetered on the edge of an abyss that promised both revelation and ruin.

"What have you got there?" The voice, low and teasing, came from the doorway.

Landon leaned against the frame, his presence as intoxicating as the night sky. His eyes held a glimmer of amusement and something else—an intensity that mirrored the wildness of the symbols before her.

"Lots of stuff," Dakota answered, her own eyes locked with his. "Whether or not I’ll tell depends on who's asking."

"Someone who knows a little about being wild," Landon quipped, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half-grin.

Dakota's pulse quickened, the charged air between them thick with desire and the tantalizing promise of secrets yet to be uncovered. The book in her hands felt like a key, one that Landon might help her turn—if only she dared to ask.

“Did you need something?” she asked.

“Just this,” he answered sweeping in to kiss her breathless before turning to leave her. “See you tonight.”

She watched him go and couldn’t help but smile. There was no question in her mind that Landon Savage was becoming far more important to her than she could have imagined on that fateful day they’d met.

She lingered a while longer in the attic, the ancient tome splayed open on her lap, each cryptic symbol whispering of a heritage shrouded in labyrinth of secrets and lies. Wrapped in a cocoon of dust motes and aged wood, she felt the weight of history pressing close, as if the very walls sought to divulge their secrets through osmosis. The wolflike figures seemed to leap from the pages, beckoning her to delve deeper into the Savage legacy.

A glance at her watch shattered the spell. Time, indifferent to her discovery, urged her forward. With reluctance, she closed the book, its spine creaking like the timber of the ranch. She got up, the floorboards protesting beneath her boots, and descended the attic stairs with the heavy sense of leaving a piece of her soul behind, nestled among the cobwebs and shadows.

Redstone awaited, a town brimming with its own whispers and sidelong glances. As Dakota made her way into the heart of the community, she could still feel the pull of the ranch, an invisible tether that wound around her wrist and tugged insistently.

The diner's familiar aroma of sizzling bacon and brewing coffee embraced her as she tied an apron around her waist. She busied herself with the rhythm of cooking, flipping pancakes andscrambling eggs, but her mind meandered back to Landon and the connection they had shared under the star-studded sky.

Midway through her shift, the bell above the door chimed, heralding his arrival. Landon sauntered in, the embodiment of raw charisma, his dark hair tousled by the prairie wind. He found his usual spot at the counter, where he could easily catch her eye, a silent acknowledgement passing between them.

As Dakota prepared a plate for another customer, an inexplicable sensation crept over her, an electric charge that set her nerves alight. A buzzing filled her head, a dissonant frequency that scrambled her thoughts. Nausea coiled in her stomach, and her skin prickled as if unseen eyes scrutinized her every move.

"Feeling all right?" Landon's voice cut through the fog of discomfort, concern etched in the furrow of his brow.

"Something's... off," Dakota managed to murmur, gripping the edge of the grill for support.

"Let's get you out of here," Landon said, already moving toward her with decisive strides.

She nodded and told the others working in the diner that she wasn’t feeling well, and Landon was going to take her home.

With Landon's steady arm wrapped around her waist, the world outside blurred into streaks of color as they left the diner. The sensation of being both hunter and prey pulsed through Dakota's veins with every beat of her heart, a primal dance that entwined her fate with the Savages.

She leaned against Landon, aware now more than ever of the heat emanating from his body, a beacon in the tumultuous sea she found herself adrift in. His scent, a blend of leather and pine, was a grounding force, even as the rest of her senses rebelled.

"Take me home," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar in her ears.

"Anything for you," Landon's words were a vow, raw and unshakable. As he drove her back to the sanctuary of the ranch, his presence was a shield, brimming with a feral intensity that dared anything to come close. The fire in his eyes blazed with promise, searing through the darkness—a silent oath to keep her safe, even if it meant losing himself to the powerful predator she knew instinctively dwelled within him.

CHAPTER 11

LANDON

Landon glanced over at Dakota as the pickup truck bounced along the dusty road leading back to Copper Canyon Ranch. The sun cast a golden sheen over her features, but the usual fire in her eyes had dimmed to smoldering embers. Her listlessness was almost tangible, and it stirred within him an acute sense of unease.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice roughened by concern as he navigated the familiar terrain.

"Just tired, I guess," Dakota replied, her words trailing off like the dust kicked up behind them.

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