Page 15 of The Alpha's Arrangement
We get of the truck and sit in the grass. I rest my head back on his shoulder while the cool breeze caresses my face. There’s a sense of calm, of peace that’s magnified here. I thought I had it at my house, but here, it’s times ten. A house up here on this hill, looking over this field every day, would be paradise.
“We’ve been doing it for generations, handing it down throughout the years. It’s important to me to keep the tradition alive.”
“So, you own this?”
He chuckles. “Yes, me and my family own this.”
“How far?”
“As far as your eyes will take you, then add about thirty more miles.”
“Wow, that’s … just wow.” Impressive doesn’t even cut it. No wonder the place looks like it’s well taken care of in a way that screams his family honors it.
I’ve never had something like that. My mother moved us around often after my father passed on. That’s why coming to Montana was so important. I wanted that stability and not have to move.
Out in the distance, tall grass and flowers begin to move. A gasp leaves my lips as I see my brown wolf and another lighter brown wolf. I try to sit up, but Carter pulls me back.
“Carter, my wolf.”
He growls. “Not yours. Black is yours.”
Damn, that man can read my mind.
“Okay, the other wolf that came. Do you think he knows we’re here? And where’s my black one?” I emphasis my, hoping he gets the point. Black is mine, no matter what, but brown is sweet, too. Not like black, but still.
“I’m sure he’s around.”
The wolves lift their noses and begin to sniff the air. Even this far away, their eyes come directly to us.
“They smell us,” I whisper as the brown wolf lets out a howl. Not a scary one, but one almost like he’s calling someone or giving a code of some sort.
“Yes, they do. Are you scared?”
“No,” I whisper, watching the two wolves who begin to move our way. “They’re coming.”
He says nothing as we watch.
My heart leaps in my chest as other wolves begin to come out of the grass. Mentally, I count up to sixteen of them.
“Holy shit, Carter. There’s almost twenty of them.” They’re so large and strong, but still pretty far away as they walk closer. “Do you think we should get out of here?”
“Are you scared?” he asks again.
I feel my heart thumping in my chest faster and faster. “A little. With just two, I didn’t feel it. But twenty? They could really hurt us.”
“And if I told you they wouldn’t, would you believe me?”
My breaths come quicker as they get closer. “How can you be so sure? They’re so big.”
He tightens his arms around me, and I feel my heart begin to slow. I have no idea how it’s possible, but it happens. The calm isn’t there, but some of the fear dissipates.
“Trust me, Izzy. I swear, nothing will happen to you. I’ll die before that happens.”
He’ll die? Holy hell, that’s a doozy of a proclamation to give someone. If he’s wrong, I guess we’re both goners.
“Now, you need to relax. They can sense when you’re scared, and you’ll lose the power you have over them. They want confidence and to know they can trust you, just like you can trust them. It’s a give and take relationship. If you show that you’re scared or fear them, they won’t trust you, and it won’t work.”
There are so many meanings inside of what he said that it takes me a bit to pull my shit together and do as he says. Of course I’m scared. There are twenty wolves coming my way, but I also don’t want to ruin the relationship I have with the brown wolf, or hell, the black wolf, if he shows up.
