Call of the white wolf

Logan stared dejectedly out the window of his bedroom, silently cursing the snow that had picked the wrong day to fall. The cold and lonely weather was doing all the wrong things to his already black mood. He grunted and raised a hand to his head, raking his fingers through his black shoulder-length hair. Dammit, where was inner peace when you badly needed it? He hated feeling like this.

He turned abruptly from the window and began pacing the room. He had gone to see his invalid father as a last resort this morning, hoping for some much-needed advice on what to do about the rogue attacks at their boundary. As usual, his father had barely recognized him, then after he finally did, had screamed a load of gibberish, capping it up with cries for Jessica to be brought to him. Jessica had been his mate and Logan's mother before she was killed years ago.

As if that wasn't enough, there had been pressure on him of late to find a mate. He was always steadily reminded that he needed a Luna chosen for him by the Goddess, someone to bear his children and be a mother to his pack. He had no desire to find anyone to spend the rest of his life with though. His father was enough example. Pressure or not, he wasn't willing to go down the same route his father had gone.

The recent rogue attacks had been his personal headache for several weeks now. He had sent a number of his pack members to their deaths trying to curb the attacks. There was a cloying feeling about the attacks, something strange and eerie that gnawed at his mind and made him lose sleep thinking about it. This was not their first rogue attack, and neither would it be their last. Why did this one feel so different?

A rude voice interrupted his thoughts and he stopped pacing, trying to zone in on the intrusion. It was his beta trying to reach him through the mind link.

Still all cozy in your blanket aren't you, Alpha? His beta's teasing voice resonated in his ears. Logan rolled his eyes and sighed.

''What do you want, Casper?'' There's a situation with the patrol. You might have to join us. We're really short of men here and we need more wolves to cover more ground.

''Maybe leave your bedroom and join us?''

Logan groaned. ''Do I really have to do this?''

''Yes! Casper insisted. It would really boost the confidence of your subjects if you showed up. You can't stay holed up in that room all day, you know.

Alright, fine. I'm on my way''

Casper closed the mind link and prepared to join the patrol team. Several minutes later, he walked out of his room decked out in a gray fur coat fit for the weather. His raven-black hair was pulled back in a ponytail that accentuated his sharp jawline and dimpled cheeks.

He moved from the hallway of his bedroom to a large foyer that joined all rooms in the pack house together. Heaving a sigh of resignation, he opened the foyer doors and walked out into the cold winter air.

The Packhouse was situated in the middle of a large expanse of land, the tallest building in miles around. To the right was the small gathering of houses where his subjects lived, and to the left was the woods that stretched for miles around. Directly in front of the pack house was a training site which was empty. All the trainers had been recruited for patrol too.

The alpha trudged forward in the snow, silently cursing as his boots got stuck severally in the muck. One more reason why he hated winter.

He got to the border a few minutes later. The patrol team was arranged at intervals along the borderline. They were so scanty; Logan had no idea how they could take on another attack. His heart ached with worry and fear as he contemplated the depleted number of his pack.

Their border was located at the edge of the woods, with the forest behind the patrol team and a wide expanse of land to their front. Everything had been made white and bleak by the falling snow, but Logan could sense the enemy as surely as he could see his own hands. He knew they were lurking in the snow, waiting for any sign of relent before making their attack.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by Casper's voice in his head. He sounded excited and scared at the same time and Logan was finding it hard to make sense of his words. His voice was frantic and incoherent. Logan waited for him to calm down before speaking.

''You might wanna repeat all that you've said, Casper. He said calmly''

Casper paused and took deep breaths. Then he started again:

''Alpha, there's a bit of a situation. You might wanna check this out. Meet us at the north border''.

Logan murmured an excuse to the men around him, then walked over to the north border, wondering what Casper was all excited about.

He reached the north border and saw a group of men gathered around something on the ground. His sharp wolf eyes caught a glimpse of white on the ground but before he could look further, Casper appeared in front of him, his eyes full of excitement.

"Bad news again?" Logan asked, bracing himself for the worst.

"Not particularly. At least not yet." His beta answered. "Come see this."

Casper led the Alpha to the group of gathered men. They all parted to show him the center of their attention.

It was a white wolf, half buried in the snow.

Immediately Logan's eyes fell upon the wolf his body reacted violently. A hot searing flash of connection went through his body, igniting something inside him that he couldn't identify or control. He found himself drawn to the white wolf, and suddenly something in his mind clicked and became right, as though he had been waiting for this moment all his life. Suddenly all he wanted was to get on the ground and wrap his hands around the wolf, whisper in her ears, and tell her she would be fine. Suddenly it felt as though they were the only two people in the world. The feeling was unbearable, yet comforting. Unwelcome, yet desirable. And immediately, the Alpha knew what had just happened to him.

He had found his mate.

He gasped at the realization and turned his back on the wolf, trying to regain his composure. His men mustn't notice any form of weakness in their Alpha. Casper placed a hand on his shoulder worriedly.

"Alpha...what's wrong? Perhaps–"

"No." He replied, righting himself "I'm fine."

He counted the seconds slowly, then turned back to the wolf and crouched before her. This time he was a little more prepared for the onslaught of desire. His wolf cried out in excitement as he looked at her again but he ignored it.

The lone wolf on the ground had her eyes closed, apparently unconscious. Her fur which matched the snow perfectly was partially buried under all the white. Logan reached his hand out and brushed a few flecks of snow away from her body, revealing her left shoulder.

There was a branded mark there, just below her neck. A crescent-shaped tattoo-like mark, barely bigger than a bottle cap. Logan fought the urge to reach out and touch it. The mark looked like none he had ever seen. It looked ancient, as simple, and as confusing as a hieroglyph. He frowned, wondering how she got the mark and why it stood out to him.

He stood without another word and turned into the forest, ignoring Casper's call behind him. He wanted to clear his head and rearrange his thoughts: everything that had just happened was starting to get to him.

He had just invited his mate into his life.

Little did he know he had also invited trouble.

Logan continued to walk through the forest, paying no attention to the direction his steps were taking him. He felt as though he was moving against a tide, as though he was leaving all he had always wanted behind him. All that his heart and wolf wanted was to turn back and see his mate again, but his brain needed a break from everything that had just happened.

He reached the edge of a creek and sat down on a tree stump beside it. The creek was his comfort spot, a place where he could offload and recharge. It had been his favorite spot as a young werewolf, and now, with all the responsibilities of an Alpha on his shoulders, he found himself coming here more often.

The creek was frozen over due to the weather, its surface shining like a lake of glass. Logan stared into it, seeing his reflection look back up at him. His was the face of a tired young man who had been dealt the rougher side of life.

From a very young age, he had been made the Alpha in his father's stead, having to rule over people who were older and more experienced than him. It wasn't easy being a teenage alpha. He'd had to put aside his own needs and emotions for the good of the whole pack, and the years had taken a huge toll on him. All his life had revolved around being an Alpha and taking care of his people and he had paid little attention to anything else, including finding a mate.

He didn't want one, period. He had seen what having and losing a mate had done to his father, how the old man had given himself slowly to misery till he became a shadow of his former self. He didn't want to ever experience that, to love someone so much that losing them felt like death.

But somehow the Goddess had decided to make his life worse by giving him the one thing he least wanted: a mate, even though he'd rather do without one. She was his responsibility now, more because of the situation he'd found her. He wasn't so callous as to abandon a lone wolf in need of help, whether she was his mate or not. With that thought in mind, he opened the mind link, trying to reach Casper. Within a few seconds, his beta answered.

''Alpha... Casper called''.

''Casper, take my...take the white wolf to the pack's clinic. Make sure she's well taken care of''.

''Alright, Alpha. We're on it. Casper paused, as though contemplating what he was about to say''.

Then he spoke up again. ''Alpha, are you sure you're okay? You looked a little put out the other time''.

''It's alright, Casper, I'm fine. Thanks for acting concerned''.

''It wasn't an act, Alpha. I was genuinely worried. I've never seen you act like that''.

''Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there Casper?'' Logan answered in a not-too-kind voice.

''Oh, I'm sorry if I passed my bounds, Alpha''. The beta replied and cut off the mind link.

Logan closed his eyes and let the cold air wash over him, soothe his frayed nerves. His mind went back to his mate and he wondered how she was faring. Every time he thought of her his wolf would jump in excitement and impatience to see her again. Suddenly he found himself wishing he was by her side instead of by this lonely creek.

A thought crossed his mind uninvited and he paused, opening his eyes. What if she was a spy, planted at the pack's border by the rogue wolves? The crescent mark he had seen on her shoulder pointed very convincingly to that fact. In his ten years of being an Alpha, he hadn't come across any wolf with that mark. It was strange and looked eerily ancient, like a long-forgotten hieroglyph.

''What if she wasn't really in pain and in need of help?''

''What if he had imprinted on the enemy?''

His wolf groaned in defiance at that unwelcome thought and he stood abruptly from the tree stump, moving towards the pack house. If that was the case, if she really was a spy planted in his territory, he would have no choice but to kill her.

Immediately this thought crossed his mind his inner wolf snarled dangerously. Don't kill mate. She's the Chosen! His wolf screamed.

"Shut up!" He growled out loud and his voice scared a couple of birds from the trees. Thank the Goddess he was alone in the woods. His subjects would think he had finally lost it if he was found talking to himself.

His wolf reared its head and reminded him She's your mate! Killing her would bring you unbearable pain! You'll regret it for the rest of your life!

"But accepting her as my mate would cause more harm than good. She might be a spy; she might have been planted here by the enemy. And I cannot risk falling in love and going through everything only to be left miserable at the end of my life. Have you seen what losing a mate did to my father?"

His wolf snorted in derision and asked Are you your father? Last time I checked you were not!"

"I'm not." He replied, frowning "Doesn't mean it can't happen. And I'm not willing to take that dangerous risk on my life. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to end the subject there."

His wolf growled in rebellion and retreated into a corner of his mind, still muttering threats. Another voice replaced that of the wolf in his head. It was the voice of Casper through a mind link and he silently swore. He was sick of everyone getting into his head so much in one day.

''If you mind link me again, Casper...''

''Alpha...Sorry for disturbing your quiet again''.

''There's news''. His beta's voice was slightly amused. He probably thought his Alpha was overreacting.

''Bad or good this time?'' Logan asked. His thoughts immediately traveled to the white wolf that was now his mate and despite his resolution to end her life, he found his heart skipping a beat as he contemplated the thought that something had happened to her.

''Depends on how you want to look at it''. Casper answered, his voice still amused.

''The lone wolf we found? She's awake.''

''He looked up and towards the pack house in excitement. She is?''

''Yes. She's morphed back to human too. You should come to see her''.

''Keep her there''. He replied to his beta after several seconds. ''Restrict every effort she might make to escape. I'm on my way right now''. He concluded and closed the mind link.

His wolf became excited again as he walked away from the frozen creek and towards the pack house and his mate. He tried to shush his wolf but deep down, he was excited too. He would finally meet the she-wolf that had made him feel so many unfamiliar emotions in the space of a few hours.

God help him if he had to kill her in the end. He was too deep in this already.

Aella woke up with a start. Beads of white spots danced before her eyelids and she groaned tiredly, wondering where she was. Her eyelids were shut tight and she struggled to open them but couldn't. It had been closed for more than a day and she'd been stuck in the snow. The cold had completely numbed her body, she realized.

She attempted to move her limbs and realized that they felt different. She frowned, eyes still closed, wondering why she felt like she was in a different body. Her limbs were as immobile as stone figures and all she could do was roll her shoulders from side to side.

She cast her mind back, trying to remember how she had gotten to the snow in the first place, but all she remembered was running through the blizzard and the fear that had taken root in her chest. She couldn't remember how or why she was running in the snow, but after a while, she had fallen from exhaustion and passed out. And now she was here, in this strange place.

Her body was still heavy with exhaustion and she found herself giving in to the fatigue. She felt warm and well taken care of, and soon her brain went fuzzy with warmth as all thoughts slipped from her grasp and sleep overcame her again.

When Aella woke again, she felt much better than the last time. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Her vision was slightly blurred at the edges and white spots danced before her eyes. She tried to sit up but fell back to the bed in exhaustion and resorted to staring around at the room.

It was plain and without any major décor, large and unoccupied save for her. Everything looked whitewashed and sterilized, and the whole room smelled of antiseptic. Her bed was in the corner of the large room close to the wall, with a large window behind her. She looked down at herself and saw that she was stark naked, covered only by the white sheet.

Suddenly her sharp ears picked up footsteps from the left of wherever she was. Her head snapped up and she looked around, her teeth slightly bared and a snarl low in her throat. The door of whatever room she was in creaked open and a head peeked into the room.

She still kept her canines bared as a warning to the person and he smiled, walking into the room. His smile was genial and friendly and Aella found herself relaxing a little. But a part of her was still on edge. She'd seen her fair share of people who pretended to be nice then turned on her the moment she turned her back.

"Hello." He greeted, still smiling cheerfully. "I'm Frank Callister, the pack's doctor."

Aella didn't spare him a reply. She glared at him with all the suspicion she could muster in her present state. Her canines were still bared and her eyes glowed amber with danger.

"You were found on the border, close to the woods. Do you happen to remember how you got there?" The doctor asked.

Still ignoring him, she sat back on the bed and faced the wall. The doctor moved towards her bed and continued "Okay, I'm sorry. That must have sounded inconsiderate.

How are you feeling?"

Aella continued to ignore him. He stared at her bemusedly for a few seconds, then sighed "I guess you're still in shock about all that has happened in the past few hours. I'll fetch the Alpha, perhaps he would have more luck talking to you."

With this last statement, the doctor left her in the room and walked out. She continued to keep mute, staring at the whitewashed wall. Within a few minutes, the door creaked open again and another person entered the room.

She turned away from the wall and her eyes fell upon the person that entered. Immediately she felt a jolt of several emotions, so vivid that she almost cried out. Her body and mind were drawn to him in a way that she had never been drawn to anyone before. She almost whimpered with need as he looked at her from opposite the room. He looked as though he had felt the energy between them too, and he was trying valiantly to stay as far away from her as possible.

Aella tried to right herself but everything felt different this time. She turned away, swallowing hard and trying to gather her thoughts and hoping the feeling would pass. But by the time she looked at him again that same jolt hit her in her stomach and she fought the urge to bolt from the bed and wrap her hands around him, be in him and by him, and never let go.

She saw him close his eyes and look away, his throat working as he tried to regain his composure. Did he also feel what she felt?

Her wolf was turning around in excitement, screaming mate! mate! She glared at him, annoyed that someone she just met was making her feel so many emotions at once. She immediately resolved to make it hard for him to know her. She would be as unresponsive and stubborn as ever. It was the only way she thought she could punish him for making her feel this way.

He turned his face back to her and she had a chance to appreciate his features. He was a fine-looking man with all the endearing qualities of a literal god. His raven-black hair was done in a messy ponytail which was almost slipping from its band. His mouth was pursed as he studied her, revealing a set of dimples that softened the hard edges of his face. From this distance, she couldn't tell the color of his eyes but they were regarding her with something close to dread.

This silent once-over took several minutes before the man cleared his throat nervously "I see you're awake." He started. Desire hit Aella like a blizzard as she heard his voice and a whimper slipped from her lips. He had heard the whimper; she saw how he gasped under his breath and lick his lips nervously.

He took several steps forward and she backed up till her back hit the wall behind her. His smell hit her nose: something earthy like cedarwood. She sniffed twice and closed her eyes in bliss. She could smell this all day.

"You were found close to my territory. You were unconscious and half-buried in the snow. Apparently, you passed off just outside this pack's border...Or not."

Aella's breath hitched as she saw the look in his eyes. They were cold and impenetrable; He was clearly suspecting her of something.

Anger clogged her throat and she snarled almost inaudibly. How dare he turn her insides out with desire, then act like she was a problem he wanted to do away with? She snarled again and said nothing, bent on frustrating him even more.

He continued without noticing the change in her mood. "I want to know who you are and why you were found close to my territory. As Alpha of this pack, it is important that I find out everything I need to know about every intruder."

Oh, so I'm an intruder now? Who was all in my head a few seconds ago? She thought. She frowned and turned her head, not meeting his eyes.

The man shuffled his feet nervously "Did you hear me, lady? I would like to know all about you, starting with your name. It's important."

She continued to ignore him, acting as though nobody was in the room with her. He closed the small gap left between them and sat on her bed. His cedarwood smell invaded her nose even more strongly and she almost felt her resolve slipping, but she hardened her expression and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"As Alpha," he growled, his breath warming her face "I command you to answer my questions. Now." She kept her mouth shut, still staring at him stubbornly. Her face was hard but his scent was already messing with her head in all the wrong ways.

When she still didn't reply to him, he let out a shout of frustration and stood up abruptly from the bed, storming to the door of the hospital room. Once there he turned back to look at her, his face filled with rage. And without another word, he left the room angrily.

Aella sighed with relief after he left the room. She didn't know how much longer she could hold this up but hopefully, she would be able to escape from here before any more damage was done. She closed her eyes and tried to regulate her heart, hoping the Alpha never visited her again.

But little did she know that her life was about to change forever.