Page 17 of Rescued by the Alpha

She winced. “From what I gathered when you radioed, he’s human. Right?”

He nodded again.

She let out a soft whistle. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” He snorted. “Wow.”

She patted his hand then sat back. “Then you’d better get moving. You have a spirit guide to see.”

Chapter Six

Nic nodded at a few passersby—ones who had wanted him to stay on as Alpha—as he strode down the main street that ran through their small town. Not much of the snow had been cleared out, just enough to create a path since everyone was within about a five mile radius from one another. The edge of the remote location featured a gas station and convenience store for travelers who might make the wrong turn somewhere and wander in their direction. They’d gas them up then send them on their way. One of the pack families even maintained a campsite a few miles down the road in case strangers insisted on hanging around. Usually a rousing chorus of nightly wolf howls would encourage them to move on sooner rather than later.

Once he reached the guide’s cabin that was nestled in a large grouping of boulders and evergreens, he paused. Something Asha had said to him after he’d completed his initial shift at thirteen came to mind. She was the first one he’d told he was gay. Her unwavering love and support was what had given him the courage to face his Alpha father with the truth of who he was, and that he wouldn’t be able to carry on their family line.

‘Your wolf will tell you what is right and what is wrong. Allow him to guide you wheneveryou have questions, Nicolai. If you can’t trust him, then come to me. Together, we will find yourpath’.

After inhaling a deep breath, he crunched through the snow to get to Asha’s arched wood door and used the wolf-head iron knocker to rap against the strong barrier.

“Come in, Nicolai!”

The fuck? Nic pressed on the latch and made his way inside, the warmth filling her small home a welcome greeting from the freezing temps outside.

“Hello, Healer.” He dipped his chin in greeting. “How did you know it was me?”

Asha chuckled as she set aside some knitting, placing the pink ball of yarn that trailed from a tiny, partially formed garment into a basket next to the overstuffed chair where she was seated. She tugged the basket farther away from the stone hearth that supported the wood stove, the source of the comfortable heat in her home.

“Your sister said I should plan on you paying me a visit.” She gazed up at him through rheumy, gray eyes and smiled, the deep lines in her face giving testimony to her many years as their guide and healer. “From what I hear, you have an unexpected guest?”

Nic frowned. How much had his sister told her? “Yes, Healer. I found him in the snow at the beginning of the storm. He’d fallen and hit his head. I…” He cleared his throat. “Well, I picked up his scent then brought him back to my cabin.”

She gestured for him to take the matching chair next to hers—the only large pieces of furniture that graced the cozy living room. “I see. Tell me about your mate, Nicolai.”

He mused that he should probably be more surprised than he was that she’d recognized Elam for what he was, but then again, she held such a significant place in the Alliance for a reason. Not only their pack, but members of the other packs in the Alliance would seek her counsel.

“Is it his scent on me? Alex said she could smell him.”

She regarded him with a tilt of her head, her eyes squinting somewhat. “Yes, there’s that.

However, it’s also the way his scent has already entwined with yours. He’s reaching out to you on an etheric plane, even as your wolf seeks him. But there’s no wolf for yours to find, is there?” Asha nodded sagely. “You must set your mate’s wolf free, so they can find each other and complete their union.”

Nic leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his elbows resting on his knees. “Because he’s human.”

She tapped her nose with her index finger then pointed at him, winking. “Precisely. That’s what you needed to hear from me, correct? That it’s okay to turn your mate?”

He let out a shaky laugh. “Yes. To be honest, I was concerned I’d be forbidden from doing such a thing. I thought I was going to have to make the case for him.”

Asha let out a sigh then leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on a small footstool topped with an embroidered cushion. “Well now, you didn’t think that through, Nicolai. No one can give you permission when you find your fated mate. That’s beyond our scope when speaking of the spirit realm.”

Nic shifted in the chair. “Right. So, that brings to mind something else. With Artur and Dara—”

“Yes. I knew it was a game.” She chuckled.

Nic straightened. “Game? That’s hardly the appropriate way to describe it!”

Asha pursed her lips at him. “Tone, young man.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I apologize, Healer. Lately I’ve felt so disconnected from everyone, from the pack.” She arched her eyebrows at him and he sighed. “Yes, I know. Obviously, I’ve brought that about by the way I’ve distanced myself. But, I had to. I just can’t believe that my brother would do such a thing.”