The Wolf's Unlikely Mate

RORY POV

"Look at this view!!" I loved living in Alaska. Views like these made me feel incredibly lucky to live here. As I kneeled to catch my breath, I looked out over the hillside and across the vast valley below me. Gentle rolling hills made their way to the forest edge, and a small rushing river flowed through the grassy hills.

I never hiked solo, but I was glad that I did that day. Work at the wildlife sanctuary had begun to pile up over the last hunting season, and I needed a break. This day was unique, as I would do a solo hike on Saffron Mountain. A notoriously secluded trail wound itself around Saffron, weaving in and out of a remote spruce-filled forest. The trail was narrow and covered in cones and needles. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the local wildlife as well. Despite seeing animals every day at the sanctuary, I was looking forward to seeing a few in their natural habitat.

After snapping a few photos of the pristine view, I started to make my way back down the mountain. The crisp and clean mountain air was intoxicating, and the quiet of the forest was incredibly soothing. It had taken me an hour to hike up the mountain, so I took my time hiking down, keeping at a leisurely pace. I was in no rush to get back to the sanctuary and was enjoying some quiet, contemplative time to myself.

But as I made my way down the winding trail, I couldn't help but feel the presence of someone. Or perhaps the presence of something. I stopped momentarily to catch my breath and listen for nearby wildlife sounds. It was tranquil save for a few sparrows and chickadees in the white spruce trees. Maybe it was a squirrel or some other type of rodent running around the forest floor making all that noise. I shrugged and continued walking.

But then I heard the noise again. It sounded like something significantly large, crushing sticks and brush in its path. This time I stopped and waited. Slowly turning in a full circle, I scanned both sides of the trail and forest and searched for any signs of wildlife or humans. The forest was extremely dense, but the trees were thin, so the probability of an animal or human walking beside me without me noticing was slim. I did not want to run into something large unprepared. So, I decided to check my backpack and make sure I had brought my bear spray.

I didn't find the bear spray, and I wondered if maybe my mom had borrowed it and had forgotten to return it to my backpack. I sighed as I zipped my backpack shut but became increasingly alert; I felt confident I was being watched. I felt someone or something was watching me. And then I heard the growls.

I could see four wolves approaching me out of the corner of my eye one black wolf, two grey wolves, and a brown wolf. The black wolf walked slightly ahead of the other three. I calmly put my backpack over my shoulders and turned around to face them. I had been trained for this. I needed to stand straight, appear as large as I could, and walk away from them slowly. I didn't plan on running or turning my back on them. I tried to keep a close eye on them without making direct eye contact, especially with the black wolf as he edged closer.

All four wolves growled and snarled in unison. They looked p*ssed. But in my training, I had learned that wolf attacks were extremely rare. And wolves were usually frightful of humans. I knew they most likely wouldn't attack if I didn't run. But as they edged closer, I began to walk backward with more speed. However, this was dangerous, as I couldn't possibly watch where I was going and watch the wolves simultaneously. I was a short human, five-foot-three to be exact, so I puffed out my chest and maintained a serious facial expression attempting to mask my racing fear. I was deathly terrified, and all the training I had endured did not prepare me for this.

The black wolf picked up his pace as the trail wrapped around a bend in the hillside. They were continuously snarling and growling, baring their sharp teeth and fangs. Eventually, I assumed they would pick up their speed and try to surround me. As I tried not to make eye contact, I attempted to avoid staring into their glaring mouths. I knew how powerful those fangs were and the damage they could do. I knew I did not possess the strength to fight off one of these wolves, let alone a pack. I quickly tried to think about my next move. Should I call for help?

I continued walking backward and pulled my cell phone out of my sweatshirt pocket. I noticed I had no signal. I thought about calling 911 anyway. I looked up at the closing-in wolves and made the decision. I would call for help. I dialed 911, but the call didn't go through. There was simply no nearby service to connect me to any emergency services. I was on my own.

I put the cellphone back in my pocket as the wolves got even closer. I picked up my speed, but it was no use. It was almost like they were communicating with each other because the two grey wolves took off in a light run, both running past me and then stopping behind me. At that point, I was surrounded. With the black and brown wolves closing in on me from the front and the two grey wolves behind me, I had nowhere to run.

And then I tripped.

I fell over a rock and tumbled backward, landing on my backpack. While the weight of my backpack had cushioned my fall, when I tried to pull myself up without using my hands, it was almost impossible. Sprawled out on the ground on my back, I felt utterly useless and ready to be preyed upon. The black wolf edged closer, growling, and snarling, and I had to turn away to avoid looking into his fiery yellow eyes. He stood over me now, and I could feel his hot breath on my face.

My life quickly flashed before my eyes. How ironic was it that I had spent the last five of my twenty-six years saving wolves and was now going to die this way? I thought about my mom and how devastated she would be after losing her husband decades ago and now losing her only child. I had never married and had never fallen in love. Sure, I dated a few guys in high school, but I had never experienced true love. I had never even heard the words "I love you" from a man. I had spent all my waking moments at the sanctuary trying to take care of animals.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and when I opened them, I noticed the growling stopped. The black wolf was still standing over me but looked across from me at something behind me. I slowly looked over my shoulder and saw it-another wolf.

This wolf was majestically white, and his fur glistened like fresh-fallen snow. Its fur was thick and bushy. And I noticed it was much larger than the others. It howled, and the black wolf backed up off me and, after glancing quietly at the others, retreated into the forest. I watched in awe as the other wolves followed him, quietly disappearing.

Before I could process it, the white wolf approached me. It strolled over to me, and its grey eyes looked me up and down with contemplation I had not seen from a wolf before. It was as if he was looking for something. I thought quickly about my next move. I leaned back on my elbows to push myself up, but I was too slow. The massive white wolf had reached me and was now standing over my head, peering down at me.

What little chance I might have had to escape was gone. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate. Maybe he would do it quickly. I waited for it to attack as tears fell down my face. But the wolf didn't attack. I opened my eyes and realized the wolf was gone. And in his place knelt a gorgeous man with a muscular frame, a slender asymmetrical face, and sandy blonde hair cut in an angular fringe.