Three

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 decor, 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.