The one where he saves her

I sit in my study in the pack house, going over our finances and approving budgets. After 13 years of doing this, it feels like second nature to me. Today feels a little off. I had my normal sparring session this morning with my Beta, Luke. Today's session was pretty gruelling, and I think I pulled a muscle in my wrist, an injury that isn't as serious as for wolves as it is for humans. Right now, there is just a slight stiffness in my wrist when I move it around.

For the past three years, I have not been able I have not been able to sleep properly and normally a nice sparring section with Luke and a long run in wolf form would help me blow off steam and calm my wolf for a bit but today, the uneasiness only grows as the hour passes. I sigh and try to concentrate on the account books, but the numbers just blur in front of my eyes. I put the account books aside and start messaging my wrist when I'm consumed by an array of emotions that I know instinctively doesn't belong to me.

For a few seconds, I'm panicking, and before I begin to even start processing everything that, it becomes fear, then it turns into rage. Real, raw rage. In less than a minute, the emotions just wink out of existence like a snuffed out candle.

I grab my phone immediately and proceed to call Luke, but before I can start dialling, he calls me, and as soon as I answer, I know some something wrong.

"Luke?"

"She's gone, Max," He says, and my whole world goes off its axis.

"Someone took her on her way home. There was a struggle, but there's no blood."

My claws slash out, and when I speak, I know my wolf is in my voice.

"Do you have a trail?".

Twenty minutes of full tilt running later, I'm standing at the place where Calista was taken. I immediately spot Walker, the pack member who was supposed to watch Callie. I walk over to him, and once he sees me, he bows his head, and I fight the urge to throttle him.

"What happened?" I ask him .How was she taken?"

"I'm sorry, Alpha..... It's just that I didn't know she didn't use this path. I thought she was going to use the major roads so I waited for her there." I give an exasperated sigh.

"Were you not kept appraised of her routes?, Were you not aware that she takes the same route every gods damned day?" With each word, my voice gets quieter, and I am descending into the part of that becomes one with my wolf. The place where I can not tell where Max the 'human' and Max the 'Wolf' begins and ends. I turn away from Walker, and by the time I turn to Luke, I am more wolf than man.

"What do you have for me, Luke?" Luke, who is normally laid back, looks grimly at me.

"There are no CCTV cameras around which is unfortunate, but from the scents, there were three people here, one was Callista, and others two were the assailants."

"Wolf?" I ask

"No, human."He replies. I nod my head and gesture for him to continue. "The trail ends at the highway. I sent elena to keep on tracking. if anyone can pick up the trail, it's her." I nod in approval. Elena is our best tracker. I have total faith in her ability to find literally anything. Luke leans in close to me

"So from the scent, it seems the assailants were waiting for her, and immediately she showed up, they grabbed her. I don't think she made it easy for them though, the most pungent scent in the air is that of feminine rage." I turn to look at him with eyes I'm fully aware reflect the golden of my Wolf's.

"I know." he inclines his head and gives a small smile.

"Figures" I don't respond to his comment. We wait in silence when his phone pings with an incoming message.

"Elena has her. They're in an abandoned warehouse downtown." He says.

"Get Natalie, tell her to come to the warehouse we might need a medic."

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When we get to the warehouse, Elena walks towards us and gives me friendly salute.

"Any news, Elena?"

"None, it's been pretty quiet so far,but a few minutes ago, one of the guys left, and before you ask, yes, the other one is still in there."

As we are outside, a scream pierces through the air, I phase into my wolf, and I'm moving before it even stops.

I go into the building, and Calista is on the floor with a man looming over her and pulling her jeans down for a split second she looks at me and then looks away. A red haze fills my vision, and I want to kill him. I want to strangle him and watch the life bleed out from his eyes. I want him to watch and know who it is that is killing him, I want him to beg.

I phase out of my wolf to my human form and stalk over to him. He is so engrossed with undoing his clothes that he doesn't hear me as I approach. He only acknowledges me when I hold him by the scruff of his neck and start choking him. He tries to say something, but I can't hear, I'm too busy enjoying him struggle. He turns red and then purple and finally goes limp with the film of death already creping into his eyes.

Luke rushes to Calista, but I growl. I'm no longer in control. My entire being is driven by instinct and anger. Another male is near my mate. Another male is close enough to touch her, my mate. MINE .

I growl at Luke. I growl at everyone. I block her body with mine. Luke backs away, and Elena steps forward.

"We just want to help her, Max, that's all we want. To help. We are pack, family. She's yours, but she needs help, okay, and we can give her that help." Her words get to me, so I bring myself back from the rage induced stupor I'm in and step aside from Calista’s body

Right then, Natalie runs in and goes straight to Calista’s side. She opens her med box and starts examining Calista

"How's she?" I ask

" She's a little banged up, and it seems she was being continuously drugged,"

"Will there be any side effects?"

" I can't say for sure. I don't know what kind of medication they used."

"Yes, we can," Elena says, holding up a small bottle. Natalie takes it from her and reads it.

"Okay, so she may experience temporary memory loss," Natalie says, but I interrupt

"What kind of memory loss?"

"She may have no memories of the last 24 hours, or she may have them but think they were a dream."

"Okay, but she'll wake up, right?" She looks up at me and smiles

"Yes, she will, Max. You can relax, but someone needs to take her home."

"I'll do it. I'll take her home. "

"Okay, but you'll need a car and some clothes," Luke says. I turn to look at him, and he tosses me clothes. From the scent, it's mine.

I carry Calista to the car and buckle her in. She mumbles something, and I don't catch what she's saying. I take a moment to just look at her. She's just so beautiful. I remember her hair being longer from the first time I saw her. She's since cut it. She has dark circles around her eyes now. like she doesn't ever sleep. I stop staring at her like a creep and get into the driver seat to drive her home.

When we get to her house, I carry her out of the car and walk to the door, I just realise that I don't have the keys to her house. I place her in a sitting position on the stairs leading to her front door and lean her head on the railing to check her bags for her keys. I get the keys, open the door, and place her on a sofa. Walking around her house feels like a violation, so I just put her bag down beside the sofa. I lean over to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, and she opens her eyes. There is piercing clarity and awareness in her eyes when she asks

"Who are you?" I smile and answer

"I'm Max sweetheart, it's nice to meet you again." she looks at me for a moment before her eyelids flutter close. I sit there for a moment to just savour being in her presence before i stand up and leave.