The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 6

Cooper POV

I lift my head from my front paws and stand to shake off some dead leaves clinging to my fur. I am shocked to find that I have slept till dawn. Hiding in my mate's back garden isn't the ideal way to ensure a good night's sleep, but it did the trick as my wolf was comforted being her scent. I stretch out my limbs, still marvelling at how much better I feel when I hear the latch on the back door click, and the door swings open. My heart jumps into my mouth as Hayley steps out and turns to lock the door behind her. She has her head tilted to the side while she slips on her headphones, and waves of toffee coloured hair cascade over her tanned shoulders, shimmering with natural blonde highlights from lots of time spent outdoors. I admire her slim, toned legs that seem to go on forever, and the tiny running shorts she has on. I never really considered myself a leg man, but I am now.

Jesus. Staying away is going to be tough.

She finally turns to face into the woods and my breath catches as I get my first glimpse of her face, she is just stunning. I stare at her large almond-shaped golden-brown eyes and full pink lips, and my heart soars. She is perfect. I take a step towards her without realizing it and the movement catches her attention. Her eyes lock onto mine and she freezes in shock at the sight of me, a very large black wolf standing in the trees, only 30 feet away. Her mouth opens slightly, and her eyes widen in wonder, not fear. Still, the last thing I want is for her to be in any way scared so I take slow steps backward until I hear her heart rate settle a bit, before turning to bolt off into the trees.

Hayley POV

My hands are still trembling slightly as I open the door and step inside the house, never turning my back until I am safely indoors. I peer out through the window, but I can't see the wolf anymore. It ran off at such speed that it's probably long gone by now. I have never seen such a beautiful creature up that close before. The intensity of its stare had set my heart racing and yet somehow, I wasn't afraid of it. The wolf seemed to be as stunned as me by our encounter. I wonder if a jet-black wolf is rare. And the size of it, was it unusually large, or had I just not appreciated how big they could be before? Not wanting to disturb it any further, I decide that my run can wait for another day. Instead, I snatch up my car keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and head for the front of the house. I have a never-ending list of DIY projects to be done so and I might as well take advantage of this unexpected long weekend.

I bought the house two months ago, draining my savings and the proceeds of a redundancy package from my investment banking job. It was tricky to keep its purchase a secret from James, but it would all be worth it in the long run. As a lawyer himself, he would have expected me to come to him for help with something like this, but he was the last person I wanted to know about it. This house was my escape plan. When James had announced our engagement, without having asked me to marry him, the blind panic that had gripped me was enough to tell me how I felt about our relationship. 

I had always talked about wanting a simpler life and getting out of the rat race, but James had laughed at me and never took me seriously when I brought it up. He could never understand why I wasn't impressed by the flashy cars and fancy restaurants he adored so much. He couldn't fathom why I always tried to escape the city and get out into nature. He had been so charming at the start of our relationship, too charming and smooth now that I look back, but after the 'engagement' when I refused to wear the ring that he had given me, the mask had slipped, and I needed to get away fast. This house represents my new life and a fresh start, bought through a complicated company structure to try and make it as hard as possible to trace back to me.

"Hayley!" A familiar voice broke my thoughts and I look up to see Ethan strolling towards me down the aisle of the local hardware store with a big smile on his face.

"Oh, hey there. How are you doing Ethan?" I reply casually, throwing some paint samples into the trolley.

"Great, but what are you doing here? I thought you'd be resting up at home." He investigates my cart, taking in the tape, brushes, tins of paint, tiles, and grout, and raises an eyebrow.

"I'm fine, nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix. Just doing some bits around the house. I only just moved in, and I'm trying to do as much of it myself as I can." He nods but he doesn't look confident in my abilities. I try not to take it personally. I know I don't really look like I'd be handy but it's amazing what you can teach yourself when you have no money. Thank you, YouTube.

"I presume it's your own place if you're doing all this work?" He asks, trailing along beside me as I start to move down the aisle again.

"Yep. I'm going to turn it into a bed and breakfast, rent out a few rooms to get some extra income. But I need to get it a bit more presentable before I can do that." I gesture to the loaded trolley. He steps in front of me, blocking the way, and frowns down at me, arms crossed over his muscular chest.

"So, you're going to have complete strangers coming and going, staying overnight in your home?" He asks slowly and when I nod, he lets out a long breath and shakes his head as if this is the worst news he has ever heard. It's a bit dramatic.

"That's the general premise of a B&B. I am not going to make much money if I don't let people stay overnight." I am baffled by his reaction to my plans, he's making it sound like it's the most bizarre idea he's ever heard.

"It's not safe though." He states flatly, and I swear I see his pale blue eyes darken slightly. I roll my eyes at him. Great, another guy who thinks he knows what I should be doing. My brother isn't in the country to give me shit so the gods have sent someone else to do it.

"Oh yes, because you regularly hear stories of bed and breakfast owners in sleepy towns up and down the country being killed in their sleep by guests," I say sarcastically, and his frown deepens. "Anyway, it's probably safer than a single girl living out in the woods by herself. Not that it's any of your business." I push the trolley around Ethan who still looks very disturbed and start loading up my items at the cash register. Ethan eventually follows, helping me to pack and load all my purchases into the boot of my little car. It's only as I drive off that I realize he didn't buy anything or go back in after I left. 

Was he just in there looking for me?