Heart of the Unknown Alpha (3 page)

“I can drive you back to your place or you can call a friend to come and get you if you want. I am sure you want to get back into your own clothing as soon as possible and get a hot shower as well.” She rinsed the dishes and turned with a small smile on her face.

Darian watched her through slightly narrowed eyes, she was hiding something and he bet it had to do with all the missing pictures in the hall.  She didn’t wear a ring but then a lot of women didn’t these days. She was open and friendly enough but something in her eyes told a different tale. Slowly he spoke. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me a ride home I would appreciate it. I live up in the woods. It’s a smaller town, doubt you would find it on any map.”

“I didn’t realize there was a town out that way. I know the lake I go to is pretty secluded so you must live out farther than that.” Aryana was surprised. She had been going to that lake for quite a while and never had she suspected there was ANYTHING but woods beyond it..

“Yeah it’s pretty far back in. If you don’t mind I would like another cup of coffee before we go, maybe finish clearing out the cobwebs and the bit of a headache I got going on.” One corner of his mouth lifted into a wry smile. He didn’t really have a headache but suddenly didn’t like the idea of leaving her company either, though he really didn’t have any reason to remain. Heck he didn’t have any reason for her to drive him either. One phone call and one of the Omegas would have come and gotten him no problem, benefit to being Supreme Betas kid, but he wanted just that little bit more time with her. His WOLF wanted that little bit more time with her… hell he could almost hear the damn thing whimper at the thought of leaving her.
That’s a new one.

“Sure, help yourself. I am sorry I don’t have shoes that would fit you.  Scott, um he had a lot smaller feet then you do.” She mumbled quickly looking away as a blush crept up her checks.

Darian mentally took note of the blush, somewhat enjoying seeing her flustered a bit. “It’s fine. I can wait till I get home to put on shoes.” He wondered how she would feel if she knew how often he ran barefoot on four feet?

“Okay you can finish your coffee while I clean up, then we can go.” Aryana went back to washing up all the dishes her coffee cup included. She switched off the coffeemaker on her way past to get her shoes.

Fifteen minutes later they were walking out the door to her SUV when Darian stopped a few feet away from the vehicle. Something flashed through his mind but he couldn’t hold onto it. “Hey what happened to your car?”

Aryana looked up at him as she was unlocking the driver’s side. Her brows drew together in a confused look. “What are you talking about? There is nothing wrong with it.”

Darian’s eyes looked pointedly at the numerous scrapes and smears on the front of her vehicle. With a silent raised eyebrow he slowly and deliberately pointed with one finger.

Still looking confused Aryana closed the door and came around the front of the vehicle. Surprise crossed her features as she took in the damage Darian was pointing at. What the hell?  “I have no idea what happened. It wasn’t there when I left yesterday..” Her voice trailed off as she surveyed the damage.

Within the paint and around the headlight on the passenger side where numerous scrapes and strands of hair.  Some were pretty deep and while there were no dents in the body work itself it liked like someone had done one hell of a scratch up job on the front of the fender with a fork and knifes and possibly a tree branch. There was a tuft of thick dark hair stuck in where the front fender ended and the front of the car began near the headlight. On the very edge of the headlight as a large smear of blood. Reaching her fingers out she plucked the tuft of hair out of the scrapes and examined it more closely. It was soft and reminded her of dogs hair. It was dark and silky and short and thick. Her mind went to the events of last night and the encounter up by the lake when she thought she had hit something…Could she have? It was dark, if she HAD hit something she wouldn’t have been able to see the damage last night. 

“Do you mind if I clean this off before we go?”

Darian sat in the passenger side of the vehicle as Aryana went back into the house and came back out with the cleaning supplies. He didn’t need to examine the damage to figure it out. He could smell his own scent in the smears of blood. She had hit something and that something had been HIM. Not in his human form but it had to have happened close to before he had changed back. It explained a lot about his bruising too.  He sighed and leaned his head back against the headrest. Damn this was getting more and more complicated.  Darian felt his wolf whine when Aryana came back out with paper towels and cleaning spray. He watched silently as she did a quick job of cleaning off the blood smear and tossed the soiled towels in the can by the street.
What is she thinking? Who is she? WHAT is she? Why is she so familiar? And why the HELL does my stupid wolf keep whining for her?
These thoughts would play through his head over and over the entire way home only broken by having to give her directions on where to turn.

Aryana couldn’t help but wonder about the man beside her.  He seemed familiar to her but she knew she had never met him before. And she still didn’t know why he had been out in the woods the night before sans clothing. What she did know was he was one of the best looking guys she had ever met.  Her nervousness grew a bit though as they drove deeper and deeper into the woods. They passed the turn off to the lake where she had been swimming last night about thirty minutes ago and there didn’t seem to be a town anywhere nearby.  After about fifteen more minutes she suddenly saw it. It really WAS deep in the woods..

Darian directed her to the other side of the town and up a ways to a house that was a good quarter mile from everyone else’s. Call her paranoid but she had felt every pair of eyes they had passed following her as they had driven through the town. Pulling to a stop and parking where he had indicated, she turned to him with a smile on her face. “Guess this is it.”

Darian had a faraway look on his face when he turned to look at her. “Yeah, I guess it is.” His wolf whined and whimpered in his ear at the thought of leaving her so soon. Why in the hell was the damn thing acting like this? It was annoying the daylights out of him but he had to admit he didn’t really want them to part so soon either. “Would you like to come in? Least I can do is offer you a drink before you drive back.”

Aryana stilled instantly. If he hadn’t paid close attention he might have missed the change in her. A guarded and closed off expression came over her face as she seemed to be struggling mentally with her choice. What had happened to this little thing of a woman to cause that look? He waited not realizing he was holding his breathe till she looked at him with a small smile on her face.

“Thanks, that’s very nice of you. I think I will take you up on that if it isn’t too much trouble?”

“No trouble at all, come on in.” Darian climbed from the vehicle and led the way into the rather large two story log and stone cabin.

Aryana gasped as she walked through the doors, straight in front of her was a wall of windows. An entire freaking WALL OF WINDOWS!! Who the hell had an entire freaking wall of windows in their house? The heating bills in the winter had to be killer! Past the windows was the most stunning view she had ever seen.  A large cleared area still green with lush grass ended at a thick tree line. Shades of green, gray and dark brown made up the forest beyond, over the tops of the trees, a sky as clear and blue as any she had ever seen hung.

She turned as she heard Darian approach from her right and accepted the glass of water he handed her. The glass was cool against her fingers and the ice clinked as he handed it over.

“Make yourself comfortable, take your time. I will be right back.”

She watched as he disappeared up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Looking around at the rest of the room she absentmindedly lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. There was a large natural stone fireplace to her left with the biggest flat screen TV she had ever seen above it, the furniture was dark brown leather and arranged so you could either look out at the view or at the fireplace. Though you would think the place would look cold the dark rich wood flooring and dark creamy tan walls made it feel cozy.

This was the place you could cuddle up with your lover on cold nights, where you could kiss and make passionate love on the plush rug in front of the fireplace. A place where you could raise a whole pack of children letting them run free outside and enjoy being children without worry. It was the place she could see her and Darian spending their entire lives in. Aryana catching her train of thoughts shook herself.
WHAT THE HELL????

She had just met the man and now she was daydreaming about hot sweaty passionate lovemaking, children, and a lifetime together????  That was it, she had to get out of there.  Plunking the mostly untouched glass down on an end table she ran out the door to her SUV. With one last glance at the house she turned her vehicle around and drove away.

Darian came down the stairs, running his hand through his dam hair and instantly stiffened.  Something wasn’t right. He hadn’t upstairs that long. Just enough for a quick shower and change of clothing. But Aryana’s scent wasn’t very strong. Not as strong as it should have been. He flicked his gaze around the living room and not seeing her checked the kitchen. Returning to the living room he spied her glass sitting on the end table where she had left it. Inside his wolf started howling.  Darian clamped his hands on both sides of his head covering his ears.
Damn it would you SHUT THE HELL UP!?!?! I can’t think with you doing that!

Instantly the animal inside him calmed down but Darian could feel it regarding him, watching him, wanting him to do something to bring her back.  He picked up her glass, the condensation making it impossible to pick up her scent. As faint as it was she hadn’t stayed long, hadn’t even sat on any of the furniture. DAMN, he had wanted to talk to her. Get to know her and WHY she was so familiar to him.  He couldn’t explain it but he felt like she was very important, Not just to him but also to the pack. That left him with only one alternative, He had to go and get her, but she wasn’t like other females, she wasn’t pack. He would have to handle this very differently than usual. There was no way he could let her know what he was.

Chapter 4 The Coffee House

Aryana pulled into her driveway just as her phone rang.  Glancing at the small screen she didn’t recognize the number but since it was likely a business call she answered it anyway “Eternal Image Enhancement, this is Aryana how can I help you?”

The voice on the other end came out deep and smooth.  “Hello my name is Stephen and I was looking for a photograph editor and your company was recommended to me. I was hoping we could meet this evening to discuss your terms and such.”

Aryana made the appointment to meet with the man at a local coffee shop that evening and went inside. She had a few hours to kill before the meeting and decided to get some work done. Opening her laptop she decided to forget about Darian, chances were she would never see him again anyway.

Stephen Kingly was not exactly what she had expected. Aryana sat across from the man as they talked. Form their brief phone conversation she had expected someone more gruff and demanding, instead he was pleasant and a great conversationalist.  His hair was  dark blonde with a natural wave. He kept it cut just a bit long. His eyes were a warm brown with flecks of gold in them. He had an easy smile and his skin was nicely tanned. He seemed very knowledgeable about his cameras and what he wanted for edits seemed easy enough for her to accomplish. Rather basic stuff really.  She could easily fulfill his needs in an a couple of hours of work.

“So Aryana, how is it that you have the time to get my project done so quickly? Doesn’t your husband mind you working so much?” Stephen asked before taking a sip of his coffee. Watching her over the rim of his cup.

Aryana glanced downward at that question, the answer stinging her and what was it with guys asking about her non-existent husband, this was twice in the last 12 hours.  “Actually that is something I don’t have to worry about. Which makes me a very lucky woman.”

Stephen paused with his cup half way between him and the table, surprise evident in his face. “You mean someone as smart and good looking as you doesn’t have a husband or significant other to worry about? “

She gave him a small smile. “I did have someone not that long ago, but it didn’t work out.”

He slowly lowered his cup to the table and studied the fake wood veneer for a minute as if he was trying to decide on something. Finally he raised guarded eyes meet hers and spoke. “ Aryana, Miss Barstin, would you mind if I asked you out to dinner sometime? Not a business dinner but more of a personal nature?”

Aryana’s eyes rounded slightly and she blinked in surprise. She had come here to secure a new client and she had, now said client was asking her out for a date. This was not what she had anticipated her day to be like. Before she could answer the barista came by and refilled their coffee’., her long silver white hair was pulled back into a ponytail and matched her eyes almost to perfection. She seemed way too young to have gray hair. Her skin was lightly tanned and seemed to glow from within as she smiled at Aryana. “Can I get you more cream or sugar?”

Aryana felt pulled into the woman’s gaze, helpless to look away. She felt drawn in, like the lady in front of her could see inside of her, all her secrets. A voice that sounded like the barista’s floated through her head,
I can see you Aryana. You have a great destiny ahead of you. Soon all will be revealed.
Finally she shook her head, breaking eye contact and replied. “No am fine thank you.”

The barista turned her gaze to Stephen and repeated the question and Aryana watched as a subtle shift crossed over the two. The barista’s eyes seemed to harden slightly; her body became a bit more stiff and regal looking. Stephen’s eyes first widened a tiny bit and then slightly narrowed, a cold hardness filled him as his body seemed to tense up at the same time. The barista very pointedly looked at Stephen and spoke first. “I can very clearly see there is nothing here for you now,” turning her head she looked very deep into Aryana’s eyes again and said “but if you should ever need me, just call me and I will come.” With that she turned and walked away.

Aryana blinked, stunned for a moment by what had just happened. “What was that all about? It was totally weird.” She asked as she watched the retreating barista’s back

Still watching the barista, Stephen was slow to respond. “I am not sure. Some people are just odd.”

Turning back to her he gifted her with a big smile meant to get their lighthearted atmosphere back but it was no us. Aryana could see that what had happened with the barista had affected their talk. Ending the meeting with a promise to email him the finished results of the project, they both left the café and as she walked away she heard the baristas voice again raising the hairs on the back of her neck.
You are not alone little one, soon you will know everything.

Aryana returned home and slumped onto her sofa in exhaustion. It had been a long day and all she wanted at that moment was a hot shower and her bed… OK the shower could be better served as a hot bath but still the bed sounded perfect. Forcing herself up off the sofa she climbed the stair to the master bathroom to climb into a nice hot bubble bath and then into her nice soft bed.

Darian, felt like a fool. He should not have let Aryana out of his sight earlier. If he hadn’t gone for a shower and to change his clothing she wouldn’t have left and he wouldn’t have spent the past hours thinking about her and how in the hell he was going to get her back. Hell his damn wolf kept howling and whimpering in his head. He could feel the thing practically pacing and crying in desperation.
Would you knock it off ALREADY! I am working on it! But it’s damn hard to concentrate with you crying and acting like a whiny spoiled pup!

Darian sighed with relief when the damn wolf finally shut up. Now that his head wasn’t full of lonely desperate howls and whimpers he could actually think. He could still remember the scent of her. Lilacs, roses moonlight, fresh rain, grass and the hint of lavender.  He couldn’t forget how she had taken him home and cared for him even though he had been a complete stranger. For all she had known he could have been an escaped convict or murderer or rapist. Yet she had taken care of him when he was most vulnerable. The gash on his side was mostly healed, not much more than a bruise and a bunch of aches. Suddenly Darian knew what he had to do. 

Fifteen minutes later he swiped his thumb across the screen of his cell phone cutting off the call and smiled smugly. Twisting to look out the now darkened windows had him wincing in pain, bringing his mind back to how he had ended up in Aryana’s care in the first place.

Stephen was the son of the local alpha. Stephen hadn’t seemed to like him upon meeting him so Darian had avoided the man, keeping a low profile until it was time for him to return home. Not that he really wanted to return home if he was honest, but for some reason Stephen had been standoffish and cold to him upon his arrival and though Darian had done his best to keep under the radar things hadn’t really improved. Until two days ago, or so he had thought.

He had gone to the local bar for a couple beers before the big full moon. He never drank on full moons, it was too dangerous. The high of the run after change was enough. But some members of the pack did indulge themselves. Stephen and his buddies had been in the bar. Darian had made sure to sit at the opposite end trying to avoid them. Stephen had approached him asking him to join him and a bunch of other males for the run. Being Stephen was who he was, Darian couldn’t say no without it causing problems so he had agreed with misgivings rolling in his gut.

Last night he had met the others at the edge of the woods. The had all shifted as the moon had reached up halfway to its highest point. The run had felt good, he had felt free. The cool wind whooshing over his fur had been exhilarating. He had been so busy relishing the feel of a free run he hadn’t noticed that he and Stephen had separated from the rest of the group. He had just started to slow  down to figure out what had happened when Stephen had slammed into him hard, knocking him from his path and into a tree as he ran. Shaking himself upright he took off running as he tried to gauge what had happened to Stephen and to try to avoid another body blow. That’s when he noticed Stephen wasn’t beside him anymore. Slowing to a standstill he looked around, ears twitching for a sound. The soft ground made it had to detect anything but just before the other wolf lunged from the darkness Darian had heard the slight rustle of debris on the forest floor. It was a good thing he was quick with his reflexes otherwise Stephen would have latched onto his throat, ripping it open with his fangs.

              Not bothering to look back he took off at a full run, trying to get as far from the other man as possible. This is where things were still a bit fuzzy. He remembered a break in the trees, lights, something hitting him and knocking him off a clear path. He could remember running trying to push to get as far away as possible before Stephen caught up to him. He remembered being so exhausted he couldn’t maintain the change.  He vaguely remembered trying to find a road  before blacking out, a pair of soft gentle hands, bright blue eyes filled with concern, pain and yet feeling safe. Everything after that was blank until he had woken up in Aryana’s house.

He frowned, Stephens attack hadn’t been an accident or moon drunkenness, of that he was sure. It was something else. Something far more dangerous.  Darian slipped his cell from his pocket and with a few taps had one of his oldest and closest friends on the line in seconds. “Tom, I need a favor…”

Tony was already waiting for Aryana when she arrived back at the local coffee shop the next day.  God how she had missed her best friend!  That first week after her father’s passing Tony had slept in the same bed as her and just held her as she cried. He had made sure she had eaten and showered. He had helped with all the funeral arrangements and even held her up at the funeral when her body had completely given out. He had had to carry her back to the limo after the graveside service. He had helped her through the worst of it and if things had been different she would have fallen in love and married him right then and there. It was their ritual to catch up over coffee when Tony got back from one of his many trips. He had been gone a month this time and she was eager to see him.

              Tony’s warm brown eyes sparkled with mischievous delight when he saw her enter the shop.  His honeyed brown hair had been freshly cut and even dressed casually it was obvious he took very good care of himself. Aryana wrapped her arms around his firm middle and hugged him. Tony’s arms circled around her a little tighter than normal as he rested his cheek on top of her head.

Releasing her with a huge grin he pulled her down with him onto the sofa behind them tucking her under his arm. “So tell me about the hottie you had with you that you couldn’t leave to meet me yesterday.”

Aryana smiled, leave it to Tony to always get right down to matters. While she was willing to talk about it she did NOT want to give him all the details. “Well I wasn’t able to sleep and my brain was not going to focus on work. Not that I had any projects at that time anyway.  So I went up to the lake.” She held up a hand stopping Tony before he could even open his mouth and start down a path they had already been down a hundred times before. “You go there and you will never hear what happened. So don’t. Okay?” she waited with an arched eyebrow for his answer.

When Tony kept silent she continued. “Well I was on my way back and was about a mile or mile and a half down the main road when this guy stumbles out of the woods and collapses unconscious in the middle of the road right in front of my car. I got out checked him over for broken bones. He was really banged up  and had this big gash going across his chest. Any way when I started talking to him and telling him I was going to take him to the hospital he kinda came to and freaked said no hospital and before I could find out where TO take him to he was out again. So I put him in the back seat of the car and took him home. He woke up this morning and seemed fine so I gave him a ride home. End of story.”

Tony looked at her, he wasn’t too happy either. He just watched her silently for a minute before he spoke. “First off we TALKED about you going to that lake alone. It isn’t safe and you KNOW you shouldn’t be doing it. Second what in the HELL where you thinking bringing a STRANGER into your home? You could have been raped or even killed! Don’t you ever do that again. Third, you are holding out on me. I can see it. So come on spill, what happened?”

Aryana looked away trying to figure a way out of this. Damn it. Tony ALWAYS saw through her. She never could get anything past him. Knowing he wouldn’t quit till she told him she caved, it was easier then trying to dodge anyway “Fine, well…. he was naked when he fell into the road.”

Tony’s eyes went from watchful to surprised and then excited. “Seriously? He was naked? Was he well built? Was he tan or pale? He was hot to right?  You have got to tell me he was a hunk! Was he well hung? Did you even look? Please tell me you found a hot guy that was well hung… Oh did you play with it while he was unconscious? OMG did my little caterpillar play with him while he was out? Did you sleep with him? Was he any good? Is he single?”

“Whoa! Whoa! Tony STOP! Just stop.” Aryana started laughing. In typical Tony fashion he had gone right for the rapid fire questions. “Yes he was tan. Yes he was muscular and very good looking. I have no idea about his package because I was preoccupied with trying to HELP him. And NO nothing over PG happened unless you count him being naked then that was the ONLY thing over PG. and I have no clue if he is single or not. Though he did not mention nor act like a guy who was in a relationship.”