The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 8

Cooper POV

     These have been the longest two weeks of my life. It has been absolute hell, but today I have a spring in my step because I can finally go and meet my beautiful Hayley. My nights have been filled with dreams of her. During the day, my thoughts return to her over and over, wondering where she is and what she is doing.

I am getting no work done and my short temper is driving everyone around me crazy. Ethan has bumped into her a few times over the last couple of weeks, by accident on purpose, and some of the mated males from the pack have been keeping an eye on her house in the evenings. While knowing she is okay has kept me sane, it has not been even close to enough to satisfy my wolf and I am exhausted from fighting his urge to just go to her. My mother's insistence that she saw 'a spark' between Hayley and Marcus when she accosted her in her office has done little to help.

I pick up the local paper from last week that I have kept by my side, staring at it every day. Under the front-page coverage of the accident and my near-drowning, there is a picture of Hayley right beside mine. I must admit I think we look good side by side.

From what Ethan has told me, she refuses to accept even the slightest bit of praise for what she did and was not one bit happy to see the story making the paper. She's not loving the attention at all, and I feel bad that it might be making her uncomfortable. Modest as well as beautiful. I sent her a thank you card a few days after the accident but other than that I had stayed away, afraid the temptation would be too great if I got too close. I had hoped she might respond after I included my number, but I heard nothing.

Hayley told Ethan that the house is hers rather than rented. The knowledge that she has moved to Grey Ridge intending to stay, laying down roots by purchasing a home and working locally, cheered me up. At least she isn't planning on going anywhere in the short term. Draining my coffee and pulling on my boots, I shake out my hands and force myself to remain composed, and not rush out the door.

This whole mate thing still has me reeling, my emotions are still all over the place but if I have any chance of winning her over, I'll need to make sure I don't come across as too aggressive. Alpha males are not exactly known for their patience, but I'll have to temper my natural tendencies until I have her trust. I will have to tell her at some point about what I am and who she is to me, but I want her to get to know me as a man first so that she doesn't run for the hills as soon as she finds out. That's the plan anyway. My gut twists at the thought of her bolting. It just cannot happen.

I turn my truck into her driveway, and I take in the house properly for the first time through human eyes. It is in a spectacular location, and I can see the potential in it, with the woods behind it, the large lawn out front leading down to the edge of the lake, with the small private jetty to the side providing an amazing view from the full-length front porch. It just needs some love.

As I approach the end of the driveway, I spot her already out in the garden. In an instant, all thoughts of boring renovations go flying out of my head and there is only her. It feels almost surreal that my wait is finally over. She is facing away from me, in shorts again, weeding the flower beds that run along the edge of the lawn at the front of her house. I groan as the sight of her bending over sends filthy thoughts racing through my mind. As she hears the truck tires crunching over the gravel, she turns to see who it is, raising a gloved hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She blows a lock of caramel hair out her eyes, and it might just be the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I step out of the truck and can tell that she recognizes me. Her expression goes from cautious to open in an instant. Her eyes open wide, and a warm smile spreads across her face, her delighted reaction filling me with joy. I know in that second that I will do anything in my power to make her smile like that every day for the rest of our lives.