The Reluctant Alpha (West Coast Wolves #1) - Susi Hawke Page 0,9

place I’d spent more than a night in since I’d left here. Nothing had ever been a perfect fit. I’d come close enough with my fellow West Coast Wolves, but something had always been missing.

Not something… someone. Home wasn’t a place. Home was here, with this stranger whose life depended on me getting my shit together and saving him while I could.

Move, dammit.

As I slowly inched closer, I had the presence of mind to kick the door shut, cataloging the destroyed bed. Gouges marked the mattress as if it had been clawed. Tiny feathers were all over, as if the ceiling had opened and snowed teeny tiny bits of fluff.

The fucking shit covered everything, including the whimpering omega curled in a tiny ball. I couldn’t see his face behind his curtain of hair. With the snowfall of down, it was hard to see much of him at all.

A few feathers floated freely, drifting up and hovering before falling, only to shoot back up every time Elisha trembled. Others clung to his body like dried-up spitballs, stuck to his sweaty skin. The sheets were a twisted mess, as if Elisha had been kicking and shoving them away. Or tried to make an escape rope? Yeah, no.

My eyes went back to the feathers.

Something about them bothered my wolf. What were those things? Goose down or some shit. Who cared? Not me. All I knew was they needed to be gone. Something about them was… bad. Wolfie snarled, demanding we get our mate away from them. But first, I wanted… no, needed, to get a better look at my soon-to-be mate.

I drew closer to the bed, intending to pull the sweaty hair back covering his cheeks and forehead, but my hand stopped midair when I got a better look at his body. An acrid stench of sickness mixed with the coppery smell of dried blood had been hiding beneath his sweet scents of jasmine and sagebrush.

His body was covered with a rash. It didn’t seem contagious or anything, but the clusters of red bumps didn't look comfortable. Blowing a strong breath out, I sent enough feathers flying to reveal more of his body and exactly how angry his skin looked.

Scratch marks on the curve of his ass provided the source for the blood. I sucked in a breath, unable to imagine itching awful enough to make a man scratch with clawed hands.

Or had he known? Hmm… it was hard to say. His wolf must have been near the surface, no doubt doing his part in the fight to keep him alive. Another keening cry sounded, this one softer yet so laced with pain it hit me harder than the one I'd heard outside the door.

My stomach clenched. I knew what I needed to do, but I really didn't want to claim my fated mate like this. And yet, fuck watching him die. If I hadn’t been willing to let a perfect stranger pass away, then I damn sure wouldn't, knowing who he was to me.

But still. Would reaching him in this condition be possible? I had to try. Even though every second of delay pushed him closer to the grave, I needed to know I’d at least tried to make him aware. Given him a chance to consent.

Carefully, I sat at the edge of the bed and leaned over him, finally pulling the hair back from his face. My breath caught at his beauty. Omegas were so rare I’d seen no more than one or two in my entire life. They were known to be pretty and delicate creatures, but Elisha was almost too lovely for description. His dark eyebrows were the same chestnut as his long, thick hair. His features were finely sculpted with high cheekbones and a narrow nose, and his rough, cracked lips were bow-shaped and full. Or would have been, if he were properly hydrated.

My wolf took only a second to imprint on our mate and memorize his features. Ignoring my wolf's howl echoing through my head, I studied the thick lashes curling up from Elisha's closed eyelids. At this moment, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more than seeing those eyes open. What color would they be? Would they sparkle with intelligence and humor or be dulled from all the pain and horror his body had experienced?

Stupid question, genius. Dull with pain at the moment. So how about we get him out of said pain, so they have a chance to sparkle with humor at some future