The anger dropped from his alpha’s face. “Still, you’ve found your mate. So many others are still searching. Like me.” His expression turned sympathetic, maybe a bit wistful. “An alpha without a mate is empty, lacking. Craving.”
Rafe’s yearning for a mate was well known among the pack. Many female wolves had offered themselves to him, but he didn’t want to settle with a partner. He wanted to find his fated mate.
Damon let out a mirthless laugh. “Too bad we can’t swap our situations.”
Rafe snorted. “Nope, Fate doesn’t work that way.” He released a low sigh. “How did your mate end up in Sacco territory, anyway?”
His mate. That sounded so odd to Damon. Still, now wasn’t the time to argue the fact. Despite what his wolf desired, Damon would not claim a mate.
He ran one hand over his temples and through his hair. “Maybe she got lost in the woods. I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”
“Why not”
“She must have hit her head. She was unconscious when I carried her into my guest room and hasn’t woken yet.” Damon gestured back toward his cabin. “That’s why I need to stay here.”
Rafe exhaled and shifted his stare from Damon’s house to the direction of Sacco territory. “I need to go deal with this situation before it escalates.” He treaded through the snow back to his SUV. He paused before climbing in. “Congratulations. I envy you.” He drove out of the parking space with a squeal.
Envy? Damon had screwed up the treaty and possibly his life. After pinching the bridge of his nose, he turned back to his cabin.
Chapter 4
Sophie
Sunlight drifted over Sophie’s face. Her eyelids were still so heavy, and she dragged them open.
Where the hell was she?
She scanned the log walls, through a window revealing snow-covered pine and spruce trees, and then over a dark wooden dresser before skidding to a halt at a man sitting in an armchair.
The stranger she’d danced with at the club. And kissed. The one with massive shoulders.
Damon.
She bolted upright. “Where am I? Why am I here?”
She peeked under the white down comforter that covered her. When she saw that she was clothed, she exhaled. She’d been stripped down to her base layers, but remained covered.
“It’s okay, Sophie.” His deep voice was gentle. He motioned with a downward gesture. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
What was going on? She tossed the comforter off her and lowered her feet to the floor. As soon as her bare feet touched the hardwood floor and she put her weight on them, gravity interfered. Her knees buckled. As she collapsed, she reached back for the bed. Before her hand met the soft fabric, he was there. He wrapped his arms around her and prevented her from falling.
“Easy. You need to recover.” He lifted her to an upright position.
She stared up at him. He kept his hands on her sides, ensuring she didn’t fall, which was a good thing since her legs were definitely unsteady. A flash of how he’d held her in a similar embrace in the club when they danced flooded her. She’d never felt so hot, burning with need. Never wanted someone like that before.
But screw that. That was before she woke up with no recollection of him and ending up in a strange room. Something was very wrong.
She struggled to escape his hold, but he held her steady by the arms. “Why am I here? Did you kidnap me?”
His eyes widened. “No, of course not.” After two heartbeats, he added, “Please sit down and I’ll explain.”
Since she felt lightheaded, her options were to have him continue to hold her or sit. “Fine.” When he lessened his hold, she sat back on the bed and crossed her arms. “Why am I here in a bedroom with you, Damon?”
He strode back to the armchair. She watched him, drinking in the sight of his strong, masculine figure. Ugh, why would she do that?
Once he sat down, he fixed his gaze on her. “I work in ski patrol here on the mountain. On my last run, I found your tracks leading off trail. I found you unconscious, so I carried you back here to care for you.”
An image of the terror from last night returned. The wolves fighting. She’d run from them, back into the woods and slipped. So that meant Damon had helped her. Maybe her initial distrust of him wasn’t warranted.
“The last thing I remember is falling.”
“You might have hit your head then.” His eyes revealed concern. “I checked you last night for injuries.”
She squirmed. How thoroughly had he explored her body while she’d been unconscious?
“Well, thank you for helping me, but where am I? The lodge?” She glanced out one of the two windows in the room, both of which revealed nothing more than snow-covered trees.
He broke eye contact and glanced down. “This is my home.”
She blinked at least three times before she formulated a response. “Your home?” She arched her brows. “Is that the traditional protocol for treating someone who’s hurt while skiing?”
“No.” He ran his hands through the front of his hair and averted eye contact. “I brought you here because I recognized you, and I wanted to care for you myself.”
Her pulse quickened. He wanted to care for her. But why? They’d had one sultry dance six months ago before she snapped out of her lusty haze of attempting to be a bad girl and retreated back to her safe, boring world. She’d often fantasized about changing her actions that night. If she hadn’t freaked out and ran off, it could have led to a much more satisfying outcome. No one had given her any of those sizzling feelings since that night.
Still, what would entice him to bring an unconscious near-stranger into his home?
“This doesn’t make sense.” She ran both hands through her hair
