Logan continued to walk through the forest, paying no attention to the direction his steps were taking him. He felt as though he was moving against a tide, as though he was leaving all he had always wanted behind him. All that his heart and wolf wanted was to turn back and see his mate again, but his brain needed a break from everything that had just happened.

He reached the edge of a creek and sat down on a tree stump beside it. The creek was his comfort spot, a place where he could offload and recharge. It had been his favorite spot as a young werewolf, and now, with all the responsibilities of an Alpha on his shoulders, he found himself coming here more often.

The creek was frozen over due to the weather, its surface shining like a lake of glass. Logan stared into it, seeing his reflection look back up at him. His was the face of a tired young man who had been dealt the rougher side of life.

From a very young age, he had been made the Alpha in his father's stead, having to rule over people who were older and more experienced than him. It wasn't easy being a teenage alpha. He'd had to put aside his own needs and emotions for the good of the whole pack, and the years had taken a huge toll on him. All his life had revolved around being an Alpha and taking care of his people and he had paid little attention to anything else, including finding a mate.

He didn't want one, period. He had seen what having and losing a mate had done to his father, how the old man had given himself slowly to misery till he became a shadow of his former self. He didn't want to ever experience that, to love someone so much that losing them felt like death.

But somehow the Goddess had decided to make his life worse by giving him the one thing he least wanted: a mate, even though he'd rather do without one. She was his responsibility now, more because of the situation he'd found her. He wasn't so callous as to abandon a lone wolf in need of help, whether she was his mate or not. With that thought in mind, he opened the mind link, trying to reach Casper. Within a few seconds, his beta answered.

''Alpha… Casper called''.

''Casper, take my…take the white wolf to the pack's clinic. Make sure she's well taken care of''.

''Alright, Alpha. We're on it. Casper paused, as though contemplating what he was about to say''.

Then he spoke up again. ''Alpha, are you sure you're okay? You looked a little put out the other time''.

''It's alright, Casper, I'm fine. Thanks for acting concerned''.

''It wasn't an act, Alpha. I was genuinely worried. I've never seen you act like that''.

''Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there Casper?'' Logan answered in a not-too-kind voice.

''Oh, I'm sorry if I passed my bounds, Alpha''. The beta replied and cut off the mind link.

Logan closed his eyes and let the cold air wash over him, soothe his frayed nerves. His mind went back to his mate and he wondered how she was faring. Every time he thought of her his wolf would jump in excitement and impatience to see her again. Suddenly he found himself wishing he was by her side instead of by this lonely creek.

A thought crossed his mind uninvited and he paused, opening his eyes. What if she was a spy, planted at the pack's border by the rogue wolves? The crescent mark he had seen on her shoulder pointed very convincingly to that fact. In his ten years of being an Alpha, he hadn't come across any wolf with that mark. It was strange and looked eerily ancient, like a long-forgotten hieroglyph.

''What if she wasn't really in pain and in need of help?''

''What if he had imprinted on the enemy?''

His wolf groaned in defiance at that unwelcome thought and he stood abruptly from the tree stump, moving towards the pack house. If that was the case, if she really was a spy planted in his territory, he would have no choice but to kill her.

Immediately this thought crossed his mind his inner wolf snarled dangerously. Don't kill mate. She's the Chosen! His wolf screamed.

"Shut up!" He growled out loud and his voice scared a couple of birds from the trees. Thank the Goddess he was alone in the woods. His subjects would think he had finally lost it if he was found talking to himself.

His wolf reared its head and reminded him She's your mate! Killing her would bring you unbearable pain! You'll regret it for the rest of your life!

"But accepting her as my mate would cause more harm than good. She might be a spy; she might have been planted here by the enemy. And I cannot risk falling in love and going through everything only to be left miserable at the end of my life. Have you seen what losing a mate did to my father?"

His wolf snorted in derision and asked Are you your father? Last time I checked you were not!"

"I'm not." He replied, frowning "Doesn't mean it can't happen. And I'm not willing to take that dangerous risk on my life. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to end the subject there."

His wolf growled in rebellion and retreated into a corner of his mind, still muttering threats. Another voice replaced that of the wolf in his head. It was the voice of Casper through a mind link and he silently swore. He was sick of everyone getting into his head so much in one day.

''If you mind link me again, Casper…''

''Alpha…Sorry for disturbing your quiet again''.

''There's news''. His beta's voice was slightly amused. He probably thought his Alpha was overreacting.

''Bad or good this time?'' Logan asked. His thoughts immediately traveled to the white wolf that was now his mate and despite his resolution to end her life, he found his heart skipping a beat as he contemplated the thought that something had happened to her.

''Depends on how you want to look at it''. Casper answered, his voice still amused.

''The lone wolf we found? She's awake.''

''He looked up and towards the pack house in excitement. She is?''

''Yes. She's morphed back to human too. You should come to see her''.

''Keep her there''. He replied to his beta after several seconds. ''Restrict every effort she might make to escape. I'm on my way right now''. He concluded and closed the mind link.

His wolf became excited again as he walked away from the frozen creek and towards the pack house and his mate. He tried to shush his wolf but deep down, he was excited too. He would finally meet the she-wolf that had made him feel so many unfamiliar emotions in the space of a few hours.

God help him if he had to kill her in the end. He was too deep in this already.

Aella woke up with a start. Beads of white spots danced before her eyelids and she groaned tiredly, wondering where she was. Her eyelids were shut tight and she struggled to open them but couldn't. It had been closed for more than a day and she'd been stuck in the snow. The cold had completely numbed her body, she realized.

She attempted to move her limbs and realized that they felt different. She frowned, eyes still closed, wondering why she felt like she was in a different body. Her limbs were as immobile as stone figures and all she could do was roll her shoulders from side to side.

She cast her mind back, trying to remember how she had gotten to the snow in the first place, but all she remembered was running through the blizzard and the fear that had taken root in her chest. She couldn't remember how or why she was running in the snow, but after a while, she had fallen from exhaustion and passed out. And now she was here, in this strange place.

Her body was still heavy with exhaustion and she found herself giving in to the fatigue. She felt warm and well taken care of, and soon her brain went fuzzy with warmth as all thoughts slipped from her grasp and sleep overcame her again.

When Aella woke again, she felt much better than the last time. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Her vision was slightly blurred at the edges and white spots danced before her eyes. She tried to sit up but fell back to the bed in exhaustion and resorted to staring around at the room.

It was plain and without any major décor, large and unoccupied save for her. Everything looked whitewashed and sterilized, and the whole room smelled of antiseptic. Her bed was in the corner of the large room close to the wall, with a large window behind her. She looked down at herself and saw that she was stark naked, covered only by the white sheet.

Suddenly her sharp ears picked up footsteps from the left of wherever she was. Her head snapped up and she looked around, her teeth slightly bared and a snarl low in her throat. The door of whatever room she was in creaked open and a head peeked into the room.

She still kept her canines bared as a warning to the person and he smiled, walking into the room. His smile was genial and friendly and Aella found herself relaxing a little. But a part of her was still on edge. She'd seen her fair share of people who pretended to be nice then turned on her the moment she turned her back.

"Hello." He greeted, still smiling cheerfully. "I'm Frank Callister, the pack's doctor."

Aella didn't spare him a reply. She glared at him with all the suspicion she could muster in her present state. Her canines were still bared and her eyes glowed amber with danger.

"You were found on the border, close to the woods. Do you happen to remember how you got there?" The doctor asked.

Still ignoring him, she sat back on the bed and faced the wall. The doctor moved towards her bed and continued "Okay, I'm sorry. That must have sounded inconsiderate.

How are you feeling?"

Aella continued to ignore him. He stared at her bemusedly for a few seconds, then sighed "I guess you're still in shock about all that has happened in the past few hours. I'll fetch the Alpha, perhaps he would have more luck talking to you."

With this last statement, the doctor left her in the room and walked out. She continued to keep mute, staring at the whitewashed wall. Within a few minutes, the door creaked open again and another person entered the room.

She turned away from the wall and her eyes fell upon the person that entered. Immediately she felt a jolt of several emotions, so vivid that she almost cried out. Her body and mind were drawn to him in a way that she had never been drawn to anyone before. She almost whimpered with need as he looked at her from opposite the room. He looked as though he had felt the energy between them too, and he was trying valiantly to stay as far away from her as possible.

Aella tried to right herself but everything felt different this time. She turned away, swallowing hard and trying to gather her thoughts and hoping the feeling would pass. But by the time she looked at him again that same jolt hit her in her stomach and she fought the urge to bolt from the bed and wrap her hands around him, be in him and by him, and never let go.

She saw him close his eyes and look away, his throat working as he tried to regain his composure. Did he also feel what she felt?

Her wolf was turning around in excitement, screaming mate! mate! She glared at him, annoyed that someone she just met was making her feel so many emotions at once. She immediately resolved to make it hard for him to know her. She would be as unresponsive and stubborn as ever. It was the only way she thought she could punish him for making her feel this way.

He turned his face back to her and she had a chance to appreciate his features. He was a fine-looking man with all the endearing qualities of a literal god. His raven-black hair was done in a messy ponytail which was almost slipping from its band. His mouth was pursed as he studied her, revealing a set of dimples that softened the hard edges of his face. From this distance, she couldn't tell the color of his eyes but they were regarding her with something close to dread.

This silent once-over took several minutes before the man cleared his throat nervously "I see you're awake." He started. Desire hit Aella like a blizzard as she heard his voice and a whimper slipped from her lips. He had heard the whimper; she saw how he gasped under his breath and lick his lips nervously.

He took several steps forward and she backed up till her back hit the wall behind her. His smell hit her nose: something earthy like cedarwood. She sniffed twice and closed her eyes in bliss. She could smell this all day.

"You were found close to my territory. You were unconscious and half-buried in the snow. Apparently, you passed off just outside this pack's border...Or not."

Aella's breath hitched as she saw the look in his eyes. They were cold and impenetrable; He was clearly suspecting her of something.

Anger clogged her throat and she snarled almost inaudibly. How dare he turn her insides out with desire, then act like she was a problem he wanted to do away with? She snarled again and said nothing, bent on frustrating him even more.

He continued without noticing the change in her mood. "I want to know who you are and why you were found close to my territory. As Alpha of this pack, it is important that I find out everything I need to know about every intruder."

Oh, so I'm an intruder now? Who was all in my head a few seconds ago? She thought. She frowned and turned her head, not meeting his eyes.

The man shuffled his feet nervously "Did you hear me, lady? I would like to know all about you, starting with your name. It's important."

She continued to ignore him, acting as though nobody was in the room with her. He closed the small gap left between them and sat on her bed. His cedarwood smell invaded her nose even more strongly and she almost felt her resolve slipping, but she hardened her expression and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"As Alpha," he growled, his breath warming her face "I command you to answer my questions. Now." She kept her mouth shut, still staring at him stubbornly. Her face was hard but his scent was already messing with her head in all the wrong ways.

When she still didn't reply to him, he let out a shout of frustration and stood up abruptly from the bed, storming to the door of the hospital room. Once there he turned back to look at her, his face filled with rage. And without another word, he left the room angrily.

Aella sighed with relief after he left the room. She didn't know how much longer she could hold this up but hopefully, she would be able to escape from here before any more damage was done. She closed her eyes and tried to regulate her heart, hoping the Alpha never visited her again.

But little did she know that her life was about to change forever.

Logan's POV

Logan paced the hallway outside the white wolf's hospital room, waiting for the doctor. His thoughts were all over the place, and despite his resolution, he found himself aching to see her.

In the space of a few hours, she had changed the trajectory of his life. She was all he wanted now. Even the rogue attacks had been pushed to an obscure corner of his mind by her presence. He wanted to mark and claim her in every way possible, place a mark on her that told the world that she was his and his alone. He wanted nothing more than to be with his mate, to hell with whatever may be happening around him.

His mate?

He swore silently under his breath and raked his hand through his ponytail. He sounded like he was already accepting her as his lifelong partner. He would never mark her as his mate. If she was truly innocent of the crimes of being a spy, he would let her go and never think about her again. And if she was really a spy sent to snoop on his pack's activities, he would make sure today was the last day she spent on earth.

His wolf growled in protest as that last thought crossed his mind. You seem to have forgotten how mating works, it said. If anything, bad happens to your mate it would happen to you too. Your destinies are intertwined now and it would be a futile effort trying to separate yourself from her. Killing her would make you end up like your father. Do you want that?

I did not remember asking you for any advice, Logan replied his wolf in his mind. So shut up!

''Don't say I didn't warn you,'' Alpha. His wolf replied with a grumble.

Before Logan could fire back with a reply, Frank Callister the pack doctor walked out of the hospital room with a slightly annoyed look on his face. Logan turned to the doctor with questions in his eyes.

"How is she?" He asked the doctor "I was told that she's awake."

"Yes, she is, Alpha." Doctor Frank replied "But as for the being fine part, you should ask her that yourself. She has refused to answer any of my questions or say anything at all. Perhaps you would have more luck trying to get her to talk?"

Logan nodded at the doctor who bowed in response and walked away, leaving the alpha alone in the hallway. The Alpha took several deep breaths, then pushed through the hospital room's wooden door.

The white wolf was facing the wall with her back to him. He was about to call her when she turned her face and he was hit by another wave of emotions like when he had first seen her.

Logan heard her gasp and he knew that she had also felt what he was feeling. They stood on opposite sides of the room: the alpha by the door and the white wolf in the corner, but the currents of attraction that moved between them were as strong as if they were standing side by side.

He saw her look away as though she was trying to regather her composure, but when she looked back at him there was that same sizzling wave of desire and need again. He closed his eyes and looked away, fighting the urge to move closer to her.

When he opened his eyes and looked at her again, the expression of shock and need that had been on her face had been replaced with a calm stubbornness. Logan looked at her uncertainly, wondering what had changed in the few seconds that he'd closed his eyes. She was looking at him but with a defiant look, as though daring him to do his worst.

He continued to stare longingly at her. In human form, she was a very attractive woman, with long curly black hair and dark eyes. Her hair looked unkempt as though she had not taken good care of it for several days, but that didn't diminish her beauty in any way. In fact, he found himself even more attracted to her despite the obvious state of untidiness.

Her skin was a rosy shade of pink, slightly tanned and smooth. Logan wanted desperately to run his fingers along that skin and see how it felt to the touch.

He caught himself hardening just by looking at her and he cleared his throat nervously, trying to push away the metal picture of her lying naked and pliant under him. "I see you're awake." He said, moving forward and slowly closing the gap between them.

She ignored his question and continued to stare at him with defiance in her eyes. He found himself starting to get annoyed at the expression on her face. He also hardened his expression into something close to suspicion and hatred. Two can play at this game, he thought.

"You were found close to my territory. You were unconscious and half-buried in the snow. Apparently, you passed off just outside this pack's border...Or not." He continued with all the suspicion he could muster.

"I want to know who you are and why you were found close to my territory. As Alpha of this pack, it is important that I find out everything I need to know about every intruder. Did you hear me, lady? I would like to know all about you, starting with your name. It's important."

She continued to ignore his prompts and he felt anger rising in his chest. He moved closer to her, sitting on her bed.

"As Alpha," he growled in her face "I command you to answer my questions. Now." She continued to stare at him stubbornly, her big brown eyes locking into his.

With a shout of frustration, Logan stood from the bed and stormed to the door. He stopped and looked back at her, wondering how one person could make him feel love and hatred at the same time. Then without another word, he left the room.

Once outside, he took several breaths to calm his frayed nerves. He walked away from the clinic room's door and towards his own quarters, feeling the rage leave his body. He would find out why she had invaded his pack one way or another. He would make her break down and tell him the truth about everything.

He got to the hallway that led to the Alpha's quarters and stopped in his tracks, seeing a figure standing before his room door. When the person saw him, she gave a squeal of delight and walked over to him.

"Alpha." She cooed and gave a bow that Logan knew was fake. "I was waiting for you. Is it true?"

The alpha gritted his teeth, trying to control his anger "Is what true?"

"The rogue werewolf!" She rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde locs "I heard from the beta that she was found half dead at the border."

Logan groaned inwardly. Trust Casper to run his mouth and create problems like this for him.

"Yes, Kylie." He replied, trying to move but she was blocking his way. He looked at her with barely concealed rage and she smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes as though she was unaware of what she was doing.

"You know, alpha." She continued "Not to invalidate your decision, but keeping her here in the pack house isn't really good for the rest of us pack members. She could turn and get violent, you know. It would be best to send her back into the woods where she belongs."

Logan stared at the she-wolf with distaste in his eyes. Her attempt at flirting wasn't lost on him but he kept his opinions to himself.

"Thank you for your opinion, Kylie." Logan grunted "I will think about it." He managed to squeeze himself past her and moved to his bedroom door, opened it, and went inside.

Kylie watched as the alpha practically fled into his room, her flirty face melting into something more sinister. Her smile turned to a smirk and she laughed derisively at the Alpha's inability to get all her cryptic messages. She hardened her face determinedly and sashayed out of the hallway.

One day, very soon, she would sink her claws into him and he would be hers forever.