Page 5 of Alpha Wolf (Return To Fate Mountain #6)

Chapter

Four

Valeria’s alarm buzzed at six-thirty, and she reached for her phone. After she tapped off her alarm, a notification banner popped up on the screen.

“Congratulations. We’ve found your fated mate!”

She shot upright in bed, suddenly wide awake.

Her bear growled inside her mind, making her pulse race.

With trembling fingers, she opened the app.

Her mate’s profile photo filled her screen, and she forgot how to breathe.

He was gorgeous, and his face made her chest tight.

Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, a professional headshot that showed him in a button-down shirt.

His username was “Alpha Wolf.”

Valeria stared at the screen, her bear purring with satisfaction.

Her coffee maker gurgled in the kitchen while she studied every detail of his photo. Looking at his face made her feel like she’d been waiting her whole life for this moment. It was as if she knew him already.

She started typing a message, deleted it, and started again. Everything sounded stupid or desperate or not nearly important enough for this monumental moment. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard as sweat beaded on her palms.

Finally, she settled on simplicity and forced herself to hit send before she could change her mind: “Hi. So, we’re fated mates.”

She immediately wanted to throw her phone across the room. What if he didn’t respond? What if he thought she was lame? What if this was all some cosmic joke?

She stumbled to the bathroom; phone clutched in her hand and reached for her toothbrush. She squeezed toothpaste onto the bristles and had just started brushing when her phone chimed.

Alpha Wolf: “I’ve been staring at your photo since last night.”

Valeria’s laugh came out shaky and breathless. Toothpaste foam splattered on the bathroom mirror as she fumbled for her phone with wet fingers.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and typed: “I can’t stop looking at yours either.”

The response was immediate: Alpha Wolf: “I don’t understand how I can miss someone I’ve never met.”

Her chest ached with the truth of it. She pressed her free hand to her sternum, where her bear was vibrating with recognition. “That’s exactly what this feels like.”

Valeria stood in her bathroom, wet toothbrush in one hand and her phone in the other, staring at their conversation in amazement.

How could a stranger put into words exactly what she was feeling?

How could someone she’d never met understand the ache in her chest that felt like homesickness for a place she’d never been?

Alpha Wolf: “I can’t concentrate on anything.”

“Same. This is... overwhelming.” She set down her toothbrush and gripped the phone with both hands.

Her morning routine became a series of interruptions as she checked for new messages.

Shower with the phone on the bathroom counter, jumping at every notification sound.

Blow-drying her hair while staring at his photo, memorizing the line of his jaw.

Choosing her uniform while wanting to know every little thing about him but not knowing how to ask.

As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help but think she looked different somehow. Lighter. More alive. Like something inside her had finally switched on.

She parked at the police station fifteen minutes later, unable to resist checking her phone one more time before heading inside. The morning was bright in her eyes as she sat in her patrol car, fingers wrapped around her phone.

Alpha Wolf: “I know this sounds insane, but I dreamed about you after we matched. I was too stunned to text you. But you were on my mind the whole night.”

Valeria’s heart hammered against her ribs. Goosebumps rose on her arms despite the warm car. “What was the dream about?”

Alpha Wolf: “You were in some kind of danger. I was trying to protect you, but you kept slipping away from me. I woke up feeling like I’d failed you somehow.”

She stared at the message, her mouth going dry.

“I have to go into briefing. Talk more later?” Other officers were walking into the station. Her shift was about to start.

Alpha Wolf: “Have a good shift.”

Valeria clutched her phone to her chest, grinning like an idiot in the police station parking lot. She’d found her fated mate. This was really happening.

“Someone win the lottery this morning?” Officer Holt asked as Valeria practically floated into the station.

“Something like that,” she replied, unable to keep the smile off her face. Her bear was purring so loudly inside her mind she could barely hear anything else.

The morning briefing felt surreal, her dad’s voice washing over her while her mind spun with possibilities.

Her phone burned in her pocket, silent but somehow still commanding all her attention.

She forced herself to sit still, to focus, to be professional, but her skin tingled with the excitement of her secret.

“Update on last night’s incident at Fate Mountain Diner,” her dad was saying, spreading photos across the briefing table.

Valeria forced herself to focus, leaning forward to study the images.

The pictures showed extensive damage throughout the restaurant, shattered windows catching the camera flash, broken furniture scattered like battlefield debris, overturned tables creating an obstacle course of destruction. It looked like a war zone.

“Steel Protection,” Gabriel added, pointing to one of the photos. “Six ex-military and security specialists with legitimate security licenses and backgrounds that check out clean.”

“Legally, it was self-defense,” her dad continued. “But the property damage was extensive. Owner Shane Keenan banned them from the diner permanently.”

Officer Blackthorne shook his head, running a hand through his dark hair. “Community’s rattled after everything with Crown Mountain. People are on edge about any new group rolling into town.”

“911 dispatcher Rebecca Matthews filed a detailed incident report,” her dad said, consulting his notes. “These guys aren’t criminals, but they’re... disruptive.”

Her dad’s eyes found Valeria across the table. “Officer Reynolds, I want routine monitoring on Steel Protection headquarters. 1019 Main Street.”

Valeria straightened in her chair, trying to look alert and professional despite the giddy energy coursing through her veins. “Yes, sir. What specifically am I watching for?”

“Watch for more incidents,” her dad said. “Community disturbances. Public confrontations. We need to know if there’s going to be more trouble before it happens.”

1019 Main Street turned out to be a large, two-story brick building with professional signage reading “Steel Protection” in clean, modern lettering. Six motorcycles sat outside, their chrome gleaming in the morning sun.

Valeria parked across the street with a clear view of the building’s entrance. After an hour of watching normal business operations, she allowed herself a break to check her phone. Her heart raced when she spotted the messages waiting for her.

Alpha Wolf: “I can’t stop thinking about you. This is crazy, right? I’ve never felt anything like this.”

Valeria’s chest fluttered as she typed back, her surveillance temporarily forgotten. “Not crazy. I keep looking at your photo and getting butterflies all over again.”

Alpha Wolf: “Tell me something about yourself. Something real.”

She stared at the message, her throat tight with emotion. “I’ve always felt like I don’t quite fit anywhere. Like I’m trying to live up to something I’ll never reach.”

Alpha Wolf: “I know that feeling. Spent my whole life protecting people but sometimes wonder if I’m just making things worse.”

“You sound like someone who cares too much, not too little.”

Alpha Wolf: “Maybe we both do. What is it you’re trying to live up to?”

“Family legacy, I guess. Everyone expects me to be as good as my dad and brother, but I keep screwing up.”

Alpha Wolf: “The pressure to be perfect for everyone else... that’s exhausting.”

Valeria pressed her phone to her chest, overwhelmed by how perfectly he understood the weight she carried. Her bear was vibrating with excitement.

“Exactly. Sometimes I’m terrified I’ll never be good enough.” She hesitated, then added, “What about you? What keeps you up at night?”

Alpha Wolf: “That someone I care about will get hurt because of choices I made.”

“Unit 12, status report,” the radio called, interrupting her emotional spiral. She reached for the radio with unsteady hands.

“Maintaining position. No unusual activity observed.”

“Copy. We need you to respond to a shoplifting report at the grocery store. The manager’s holding the suspect.”

“10-4, en route.”

She quickly typed: “I have to go. Work emergency.”

Alpha Wolf: “Stay safe out there. I’ll be thinking about you.”

Her heart fluttered as she started the engine. She tucked her phone away, a smile curving on her lips as she pulled into traffic.