Accidentally Meeting Ms. Right
White clouds littered the blue sky as the sun warmed away the last of the winter chill. March had arrived bringing forecasts for rain, but today the sun won. Crysti closed her eyes and lifted her face to the warmth. Sitting on a bench in the park outside her work building, she was celebrating on her lunch break. Today was her birthday. It was her 49th birthday.
Opening her hazel eyes, she blinked and focused on the lovers strolling in the park. 'I remember those days', she thought to herself. Having loved, married and divorced, Crysti had given up on love. Her children now grown with children of their own, she focused on the grandchildren to avoid the pain of loneliness. With a sigh, she finished her lunch and stood up. Ten minutes left of her birthday lunch break, she decided to walk around the park before returning to work and her windowless cubicle.
A family gathering took over the playground. She smiled as children raced around, chasing one another. 'What a beautiful family!' she was suddenly struck by the beautiful people. Every member was handsome and fit. They could all be models! Even the children seemed to have a special aura about them. Pausing, she watched the children with a smile, thinking of her own grandchildren.
"LOOK OUT!" A male shouted seconds before her world flipped upside down. Landing on the ground with a thud, Crysti stared into the muzzle of a wolf. A rather large gray wolf with mesmerizing silver-blue eyes stared down at her, his paws on her chest. The beautiful family were talking to them but she could not understand the words. Her entire world shrunk into those silver-blue orbs. Suddenly the wolf was lifted from her chest and the world came crashing down on her.
"Are you injured? I'm so sorry. River has never tackled anyone before." A lovely woman helped Crysti up.
"I-I'm fine. Startled but ... where is River?" Crysti began to look around and winced as the back of her head ached.
"She's bleeding. Hey Doc, can you take a look?" A male called out.
Her hand instinctively reached up and touched the back of her head. Her fingers came away red, with her blood. "Oh... I guess I landed hard. No, please. I'm fine. I need to get back to work." Crysti tried to walk away but the ground rose up to meet her. 'Idiot!' was her last thought before the darkness took over.
"What do we do? What's up with River? He hates mortals!" Taarna lifted the human and lay her down on the picnic table. "Concussion, minor scrapes. She needs to rest and drink water. Do we know who she is?" The copper headed doctor tucked curls behind her ears and turned to the others.
An older man with black hair, lined with silver stepped out from the trees and moved towards the sleeping woman. "Did I hurt her?" His fingers caressed the freckles that dotted her cheeks. He had heard the doctor's report. He was concerned about the Goddess on the table.
"River, she will recover. What possessed you to tackle her?" His younger brother stepped up and kissed the doctor.
"She's my mate. I picked up her scent and... had to stop her from leaving." He caressed her auburn hair. "I... I lost control."
"Her family name is Waters, first name Crystal. Aged 49 as of today. Way to go, Alpha. You gave your mate a concussion for her birthday." A waifish girl giggled and set the tablet beside the woman. "Divorced, four children, 7 grandchildren, works at our Wolf Institute in the data entry department. She lives in the city and takes a bus to work."
River looked at the tablet and frowned. Fawn had pulled up police records involving the woman. "Hey! Stop! You're gonna-" The tablet snapped in two as he read the assault cases. "-break it." Fawn pouted but silenced herself as the Alpha's silver-blue eyes darkened and murderous intent filled the area.
River was ready to destroy the men who hurt her when he felt a shock race through his body. She reached over and held his hand.
Crysti opened her eyes to stare into the same silver-blue eyes. Feeling his rage, she reached over and took his hand. She was surprised by the shock but didn't let go. This man felt safe. He felt familiar. "River?"
The surprise ran through the pack gathered around the table. How did she figure out the man and the wolf were the same?
The looks on their faces was scary. Crysti cleared her throat. "I mean, Mr. River Wolf of Wolf Institute? Did I interrupt? Please, let me get back to work." Embarrassed, Crysti tried to pull her hand back and sit up.
"Don't worry about work. Lu, contact her supervisor and explain." River nodded to the man who whipped out his phone and walked away. River held her hand and picked her up. "You're my responsibility. I want to make certain you are alright." His words left no room for argument.
Crysti wanted to scream as the CEO of the company she worked for carried her to a car. Her body was at war with her brain. That inner beast that protected her when bad things happened was pacing inside her. It was a restlessness she couldn't explain. At least not without sounding crazy.
He set her into his car and reached across to buckle her in. This close to him... her stomach did a flip and her lower region moistened. Dear God this man is killing me!
The scent of her arousal smacked him like a ton of bricks. His lips were so close he could feel her breath and hear her heart race. He wasn't aware of moving in but when her lips contacted his, the world faded away.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone