The alphas saviour, p.1
The Alpha's Saviour, page 1
The
Alpha’s
Saviour
Shifters of Grey Ridge: Book 1
Reece Barden
Copyright © 2022, Reece Barden
First electronic publication: January 2022
Reece Barden
www.reecebarden.com
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The unauthorised reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organisations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Due to adult language, violence, and steamy scenes this book is recommended for 18+
To my wonderfully supportive husband, who was completely neglected while I threw myself into writing this book. For never saying a negative word and believing I could do it, I love you.
xxx
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Epilogue
Thank You for Reading!
The Alpha’s Inferno
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
About the Author
Chapter 1
Hayley POV
The loud squeal of tires skidding across asphalt disrupts the peaceful morning air and I whip around to see where the noise is coming from. Then I see him. A young boy in a bright blue coat, standing in the road, his little face frozen in shock, staring wide-eyed, as a dark grey van hurtles towards him. My heart jumps into my mouth and I take a step toward him, already knowing that I’m too far away to help. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a blur of movement as a man launches himself into the road.
In a split second, he has somehow pushed the boy clear, but just as he climbs to his feet to get out of the way, the van barrels into him with a sickening thud, and his body flies through the air from the force of the impact. My stomach lurches at the sight, and I’m frozen in place, horrified at the scene unfolding in front of me.
The sound of screaming fills the air and breaks me from my stupor. The little boy’s mother races to his side and collapses on her knees beside him, sobbing, holding his chubby round cheeks between her two hands gently as she checks his body over for injuries. He’s sitting up already, and even though he is crying and clutching his leg, at least he doesn’t seem to be too seriously hurt. The driver of the van clambers out from behind the deployed airbag with a loud groan before collapsing on his hands and knees, bright red blood pouring down the side of his face from a gash above his brow.
My feet have already started carrying me in the direction the man’s body was thrown, despite dreading to think about what I might find when I reach him. I sprint across the grass verge at the side of the road and scramble down the steep slope almost on my backside, using my hands to keep my balance as my feet slip and slide on the loose rocks.
As I hit the flatter gravel section at the bottom, I straighten and look around, desperately searching for where he has landed. I see him, and my blood runs cold. He is floating face down in the middle of the water, arms spread out, his head bobbing slightly in the slow-moving current.
Shit, shit, shit.
He is not moving and is clearly unconscious, if not already dead.
Don’t think like that.
I kick off my runners, peel off my hoodie and t-shirt, and launch myself into the ice-cold water in just my running shorts and sports bra. It is a beautiful sunny spring day, with clear blue skies, but the water is still shockingly cold. I gasp as I plunge into the dark river and my lungs constrict, refusing to work properly. I fight to keep my breathing even as I swim out to reach him, grabbing him from behind and rolling him over quickly to get his mouth and nose out of the water.
I tip his head back, wrap my arm under his chin and start to swim back towards the riverbed. I am going against the current and I’m panting hard by the time I reach the edge. Grabbing him under the armpits, I plant my feet firmly into the mud, pulling him back onto the bank, using every ounce of strength I have left to haul him onto dry land.
He is tall and well built, compared to my slight frame and shorter height, and I won’t be able to move him any further than this by myself. It’s probably not a good idea anyway, with potential spinal injuries to worry about. I drop to my knees beside him, stones sticking into my bare skin, but I can hardly feel them. I’ve gone so numb from the cold water. A couple of bystanders watch, horrified, from the top of the bank, but nobody comes down to help me, perhaps thinking he’s already dead.
I can’t give up though. I have to at least try.
I touch under his clean-shaven jaw and check for a pulse, but feel nothing. I put my cheek to his mouth to see if there is any air flowing past his lips or nose, nothing again. Rocking back on my heels, I focus on his muscular chest, but I can’t see any movement to show that he is still breathing.
I grimace at the nasty cuts across his forehead, right cheek, and jaw, his clearly broken nose, and the blood dripping down the side of his face into his wet, dark hair. A quick glance confirms he has suffered some serious injuries, his left forearm is bent at an odd angle, and his shoulder on the same side appears to be dislocated, maybe broken at the collarbone as well.
And that’s just what I can see on the outside.
It seems too cruel for him to die after committing such an act of bravery, but any other outcome seems unrealistic looking at him now, deathly pale and still.
I shake my head and refocus, silently thanking the gods for mandatory health and safety training as I start CPR, even though my limbs feel tired and heavy from dragging him ashore. I pray that the approaching sirens get here quickly. I’m aware of someone sinking to their knees in the muck beside me and gripping the man by his shoulders as I continue compressions.
“Cooper! Jesus, this can’t be happening,” the man beside me shouts, leaning over to take his pulse again. Suddenly Cooper jerks and coughs violently, choking and retching as his body expels the water from his lungs. Tears of relief prick my eyes as I tilt his large shoulders over to allow the water to pour past his almost blue lips and into the dirt.
“It’s ok, you’re going to be ok,” I whisper into his ear with as much conviction as I can muster. I smooth back the hair from his beautiful deep brown eyes as they blink slowly. I hear the rattle of a stretcher being carried down the bank and paramedics surround us, crouching down beside him to take over.
I attempt to stand from my kneeling position to give them more space but collapse backward when my legs refuse to support me, landing on my ass on the hard ground. Strong hands reach under my armpits from behind, gently pulling me up to a standing position and back a couple of steps so that I’m out of the way.
“Thanks,” I mutter, looking over my shoulder at my helper, but he isn’t even looking at me. He is staring at the man on the ground and knows him well, judging by the look on his face. He pushes his jaw-length blonde hair back roughly with one hand, blinking back tears and cursing under his breath about that being a close call. I’m not as optimistic that his friend is out of the woods yet, so I say nothing. Once my jelly legs work again and can hold me upright on their own, I step awa
My body shivers now that the initial adrenaline rush has passed and the cold that has seeped into my bones finally registers with my brain. My legs give way again, but the man behind me catches me before I hit the ground. He turns me to face him, holding me steady by my shoulders, and I stare dumbly into the brightest pair of blue eyes that I have ever seen. He bends down till we’re eye to eye and looks at me with concern as my teeth chatter, before slowly looking me up and down, taking in my wet hair and lack of clothing.
“Are you ok? Fuck, I think you need to get warm... What’s your name sweetheart?” He looks at me, expecting me to move or to formulate an answer, but my brain can’t seem to force any words out through the fog in my mind and so I just continue to stare. I don’t think I even nod.
He frowns before sweeping me up into his arms, and my head rolls back to rest on his shoulder and I just kind of flop in his arms, all my energy spent. He adjusts my position and holds me tightly against his solid chest before turning to carry me up the hill behind the stretcher. A deep rumble reaches us, sounding almost like a growl, and he jerks his head up quickly to stare at his friend, before looking back at me with a curious look on his face. After depositing me carefully on a waiting stretcher parked behind one of the ambulance’s open doors, he cups my face in both hands and leans in close. His blue eyes are mesmerising, and a lock of his messy, blonde hair falls forward across his face.
“Cooper would be dead without you; I have no words.” He shakes his head before meeting my eyes again. “Thank you...” I grip his hand and give it a quick squeeze.
“Is he going to be ok?” I stutter out as I am strapped down and loaded into the back of the ambulance.
“He’ll be ok,” he reassures me, giving me a little wink before nodding once, sprinting to the back of another ambulance where Cooper is and jumping in beside him before the doors slam closed. There is a crowd gathered now, drawn by the flashing red and blue lights, all huddled around with worried faces and speaking in hushed voices.
So much for lying low and avoiding any drama.
All that work trying to find somewhere to hide and build a new life, and something tells me I’ve just ruined it all. I shut my eyes, and despite the paramedic beside me asking me to stay awake, I feel myself drifting into sleep as the siren turns on and the ambulance pulls away.
Chapter 2
Hayley POV
I blink my eyes open and squint. The fluorescent lights above my bed are uncomfortably bright and are definitely not helping my pounding headache. I take a second to remember what happened and realise where I am. Groaning out loud, I cover my eyes with my arm. I am supposed to be staying below the radar, not ending up all over hospital and police reports.
“Welcome back. Headache?” my nurse says brightly, picking up a cup of water from the sideboard in the room and handing me a little plastic container with a couple of painkillers in it. I tip the tablets into my mouth before taking a few sips of water. I scoot back up the bed into a sitting position, pulling the thin blue blanket up with me.
“How are you feeling? You’ve been out for a few hours,” she asks gently, coming to my side to take my pulse, and wheeling over the blood pressure monitor. It’s the same nurse who admitted me last night and took all my details. She’s had a long shift.
“Fine,” I answer, “I feel like a bit of a fraud for taking up a hospital bed, to be honest.”
“You were in shock and nearly hypothermic when they brought you in. You must be exhausted. We’ll keep you here overnight just to be on the safe side. Anyone you need me to call for you?” I pause for a second before shaking my head. I moved here to keep my mess away from my family. It makes no sense to drag them here now.
“No, I’ve just moved to town, and I’ll be home again before my parents can even get here,” I answer. She pats my arm reassuringly after finishing all her checks before quietly leaving me alone in the room.
My thoughts immediately turn to Cooper and my gut clenches as I wonder how he is doing. I should have asked the nurse when I had the chance. There isn’t another hospital within a two-hour drive, so he must be here too. I picked Grey Ridge to move to precisely because it was small and remote and completely different from the city that I had lived in for the last eight years, but long distances to get medical care is one of the trade-offs for having clean country air.
An ache blooms in my chest as I wonder whether he survived. Maybe it’s common to feel emotionally connected to someone after a traumatic event, but this seems a bit dramatic. I’m normally pretty level-headed, but I feel panic rising every time I replay the scene in my mind. I can remember his beautiful deep brown eyes looking up at me from under thick black lashes as the emergency services took over, and I got pulled away. He was so brave, willing to sacrifice himself for that child without hesitation. Maybe when I get my life back on track, I’ll be fortunate enough to meet a good man like that, instead of the idiots I have picked in the past.
A soft knock on the door distracts me from my thoughts and a familiar pair of icy blue eyes peer around the door. It’s my handsome helper from the scene of the accident.
“Is it ok if I come in?” he asks, pushing the door open wider.
“Sure, come on in,” I say, and he smiles brightly, shutting the door gently behind him and crossing the room in two long strides. It didn’t register at the river with all that was going on, but I now realise that this man is quite good-looking. I’m normally a tall, dark, and handsome kind of gal but nobody could fail to see how attractive he is, with his dark blonde jaw-length hair, tanned skin, and strong jawline. He is tall and well built, and I recall how he easily carried me in his arms. Looking at his biceps bulging out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt as he moves, that makes a bit more sense now. I suddenly feel a bit exposed and self-conscious in my thin hospital gown and stinking of dirty river water. I’m grateful that he doesn’t stand too close.
“How are you feeling?” he asks me. His face is friendly, but his tone is serious, as though he’s genuinely concerned for my wellbeing.
“Oh, I’m fine! They’re just keeping me overnight as a precaution.” I dismiss his concerns with a wave of my hand, and he frowns a bit, as though not entirely convinced that I am telling the truth.
“How is your friend?” I ask, keen to divert the attention away from myself. I’m almost afraid to hear the answer. When he hasn’t spoken, I look up from under my eyelashes to see him gazing at me intently. I am never one to shy away from eye contact, but even I find this intense. It’s as if he is trying to read the depths of my mind. The urge to look away is strong, but I hold out and cock an eyebrow at him, keen to know one way or the other. I get the impression that he is deciding what to tell me. Maybe he’s worried about breaking bad news to me. I feel nauseous at the thought.
“Cooper’s alive,” he tells me, “But he is pretty banged up obviously. He had surgery for some internal injuries, he has some broken bones and lots of stitches, but by some miracle, they’re pretty sure it’s nothing that won’t heal.”
“Thank fuck!”
He smirks at my colourful language, and I let out the breath that I didn’t realise I was holding. I drop my head back against the pillows and feel tears welling up in my eyes. I wipe them away quickly, embarrassed at my emotional response. If anyone should be upset, it should be the man in front of me and not a stranger like me.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m just so relieved. I did everything I could, but... I guess I just didn’t see how he could make it.” I draw in a ragged breath, and shake my head, trying to remove those negative thoughts from my brain and pull myself together. He stares at me again as if trying to work out a puzzle, and then just nods again and smiles.
“I just wanted to stop by and thank you. If you hadn’t done what you did, he would have drowned. If you need anything at all, anything, please just let me know. We are forever in your debt, Hayley,” he adds, leaning slightly forward and gripping the rail of my hospital bed, the sincerity clear in his eyes.
We. Who are we? Does that mean Cooper has a girlfriend or a wife?
