The Alpha's Lost Mate [Completed]

Chapter Two: The Pack House

He gently pulled my hands away from my face and wiped a tear from my cheek with his finger. His hands were soft, and his touch was gentle and sent sparks shooting from head-to-toe. I looked up at him and met his soft, grey-green eyes and they were filled with concern and sadness.

"I'm Jamie, what's your name?" He asked softly.

"Gracie," I replied reluctantly, slowly stepping away from Finn. My brain told me it made no sense, but every fiber of my being urged me to trust him and fall into his arms.

"Okay Gracie," he smiled a huge, dazzling smile at me. "I think I've got an awful lot of explaining to do, how about we go have some dinner while we go over things, huh? You've been travelling all night, you must be hungry."

I nodded in response and he placed his hand in the middle of my back, gently encouraging me to follow him. His hand was warm and a welcome relief to the cool evening air as we left the small strip of beach on the lakefront through densely packed woodland.

We had only been walking for a few seconds when the trees broke and a massive building suddenly loomed into view. I stumbled to a stop, completely taken aback by the beautiful scene unfolding in front of me. Completely tucked into the woodland, with a relatively small patch of lawn at the front, was a fairy-tale castle. It was constructed out of limestone that looked centuries old, decorated with patches of moss, hanging ivy, and climbing rose bushes. The building would almost have looked derelict if it weren't for the modern glass windows cutting through the stone; I counted at least 30 windows just on the side facing me: it was huge!

Jamie smiled at me and gently urged me forwards across the lawn. Multiple young men were practicing some kind of fighting on the short grass, though as we passed by they all stopped to stare. They looked shocked, which made me feel even more self-conscious. Jamie rubbed his thumb and forefinger along my spine, sending sparks shooting over me again and a feeling of calm washed over me. Somehow, I knew Jamie would never let anyone hurt me.

"As you were," he commanded lowly, but his voice dripped with authority. He said it so quietly even I could barely hear him right at his side, but every person on the lawn immediately bowed their heads in response and continued with their training. There's no way they could have heard him!

I was distracted from this confusion as we finally approached a small set of steps leading to huge oak doors. There was a torch either side, connected to small statues of... Wolves? I couldn't remember what animals were normally depicted on castles, but the wolves didn't quite sit right with me.

Jamie led me through a grand entrance, up a flight of marble steps and down a myriad of corridors. He dismissed both Evan and Finn somewhere along the way. He came to a stop in front of a small, unassuming door that was flanked by two muscular men dressed head-to-two in black.

"These are my personal guards, Derek and Conner," Jamie said as he fumbled with a key.

"Like bouncers?" I asked, almost to myself.  Both men looked displeased by the conparison, though they declined to comment, instead bowing their heads respectfully as Jamie led me through the door into what seemed to be a private suite.

I stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in my surroundings. It was surprisingly modern, for a castle. Light wood filled the room that encompassed a kitchen, dining room, and front room all in one. The walls were white and completely bare except for the TV above a massive fireplace on the far wall. There was a brown leather sofa facing the fireplace, bookended by light wood accent tables that were empty. The long dining table in the center of the room was a similar wood and was also empty, its only decoration being the six brown leather chairs tucked neatly underneath.

A small breakfast bar separated the rest of the room from a generously sized kitchen. Marble countertops perched atop light wood cabinets and were lightly scattered with stainless steel appliances. There was another door that I assumed led to a bedroom and a large bay window that felt like it was crying out for a reading chair. This place did not feel like a home. I looked at Jamie quizzically.

"I know, I know," he murmured as he led me towards the kitchen area and gestured for me to take a seat at the bar. "It needs a woman's touch for sure."

"You said you had some explaining to do?" I asked reluctantly, not really sure how to respond to that.

He sighed and placed a hastily made sandwich and a cup of coffee in front of me. I scoffed the sandwich down so quickly he seemed to barely get his thoughts together before I finished.

"Gracie, there's no easy way to say this really, so I'm just gonna go for it. I, and Finn and Evan, and well basically everybody you've met or encountered today... We're all, well we're werewolves," he rushed out, leaning on the countertop in front of me, watching my every move carefully.

I burst into laughter. The first real laughter I could remember since I'd not laughed in the last three weeks. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, and Jamie stood wordlessly waiting for me to pull myself together.

"It's not funny Gracie, I'm deadly serious," he scolded.

"Yeah okay," I muttered, relishing in the warmth of the coffee. "You're all werewolves! God I've been rescued by one madman just to be delivered to another!"

"I didn't want it to come to this, but suit yourself," he said grumpily.

He began to shake all over and my ears were met with a familiar cracking sound as his limbs bent in unnatural directions. Before I knew it, a huge russet-brown wolf was stood in front of me and my delicious coffee went crashing to the floor.