Page 52 of Alpha's Claim
LANDON
The sun dipped low over the rolling hills of Copper Canyon Ranch, setting the sky ablaze with streaks of orange and gold. Landon Savage sat astride his four-wheeler, one arm resting lazily over the handlebars, his cowboy hat tuggedlow over his eyes. The scent of sun-warmed grass and earth filled the air, but something buzzed under his skin—restlessness, like a storm on the horizon. His wolf stirred, agitated and eager, as if sensing a change in the wind.
He tugged a piece of red licorice from his pocket, biting off the end and chewing slowly, savoring the sweetness. Some guys preferred tobacco, but not Landon. Licorice was his thing—something about the mix of sweet and bitter suited him just fine. His gaze swept over the endless prairie, the landscape familiar and comforting... until he saw it.
A figure in the distance.
Landon squinted, tilting his head as curiosity sparked to life. A woman, walking alone near the southern fence line, the wind pulling at her clothes and whipping her dark hair around her face. She wasn’t from the ranch. That much he knew. And that made her all the more intriguing—and a little concerning.
What’s she doing out here?
His wolf perked up, ears metaphorically pricking. There was something about her—a pull, subtle but insistent—that made him sit up straighter. Without hesitation, Landon started the four-wheeler, the engine growling to life beneath him. With a flick of his wrist, he sped toward her, the prairie grass parting under the tires as he raced across the open land.
The closer he got, the stronger that strange pull became—a magnetic tug he couldn’t quite explain, but it made his pulse quicken. She was different. His wolf felt it, too, pacing inside him, restless and curious. It wasn’t often that strangers wandered this far out on their own, and Landon had a gut feeling that this encounter would change something for him, maybe everything.
He cut the engine a few yards away, hopping off the four-wheeler in one smooth motion. As his boots hit the ground, the woman turned toward him, her sharp green eyes lockingonto his. Something crackled in the air between them—electric, unsettling, and utterly captivating.
Her gaze was guarded, her posture tense, as if she were sizing him up. But Landon noticed the flicker of something else beneath that sharp exterior. Vulnerability. Wounded pride. And something that made his wolf want to circle her, sniff the air, and stay close.
“Afternoon,” Landon called, tipping his hat with an easy grin. “Didn’t expect to find anyone out this far. You lost or just sightseeing?”
The woman arched a brow, folding her arms across her chest. “A little of both, I guess. Sightseeing mostly.”
Landon scanned the area. There was no vehicle, no horse. Nothing. “How’d you get here?”
She shrugged and scanned the area just as he had. “I walked.”
It was an answer… sort of. Her voice was smooth but edged with weariness, as though life had worn her down but hadn’t broken her. Landon liked that. Liked the way she stood tall, even though her shoulders seemed to be bearing a whole lot more than they should.
He leaned casually against the four-wheeler, pretending to be relaxed, but every sense was on high alert, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. “You new around here?” He knew it was lame, but it was all he could think of to keep her from straying.
She nodded, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, and Landon’s gaze tracked the movement, noting the way her fingers trembled slightly. “Yeah. Just got in this morning.”
“Welcome to Savage land,” he said, his grin widening. “Name’s Landon.”
Her lips twitched—just the barest hint of a smile—but it was enough to make Landon’s pulse jump. “Dakota.”
There it was again—that pull. It wasn’t just attraction, though the heat simmering between them was undeniable. It wasdeeper, instinctual. His wolf stirred, sniffing the air, intrigued by her scent. She smelled like cedarwood and something warm, like rain as it hit the dry earth.
“So, Dakota,” he said, rocking back on his heels, “what brings you all the way out here to the middle of nowhere?”
She hesitated, her gaze dropping to the ground for a moment before answering. “Needed a change of scenery.”
Landon tilted his head, his grin softening. “Scenery, huh? Sounds like you’ve had a rough go of it.”
Dakota let out a small, humorless laugh—low and bitter, as though she’d been holding it in for a while. “That’s one way to put it.”
He didn’t push. Not yet. Instead, he nodded toward the expanse of land behind them. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. Not much out here but grass, horses, cows, and a whole lot of sky.”
“Good,” Dakota murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s exactly what I was looking for.”
Landon’s wolf rumbled in approval, sensing something in her—something wild and untethered, just like him. She was trouble, no doubt about it. The best kind of trouble. And for the first time in a long while, Landon felt the flicker of possibility stir in his chest.
“You need a lift?” he asked, nodding toward the four-wheeler. “Unless you’re planning to camp out here for the night.”
Dakota’s lips curved into a slow, teasing smile. “And if I was?”
Landon’s grin turned wicked, a spark of challenge lighting his eyes. “Then I’d say you’ve got guts. It’ll get cold once the sun goes down and we’re home to a lot of critters that might see you as a tasty snack.”