fate of the alpha - episode 1 (12 page)

Physically, his body was stiff from the wound, but no worse for wear. His senses, however, seemed impossibly dulled. Was this how most people really experienced the world?

Telling MacGregor his wolf was gone had been distasteful, but it was good to have it off his chest and there was no one else he would trust with it. MacGregor had been the pack’s beta since Ainsley’s father’s tenure as alpha.

Erik and MacGregor both leaned on the counter in a friendly way, like they always did when transacting business or talking about the pack.

“So, Ainsley can fix it?” MacGregor asked tentatively, fiddling with a display of mini-flashlights.

“She’ll find a way. She’s been spending a lot of time working on her magic. She’s training now.” Erik was pretty sure his own concern was evident in his voice, in spite of what he had said.

MacGregor nodded slowly.

“But I don’t want this getting out,” Eric added.

MacGregor slid the flashlight display aside and nodded at him with a serious expression.

“Agreed. If anyone found out, your place in the pack would be in jeopardy.”

MacGregor looked down again, as though he had said too much.

It was irritating as fuck not to be able to know how worried he was by his heartbeat.

The bell at the front of the shop jingled.

Charley Coslaw ducked in. The real estate broker was tall enough to ring the bell a second time with his head if he wasn’t careful.

“Hey Mac!” Charley boomed.

“Charley.”

“How’s business today?” Coslaw asked, slipping a key out of his pocket and handing it over.

“A little slow.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Charley did sound actually sorry. He grabbed two flashlights from the can on the counter and poked around the bin of gardening gloves while MacGregor ground a copy of the key.

“Everything alright with you?” he asked Erik.

“Sure,” Erik replied. Charley was a fixture in town, but he was human, not part of the pack. Erik had used him for a few real estate transactions in town.

Erik thought about asking for Charley’s advice about the EPA hassle on the job site. But his mood was low enough without talking about that right now.

MacGregor rang Charley up.

“Thanks much, Mac,” Charley said. “I’m glad you’re sticking it out. Tarker’s Hollow wouldn’t be the same without the hardware store. It’s an institution.”

With another jingle of the bells he was gone, carrying his purchases in a small paper bag.

“Is business really so bad?” Erik asked.

“The Inn construction slowed us down and we were never really ramped up to begin with.”

Erik glanced through the hardware store’s glass door to see his equipment sitting useless on the empty site across Yale. Traffic had already been sidetracked with an alternate route to the train station when he’d been shut down. God only knew how long this would go on.

“Charley worries about it almost as much as I do,” MacGregor continued. “He’s a good guy. I swear he comes in here ten times a day to copy a key, and he buys other stuff every time he’s in just to keep me going.” MacGregor lowered himself to lean on the counter again and whispered conspiratorially. “Those were ladies’ gardening gloves!”

Erik smiled. Everyone knew Charley was a nice guy. He wondered if Ainsley might go to work with him one day if things ever calmed down with the pack.

Of course, they might not.

It was best to rip off the band-aid.

Erik took a deep breath and tackled the elephant in the room.

“If I can’t get my wolf back, Ainsley will need another mate. For the good of the pack.”

MacGregor cleared his throat.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “We need to focus on getting through whatever this new threat is. And figuring out who the lone wolf is. And keeping your little problem a secret until we can fix it. Could be worse.”

“I don’t see how,” Erik said.

The bell jingled again.

They looked up to see a woman in an expensive-looking pewter gray business suit with a stern expression on her face striding purposefully through the door. Shining hair the color of black coffee skimmed her shoulders and perfectly matched her narrowed eyes.

The hardware store was a place of quiet contemplation. Her aggressive energy cut through the ambiance like the machete Erik used to clear the bamboo in his back field.

Erik didn’t recognize her. But MacGregor clearly did. He straightened, pushing himself off the counter swiftly.

Erik followed suit.

“Councilman Winter!” MacGregor said, coming out from behind the counter. “We’re honored to have you, Madam.”

“You should be.” The woman’s tone was as cold as her gaze. “Where can I find Ainsley Connor?”

Shit.

Ophelia Winter.

She was a member of the Federation’s Executive Council and a major bigwig. Erik had heard her name many times.

She wasn’t known as the forgiving sort. And she would not be happy to hear that Tarker’s Hollow’s new alpha was off taking magic lessons.

“Our apologies, Madam,” MacGregor replied. “Our alpha and pack master does not feel it necessary to keep us apprised of her whereabouts. We serve at her convenience.”

A cruel half smile played along the corners of the councilwoman’s thin lips. It seemed she was pleased by MacGregor’s answer.

Relief washed over Erik. MacGregor was quick on his feet.

“Very well, then,” she said. “Show me to my lodgings and send word to her that I require her presence before the night is over.”

Lodgings?

“We haven’t been honored with a visit from the Federation in a generation-” MacGregor began.

“You can stay at my house,” Erik offered. Ainsley had just helped him furnish the guest room. It might be best if the Councilman stayed somewhere they could keep an eye on her.

“This is Erik Jensen,” MacGregor said quietly.

Councilman Winter’s flint gaze moved to Erik. She looked him up and down, openly appraising him. The edge of hunger in her gaze would have roused his wolf in spite of himself. As a man, very much in love with Ainsley Connor, Erik felt decidedly uncomfortable.

“That will do nicely,” she said.

Fuck.

She had already turned on her heel and headed to the door.

“I understand you are in charge of all this unsightly construction,” she said.

“Yes, I am.”

“Excellent, Mr. Jensen. Walk with me, we have matters to discuss.”

Erik threw one helpless look at MacGregor over his shoulder.

MacGregor shrugged almost imperceptibly.

The councilwoman’s heels rapped the sidewalk with every step, reminding Erik of Ainsley’s spiky sandals. They crossed Yale without speaking and arrived at the chain link fence separating the construction zone from the sidewalk.

“Why is this site not operating?”

“The EPA shut us down temporarily. They were tipped off anonymously that the site may have been a habitat for short eared owls.”

“Is that true?”

“No.”

“I’ll look into it. But it could be felicitous. We have need of someone with your skills. Perhaps if you can help us, we can help you with the EPA.”

“Sure. I mean, yes, Madam.”

Ophelia Winter had been studying the machinery. She turned back to Erik with a practiced smile.

“Which way is your house? I’ll explain while we walk.”

Erik indicated the path through the campus to the north end of town and his home.

Ophelia smiled and started off.

“Are you familiar with the Copper Creek pack?” she asked.

“That’s in Jefferson county, right?”

“Exactly. We got word this morning that they are in a state of emergency. There’s been a mining disaster. The whole town is devastated. We need someone with your expertise to get out there right away and get the pack back on its feet.”

Erik nodded quietly. He knew without his wolf senses that he didn’t really have a choice. It was awful to think of any pack losing so many members at once. But Ainsley needed him here.

“Most of the pack males were in that mine. The Copper Creek alpha is presumed dead. If you handle the matter well, you could be in the running to take over the pack.”

There was a time in Erik’s life when he would have been pleased at the idea of becoming an alpha. He wasn’t sure if it was the absence of his wolf, or the experience of watching Ainsley tackle pack leadership, but the idea didn’t really appeal to him anymore. And of course, he was Ainsley’s mate and couldn’t be spared.

Though she kept herself pretty busy without him these days.

It certainly didn’t seem wise to address any of this with Ophelia Winter. He nodded and they walked on in silence. Soon enough they reached Erik’s house.

“This is me,” Erik indicated the house.

“Very nice,” Ophelia said.

As they entered the porch, Erik saw Ophelia’s nostrils widen. He figured she must be scenting that there was a female here often. That was good. Hopefully she wouldn’t eat him for lunch.

He opened the front door and led her though the living space to the first floor guest room. It wasn’t large but it was handsomely decorated, thanks to Ainsley. The walls were covered in gleaming chestnut wainscoting. Ainsley had brought over an antique black rocking chair from her own attic and bought an arts and crafts quarter-sawn oak headboard for the bed. The window behind the rocking chair overlooked the trees on the hill that separated Tarker’s Hollow from the borough’s open space and ultimately the neighboring town of Springton.

“You have excellent decorating taste, Erik Jensen,” the councilwoman said, looking around appreciatively and allowing her gaze to rest on him.

“Thank you, Madam, I had help. Please, make yourself comfortable.”

“Yes, travel can be such a burden in my position,” Ophelia said, unbuttoning her suit jacket to reveal a creamy satin blouse.

While Erik watched, she slowly opened the top button of the blouse.

“And with the moon waxing, it’s important to get comfortable as often as possible,” she added, giving him a frank look.

Shit.

Ainsley.

“Ainsley may be going for a run,” Erik said. “She often does at this time of the evening. I’m going to fetch her for you before she gets too far out.”

Ophelia blinked and an unpleasant expression flickered across her face. It was gone by the time her eyes were open again, replaced with her professional smile.

“Don’t be too long,” she smirked and nodded dismissively at him.

Erik was nearly rooted to the spot in panic.

“No, Madam, I’ll be right back with her.”

Ophelia took a single step forward and lightly ran her hand down the front of his t-shirt.

“Yes. Yes you will,” she purred.

CHAPTER 15

J 
ulian walked briskly down the sandstone sidewalks.

The tree canopy overhead burned with fall colors, but he didn’t allow himself to take it in. The sooner he got to Ainsley, the sooner he would have this weight off his chest.

He hadn’t slept last night. Instead he’d spent hours combing the books, researching online through his magical community, and even making a midnight call to a colleague in Europe who had obliged him by rushing out to pore over an ancient tome.

He reached her front hedge and saw that she was on the porch, sponging the wooden door. Some things about Ainsley hadn’t changed when she became alpha.

“Are you
cleaning
?” he asked.

She shrugged and her ponytail bobbed.

“If we’re putting a spell on it,” she said, “let’s put a spell on
it
, not the dust on top of it.”

He laughed in spite of himself.

“Thanks for doing this,” she said. “I know you came to do wards on the doors, but can we talk about Erik first?”

He paused and she grinned at him.

“Or we could talk about Grace…”

Fuck.

“Let’s do the wards first, I’ll feel better when that’s done,” he said quickly.

“I thought you guys looked almost like you belonged together. Even though I know you don’t like each other.” She shrugged and moved the bucket and sponge to the wicker table. “I guess magical side effects conquer all.”

“Pardon?”

“Like you always say, magic has its price.” Ainsley wiped her hands on her jeans. “For Grace, the price is, uh, desire.”

Dear god. How had he not put that together himself?

“So, how do you put a ward on something?” Ainsley asked, changing the subject.

Julian shook his head, willing himself to put thoughts of Grace and her affliction aside.

Since that incredible kiss, Julian’s chest had been filled with a lightness he hadn’t felt for many years, in spite of the gravity of the work he was doing for Ainsley. He hadn’t realized how hopeful he’d felt until this moment, when those hopes were dashed.

Suddenly, the colors were draining out of the radiant fall day and his heart was heavier than before the kiss. Why must the shadows obscure every bright thing?

Why did Grace hold such power over him? He was no melancholy schoolboy. He had important work ahead. Work that would require all of his concentration.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked back to Ainsley.

She gave him a crooked smile.

He shuddered inwardly, wondering when he might see her smile again after the news he had to give her.

“To begin with,” he said, “the magic we will need today is abjuration. Where the evocation we’ve practiced deals mostly with damaging an enemy, abjuration is designed to protect, or interfere.”

Ainsley’s eyes were already beginning to glaze over.

“Let me demonstrate,” he offered, glancing around to be sure the sidewalks were clear of any potential onlookers.

Julian spoke the proper words with perfect inflection. Instantly, his hands held a writhing mass of energy that shifted and squirmed, in contrast to the smooth blue spheres they had used for target practice.

“Now you,” he said.

Ainsley took a breath and repeated his words. A fragile handful of what looked like blue worms appeared in her palm.

After the unbelievably powerful evocation she’d nearly killed him with last night it was pathetic. But he didn’t feel right pushing her today.