fate of the alpha - episode 1 (6 page)

Rather than acknowledging him, Grace sat down on the other side of the table.

“You’re the Department Secretary for Russian Lit at Tarker’s Hollow College, is that right?”

“I believe the politically correct title is Administrative Assistant.”

“How long have you been in town?” She ignored his natural charm and focused on his reactions to the setup questions.

“About three weeks now.”

“I see. And where are you living?”

“The college didn’t have any apartments available so I’m staying at Thayer House.”

Now to get down to business.

“What is the nature of your relationship with Sadie Epstein-Walker?” Grace tried not to allow any inflection in her voice, as she asked the question she knew every old biddy in Tarker’s Hollow was dying to know the answer to.

Garret smiled, deepening the sexy lines in his face. He reminded Grace of that television show with the doctor who solved medical mysteries.

“Sadie and I are companions.”

Grace didn’t reply.

They stared each other down. When she was sure he wasn’t going to offer anything more, she continued.

“Do you mean you have a romantic relationship?”

“I don’t see how that is relevant here,” Sanderson replied. “But sure.”

“Have you had any altercations lately?”

“Miss Kwan-Cortez, when you reach a certain age you realize that altercations are more trouble than they’re worth.”

“Where were you last night between the hours of six and eight?”

“I was at Thayer House.” He uncrossed his legs and straightened up a bit. “Officer Kwan-Cortez, am I to understand that I’m suspected of something?”

“This is routine, Mr. Sanderson. Can anyone corroborate your whereabouts?”

“No. I was reading a book, alone. My leg doesn’t respond well to cool moist weather, so I don’t go out at night much in the fall.”

He twirled his cane in place and looked into her eyes impassively. The metal top caught the light, revealing it to be an ornate silver wolf’s head.

Though it was unlikely, Grace fed him the pack line.

“Did you notice the moon last night?”

He studied her in silence. His hesitation surprised her and she almost expected him to respond with,
I’ve noticed it all of my life -
Tarker’s Hollow code for pack membership.

“No. As I said, I was inside, reading a book.”

It had been worth a shot.

“I’m beginning to think that I might need an attorney for the rest of this routine investigation,” he said, his warm demeanor cooling.

He didn’t actually ask for one, so Grace wasn’t obligated to cease questioning yet. She pressed on.

“I only have one more question.” Her instincts told her she wouldn’t get much more out of him today. “You and Sadie were close, do you know if anyone was angry with her?”

He looked out the window. There was nothing to see out there except the top of the Habers’ Elm tree, which was nearly bare of leaves.

Here would be the point where he fabricated something to throw suspicion away from himself. Something she could catch him in later.

He turned back and looked her in the eye.

“Official investigations aside, you
know
Sadie, don’t you?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Of course no one is angry with her. She’s the sweetest lady in Tarker’s Hollow. All she does is garden, walk the dog, and smile at everyone she meets. You could interrogate the whole town and not find anyone with a grudge. Now, if you’re finished, I’m going back to sit with her.”

Grace nodded slowly.

“We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” she said, rising from her chair and offering her hand. “Do you need any help getting out?”

“No, thank you, officer.” He leaned heavily on the table as he stood. “And I’m sorry I lost my temper. I’m worried about Sadie. I know you’re just doing your job.”

“We are all worried about her, Garrett. Hopefully she’ll wake up soon.”

He nodded, his lips pressed together tightly. She assumed he was trying not to cry. Or at least he was trying to make it look that way.

She watched him walk away slowly, the metal tip of his cane tapping sharply with each step.

CHAPTER 6

A 
insley stood in the open field behind Erik’s house.

The wind blew the long grass, and the swelling moon lit the sky. All she wanted was to sink into her wolf and run the woods and creek. She could almost taste the crystal water from here.

Instead, she exhaled and lifted her palms. After a moment a tiny blue flash of lighting began to dance between her hands.

A month ago that would have been a victory. But it was all coming too slowly.

Julian said she should meditate. Ainsley had always meditated. Back when she still tried to deny her wolf, it was the only way she could block the change. This should have been easy.

She was afraid to tell Julian that something in her had changed. She didn’t want to believe it herself.

But with this wolf’s brain, she could no more tune out her senses than she could fly. It was frightening and freeing all at once.

She exhaled again, and if she wanted to she could have listened to each cell of her lungs squeal the air out like a balloon being stretched empty by a child.

The blue light in her palm strengthened. She wanted it to shoot across the field. She was unsure of the best way to make that happen. Julian said to just will it forward.

She tried.

It flickered out.

Damn.

She’d hoped that once she had the privacy to try on her own, she could master this and then show Julian her progress.

Ainsley could scoff at him and give him a hard time on the outside, but in truth she loved her pack, and if they were in danger, she would have to do whatever it took to protect them. Even if it meant learning formal magic, which confounded her. Even if it meant giving up the sugar and caffeine that kept her going. Even if it meant giving up Erik’s warm bed.

Just the thought of her mate brought his scent to her from inside the house.

The moon was nearly full. Its soft light was slowly making her dizzy with lust. She wouldn’t be able to stay out here much longer tonight.

But she couldn’t practice magic inside. Nor could she practice during the day when she was constantly accompanied by one wolf or another.

Her pack relied on her. She couldn’t let them see her lose face again and again, trying and failing to do a simple evocation. She was supposed to be the great unifier of magic and wolves.

These days she felt like a fraud.

Never one to sit around feeling sorry for herself, Ainsley returned to her practice.

She had managed to build the blue light back up again and had it humming cheerfully in her hands when she heard Erik stir in the bedding upstairs in the house.

Before she could go to him she heard him on the porch.

“Ainsley!”

His voice was hoarse, panicked.

“I’m here, Erik. I’m right here.”

The blue light in her palms spluttered out.

She turned back to face him. The way the moonlight highlighted the triangular shape of his shirtless shoulders and narrow waist and hips sent her instincts into overdrive.

He jogged toward her and she fought the urge to run to his arms. Her inner alpha wouldn’t allow it.

By the time he was in front of her she was trembling and ready for him to take her right there in the field.

“What are you doing?”

The anger in his voice snapped her out of the fog of desire.

“I’m practicing.”

He ran a hand through his hair, releasing his intoxicatingly male scent.

“Ainsley, I know you feel like you’re unstoppable. But there is a lone wolf out there. You
cannot
pull this shit.”

Before Ainsley had a chance to react, her alpha roared in her chest. Desperately swallowing down her urge to discipline him for his impertinence, she let out a careful breath.

“There has been no trace of that wolf since we found the print. I need to learn magic to protect my pack. If you don’t want to help, then at least stay out of the way.”

Erik opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again and turned to stalk back toward the house.

It was too much. The human part of her wanted to follow him, but that part of her was less in control than it had ever been. How did anyone live with two halves of themselves constantly at war?

Ainsley sunk to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself to fight back the tears.

There was movement in the cool grass and then she felt him.

Erik had returned, and knelt to join her. His arms circled, warm and safe around her. His respectful posture and soothing touch assuaged her alpha, and ignited her passion.

Ainsley wanted to explain, to tell the man she loved
why
she would risk terrifying him to come out in this field and work.

Oh, but the wolf. The wolf inside her made demands and went from A to C without bothering about B.

And once again Ainsley Connor found herself racked with desire and power. She was the alpha, and yet she found she was no more behind the wheel than she had been before.

Ainsley’s nails sunk into the rippling muscles of Erik’s shoulders.

He lifted his head.

For a moment the moonlight reflected in his sad brown eyes and Ainsley thought her heart would break.

But too soon, the wolf was on her again and she pressed her lips to his.

He returned her kiss fiercely. In it, she sensed his barely restrained anger, fear and jealousy.

His tongue invaded her mouth. He took her face in one of his big hands and seemed almost to devour her.

She ran her fingers through his dark hair and clutched it tightly to pull him even closer.

Instantly, his other hand was on her hip, gripping her hard enough to leave a bruise.

The pain felt good, but somewhere in the back of her head another Ainsley worried. The full moon made mating harsh sometimes, but Erik had never hurt her.

The alpha ignored her and bit Erik’s lip until she drew blood. The coppery taste made her wild and she let go of his hair to push against his chest so that he would lie back and let her mate with him.

Erik usually loved that moment. Sometimes he would resist her playfully and try to draw things out. Sometimes he would laugh his deep laugh and flip her over to pleasure her first.

Tonight he growled and pushed her on her back.

Ainsley landed so hard her breath left her in a whoosh.

While she hesitated, Erik ripped her shirt down the middle and tore her lace bra in half to get to her breasts.

Ainsley lay on her back and looked up at the swollen moon. Erik’s harsh breath and the swish of the grass in the cold breeze filled her ears. Her nipples stood rock hard and she ached in anticipation.

She looked up at her mate, but he had eyes only for her breasts. He fell on her, ravaging her left breast while his hand kneaded and pulled at the other.

Ainsley keened with desire and wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her heels against his hips and pulling him into her insistently.

Erik looked up and growled at her, then pinned her hands over her head with one big hand. He glared threateningly into her eyes and fell back on her breasts.

Ainsley unwound one leg from his waist, and used it to push at the knee that held most of his weight. The result sent them rolling over in the grass, with Ainsley ending up on top.

She straddled him and pinned him with her alpha stare.

He held her gaze longer than he should have, but finally his lashes kissed his cheeks in submission.

She roared in satisfaction and snapped his jeans open. He lifted his hips so that she could slide them off. His erection sprung out instantly.

The other Ainsley quietly noted that he must have pulled those jeans on without bothering to put on boxers because he loved her and was afraid for her life.

Alpha Ainsley didn’t really give a shit. She was just glad she didn’t have to rip off boxers to get to him.

She slid out of her own jeans and panties and was ready to mount him, but his scent was too delicious.

She nuzzled his testes and ran her tongue upward to taste the saltiness of his swollen cock.

Under her, he moaned helplessly and fisted his hands in the grass.

His sounds stoked her hunger, and she drew him into her mouth, tonguing his head and swallowing him into her throat.

Within moments, he was so large she couldn’t contain him. She dragged her mouth away from his cock to nuzzle his abs.

Erik growled and lifted her until she was straddling his face.

She was so ready, so sensitive she was almost afraid. But as soon as she felt his tongue stabbing and stroking her she threw her head back and howled. With her body arched, the moonlight bathed her bare breasts and she thought she would go mad with excitement.

Erik’s ministrations had grown frantic and Ainsley decided she’d had enough teasing.

She slid her body down and impaled herself on his rigid penis.

The pleasure was so intense she was afraid she would come immediately. She stilled and looked down at Erik.

His jaw was clenched and there was barely suppressed fury in his eyes. As she studied his face, he rolled them both to the side.

Once again, Ainsley found herself below him, looking up, both her hands pinned beneath one of his. Rage warred with lust in her heart.

And then Erik began to move inside her. Slowly, slowly he withdrew himself from her, and just as she was ready to die from the loss, he slid back in to fill her to bursting.

It was excruciating to taste such pleasure but not be satisfied. He gave her just enough to hold her still but not enough to give her relief.

Soon she was panting and moaning beneath him. She didn’t care that he was mounting her, she didn’t care that she was mad at him, all she cared about was the fire he was stoking inside her.

Erik released her hands. Before she could register that she was free, she felt him slide a hand between them to massage her throbbing clitoris in agonizingly slow circles.