Nightmares of the Alpha

FOUR

Aria’s POV

The rest of the day I was distracted and on edge. By the time the last customer packed up their knitting and tossed their cold cup of coffee, it was after 9pm. It took another hour to clean up. I had been at work for over 15 hours on my BIRTHDAY and still all I could think about was that man... Seth... and what had happened between us.

Was I imagining the way my skin seemed to light on fire when we touched? Did he actually say “mine” or was it just my nightmare playing tricks on me? Who would seriously say that anyway? This wasn’t some 50 shades of desire movie. This was real life and I didn’t belong to anyone. Except maybe my aunts, ha. But definitely not to a stranger.... no matter how mysterious and gorgeous that stranger was.

These were the thoughts that still plagued me as I lingered near the front door, ready to lock up. Through the glass, I could see that it was raining now and as I peered out at the way the passing headlights flashed on the gathering puddles, I got that feeling again that someone was watching me.

Hugging myself to stop the shiver that crept up my spine, I locked the front door from the inside and started towards the stairs to our apartment. It sounded like a howl rang through the night and instead of rushing away, I felt drawn back to the door. But when I pressed my nose against the glass, all I could hear was the rain on the pavement, the splashing of tires and a distant police siren.

My mind was playing tricks on me. I needed to relax. With a heavy sigh I turned around, but instead of walking away leaned my tired body against the door allowing myself to slide down until I was seated. What was happening to me today? He happened, that’s what.

At this height, my eyes were level with the glass fish bowl we use to gather customer information - once a month my aunts drew a lucky winner from the business cards dropped inside and I was tasked with the monotonous job of copying the phone numbers and email addresses into our records book for future marketing purposes. He dropped his card inside. He knew I saw. In fact, he’d made sure of it. If I wanted the answers to my questions, all I had to do was call...

Reaching forward, I grabbed a handful of the most recent cards that had dropped in and started shuffling through them until I found his. Running my fingers across the shiny black finish, I read out loud “Alpha Seth Sharpe, Dark Moon.”

What was that even supposed to mean? Alpha? Like the dog guy on tv who was always saying you had to be the leader and show your pets who’s boss in order to get them to behave? “So weird,” I said to myself, but inside I was still toying with the idea of giving him a call. A sudden loud and heavy knock on the door behind me jolted me from my thoughts. My heart jumped, my stomach dropped, and my hands instinctively flew up to my head, sending the stack of business cards scattering to the floor far from my grasp.

“Aria! Come on you dingbat, let me in! I’m getting soaked out here!” That high pitched and demanding voice could only belong to my dear and pretty much only friend, Jessica. Yet again I shook my head at my own stupidity as I got up and unlocked the door.

“What were you doing down there anyway? Practicing for a bomber drill?” Jessica laughed as she knelt down to help me collect the cards I’d dropped.

“Oh, just lost in my thoughts, as usual. You know how it goes,” I answered while surreptitiously tucking Seth’s information into my jeans pocket. I wasn’t quite ready for anyone to know about him just yet. Not even Jess.

“Well you need to hurry up and get found, girl, because we’ve got a birthday to celebrate!” She was already walking away from me, turning lights on and stepping behind the counter like she owned the place. “You’re 18, finally! Not like I haven’t been waiting five whole months for you to join me in adulthood” As she babbled on and on, she started unpacking her bag - cupcakes, soda, honey barbecue chips - all of my favorites. Typical Jess. God, I loved her.

For a minute I hesitated near the door. Maybe I should tell her? Who else loved me like my best friend, the only one to even acknowledge my birthday? Surely she would understand, maybe even help me make sense of everything that had happened today with Seth... But that feeling like I was being watched hadn’t disappeared and I couldn’t shake another feeling as well - she would tell me that all signs were pointing in the direction of STAY AWAY... and no one could blame me for ignoring advice that I’d never been given...

“Are you coming or am I going to eat all this junk myself?” Jessica called over the crinkling of wrappers being tossed aside. I could tell her another time. I would tell her another time. Just for right now, he would stay my little secret.

“Eat it all?! I was just trying to give you a head start before I demolished every bite! It is MY birthday after all,” I called back to her, laughing. I patted my back pocket where Seth’s card was hidden and skipped over to Jessica’s smorgasbord of snacks on the counter. It was going to be a good night.

****************************

“Mine” he growled from the boat on the black water. I watched, breathless. He lifted a finger, motioning for me to come nearer. The air around me became still as I moved slowly towards him. My eyes locked on his cold, emotionless gaze. When I reached the edge of the water, I could feel it lapping at my feet, washing away the dirt and grime. He didn’t say another word, but his eyes never left me. The ball of ice that had formed in the pit of my stomach melted under his intense stare and my legs felt suddenly too weak to hold me. Before I fell to the ground, though, his arms were around me. Lighting me on fire.

He lifted me easily over the bow of the rocking boat. Instead of putting me down, he nestled his nose into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply, igniting a dark desire within me. A chorus of howls erupted from the woods on the other side of the lake. My body tensed in fear against his, but his knee was already slipping between my thighs, parting them , and I wasn’t afraid anymore. He guided my legs around his waist, allowing his hands to roam free through my hair and over my body, coming to rest on my bottom.

Pushing my aching core against his hardness, he breathed heavily into my ear then grunted each word.. “you.. are... mine”.