The Alpha’s Prophesied Mate

"Evelyn, they're back... and they've brought a new one with them. Could it be another one of them? How many are there so far? I've seen three... or is it four? But Katy says there are like ten siblings." "There are five. And get away from the window. They're going to see you." "So what if they do? I have a right to be curious. Nothing ever happens in this town. And how do you know, anyway? Did you meet them?" "No. Mrs. Stevens told me this morning. She's the one who lives closest to them, and she went to introduce herself and offer her services." "In other words, to snoop. I'm so jealous!" Evelyn smiled from behind the counter as she watched her friend grumble. Ever since the newcomers had arrived a few weeks earlier, they had become the talk of the town and the focus of nearly everyone's interest, though, to be fair, it didn't take much to earn that title around here. According to the gossip, they were rich, beautiful, and mysterious, and she had to admit that, for once, the rumors didn't seem exaggerated. They'd bought the biggest estate in town, and you'd have to be blind not to notice they were anything but average. And as for the mystery, they had no prior connections to anyone. They'd simply arrived one day and taken possession of their new home, gradually appearing around town and disturbing the iron monotony that governed everyone's lives in Blackwood, without a doubt the dullest, most colorless town in Oregon. "Took her long enough," Pedro said, interrupting her thoughts. "Naomi's like a predator. She can smell fresh blood." Evelyn watched through the window as her nemesis approached the group talking on the other side of the street. Her back was turned, but Evelyn didn't need to see her face to know she was smiling, already stalking her next victim. "I swear, I don't know what people see in your sister. She's fake and cruel." "And flirty and beautiful." "That doesn't make up for her personality." "You only say that because you're gay." "I say it because it's true. Yes, maybe women like her turn heads at first, but only an i***t would actually choose her. And yes, your ex is one. And look how that turned out." Yeah, with both of us as the laughingstock of the town. Me for being left at the altar, and my ex for the horns my sister gave him. Determined not to follow that train of thought any further, she left the front room and went to finish getting the kitchen ready. She was tired of remembering the life and the dreams that Naomi had taken it upon herself to destroy. That month, she should have been celebrating one year of marriage. Instead, she was alone, running a business she wasn't sure she could keep afloat, after her sister had stolen her fiancé and her future, wrecking the man she'd loved along the way. "Sis, come on out! I brought you customers!" This can't be happening. Closing her eyes, Evelyn counted to ten. When she opened them, she found Pedro glaring at her from the doorway, his frustration plain before he went back to the front to deal with the so-called customers. That woman has no shame! After a couple of deep breaths, she picked up two trays of cookies. She wasn't ready, but she was determined to deal with her sister. "...She's always like that, a little slow, but trust me, you won't find better desserts in this little town... other than mine. They're family recipes. If you give me enough notice, I can make them myself, or I could come to your place and cook everyone an unforgettable dinner." Unforgettable, no doubt about it... Laughing to herself at the mental image of her sister in charge of cooking anything, let alone an entire menu, Evelyn set the trays down on the counter and, after a quick glance toward where Pedro was making coffee, turned to face the customers. Wow. If the town gossip had seemed believable from a distance, it was nothing compared to having them right in front of her. The group had apparently split up. Only three of them were sitting at the counter in front of her: two men and a woman. Beautiful, young, and blond, they were textbook examples of people who'd won the genetic lottery. And judging by the way her sister was staring at the woman, even Naomi's endless vanity couldn't stop her from realizing she was no longer the most beautiful around these parts. "Hi, Evelyn. I'm Eleonor Wood. Sorry we came in before you'd opened," the blonde said, smiling and reaching out to shake her hand before glancing sideways at Naomi. "But your sister said you could already help us, and since my other brothers are busy in town, we thought we'd take the opportunity to plan my oldest brother's birthday, which is next week." Gesturing to her brothers, she added: "These are my brothers Sebastian and Ethan. Dominic and Alexander should be here any minute. Alexander's the one whose birthday it is." "A pleasure to meet you all," Evelyn said, smiling at the brothers. "What do you have in mind for that day?" She asked while setting out some muffins and cookies to go with the coffee. She didn't know if they'd ordered anything to eat, but what better way to welcome them to town and show off what her shop had to offer? "His favorite dessert is pecan pie, but it's his thirtieth birthday, so we wanted to do something special too. We were thinking of a Hummingbird Cake." "Brownies and cheesecake," Ethan said, grabbing another cookie. "And your sister said you cook meals too, so... dinner," Sebastian added, before swallowing half a giant muffin in one bite. "The priority is the pie and the cake for my brother," Eleonor added, giving her brothers a stern look before smiling back at Evelyn. "If you can't do it all, that's not a pro—" "Of course she can!" Naomi cut in, unfortunately reminding everyone of her presence. "We'll be there without fail for Alexander's birthday." The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Three pairs of blue eyes stared at her sister. Evelyn caught Pedro's eye, recognizing what was happening. Naomi hadn't just made promises on her behalf and invited herself to the birthday under the false pretense that she'd be cooking. The way she'd said the birthday boy's name made it clear that, no matter how beautiful and put-together these siblings looked, she'd already decided to go after the oldest one. It was the same tone Evelyn had heard growing up, the one she had no doubt Naomi had used on her own ex. Her not-so-beloved sister had already picked her prey, and the hunt was already underway. Before anyone could step in or Naomi could dig herself in any deeper, everything came to a stop at the sound of the café door, and every head turned toward the new arrivals. The first to come in was a young man around Ethan's age, with such a striking resemblance that she easily guessed he had to be their brother Dominic. A few moments later, though, the air seemed to freeze when another man stopped in the doorway. Alexander? He had the same features as his siblings: blond hair, light eyes, probably blue as well. Muscular, but not excessively so. And yet, his presence felt different from everyone else's in the room. It was intense, and, as silly as it sounded, it seemed to have the power to command and subdue everything around it... "Oh, Alexander, come here..." ...except his sister. Well, here we go. As if some spell had broken, hearing her sister's voice and watching her walk up to this man snapped Evelyn out of her daze, and she made herself look away, at something, anything else. Guessing that Eleonor probably wouldn't want to talk about the birthday in front of her brother, Evelyn headed to the small office behind the counter to grab a copy of the shop's menu. She added a few more dessert options for Eleonor to look over later, at her own pace. That left only the dinner to plan. Though she didn't usually do this, she decided to write down her personal phone number too, so she could better help her. She was just finishing up when she felt someone watching her from the office doorway. "Coming, Pedro, I was just wri—" Her voice trailed off the moment her eyes met a pair of gray ones watching her with an intensity that threw her completely off balance. "Can I help you with something, Mr. Wood?" "Alexander." How can a voice feel like a command without actually sounding like one? she wondered, watching him step into the small office, feeling his presence fill the entire room. "You left before I could introduce myself, Evelyn."