Chapter 2: The Alpha's Obsession
827 Words
Alice Rae spent the rest of the day avoiding Jake Hunter.
Or at least, she tried to.
The problem was that Jake Hunter suddenly seemed to be everywhere.
When she left the library, he was standing outside the doors talking to his teammates.
When she walked to chemistry, he was leaning against a locker down the hall.
When she headed to the parking lot after school, his black pickup truck just happened to be parked near her ancient Honda.
It was ridiculous.
The boy had probably never noticed her before today.
So why did it feel like his eyes followed her everywhere?
Alice shoved her books into her backpack and climbed into her car.
The engine coughed twice before finally starting.
"Come on, Betsy," she muttered. "Don't embarrass me today."
The car sputtered forward.
Unfortunately, the moment she pulled out of the parking lot, another vehicle fell in behind her.
A black pickup.
Jake's black pickup.
Alice checked her mirror.
Then checked it again.
Nope.
Still there.
Her heart started pounding.
"You're being ridiculous, Alice."
It wasn't like he was following her.
Half the town lived this direction.
Still...
When she turned left, the truck turned left.
When she turned right, the truck turned right.
By the time she reached her neighborhood, she was fully convinced she was losing her mind.
Then the truck continued straight while she turned into her driveway.
Alice immediately felt stupid.
"See? Not following you."
She grabbed her backpack and headed inside.
The moment she opened the front door, the smell of fresh cookies greeted her.
"Grandma?"
"In the kitchen!"
Alice smiled despite herself.
Her grandmother, Evelyn Rae, had raised her since she was ten years old. They didn't have much money, but Evelyn always made their little house feel like home.
Alice dropped her backpack near the table.
"How was school?" Evelyn asked.
"Normal."
The older woman raised an eyebrow.
"That bad?"
Alice laughed.
"Maybe."
She grabbed a cookie.
Then paused.
For some reason, she remembered Jake's face.
The way he'd looked at her in the library.
Like he'd seen a ghost.
Or a miracle.
She wasn't sure which.
"You met someone."
Alice nearly choked.
"What?"
Evelyn smirked.
"I know that look."
"There is no look."
"There absolutely is."
Alice groaned.
"It was nothing."
"Hmm."
"It was."
Evelyn simply smiled and returned to her baking.
Alice hated when her grandmother did that.
Mostly because she was usually right.
Across town, Jake Hunter was losing his mind.
"This is bad."
His Beta, Mason Reed, stared at him.
"What exactly is bad?"
Jake paced across the floor of the pack house.
"My mate."
Mason blinked.
"You found her?"
Jake nodded.
"Today."
Mason grinned.
"That's amazing."
Jake stopped pacing.
"No."
The grin disappeared.
"What do you mean no?"
Jake ran a hand through his hair.
"She's human."
Silence filled the room.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh."
Jake glared.
"That's all you have to say?"
Mason looked uncomfortable.
"Okay, that's definitely complicated."
"Complicated?" Jake laughed bitterly. "The future Alpha's mate is a human girl who probably thinks I have the personality of a brick."
Mason winced.
"Fair."
Jake dropped into a chair.
He couldn't stop thinking about her.
The way she smelled.
The way she blushed.
The way her eyes lit up when she talked about books.
One meeting.
One stupid meeting.
And suddenly the center of his universe had shifted.
His wolf was restless.
Possessive.
Protective.
Obsessed.
Mine.
The growl echoed through his head again.
Jake rubbed his face.
"This is going to be a problem."
"You could tell her."
Jake laughed.
"Tell her what?"
"The truth."
"My name is Jake Hunter, future Alpha of a secret werewolf pack, and you're my fated mate?"
Mason considered it.
"Okay, maybe not immediately."
"Exactly."
Because the truth was, Alice already looked nervous around him.
If he told her about werewolves, mates, and destiny, she'd probably run screaming.
And somehow...
That thought bothered him more than anything.
For the first time in his life, Jake Hunter didn't know what to do.
That night, Alice couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned beneath her blankets.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jake.
His smile.
His voice.
His stare.
Most of all, that strange look he'd given her in the library.
Like she mattered.
Like she was important.
Like she was the only person in the room.
Alice groaned and buried her face in her pillow.
"This is ridiculous."
Jake Hunter didn't think about girls like her.
He liked cheerleaders.
Popular girls.
Girls who knew how to flirt.
Not awkward nerds who spent their weekends reading fantasy novels.
Eventually, exhaustion pulled her under.
And for the first time in years...
Alice dreamed of wolves.
A massive black wolf stood beneath a silver moon.
Golden eyes watched her from the darkness.
Waiting.
Protecting.
Claiming.
When Alice woke the next morning, her heart was racing.
And somewhere across town, Jake Hunter sat straight up in bed.
Because he'd dreamed of her too.
- Writer
