fate of the alpha - episode 1 Read online

  “It’s too bad your pleas weren’t convincing. Would you like to try to convince me instead?”

  “I, uh, I’d better do what Ainsley said. I don’t know what she’ll do if I’m still here in the morning.”

  She laughed again and grabbed his ass, hard, sinking her fingernails in.

  “I’m starting to think Ainsley and I have a lot in common. Go on then, I won’t stop you.”

  He strode away quickly. The shattering sound of her laughter accompanied his exit.

  CHAPTER 21

  Grace cut through the dimly lit park to approach the Rustic Kitchen without being seen.

  The triangle shaped field had a fancy name now, but when Grace and Ainsley were kids it was simply known as Triangle Park. The only thing in it was a bench. Otherwise, it was all open space with trees along the perimeter. The rare open area without trees made it the best place in town to fly homemade kites.

  Surrounding the park were some of the oldest homes in Tarker’s Hollow. A retired professional ballerina lived in one of the old stucco center halls. Elizabeth Stile was one of the town’s mini-celebrities. The windows of her house glowed tonight, and Grace looked over, wondering if she would catch a glimpse of the elegant dancer.

  Silhouetted in the glow of the lights, a very familiar form traversed the sidewalk toward the Rustic Kitchen.

  Grace caught her breath.

  Julian.

  She had been picturing him so often lately, it was almost strange to see the real man. His blond hair glinted in the light from Elizabeth’s windows and Grace was nearly hypnotized.

  Then the significance of his presence hit her.

  No. It couldn’t be.

  In spite of the feelings he brought out in Grace, she still didn’t really like him. But he was Ainsley’s friend. Ainsley trusted him. It wasn’t possible that he was wrapped up in something awful. Was it?

  Grace drew back into the shadows and counted slowly to one hundred. She couldn’t risk him seeing her. But she didn’t want to miss the meeting either.

  She peeked through the dogwoods and there was no sign of Julian, so she stepped out of the park and slipped across the street to the Rustic Kitchen.

  She chose to enter on the side the kitchen staff used to use to bring supplies in and out. It was surrounded by large rhododendrons which could mask her exit. She held still behind the bushes for a moment but couldn’t hear anything inside. Whoever Julian was meeting they must be out in the dining room.

  Grace stepped into the open door. The stainless steel appliances in the kitchen had survived the fire, but were painted with soot. The whole place still smelled smoky.

  Suddenly, she heard voices. And they were close. How had she not heard them before? She ducked quickly into the alcove formed between the gigantic freezer and the backdoor, trying not to breathe.

  The voices were in the kitchen now, both male, one must be Julian. The other was deep and gruff and somehow familiar. She closed her eyes to listen, but couldn’t quite place it.

  They were having a heated conversation but she couldn’t make it out with the odd acoustics of the place. Everything echoed.

  The men took a few more steps into the kitchen and Grace felt sweat form on her brow. They were just on the other side of the freezer.

  “We can’t wait any longer. We need to get the Connor girl out of the picture.”

  “Everything is under control,” said the deep voice.

  “That’s what you told us about her dad. His loss was supposed to be the end of this pack.”

  Was Julian a part of that?

  “How was I supposed to know she would come back?” the deep voice complained.

  “And then you tell us you’ll have the new alpha under your control. What happened to that? How did an untrained little girl defeat your champion?”

  “She proved to be more than we bargained for,” said the deeper voice.

  “Excuses. This is why they had to send me. To get some results.”

  “Like you did with the old lady?” the deep voice asked with barely masked satisfaction.

  Grace’s heart wrenched in her chest. Could that be true?

  “That was unfortunate, I admit. But not tragic. Once the girl is out of the picture, we will have the time we need to find the key.”

  Key? What key?

  “She is not alone. She has allies,” the deep voice continued.

  “No one of consequence.”

  “What about the cop?” the deep voice demanded.

  “She’s nothing but a two-bit palm reader. Trust me. I’ve fooled her every time we’ve met.”

  Son of a bitch.

  She’d like to see him trying to magic his way out of prison for that comment alone - let alone what he’d done to Sadie.

  “Well, tonight’s the night. Let’s go deal with the alpha.”

  Footsteps told her that one of them was heading her way.

  No, no, no. They must be planning to leave through the door she was crouching in front of.

  Grace craned her neck, looking for anyplace to hide. But she was literally backed into a corner.

  Her hand moved to the holster on her back. She had heard enough to make an arrest, but what if they didn’t come peacefully?

  She took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around the cool plastic of her taser. At least she still had the element of surprise.

  A familiar sound accompanied the footsteps.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  What was that?

  Before Grace could put the pieces together, a blanket of darkness enveloped her and a firm hand locked onto her mouth from behind, pulling her silently through the door and into the night.

  CHAPTER 22

  A insley stepped out of the hot shower, feeling decidedly less invigorated than she normally would after letting the steaming water pound away at her.

  She slipped into her favorite night shirt and a pair of boy shorts with lace edges, then wrapped her fluffy robe around herself and made her way down to the kitchen.

  When the kettle was boiling away merrily, she reached for her phone on the table. She had a message.

  Erik.

  Ainsley, whatever you do, don’t leave the house alone. Don’t forget that someone wanted to take your wolf. Call Julian, call Grace, call someone, but don’t leave the house alone.

  Good god, with everything else going on she had almost forgotten.

  I won’t. How did it go with MacGregor? she replied.

  She waited a moment but there was no response. He must still be with MacGregor now. That was a good sign.

  But why did everything feel so wrong?

  She pulled the mug she’d made in senior pottery class out of the cupboard and stuck a peppermint tea bag in it.

  When the boiling water hit the cup and steam rose to greet her nose, she felt a tiny bit more like Ainsley. Determined not to sit around feeling sorry for herself, she sat down at the table and slid a piece of paper and pen in front of her.

  Placing the mug on the ring that had formed on the table after many other cups of tea, Ainsley exhaled with purpose and began to write.

  I am grateful for a mate who loves me even in trying times.

  I am grateful for a best friend who helps me without worrying about what it will cost her.

  I am grateful that the Federation sent Ophelia and didn’t just take my pack from me.

  I am grateful for my abilities, even if I can’t fucking figure them out.

  The phone buzzed again before she could think of another item for her list. She dropped the pen.

  Erik.

  But it wasn’t Erik. It was Charley Coslaw.

  Hey Ainsley, I’m out front, are you home? I have that termination for you.

  Shit.

  Ainsley walked to the door. Through the glass panes of the vestibule she could see Charley’s trademark green convertible. Though it was a chilly night, he had the top down.

  She went through the vestibule and opened the front door, but r
emembering her promise to Erik, she didn’t step through.

  Charley was blasting classic rock. He flashed her a friendly smile and waved. Camilla Parker Bowles stood on his lap, grinning with her tongue hanging out.

  “Hey Ainsley, I’ve got your papers here, but I don’t want to leave the dog in the car. Do you mind grabbing them?”

  Camilla Parker Bowles barked happily at Ainsley.

  “Hey Charley, just bring her in! I’d be glad to find her a snack.”

  “I don’t think she’s feeling well,” Charley shouted back. “Besides, I don’t want to keep you.” He waved the manilla envelope at her. “Never been happier to terminate a listing contract, by the way! Glad you finally came to your senses and decided to stay!”

  Ainsley took a step out of the door and felt the tingle of the magic from the ward as she passed through it.

  She paused.

  Ainsley knew she was in some danger in general, but for heaven’s sake, it was only Charley. She had known him all her life. She couldn’t be paranoid all the time, she was the alpha. She would just grab the envelope and head back in - problem solved.

  Ainsley took a few more steps across the porch toward the car.

  She couldn’t hear Charley’s heartbeat with the loud music on and the engine running. But she would smell a trap.

  And she didn’t smell anything.

  Shit!

  Ainsley wheeled around just in time to catch a lightning bolt to the chest that took her off her feet.

  She landed hard, her back slamming into the porch floor. Instantly, she was hit with the sensation of being drenched with a bucket of ice water. It was a familiar feeling. Because Julian had used it on her to stop her from shifting only a month ago.

  Her wolf threw itself heedlessly at the bars but couldn’t come out. And Ainsley threw her head back and howled in rage and pain.

  READ EPISODE 2 on your Kindle NOW!

  Fate of the Alpha: Episode 2

  AFTERWORD

  Did you know that only about one percent of readers leave a review for the books they read?

  If you enjoyed Fate of the Alpha, I invite you to become part of my One Percent Club by leaving a review.

  And if you email me at [email protected] to let me know when you leave a review, I’ll send a you free book!

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  TashaBlack.com

  Drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you!

  And thanks again for reading my book. As long as you keep reading them, I’ll keep writing them.

  -Tasha

  ALSO BY TASHA BLACK

  Fate of the Alpha: Episode 2:

  Something wicked is coming to Tarker’s Hollow…

  Ainsley Connor is faced with her toughest challenge as alpha. Her mate is gone, leaving her alone to defend her territory from rival wolves, dark magic, and worst of all, the threat of losing her pack if she doesn’t impress her superiors.

  Erik Jensen, torn from his place at Ainsley’s side by pack politics, finds himself at the center of a mystery that might just hold the key to saving Tarker’s Hollow. The real challenge might be surviving long enough to share his revelation.

  Grace Kwan-Cortez knows how tough it is being a cop in a town full of shifters, magic and who knows what else. What she isn’t prepared for are the feelings she can’t seem to shake since meeting Julian. And she can’t decide which option she dreads more, that he ensnared her in some sort of spell, or that the feelings might actually be real.

  Julian Magie has a secret. A secret that could change Tarker’s Hollow, and the world, forever. Torn between his sworn duty and his allegiance to his friends, Julian must decide who to trust, and where is true loyalties lie.

  Winter Heat:

  Set in Bella Andre’s Game for Love world, Winter Heat is the story of a young artist that falls for a bad-boy snowboarder with a dark secret. If think you know enough about me by now to take a guess at the secret, you might be surprised!

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Episode 1

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Afterword

  Also by Tasha Black