Page 15 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

He put a hand to his forehead and smiled apologetically. “My apologies, where are my manners? My name is Eren Miller, alpha of the Scottsdale Pack.” He put his hand out to shake, and even though I didn’t want to touch him, I decided discretion was the better part of valor.

“Kirsten Holly,” I said, shaking his hand. “What were you saying about—”

He leaned close, and I stopped talking. For a terrifying second, I thought he might try to kiss me, but he only took a deep breath and grinned wider.

I was not here to make a friend or even like this person. I just wanted to buy some damn toilet paper and eggs. Whatever it took, I’d make nice, but so far, this was even weirder than what had happened at Jace’s house. A tiny voice at the back of my head was screaming like an alarm bell, warning me that things here were not normal.

“Come over here,” Eren said. “Have a seat.”

He escorted me to what looked like a den, and I sat on a plush leather couch. He took a seat on the coffee table directly in front of me, uncomfortably close.

“So what do you do for a living?” he asked.

“Uh, I’m a teacher.”

“That’s amazing. A really honorable profession. What grade?”

What the fuck was happening right now?

I sighed and leaned back, putting some distance between us. “Fifth grade. Listen, can I ask about shopping in town?”

“How often do you use your power? It can’t be often, the scent is”—he waved a hand through the air—“very subdued, somewhat strange. Kind of earthy.”

“Power?” I asked dumbly. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“Magic,” Eren said. “How often do you use it?”

That sealed it. All these shifter alphas were definitely crazy.

“I’m not Houdini or anything,” I said. “I’m just here to visit and shop. Can we get back on track here? I’ve got a lot of stuff to do today.”

Eren frowned, eyeing me strangely. I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he looked me over.

After a while, he smiled hesitantly. “Of course, I’m sorry. Again, my manners aren’t the best.”

He stood and moved to a chair farther away. It was almost like a switch had been flipped. He’d gone from being strangely curious and interested to more of a cool businessman.

“What can I help you with?” he asked once he was settled.

I smoothed my hands across my pants, taking a breath, happy to have some space. “I came here to have an audience with you to ask your permission to shop in town.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You want my permission to shop?”

I swallowed, my mouth dry as sand. “Yes.”

“Sure,” he said with a shrug.

“Oh, good,” I said, smiling and letting out a breath. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

Eren leaned forward and smiled. “You know you didn’t have to ask my permission, right? You were fine to spend your money in town however and whenever you like.”

“Wha… what?” I frowned. “I thought, uh, I thought you had to ask for access or something. Isn’t it a rule?” I remembered what Waylan and Jace had said the night before. “Like a shifter law?”

Eren shook his head, laughing. “Pack alphas are free to make whatever rules they want, but I’ve never heard of anyone saying a human couldn’t frequent their stores. We shifters have a lot of antiquated processes. It’s part of why humans typically stay away from our towns.”

“You’re telling me there was no reason for me to come here?” I said. And make a fool of myself, I thought. “I’m staying near Crestwood, and I was told it’s expected that I ask permission from the alpha to use the town.”

“Very rare for a human to ever meet an alpha to begin with,” Eren said. “The only time anyone would need to ask for an audience with me would be if they planned on moving into our area permanently. And the only time you would be summoned to my house would be if you were causing trouble in my territory.”

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