Page 9 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Jace grimaced and shook his head. “Sorry. Nice to meet you. I’m Jace Stone. Now, can you tell me why you’re here?”

I glanced over at Waylan, who looked uncomfortable and a little embarrassed. Already, it seemed this wasn’t going as he’d thought it would.

“I asked a question,” Jace said, leaning forward again. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was basically interrogating me.

“I’m here to clean out my grandmother’s cabin.”

“And why isn’t she here doing that?”

A tight knot of anger swelled in my chest. “Because, jackass, she’s dead. She passed away less than two weeks ago.”

Some of the suspicion on his face vanished, and his eyes crinkled at the edges, almost into a frown. “Oh. I’m sorry about that. I really am, but you said that house belonged to your grandmother? Are you…” He glanced at Waylan, then back at me. “Are you, or your grandmother, for that matter, one of them?”

Crossing my arms, I glanced around at the room, wondering why the hell I’d agreed to come here. “Them who? What the hell are you talking about? A human? Yes, I’m a human, if that’s what you mean. Can I go back home yet? It’s getting really late, and I’m too tired to deal with this bullshit.”

Jace stood, clenching and unclenching his fists. The speed of the movement shocked me. Shifters could move so damn fast. I didn’t even have a chance to flinch.

“Who was your grandmother’s mother? Did you ever meet her?” Jace asked, looking more confused and suspicious by the second, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he kept sniffing the air like he was trying to smell something.

“My great-grandmother?” I asked incredulously. “No. I never met her. She died before I was born, for God’s sake.”

Jace opened his arms wide. “All I’m trying to figure out is who sent you here. Simple as that. Answer the question, and we can be done. Once I know, then I can grant you access to shops in my town.”

What was this guy’s problem? Grant me access? He was acting like I was some spy sent to infiltrate his precious little pack or something. If all alpha shifters were like this, then I was glad to have never met one before.

“I’m going to say this one more time,” I said, straining to keep my anger in check. “I’m here for the summer to clean out my grandmother’s cabin to either rent or sell. At the end of the summer, I’m going back to Houston, and you and your pack will never see my face again. Is that enough background for Your Majesty?”

Jace froze, speechless. He sent another look toward Waylan, who only shrugged helplessly.

“I have no intention of sticking around here,” I added. “Your buddy here told me it was the normal courtesy to come by and get the alpha’s blessing and introduce myself before shopping in town. If you don’t want me spending my money in Crestwood, then fine, I’ll drive the extra distance to the next town over. Maybe the Scottsdale alpha will be more accepting. I don’t want to step on any toes, you know?”

At the mention of Scottsdale, anger flared in Jace’s eyes. His lips peeled back and a snarling growl erupted from his mouth, sending the first true spike of fear through me. But I managed to stand my ground.

“You don’t want to go to Scottsdale,” Jace hissed. “I can assure you, if you think I’m bad, you’ll really hate their alpha.”

“Okay, whatever. Do I have your permission to shop in town or not?” I asked, raising my voice in annoyance.

“Maybe we should take a second and calm down, huh?” Waylan cut in. “I could go grab a couple beers or something. I think we got off on the wrong foot here.”

“No need,” Jace said through clenched teeth. “You can shop in town.” He visibly relaxed, his shoulders easing. “As long as you don’t cause any trouble, I’ll tell the folks in town that you’re free to come and go as you please. I promise.”

“Oh my gosh,” I said with mock surprise. “So gracious of you.”

I was pushing my luck, I knew, but I couldn’t help it. This was not the way I’d wanted this summer to start. Even though he’d granted me the ability to shop in town, I didn’t really want to anymore. Though I probably still would. It was an extra thirty minutes to get to Scottsdale, and nearly two-and-a-half hours to the nearest human town.

This whole thing was leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and part of me wanted to call it quits and go back to Houston the next day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that. I still hadn’t gone through Nana’s boxes or her closet. God only knew how much stuff I’d want to take back home. I was stuck here for at least a few more days. Besides, deep down, I did want to spend the summer in the cabin and remember the good times Nana and I had spent there.

“You’re free to go if you like,” Jace said, sitting down again.

“Awesome,” I huffed, turning to leave.

“Thanks for coming by,” Waylan said as I left. He looked pained and slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah. I really appreciate it,” I called over my shoulder as I slammed the front door behind me.

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I could hear them talking inside as I hurried to my car. As I slid into my driver’s seat and started the car, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Only then was I able to think. The weird standoff-slash-interrogation had been more dramatic than I’d anticipated, and now I had the strangest feeling. A kind of buzzing or humming deep in my mind that shuddered in my chest as well. It began the moment I’d walked in and seen Jace.

The sensation wasn’t inherently unpleasant, which was weird. The guy was a total dick. Pretty as a picture, sure, but a real douchebag.

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