Page 21 of The Alpha's Surrogate

He knew that she wouldn’t stay on his terms, so he’d had to find a way to make her stay on hers. Now, it was up to her to state her demands and terms. As long as it kept her here and away from those bears, it was a fair price to pay as far as he was concerned.

“I appreciate you looking out for me, but you can’t do this,” Josie said.

“Actually, I can, and I will. Look, it’s not all that bad. I can set up a lab for you here. There’s more than enough space for you to continue your research here. You could call your bosses and inform them you’re unavoidably out of town.

“I could also convince Fannar to help you bring a batch of your special flowers from Silver Peaks. Finally, I don’t know a lot of herb lore, but I know these forests are thick with plants that you could expand your research into. The warmer weather means that there’s a whole ecosystem out there for you to research and study.”

Josie eyed him critically and he could tell she was weighing his argument. After several long seconds, she said, “Seems like you’ve thought this all the way through. There’s only one problem. The mana crystal flower never leaves Silver Peaks in its unprocessed form.”

This wasn’t shocking for Callahan. He and Fannar had been friends long enough for him to know that the coveted plant was a pack secret. No one else in Starlight Valley knew about it, save for their tight group of friends. It was their main export and only a handful of them had access to it.

Getting it out for Josie was going to be challenging, but it wasn’t impossible. “As you know, your alpha is my friend. An exception will have to be made, and I will give him guarantees about its secrecy. It would only be a small quantity, anyway.”

She threw her hands up angrily. “You can’t just…just…argghh!!” She paced around the room, anger and frustration boiling out of her. Callahan hated to admit it, but he was enjoying this. She turned to face him. “What about my things? I don’t even have a toothbrush.”

That all but confirmed that she had agreed to stay. He tried not to look smug, though. “There’s a mall in town where we can find everything you want and need,” Callahan said calmly.

“And my home?” she asked. “I can’t exactly leave it open till whenever you decide it’s safe enough for me to return, now can I?”

He shrugged. “I could have someone there before noon to change the locks and fix whatever damage he finds there. Anything else?”

She balled her hands into fists, vibrating with anger where she stood. “Go fuck yourself, Callahan!” she finally exclaimed. “God, I can’t believe I’m doing this.” She stormed past him, grabbed her phone, and walked to the balcony. He had never seen her so pissed before.

Callahan leaned back in his chair and when he was sure she wasn’t watching, he allowed himself a small smile. Well, that was fun.

Chapter 9 - Josie

The first thing Josie did was go shopping. Callahan had asked to come along, but she’d refused vehemently. He may have won in convincing her to stay in Whispering Oaks, but she didn’t want him thinking she was fine with this decision. So, she settled for petty revenge.

She also refused money from him and insisted she could buy her own clothes, only to get downstairs and remember she’d left her wallet in her purse, which was currently sitting in the back seat of her car, back in Silver Springs.

Of all the horrible things that could have happened to her, crawling back to Callahan to ask for his card, with her tail between her legs, was indisputably the worst.

He’d tried to act gracious when he handed his card over to her, but she could see from the tug of his lips that he was fighting down a smile. She snatched the card from him and flipped him off before stomping away indignantly.

While she wasn’t the best warrior in her pack, Josie was one of the finest hunters and trackers. Callahan was worried about her losing her way in the twisting woods that led down to the main road into the town, and he had reason to be.

There was no true road, but if you had an eye for detail, it was pretty straightforward. Josie loved being out in the forest. She had always felt connected to the green, like witches connected to nature. Her powers weren’t anything similar, but she still felt in tune with the earth.

The sound of the woods was harmonious music to her ears, every little and big detail an intricate part of an ecosystem that had been here long before humans walked this world, and would be here long after they were gone.

From the subtle turning of the leaves in the trees as the wind moved through them, all the way to the louder, less subtle calls of beasts deeper in the greenery, the ebb and flow of sounds made her want to rip through her clothes and let her beast run free in this beautiful forest. It seemed like the only right thing to do.

She ignored the urge, though, with great difficulty. She didn’t have any spare set of clothes yet, and the thought of Callahan finding her naked was more than enough motivation for her to abandon her more natural desires.

The sun climbed steadily in the air, but the path was so narrow the trees ahead provided a shade for her. Still, the heat was a new experience for her, even without the sun beating down on her directly.

As narrow as the road was, she realized that she didn’t stumble once, or step on uneven ground. She hadn’t noticed it before because of her boots, but now she could feel the sturdiness of the ground under her feet.

It wasn’t soil at all, but something else. There was a proper road here, with the grassy top for decoy, no doubt for Callahan’s little cars. She thought about the cost of maintaining the road and the decoy, and swore at the frivolity. While his quirks had annoyed her in the past, now she just found them amusing.

The road widened as she approached the main road, and resolved into a proper road. She was almost at the junction when she heard the distinct sound of an engine behind her.

She was fairly certain that no one else lived in this part of the woods other than Callahan. Irritated, she stepped to the side of the road and crossed her arms to wait for him. A massive black truck came into view, flying down the narrow road with reckless abandon.

He slowed down as he approached her, then parked beside her. The truck was so huge it occupied the entire road. He wound down the glass, grinning behind the wheel. “I was half certain you would get lost. Looks like you found your way, after all.”

She rolled her eyes. “As I said I would. What do you want? I can make it to town easy from here.”

---