Page 12 of The Alpha's Surrogate

She and Dr. Stephanie stood quietly for a few minutes, watching the road. Josie enjoyed the feel of the breeze in her hair, and the warmth of the evening sun on her skin. This, she decided quietly, is not a terrible town to live in.

“Are you scared?” the doctor asked suddenly, her voice soft and kind.

Josie thought about it for a little bit. “Not really. Maybe a bit curious, and there’s some excitement, but I don’t think I’m scared.” She shrugged casually. “I guess it’s ’cause I never thought I’d ever have any children. I mean, it’s not like the child is going to be mine afterward. I would really just like to get it over with, though.”

Dr. Stephanie nodded thoughtfully. “I like you, Josie. You’re…different. In a good way.” She smiled and stretched out a hand. “Have a lovely drive home. I’ll stay in touch and keep you up to speed on things here. See you soon.”

Josie shook the doctor’s hand and got into her car. Dr. Stephanie was alright. While Josie did not consider herself the most sociable person in the world, she could see herself building a friendship with the kind doctor. She hadn’t met a lot of people like that.

She hit the road and turned on the radio. Soft rock music poured out of the speakers, a sweet bass line mingling with drums as a woman she didn’t know poured her heart out into the song.

Her mind drifted unbidden to Callahan. Ten years later and she was still brutal to him. How could he have known about her father and grandfather if he hadn’t been keeping tabs on her?

What she could not understand was why he still cared enough to be bothered. If she remembered correctly, he was the one who had walked out of her life. No explanations, nothing. Over something he’d heard her saying to her grandfather about him.

She hadn’t cared so much at the time, but she realized she was angry now. It didn’t matter in any case. They had strict instructions not to create a personal relationship. She’d seen pain flash across his face when she had agreed to keep things professional.

That confused her. What did he want? Why did he care if things remained strained? Why was he keeping tabs on her a decade after they’d broken up? She’d never been able to understand him while they were together, and it was obvious that she had no chance of doing so now that they’d somehow found a way to return to each other’s lives.

Her phone rang, breaking her out of her reverie. She frowned and looked down at the screen on her dashboard. It was Klaus again. She couldn’t keep avoiding him, she knew. He was upset and had told Josie as much. But she wasn’t in the mood for his threats. Not today.

She was trying her hardest to get his money to him. The least he could do was give her some time to gather it. Did he really expect her to do so overnight?

Josie felt like she was in a box that kept closing in around her. Seeing Callahan again had added to that feeling, and all she wanted was to break out from that box. Sadly, it looked like the more she tried to wriggle free, the more the noose tightened around her neck.

The ringing stopped, and the music returned. Josie gripped the wheel with both hands and kept her eyes on the road. She put all her mind into driving, pushing everything else to the back of her mind.

She could just keep driving. Drive past her town, drive far away and never look back. She could go to the end of the world and call Klaus’ bluff. Would he really go through the trouble of dowsing her out? There was only one way to find out.

She considered it. Seriously considered it. There wasn’t much of a life waiting for her in Silver Peaks. There were no strong attachments keeping her in that town.

All her connections to the pack had been severed when her grandfather had died. Now, nothing kept her there anymore. She loved her job and she loved the work she did in the lab. She was on the verge of several scientific breakthroughs, but was that enough to keep her there? Especially with a group of angry polar bears looking for her?

In the end, she dismissed the thought. Where would she go? She’d never left home. She had no idea what it would be like to live among humans. And her wolf? She’d never be able to run again. Not as freely as she used to.

That was a convenient excuse, she knew, but she held on to it. She would not leave. She could not leave. She was not brave enough. She was not half as brave as her mother.

Over the years, Josie had come to accept the fact. What was the point in denying something that was so completely true? Her mother could have gotten away from the bears. She could have fought harder for Callahan years ago. But she wasn’t her mother.

The sun had set completely when she got to the mountains. She could see lights in town and decided to stop for a pizza while she was at it. She parked outside Connie’s Pizza House, and killed the engine.

The snow from earlier had melted and turned into a slippery slush. Her boots were made to grip slippery surfaces, but she walked carefully regardless. She idly thought about Whispering Oaks and its dry, sunbaked roads.

It was a busy night at Connie’s but Josie was able to find a table at the far end of the room, by the window. She scanned the crowd and decided it would serve her better to eat somewhere more quiet instead.

She got out of her seat and walked up to the counter. Clyde, Connie’s oldest son, was behind the counter taking orders. He smiled when he saw Josie.

He’d had the biggest crush on her since the fifth grade, and despite how many times she’d told him off, he never gave up. She thought he was cute, but he didn’t have a chance in the world.

“Hi, Josie,” Clyde said, wiping his hands on a napkin. “We haven’t seen you here in a while. I heard about your grandfather…I’m sorry for your loss. He was a good man, you know?”

She gave him a fond smile. “Thank you, Clyde. You’re too kind.”

He glanced around. “You have nothing to thank me for. How are you holding up? Are you doing okay?”

“Pretty much,” she replied with a shrug. “I’m fine, really. But thank you for asking. Means a lot.” She was starting to wish she had just cooked some dinner instead, or grabbed something from the refrigerator. She wasn’t feeling very social tonight.

Clyde nodded and leaned in closer. “Well, if you need anything, anything at all. You just let me know, okay? You shouldn’t have to deal with your grief alone…especially in such a big house.”

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