Page 7 of The Alpha's Surrogate

There were not a lot of people here that she could call her friend. When her mother had run away, she’d ruined lots of relationships with the town folk. Some of that still rubbed off on Josie by association.

She’d grown up in a shell, staying to herself even in school. Her grandfather was the only person she’d had any kind of relationship with, and even he had been withdrawn.

Josie didn’t mind the isolation, for the most part. Her people weren’t the friendliest in the world, and they hated to show weakness, even to members of their family. When you were born into this pack, you learned quickly that you were your own responsibility.

That was, until the were-bears had come into her life. She felt like she needed to tell someone about them, but who? She couldn’t think of anyone who she could trust enough with her problems. She didn’t want to have to explain everything all over again.

And there was still the issue of the bears not wanting her people involved. Klaus had warned her severely against getting other wolves involved. What was he so afraid of? His request for secrecy seemed like all the more reason why she should talk to someone about it, but who?

Josie looked up and saw that she was parked in front of a convenience store. She hadn’t remembered driving there or even parking. The only sound was the steady beating of the wipers against the windshield as they cleared snow and water.

The store looked empty, much to Josie’s liking. She wasn’t feeling very sociable today. She got out of the car and jogged a few feet into the store. A small bell announced her entrance and the storekeeper, Tommy, looked up from a sports magazine.

He nodded at her, his dark brown hair bouncing as he did so. She returned the gesture and walked into the aisles. She wasn’t certain what she was looking for, and she walked through the aisles almost mechanically.

“Oh, hey, Josie,” someone called from behind her. It was a familiar, feminine voice.

She turned around and smiled a small smile. “Hi, Susan.”

Susan walked over, a shopping basket hanging from one arm. “Fancy seeing you here today. Didn’t you have to go into the lab today?”

Josie shook her head. “Worked a double shift yesterday. Got the day off today. Plus, I have errands I need to run out of town.” She glanced sideways at Susan, hoping that would be enough for the woman and that she wouldn’t force the issue.

Susan was the only person who made a committed effort to befriend Josie. Josie sometimes found this annoying, other times she was curious as to what the woman wanted.

They worked together at the Silver Peaks Research Facility near the lake, where they studied herbs and developed an assortment of drugs from them. Like the health elixirs which they extracted and created using the mana crystal flowers.

Those only grew in Silver Peaks, and the work they did at the lab was highly confidential. Security was intense, and Josie had needed to pass an intense security check before she’d been allowed to work there.

Some of the pack’s most elite warriors guarded the facility, and while they never disturbed the scientists who worked in the labs, there was no mistake in anyone’s mind what would happen to anybody found trying to sneak out with the mana crystal plants.

Employees were constantly reminded about the need for confidentiality, and they were advised not to speak about their work outside the facility. Josie couldn’t have found a better job if she’d searched a million times over.

“Sounds fun,” Susan said, nodding along as she walked down the aisle with Josie. Josie glanced down at her basket. It was filled with groceries. She wished Susan would just leave her alone and get on with her day. But from what she knew of the woman, trying to get her to leave would only convince her to stay even longer.

Josie forced a smile on her face and stopped at a rack holding snacks. “Not so fun, sadly. It’s nothing important really. Just need to check something out in the next town over. Nothing important.”

She picked up two bags of chips and walked to the front of the store with her loot. “A can of soda, please,” she said to the attendant behind the counter. She pointed at a green can. “That one, right. Thanks.”

The attendant scanned her purchases and Josie reached for her wallet in her back pocket, but Susan held her arm. “Oh no, don’t worry about it.” She gestured at her basket. “I can just add it to mine, no big deal!”

Josie fought hard not to frown, smiling instead and accepting her purchase from Tommy, who smiled at her. “Thanks, Susan. You didn’t have to—”

“Good, so now you owe me,” Susan said, smiling pleasantly. “Maybe you’ll finally agree to take that lunch break with me? Or you’ll finally join me and my family for a Sunday barbecue while watching the game?” She laughed. “I’ll decide the nature of your debt later. But for now, we’re good. Have fun on your errand, Josie. See you at work?”

Josie smiled and left. She got into her car and slammed the door shut, finally allowing some of her annoyance to bubble to the surface. Interactions with Susan always left her feeling drained.

She couldn’t understand why the woman was so interested in being her friend. Everyone else was content enough with staying as far away from Josie as possible. But not Susan. She’d been at it for years. She’d even tried to set Josie up with her brother. What a mess.

Nothing wrong with someone just trying to be nice, Josie reminded herself, taking several deep, calming breaths. It’s not her fault you’re made of ice and stone.

The snow had let up, a few flakes still drifting lazily to the ground. Josie turned on her car and reversed out of the small parking lot on the side of the building. She ripped open a bag of chips with her teeth and balanced it between her thighs as she hit the straight stretch of road that led down from the mountains toward warmer weather.

Soft rock music drifted through the radio and Josie settled into a comfortable position for the long drive. She hadn’t driven this far in forever. She rarely left Silver Peaks, except to run errands for her grandfather.

And now that he’d died, she hadn’t thought she’d have to leave ever again. Definitely not as far as Whispering Oaks. She felt that tug in her mind again, as if there was something she was supposed to remember.

This time, instead of grasping angrily at the memory, she kept her head blank and allowed the pieces to fit slowly together in the back of her mind, solidifying, like smoke turning into rock.

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