Page 16 of Unexpected Alpha's Claim

I turned and walked back through the door into her living room in a total huff.

“Wait,” she commanded, stopping me in my tracks. “Honey, you do realize how insane all this sounds, right? I mean, people who… what? They can somehow shift into wolves? Like, what, in the movies or something?”

“I do,” I replied, my voice lost most of its volume as my nerves gave way. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. And believe me, I’ve thought about it a lot over the past few days, Erica. It’s the one thing that explains everything. The puncture marks on his neck, his quick healing, the fact that he was able to track me and Stacy down in the forest…” I trailed off weakly waving a hand between us. “All of it. The works.”

She took in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and held them shut then let her breath out in a long, slow exhale. “Alright. Let’s go back to that advice thing. How can I help you?”

“I’m at a loss,” I confessed. “I felt so alive when he kissed me. So wanted. And trust me, if he had tried to go all the way with me back there, I wouldn’t have stopped him. Iwantedhim. In a way, I’ve never felt before in my life.”

She laughed. Loud and with a flashing glance of mockery. “And here I thought it couldn’t get any better. I mean, a guy—who’s not human—kisses you like you’ve never been kissed before, andvoila! Monica Greenwell, the tight-ass doctor wants to put aside her inhibitions and fuck him, right then and there.”

“I wouldn’t put it so crudely, but yes,” I said in a steady voice. My forming anger gave steel to my nerves. “And please, don’t interrupt me again. Your sarcasm and disagreement over my morals don’t help. I’m at a loss. I am. He says that gettinginvolved with him will put our lives at risk. Dating humans is, apparently, against his kind’s rules. They would kill us both if they found out.”

She stared with clear disbelief. Her mouth moved but she didn’t speak. Finally, she shook her head and raised a palm between us.

“Okay, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” She turned and looked out over the city while gripping the railing of her balcony. After a few moments of silence, she turned her head to look at me again. “Whatever happened to ‘I need some time on my own to clear my head’? You said that just last week.”

“I know.” I nodded. “This just goes to show you how much I loved what happened between me and him, out in the woods.” I shrugged sighed and then joined her at the railing. “One kiss. I mean, onesetof kisses and he completely changed my mind. I’m in trouble here. I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. About him.”

“Then, it’s quite clear if you ask me,” Erica voiced her opinion with a sharp nod. “There’s only one clear-cut choice. Start things up with him.”

“It’s not that simple,” I disagreed, squeezing my lips together. “He’s…”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to interrupt you again,” she said, raising her voice over mine. “Itisthat simple. Mon, you just told me you got so turned on that you’d have had sex with himin the middle of aforest, for crying out loud. You! Miss Prude, “no sex until at least the third date”. That means there’s a lot ofheatbetween you. Hell, I sure don’t remember you saying anything like that about your ex.”

I tried to come up with an argument for that, but I got nothing. Finally, I sighed again, bowing my head.

“You’re not wrong, but what if… this gets us into trouble?” I countered, looking at the traffic down below. “Are a few steamy moments worth dying for?”

“Nope,” Erica murmured, leaning her forearms on the railing. “They most definitely are not, but I’m standing here looking at you now and, Stacy was there, remember? She told me how he looks at you too, which makes me wonder. I mean, I doubt it’s just physical attraction. I think the way you’re acting and what she said that I’d know if it was. I’ve certainly seen that a lot.”

“If it’s not just physical attraction, then what in the world is it?” I asked, managing by some small miracle to keep my frustration out of my tone.

“Ah, Dr. Greenwell…” she sighed, placing her hand on my shoulder. “You arealwaysthinking,alwaysanalyzing every situation… not everything needs analysis, Monica. Sometimes, you have to trust your gut. I’m not going to mention his second nature, shape, or whatever the hell that is. I’m just going to reiterate the fact that you’ve found someone who can make you drop your panties at the drop of a hat. That’s as rare as seeing a four-leaf clover. Don’t let him get away.”

“Get away…” I chuckled, clutching my chin. “He’s not my prisoner. He’s…”

“Hot, hot, hot,” she interjected yet again. “I know. I was there, remember? He’s super-hot and he likes you, which makes me wonder. Why aren’t you up on that mountain, fucking his brains out?”

I laughed. “Some things never change, do they?”

“Never, honey,” she smiled as she rubbed my shoulder. “Go get him. I’ll try to visit you this weekend. I can’t wait to seefor myself if your story’s true. Honestly, I think that therewassomething in those herbs that messed with your brain.”

“Thank you, Erica,” I nodded in appreciation, ignoring her last comment, because I was unwilling to engage with it. “It’ll be nice to have you guys over again. Goodnight.”

Lighter? More cheerful? Clearer? All of the above.

On my way out of her building, I thanked my good luck for having such a terrific friend. It wasn’t the first time I had done that. It wouldn’t be the last, either. Erica Morrison had pulled me out of a few emotional ditches in the past. For all her crudeness, she dared to be someone I wasn’t. Decisive. Impulsive. Willing to live in the moment and worry about the consequences later. Would I find the courage to pursue Raul? I had no idea, but, after I chatted with Erica, I no longer felt so negative about the whole situation.

11

RAUL

We were all back to doing what we knew best. Working on motorcycles. Toiling away, trying to satisfy our customers, so they would come back to us. Yet, no matter how normal the actions and routines were, the atmosphere was different in the workshop. It didn’t resemble the cheerful vibe we normally had when the three of us were deep into our creative endeavors at all.

“Who the hell didn’t put the 5/8 back?” Ray growled tossing tools aside as he dug through the drawer.

Sammy glanced at me and rolled his eyes. I answered him with a distracted shrug.

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