Page 36 of Unexpected Alpha's Claim

Taking the last, right bend, we entered my neighborhood. Before we got close, I noticed something weird in my front yard. There were cars and pickup trucks parked on the right side of the road and a large gazebo, as long as two cabins put together, had been set up. There were empty plates on the table inside of it with silverware on either side. Easing on the brakes, I saw mysister Nora emerging from her cabin. She had a white apron tied around her waist.

“Move your ass, Ray!” She yelled at our brother over her shoulder. “Those vegetables aren’t going to cut themselves!”

I revved the bike as I backed it into its parking spot. I loved the feel of the engine rumbling between my legs. Nora glanced over and rolled her eyes as I parked. I swung off the bike then helped Monica to do the same. Hand in hand we walked over to my sister.

“Hey, Nora,” I greeted, looking around at the setups. “What’s all this?”

“We’re launching a new space shuttle,” she said with a wide, shit-eating grin, “it’s called ‘Dumbass One,’” she mocked. She quickly closed the distance between us. “What does it look like, other than a family dinner?”

“Thanks,” I muttered, slightly irritated she was being snarky in front of Monica whom she hadn’t even met yet.

“You must be Monica,” Nora said, turning her full attention to the doc and blatantly looking her up and down with an appraising look.

“And you must be Nora,” Monica said with a genuine smile as she offered her hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is all mine, honey,” Nora said, shaking her hand. She glanced over at her cabin. “By the way, we’ve got company.”

“Yes, you do,” Helena said, her feathery voice was perhaps the biggest surprise of the night. In a pair of black jeans and an orange sweater, she strolled out of the kitchen and joined us. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Welcome,” I said taking in her more casual attire. “It’s, uhm, nice to see you in regular clothes.”

“Andwithout my staff,” she emphasized. “Well, things are quiet now. I thought I could let my guard down a bit. I would like a word with you, though, if that’s okay with Monica.”

She gave Monica a dazzling smile but the look in her eyes made it more than clear that she was only being polite by giving her an option, she was going to talk to me one way or the other.

“Of course, it’s fine,” Monica assured, her eyes settled on me, squeezed my hand then kissed me on the cheek before following my sister towards the house. “I’ll be inside if you need me.”

I watched her go, enjoying the warmth that suffused my chest and limbs. Monica was beautiful. Incredibly so. I didn’t think that I’d ever seen a more gorgeous woman in my life. Everything about her set my heart on fire.

“Ahem,” Helena cleared her throat, forcing my attention back to her.

I kept myself from growling, barely, and gave the witch my attention, albeit reluctantly.

“So, what’s the big emergency?” I asked, following her away from the cabin.

“It’s not an emergency per se,” Helena said in a calm voice. She looked around before speaking more, assuring that we were far enough away to be out of earshot of even the enhanced hearing of my brothers and sister. “I want to tell you a few things you don’t know. About me.”

“You going to tell me you’re a witch?” I asked, joking.

Her frown killed any humor that I had been going for, and then she pursed her lips into a tight line.

“First born,” she said. “These are serious times, act like it.”

“Right,” I agreed, running my hand through my hair and pushing it back from my forehead. “Okay, hit me. What you got?”

“I have spies, ones that let me see beyond Shandaken and Dawson,” she said.

“I can’t say I’m surprised, but okay,” I said, and she snorted, shaking her head.

“I use eagles and hawks, other creatures too, but those are my fastest ones. You need to understand that there are limits to my power. I can teleport anywhere I like within a fifty-mile radius, with the catch that I have to have been to my desired destination before. Otherwise, I risk ending up in the void.”

“Fair enough,” I said with a nod. “I appreciate the information, but what are you getting at?”

Helena had been anything but forthcoming about herself since I’d met her. Suddenly telling me her limitations made my hackles stand on end. There was something she wasn’t saying and that worried me. She was building to it in her own time, but patience had never been a trait I had in any measure.

“The vampire clan,” she said, her voice going down an octave. “I’ve looked into the future. Nothing out of the ordinary happens in the first couple of days. You and Monica are happy together, and your fellow pack mates seem to accept you as their leader.”

“Well, that’s good, but what’s the catch? You’re clearly building towards one, so what is it?”

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