Page 4 of Sweet on the Alpha

I can’t stop thinking about Aiden Donahue. Ever since our chat at the market, I’ve felt his intense green gaze following me everywhere I go as I make my way around our small town. When I’m kneading dough in the bakery kitchen, I imagine his strong hands working the muscles of my shoulders. When I’m icing cupcakes, I catch myself daydreaming about tracing the sharp lines of his jaw with my fingertips… and then my lips.

Gah!

It’s unnerving, the effect he has on me. I’ve never been the type to moon over a man, let alone one as brusque and mysterious as my new neighbor. But there’s something about him, a magnetic pull I can’t seem to resist—one I’m not sure Iwantto resist, if I’m honest.

As I lock up the bakery one evening, the sun painting the sky in streaks of orange and pink, I’m startled to find Aiden waiting for me. He leans against the side of the building, his arms crossed over his broad chest, looking like a model in a rugged outdoor gear ad. No man should be allowed to look that sexy. Period.

“Hey,” he rumbles, and his deep voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Can we talk?”

Can we do other things instead?I keep the thought to myself, but it’s hard.

I nod mutely, my throat suddenly dry. He jerks his head toward the park across the street and I follow, my heart thudding.

We walk in silence for a few minutes, the scent of summer flowers heavy in the air. I steal glances at him from the corner of my eye, admiring the way the fading light highlights his chiseled features.

Finally, we reach a secluded bench beneath a towering oak. Aiden gestures for me to sit, so I tuck my sundress under my legs and get comfortable. Then he’s pacing in front of me, back and forth while he rubs at his furrowed brow. He seems to be struggling with some major internal battle.

“Aiden?” I prompt softly, confused and a little turned on. What? The man is a god walking. “What’s going on?”

He suddenly comes to a halt and turns to face me. His eyes blaze with an intensity that steals my breath.

“There’s something you need to know about me,” he finally speaks, his voice rough. “I’m not just your average shifter, Grace. I’m an alpha.” He sighs as if a heavy weight has been lifted, but I sense that’s not all he has to tell me.

Shifters in our small town are common enough, alphas not so much, but there’s more. I know it.

“And you… you’re my fated mate.”

That’s the other shoe dropping.Da fuq?

I blink at him, certain I must have misheard. “I’m your what now?”

Aiden sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. “Fated mate. It means that you and I… we’re meant to be together. On a soul-deep level. My wolf recognized you the moment we met.”

I stare at him, my mind reeling. I want to laugh, to brush it off as some kind of joke. But deep down, in a place I’ve never acknowledged, something resonates with his words. It’s like a puzzle piece clicking into place, a key turning in an aged lock.

“That’s why I’ve been so drawn to you,” I whisper, more to myself than to him. “Why I can’t stop thinking about you, even though I barely know you.”

Aiden nods, his green eyes never leaving my blues. “I tried to fight it. I didn’t want to drag you into my world, into the dangers that come with being mated to an alpha. But I can’t stay away from you, Grace. Not anymore.”

Suddenly, I’m seized by a desperate need to see him, all of him. No, not in the naked way—though that might happen regardless—but I want something more.

“Show me your wolf,” I blurt, surprising us both.

Aiden hesitates for a moment before taking my hand and helping me rise from the bench before tugging me along. His palm is warm and callused against my own. He leads me to the edge of the tree line, where the shadows are deepening so we won’t be disturbed or seen by the average passerby.

“Wait here,” he murmurs and squeezes my fingers gently before releasing me.

I’ve never met a shifter’s animal before, never had the nerve or inclination to ask, but I know this is a big thing in the shifter world—to introduce your animal to a human.

Aiden steps behind a large tree and I hold my breath, my heart racing. I listen to the snap and crack of bone and remind myselfthat the shift doesn’t hurt based on all I’ve read and heard through gossip.

Moments later, a massive wolf emerges from the foliage. Its fur is a rich, dark brown, shot through with threads of gold. But its eyes make me gasp—a vivid, familiar green that pierces me to my core.

“Aiden,” I breathe, awe and wonder tangling with the ever-present pull in my chest.

The wolf—Aiden—pads closer, its movements fluid and powerful. Some distant part of me knows I should be afraid, but all I feel is a bone-deep sense of rightness. Of belonging.

I reach out a trembling hand and the wolf presses its great head against my palm. I let out a shaky laugh, sinking my fingers into the thick ruff of fur around its neck. It’s softer than I imagined, and I have the sudden urge to bury my face in the strands.

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