Page 42 of Kidnapped By the Alpha

With our plan set in place, April and I left Nile’s house.

“I think that went well,” April said. “How do you feel about it?”

“Hopeful. Once we get through this evening, we’ll know more about how the rest of our future is going to go,” I said.

“What do we need to do to make sure tonight goes well?” April asked.

“Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I’ve got everything under control.”

April reached over to grab my hand as I drove back to the cabins. With her hand in mine, I felt even more sure that tonight would go exactly as planned.

Chapter 22 - April

When we returned to tell the wolves that we had been invited to the town festival, they were ecstatic. Especially the children and women, who rarely had the opportunity to leave the cabins. The entire pack was thrilled, and we all made our way down to Pinedale for the festival as soon as the sun began to set.

It was summertime, and the town had come out en masse for their celebration. Vendors sold everything from cotton candy to clothing, games had been set up in the park, and there was even a bounce house for the children.

As a special treat for the Pinedale wolves, Nile had a place of honor as the participant in a dunk tank. So far, no one had managed to dunk him into the water. He remained seated on the bench above the tank, shouting insults to the crowd in an attempt to gather customers.

“Step up and try your hand!” he shouted congenially. “Who will be the lucky one to finally hit their mark?”

A few men in the crowd shook their heads, not wishing to be the next to fail.

“No takers? Go on, then, the kiddie games are that way!” Nile teased, pointing toward the children’s area.

“How much?” I asked, stepping up to the starting line where Penelope was taking money.

“One dollar per throw,” she said sweetly.

I handed her two dollars and got two balls from her.

“Two throws, eh, little lady?” Nile teased me good-naturedly. “What’s wrong? You don’t think you can get it on the first pitch?”

“You seem a little smelly, so I thought you could use two baths,” I teased back, wrinkling my nose in mock disgust.

The crowd laughed at my rebuttal as I cocked my arm back.

“You really think you can hit the mark on the first shot?” Jasper asked me quietly.

I winked at him, trying to be cocky. In truth, I had never had good aim. If I hit the target, it wouldn’t be due to skill. My main goal wasn’t to dunk Nile but to engage with the town so that our pack would follow suit.

“Alright, then, let’s see what you’ve got,” Nile taunted.

He waved his finger at me, egging me on as I cocked my arm back to make my first throw. We all watched in amazement as the ball hit dead center in the middle of the circle, and Nile fell into the water tank with a loud splash.

A cheer went up from the watchers. I broke into a smile as Nile resurfaced, grinning from ear to ear.

“You did it! Well done!” he shouted, wiping the water from his eyes.

“I can’t believe you hit it,” Jasper said, obviously impressed with my abilities.

“Neither can I,” I admitted. “I’ve never been good at things like this. I’m sure my second throw won’t be as successful.”

He climbed back up to his platform, awaiting my second pitch.

“Go on, then,” he said. “Where’s that second bath you promised me?”

I threw for a second time and missed by a wide margin. I shrugged in defeat, but a few wolves from both the Pinedale and Dark Moon paths came up to congratulate me on my success.

---