Page 9 of Lonely Alpha

By the time I arrived at the Bearclaw Inn, I’d talked myself around to positivity. I even found a tiny place deep inside to hope that I might be granted a second fated mate. It was rare, but supposedly it did happen. Usually when the original mate was dead, though. And Lars, to the best of my knowledge, was alive and well somewhere.

But he’d decided he didn’t want me, so did that sever the fated bond? Free me up to be reassigned as it were? Ridiculous.

The Bearclaw Inn, identified by a sign out front, was a charming home surrounded by gardens in full spring bloom, and above, a stained glass window glinted. A wide porch out front was occupied by a dapper man wearing a white shirt, tie, vest and neatly pressed slacks. He met me at the top step and held out a hand to shake. “Franklin and you must be William. Welcome to the Bearclaw Inn.”

I accepted his firm grip. “Thank you for the invitation. I don’t know how you picked me for the weekend, but I’m grateful. What a beautiful place you have.”

“Thank you very much. Would you like the tour?”

“Why yes, I would. How long have you operated the inn?”

Franklin guided me through the downstairs, showing me various features and answering questions about how he’d come to start his business. His mate had passed away, leaving him alone and looking for something useful to do. He opened his inn as a tribute to the love he’d shared with his mate.

The kitchen was very large and well-equipped with something delicious smelling bubbling on the stove. My mouth watered even though I’d been snacking all along the road. It certainly would be tastier than beef jerky and cheese sticks.

“The backyard is right outside here,” Franklin said, opening a door and waving me outside. “We have lots of comfortable seating if you want to relax at any point.” He turned back into the kitchen, and I started to follow but then noticed a man sitting in one of the suspended hammock chairs. He was leaning back, his eyes closed, but he looked so much like Lars, my breath stalled and my wolf howled.

He was half in shadow, but the resemblance was there, and I had to turn away before my eyes played any more tricks on me. Somehow, I’d convinced myself of what my heart wanted, and whoever the sleeper was would not appreciate my running over and waking him only to learn he was a total stranger.

The idea of having a new mate must be responsible for my mood, and, as Franklin mounted the stairs, chatting about the stained glass window and I wasn’t sure what all, his words blurred under the noise in my head. This was a mistake being here. I was obviously not over Lars. Well, I knew that, but it was one of the reasons I’d agreed to the whole thing. I couldn’t pine forever.

“Here’s your room. The other guest is also here, but dinner won’t be ready for a while. Just come down when you’re ready. There’s time for a nap if you want one after your long drive.”

“Good idea. I never sleep well when I have a big trip the next day.”

“I understand. I’ll leave you alone, then. See you when you come down for dinner.” Franklin took his leave, closing the door behind him.

Taking off my shoes, I set them beside the bed before lying back on the comfortable mattress and closing my eyes. But instead of restful sleep, my subconscious set in motion a reel of every moment I’d spent with my mate before I left for basic training. There weren’t that many, but when they ran in almost-real time, it looked like more than I remembered.

I wasn’t ready for a new mate. No way. No how. When I went down for dinner, I’d have to tell Franklin and the other guest that I’d have to leave in the morning. Or tonight… After an hour or so, I gave up trying to sleep and decided to take a shower and rinse away the road dust. The en suite was as nice as the rest of the place, and I eyed the tub longingly before turning on the separate shower. I could take a bath later this evening when nobody was waiting for me.

Standing under the steaming-hot spray, I wondered how it was that either Franklin brought in a potential mate for me so similar to Lars, or my mind was playing such tricks on me. I rubbed shampoo through my hair and accepted that it had to be me. How would the innkeeper even know what my fated or former fated looked like? We were together a short time and there were no pictures of us together on the internet. I’d searched often enough in my misery to be confident of the fact.

No, whoever that person was in the backyard, if he was my possible mate, he probably looked nothing like Lars. But if I so easily conjured him, it was proof that I wasn’t ready to move on yet, and I probably owed Franklin an apology for accepting his invitation knowing what it meant.

The soaps and other products provided were first class and the hot water eased my tight shoulders. Nobody could make me forget Lars, but perhaps I could at least enjoy dinner with another alpha. Not a mate—but sort of a date?

Drying off with the fluffiest towel I’d ever experienced, my mood lifted further, assisted by the scent of dinner rising to make my stomach growl. At least the food would be good.

Chapter Nine

Lars

I woke from my nap in the nick of time. Amazing what a short snooze outside in the fresh air could do. I would have to make that a habit somehow in my schedule.

My wolf woke me with howls and alerts of warning. I listened for a few minutes to sounds inside the house, including a man’s voice, not Franklin’s. The voice made my wolf intolerable as he gained excitement. Wagging his tail and making himself known through the bond.

Interesting.

Maybe he realized our new mate might be a short distance from us.

I walked through the backyard and into the kitchen where I washed my snack board despite Franklin’s protests that I leave it in the sink. He was cooking something that smelled incredible. The scents of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan made me salivate despite the hefty snack.

“The other guest has arrived, and dinner is soon.”

“I’m going upstairs to wash up and get ready. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

Franklin made a waving motion with his hands. “Not a thing. Out with you. There’s a magician at work here.”

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