Curse of the Alpha: Episodes 1 & 2: A Tarker’s Hollow Serial Read Free Page A

sunglasses in place, harvesting late summer roses just like she had when Ainsley was in high school.
    Was she a wolf?
    Ainsley studied her back, trying to decide. When Sadie turned, Ainsley shifted her gaze straight ahead and sped up her walk.
    A few houses down, Mrs. Hooper’s bicycle still sat on her front porch, even though Mrs. Hooper must be seventy by now.
    As she turned the corner onto Elm she could hear a few cars a block away on Yale Avenue. All the streets in town bore the names of either trees or colleges. There was a gorgeous garden in front of the post office and even in late summer plenty of flowers were in bloom.
    She turned the corner onto Yale and passed the flower shop, the toy store, and some new place that sold eco-friendly home décor. Then there it was – the hardware store. There was a lump in her throat when she saw the old sign was still in place.
    Selling her mother’s family store had been really hard for Ainsley. She remembered how her high school History teacher, Mr. MacGregor, had approached her at the funeral:
    “Ainsley, please come home,” he said simply, hands pressed against his sides. His blonde hair was still a little long. All the girls at Tarker’s High when Ainsley has been there mooned over him.
    “Mr. MacGregor, thank you for coming.”
    “Can we please talk after the service? There is so much I need to tell you.”
    Ainsley squirmed. “I’ve really got to get back to New York.”
    “I’d like to buy the hardware store. Can we at least talk about that?”
    Ainsley had resisted the instinct to snarl at him.
    Why did she feel so protective of the old place?
    Of course she wasn’t going to come home to Tarker’s Hollow and run a hardware store. Something had to be done about the business and the building.
    She agreed to meet him after the service. MacGregor, it turned out, was the beta of the Tarker’s Hollow wolves.
    He perched on the edge of her father’s brown leather chesterfield with his hands clasped in front of him.
    “Ainsley, a beta can’t lead a pack forever,” he said. “It’s complicated, and the wolves are patient, but something’s going to give way soon. We need an alpha”
    Ainsley shifted uncomfortably and re-crossed her legs. His heart pounded in response and she froze.
    “I’m sorry, Ainsley, I know this isn’t the world you chose. But we are your people and we need your help.”
    “Why don’t you just choose an alpha?”
    “That’s not the way it works. Lineage is important.” He twisted in his seat. “We need you to choose.”
    “Fine. I choose you,” she said immediately. “Does that fix everything?”
    He swallowed, “Do you know what it means for you to choose?”
    “Um, you become alpha, right?”
    “The only way for an alpha to emerge is for you to choose a mate.”
    Oh Jesus.
    She studied the face of the teacher she’d fantasized about in high school. He was gazing miserably at her and sweating a little. The scent of his growing arousal was overpowering. A soft, golden haze formed around him. The creases at the corners of his eyes disappeared and his shoulders broadened.
    What the hell was going on?
    “So, if we just?” she whispered.
    His eyes widened and he leaned toward her hungrily. The thundering of his heart vibrated through her whole body as her own pulse struggled to match its rhythm. His face had gone from mildly attractive to dazzlingly handsome; he looked like a young god. The air seemed to crackle with energy, and she moved to bridge the distance between them.
    At the last second, he pulled back with obvious effort and sighed, looking away from her.
    “We don’t just have to couple – choosing a mate means choosing a mate. It’s for life.”
    Ainsley shook her head, and the haze disappeared. The room returned to normal. Mr. MacGregor looked just as he always had – handsome in a rumpled way.
    She had only been home three days for the funeral, and already strange things were happening. She couldn’t wait to