Awakening the Alpha
Awakening
The Alpha
Wolf Valley Raiders
(Book Four)
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Note from the author: My books are written, produced and edited in the UK where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.
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All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.
This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.
© 2015 Harmony Raines
Silver Moon Erotica
Kindle Edition
- Riley
“You’re doing a fine job there,” Fara said, watching Riley hammer nails into the last piece of wood. That was it; the barn was finally finished. Leaning back, he surveyed his work, feeling pleased with himself.
“It looks good, doesn’t it,” he stated proudly. Although at first he’d hated the idea of coming out to the old woman’s farm and repairing the barn for her, once he got started, he had enjoyed it more than he would ever let on.
“Certainly does. Now we can shift the hay into it. It’s been sitting under a tarp for a couple of weeks, so some of it’s going to be wasted, but I’m hoping there will be enough to see me through the winter.”
Riley felt a familiar pang of guilt. If it weren’t for him and his brothers, Fara’s barn would most likely still be in one piece. Although they hadn’t been directly responsible for the damage, they
had
been responsible for bringing the two men who wrecked it to Wolf Valley.
It was a time in his life Riley wanted to forget. Riley and his siblings had been under a blood oath, sworn to avenge their father. Sent here to wreak havoc on Wolf Valley and make the inhabitants pay for his life of exile, they had done their best to fulfil that oath. Now it was over and the oath was broken; they were instead trying to repair the years of damage done to the town by a corrupt sheriff.
Climbing down the ladder, he thought of how things had ended up, not quite what any of them had envisaged when they moved into their parents old house. His sister Bliss was now happily married to her mate, with a baby on the way, and only recently his brother, Cole, had met his mate. And become the new deputy of Wolf Valley, under the direct command of Kira, his wife. Riley grinned, not sure, what amused him more: his brother being a law enforcement guy, or that his brother now took orders from a woman.
Only weeks ago, Cole had thought he had a chance to become alpha of Wolf Valley, now he was under his mate’s thumb 24/7.
“Never seen a man so happy to finish a job,” Fara shouted up at him.
“Least it’s one thing less thing for you to blame me for,” he countered. He liked Fara: she told it like it was, straight up, no messing around. She was his kind of woman, shame she was thirty years too old for him. But she sure had grit and gumption.
Riley’s mind turned back to his own, as yet undiscovered mate. Would he ever find her and if he did, would he become the next alpha, would he inherit the job that should have been his father's? He was beginning to believe it was all some stupid fairy tale.
“You want some coffee?” Fara asked, heading for the house.
“Yes, please.” He reached the bottom of the ladder. “Have you seen Sol around?”
“Sure, he’s in the barn with the puppies,” Fara shouted over her shoulder as she went inside the house.
Putting his tools away, he went to find Sol. Starved of oxygen at birth; Sol acted more like a child than an adult. But since getting to know Fara, he had become much more responsible, helping look after the animals on the farm—and as a special gift, he had been allowed to choose a puppy to keep as his own.
“Made your decision yet, Sol?” Riley asked his brother who was knee-deep in happy puppies.
“The brown one. He loves me the best,” Sol said, picking up the little wriggling bundle of fur and kissing him. “Although the one with the brown patch is my friend too.” Sol sighed. “They are all my friends.”
“Don’t worry; you have a couple of weeks or so to decide. They have to stay with their mom for a while yet,” Riley said, trying not to think of the commotion in the house when Sol finally brought one of these terrors home.
“Lucky puppies with their mommy. When I bring a puppy home I will love it, because I know how sad it will be not to have a mommy.”
Sol’s words hit Riley hard. Their mom had died giving birth to Sol, and they all missed her, but Sol had never even had the chance to meet her, to be held by her. “I think you are going to be the best dog owner in town.” Riley smiled as Sol cuddled the puppies.
“Here. Coffee.” Fara came into the barn, handing Riley a cup and then offering Sol a cookie. “It’s for you, mind. Not for the puppies or else they’ll have bad tummies.”
“Thank you, Fara,” Sol said, taking one. “Can I go and feed the sheep?”
“Sure. I’ll come with you and then we can clean out the shed. You want to help me with that?”
“Will there be spiders?” Sol asked.
“Most definitely,” Fara said, drinking her coffee.
“I love spiders,” Sol said.
“Well you are not having a spider as a pet, so make sure there are none in your pockets when you’ve finished.” Riley hid his smile, not wanting to encourage Sol to bring a handful of spiders home.
Sol grinned and ate another cookie.
“I’m cooking stew tonight, if you both want to stay for dinner,” Fara said.
“That would be great.” Riley stretched. “I really need a shower and a run first.”
“Then go. Sol can keep me company. You go and have an hour or two to yourself, least I can do. I know it’s hard on you now you are solely in charge of this young man.” She looked lovingly at Sol. “I never had kids of my own. I like having him around and he saves my bad back. And my hips.” She put her hand on her hip and flexed her back to emphasise the point.
“If you’re sure?” He drained his mug of coffee and handed it back to her, not needing to be asked twice. The weather was beautiful, winter was beginning to set in, and the chill evening air called to him.
“Go.” Fara watched him as he left the barn, and then went back to talking puppies with Sol.
Riley checked that all the tools were put away, including the ladder; he didn’t want Sol to get any ideas about getting on to the barn roof. Then he took a deep breath of the evening air, noting its crispness; it exhilarated him.
With no further thought, he released his wolf and headed up into the mountains. His shower could wait until after his run.
She sat in the open meadow, watching the sunset, red and gold, washing over the town below. Wolf Valley: the place she had grown up in, the place she missed but no longer visited. It had become too painful to watch it slide into lawlessness. At times, she blamed herself.
If her father had a son, instead of an only daughter, then there would have been an alpha to take over. She remembered all the times he told her it didn’t matter, that she was as capable as any man, but when he died she had proved him wrong. And so she had left.
Pulling her knees to her chest, she hugged her legs, fighting off the loneliness that always threatened when she came here. Why she kept doing it to herself she didn’t know, but there were times, more and more often lately, when she was compelled to drive to the mountain and run as her wolf. She needed the freedom, and she needed something else, but neither her nor her wolf ever put that other thing into words, or thoughts.
The cool evening air made her shiver. She should be getting back; she had lots to do and an early start tomorrow. Rising, resisting the call of her wolf, she walked on two feet across the damp grass, barefoot, feeling the dew soaking her feet. Only at times like this did she feel truly alive, truly who she was born to be.
Who was she born to be?
Her hand went to her throat and the pendant she wore there. It had been her father’s. And every other alpha’s since the history of Wolf Creek began. Now it hung around her neck like a useless piece of junk.
Feeling foolish, she rubbed the bear’s tooth between finger and thumb and tried to connect with her ancestors, to ask them, as she had so many times before, what her purpose was. For at times, she felt her life slipping away as she floated rudderless along life’s endless river.
The wolf inside her snapped its head up. Natalie stopped, trying to sense what her wolf had seen. Letting her mind wander, she felt a tug of recognition. Turning, she became fully aware of the wolf who was approaching. An old friend?
She had never met anyone up here, usually too much on her guard to allow anyone from her past to get close enough to see her.
But this wolf had
. She gazed into the gathering gloom. There—movement, and with it the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. This was different. Both a friend and a threat.
Slowly, the knowledge seeping into every pore, she began to see who the wolf was,
what he was
. After all this time alone, all this time hiding from her true self, her mate had found her. High up on the side of the mountain, her mate had come to join her.
At first she thought it was a trick. In the months after her father died, she had been courted by most of the single men in town, all hoping that they would be the chosen one. They didn’t know she was barren in this respect. The power of alpha was not hers to pass on; it would not magically awaken in another just because he was her mate.
Not that it mattered, because none of them was her mate. They had all realised it the moment they met her. There was no innate knowledge, no
knowing
that they were destined to be together.
Once or twice, she tried to fool herself, to allow herself to dream that one of these men was the right one. Now, faced with the real thing, she realised how stupid she had been. The feelings that passed between her and other wolves were nothing more than wishful thinking. There could be no mistake that this
was
the real thing.
He stood a hundred feet away, staring at her.
Her heart beat rapidly. All she could do was stand there staring back, the need for him overwhelming her. Then she began to step back away from him, summoning all her strength to get away. This was not what she wanted; she had made a life for herself outside of the shifter community and she didn’t want to give it up.
Who was she kidding? She was scared. Scared of raking up the past, of having to deal with the aftermath of her father’s death.
In one swift movement, she turned and ran, summoning her wolf. Four paws hit the ground, claws biting into the dirt as she sped away. However, he had no intention of allowing her to escape. Behind her, he lifted his head and howled, staking his claim, and then he sprinted forward; the chase was on.