Rise of the Alpha (The Rise Series Book 1) Read online

  down.”

  Downstairs, Nathan had set the table up. My stomach growled as I eyed the plates of

  pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. A bottle of orange juice sat in the middle.

  “Here,” he said, pulling out the chair for me.

  “Thank you,” I took the seat and smiled up at him. Back in his chair, he handed me a

  plate as he began to fill his own.

  I poured a glass of orange juice, gulping the drink down.

  “So, what are your plans today?” he asked in between bites of food.

  I set my glass down. “Well, I’ve got to check in with the patrols and I have meetings

  with the Elders today.”

  He looked like he was contemplating something. “Well, cancel them. You’re taking the next two days off.”

  I stared at him, in disbelief. “I can’t just drop my Alpha duties for two days. And what

  about your duties as Beta?”

  He laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, Eric and the Elders can take over for two

  days. No big deal. Besides, you know you need this time. We can also go and visit your grandfather tomorrow.”

  I glared at him. “What will we do for the next two days? I would rather not be here,

  with my grandfather’s room the way it is. I need someone to come in and rip everything out and put in all new furni- ture and flooring.”

  “It’s already taken care of.” He finished his food, standing up and taking his plate to the

  sink. “Liam had his best men come in and clean it up while you were asleep. I have new furniture coming in while we’re gone. Go pack a bag. Don’t forget to bring something warm.”

  I rolled my eyes but smiled as he took my plate.

  Doing as he said, I headed upstairs and packed my second duffel bag from the closet and made sure I threw my boots inside. Sliding my feet into my sandals, I pulled my purse and the bag over my shoulder.

  With my phone in hand, I stuffed my charger into my front pocket and headed back down stairs where Nathan awaited.

  Nathan was turned away from me, staring directly out of the window. My gaze trailed his back and ass as his body flexed, and my core grew wet from the strange thoughts. I blushed but a sudden memory flashed through my mind of us as kids playing and laughing. Everything made more sense as to why my body remembered him and why my mind was fuzzy on the subject. I had cut myself off from everyone besides my grandparents after my parents died.

  It was a hard time for me.

  I must have had my mouth gaped open because when he turned to look at me, he chuckled

  and tilted his head, asking, “What’s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost.”

  I shook my head, my mind returning to the task at hand and straying from him. “Oh, nothing, just thought of something.”

  He gave me a look that told me he didn’t believe me but he didn’t press the matter. “Ready?” he asked, opening the door for me.

  I nodded, stepping out onto the porch and into the warm morning breeze. My long hair whipped in the wind. “It’s a beautiful day. I hope it stays this way.”

  Nathan’s blue Jeep was parked in the driveway. The paint job glistened in the early sunlight, as he closed the door behind him and unlocked the car before jogging to the passenger side to open the door for me.

  “Thank you,” I said, handing him my duffel bag before climbing in.

  Closing the door behind me, he went to the trunk and opened it to set my bag inside.

  Shutting the hatch with a hard click, he moved to the driver’s seat and hopped in.

  He smiled at me, as I buckled my seatbelt and set my phone in my lap with my purse at my feet. “So,” I started, watching him buckle his own seatbelt, before putting the key in the ignition. The Jeep hummed to life. “What do you have planned for the next two days?”

  Putting the vehicle in reverse, he backed out with a chuckle. “It’s a surprise. But I’ll give

  you a hint. It’s three hours away.”

  Three hours? What could be three hours away? My mind scram- bled trying to come up with an answer. I had none.

  I looked at him, as he kept his eyes on the road. His clean-shaven face was gorgeous from the side. His skin was a soft white color but it made him look even more gorgeous. I had forgotten how handsome he was.

  I quickly looked away, my face burning with embarrassment, knowing he had caught me staring. I nervously chuckled, when he suddenly took my hand and kissed my fingers. His actions made my face even redder.

  “You’re cute when you are embarrassed, you know.” He quickly released my hand, looking embarrassed himself. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what came over me.”

  I shook my head, waving my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m excited for the next two days.”

  My comments made him flash me a warm smile.

  At the edge of town, he pulled over at a gas station. Turning toward the first pump, Nathan brought the vehicle to a stop and shut the engine off. “Do you want anything from inside? I’m paying with cash.”

  I thought for a moment. “Can you get me a Dr. Pepper and a Fast Break candy bar?”

  He smiled, nodding, before grabbing his wallet from the middle console and gently closing the door behind him.

  When he was gone, I texted Eric. Hey, it’s Dahlia. Nathan is taking me away for the next two days. I filled in the Elders before we left but I wanted to let you know.

  He texted me back immediately. Yes, Alpha. Don’t worry about us here, you take care of yourself. We need you back at 100%, so enjoy yourself. Now, don’t text me! Bye!

  I smiled and rolled my eyes, just as Nathan returned with a bag in hand.

  He opened the door, handing me the bag before tossing his wallet back into the console. He had this huge smile on his face when he looked at me.

  “What?” I said, smiling back while digging through the contents in the bag. He was true to his word. He even got me two candy bars.

  He chuckled, removing the gas cap and placing the nozzle inside before starting to fill the tank. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

  I muttered to myself, “Sure, nothing at all, my ass.”

  He leaned over, peering through his open door to give me a look, as his left eyebrow rose. “What did you say?”

  I didn’t think he’d hear that but quickly hid my facial expression.

  He was a werewolf, of course, he heard it!

  “Oh, it was nothing! Nothing!” I raised my hands up in defense.

  He shook his head and removed the nozzle from the Jeep, placing it in its spot. Making

  sure the cap was back on correctly, he climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled himself in before starting the engine again.

  THREE HOURS LATER, we pulled into a city of forty thousand people.

  The aroma of the fall filled the AC, warming me. I loved the fall; it was the best time of year.

  As we slowly drove around trying to find a parking spot, I noticed all the banners stating,

  “Come by the State Fair! There will be plenty for everyone!”

  I shrieked in excitement, causing Nathan to jump in his seat while slamming on the

  brakes. He looked frantically around for any threat.

  “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked, looking me over.

  “No, I’m okay,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for startling you.”

  He continued down the road again, relaxing slightly and turning his gaze back to check for oncoming traffic. “It’s fine, just warn me next time. What was it about?”

  My eyes lit up. “I know where you’re taking me.”

  He raised an eyebrow, a small grin on his face. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes! You’re taking me to the state fair! I didn’t think you’d remember after I left and cut everyone off. Thank you.”

  I felt the tears well up in my eyes.

  He found a good spot, pulling in and parking the vehicle before looking at m
e. His eyes said he was serious. “Of course, I remember. It’s your favorite thing in the world, how could I forget?”

  I blushed, wiping tears away. “I haven’t been to one since before my parents died.”

  He unbuckled his seatbelt, climbing out and coming around to my side. He opened my door, reached over, and unbuckled mine before turning my body to face his. Concern filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, we can do something else if it’s too hard on you.”

  He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, comforting me.

  I shook my head, moving my arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. “No, I want to go. You already planned everything, so I don’t want to ruin it.”

  He hugged me back and sighed in relief. I looked around and noticed that people were

  watching us, their faces filled with curiosity.

  He helped me out, steadying me when my feet hit the pavement. I reached in to grab my purse before locking the door and slamming it shut. “So, what are we doing first?”

  On the sidewalk, he looked down each direction. “Well, it’s still a couple of hours before the fair actually starts, so let’s walk around town and explore. That sound good?”

  I nodded, heading left first. “That’s fine. It’s a beautiful day. I’d love to check out any coffee or bookshops around here.”

  AFTER GRABBING SOME Iced Coffee, we didn’t find any bookstores that were open, and the library was closed for the fair.

  He chuckled. “I guess I should’ve looked more into what places you liked to go. Sorry

  about that.”

  “No worries, Nathan.” I took a sip of my French vanilla coffee, before continuing, “I enjoy the company. It’s been so long since I’ve had the time to just sit back and relax.”

  He nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee. “That’s why I made it a priority to get you out of the house and away from reality for a while.”

  We found a park bench, sitting down and watching the traffic go by.

  It was a comfortable silence, but something deep down kept nagging at me about a mysterious force at play. I shrugged it off until Eva’s soft voice screamed in my head. Dahlia! There’s someone in trouble! We need to find them as soon as possible!

  I jumped up, dropping my coffee all over the sidewalk. I was on alert, frantically looking around to find anything suspicious. Nathan matched my movement, picking up my empty cup and tossing both of our cups into the trash.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, coming to my side with a look of confusion on his face.

  I shook my head, shrugging. “I don’t know. Eva just said someone was in trouble and said we needed to find them quickly.”

  Suddenly, through all the voices and noises around me, I heard the ear-shattering scream.

  Turning around toward the direction it came from, I saw a young girl being cornered by some older men. They were leading her down an alley.

  “There!” I shouted, pointing in her direction and causing some people to glare at me as they walked by.

  Before Nathan could respond, I raced toward her. I had to help her anyway I could. I stopped at the sidewalk as traffic went by. I shook my head, tossing aside any hesitation before running into the road, causing cars to honk and people to scream at me to get out of the way.

  I reached the alley, just as the men had ripped the poor girl’s shirt to where her bra was showing. She had some cuts and I was sure she’d have some bruises tomorrow, but I did what I thought was best by stopping them.

  “Hey! Why don’t you leave her alone?!” I shouted at them. I wanted to growl but I held back because this was already suspicious as it was. They stopped, turning back toward me.

  One of the men smirked, coming closer to get a better look at me. “Well, what do we have here?”

  The other men joined in, taking in my outfit and licking their lips in satisfaction. Now that they were up close, I got a better view of them. They weren’t badly built, for humans; they had some good muscles, but they didn’t compare to that of werewolves.

  I stood my ground, folding my arms over my chest.

  Their eyes moved from me to something behind me. I could see the fear in the men’s eyes, as I turned to see Nathan standing there. His eyes were black and I could feel the powerful aura around him. “Leave the girls alone. If you want to fight about it, I’ll gladly take you three on.”

  Turning back to the men, I saw them shrink and skulk away, hands up in defense. “All right, man, all right. We’re leaving that whore alone.”

  Once they were gone, I rushed to the girl and examined her body. Sure enough, she had some cuts, and a few bruises were already showing their ugly faces.

  “Here,” I said, watching her tremble. I took my jacket off and wrapped her in it. “Let’s go find a bench to sit on.”

  Her body relaxed slightly but when I looked into her eyes, she still held that same fear

  from the men.

  Nathan followed us back to the bench. “I’m going to grab her a new shirt. I’ll be back.”

  Sitting down, I watched her. She had blonde hair and a face full of freckles. “What’s your

  name?” I asked her.

  I must have spooked her from her thoughts, because she jumped at my words. She turned

  to look up at me—her green eyes beamed with a hint of gratefulness. “I’m April. I was on my way to the Post Office when those men cornered me. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened. So, thank you for saving me.”

  I smiled at her. “No—”

  My sentence was cut off when a man’s rough voice spoke; he was being incredibly rude with his tone and demeanor. “April! There you are! Let’s get you home and cleaned up. You’re getting a good scolding when we get home.”

  Her eyes widened, but she said nothing as she got up and started walking away with the

  strange man. From the backside, thanks to his hoodie, I didn’t know who he was. But he gave me goosebumps, and not in a good way.

  When Nathan came back, he looked around for April, but ultimately returned his gaze back

  at me in confusion. “Where did she go?”

  I shrugged. “I guess her father came to pick her up. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

  “Here, you can have this then.” He handed me a black shirt with a picture of a half-moon

  and shooting stars around it.

  “It’s cute! I love it. Are you ready to head over to the fair?” I asked, getting up and dusting my butt off.

  “Yeah, we can. What about your jacket?” “Don’t worry about it. I can get another one.”

  WE DROVE A little way out of town, to the massive fairground. It was already packed. There were so many booths; I couldn’t even see the end. Families and young couples gathered at each one.

  We climbed out of the vehicle. I swung my purse strap over my shoulder as Nathan joined me. We started toward the busy crowd when Nathan asked, “Are you excited?”

  I smiled up at him. “Fuck yeah! This is amazing; I don’t know how you pulled this off in such a short time.”

  He laughed, getting closer to me as we reached the crowd. We looked at all the different booths. Some filled with kids’ games, others had food and a multitude of different games for older audiences.

  I saw a sign for the animal displays that made me excited. Grab- bing Nathan’s hand, I led the way.

  “Where are we headed?” he asked, tightening his hand around mine.

  I stopped, turned around, and jumped with excitement. “To the animal show of course!”

  He smiled down at me, a look of affection on his face. He used his free hand to gently caress my cheek.

  My face grew warm, and I whipped around, letting his hand go before smacking my face to bring me out of my embarrassment.

  “You okay, Dahlia?” he asked, coming to look at me. “Mhmm,” I said,

  continuing toward the animal show.

  The look he had on his face told me he didn’t believe me,
but he let it go.

  As we got closer, the smell changed from nice food to barn animals. I personally enjoyed the smell, but Nathan scrunched his nose in disgust. That made me laugh.

  He shook his head. “I’m glad you get enjoyment from my disgust.”

  I smiled. “It’s cute.”

  He moved forward to stand next to me, I could tell he was blushing.

  We entered the giant pavilion. In the left corner were sheep and goats. There were a

  couple goats that were brown with white spots and black with brown spots—they were beautiful. They made sounds that were roughly ‘baaad.’

  In the corner, beside us, were chickens. They had feathers of green, brown, black, gray and white. They clucked and chirped. When I went to reach down to pet one, they all started freaking out.

  I looked around, realizing every animal was in turmoil. Like they were frightened, they started to run and hit against each other, trying to save themselves...

  Nathan tucked me away, whispering in my ear. His warm breath felt good against my sensitive skin. “They sensed me, so they’re scared. Let’s go find a ride to do and go from there.”

  I was disappointed but he was right. Sometimes I forgot we were werewolves. Animals could sense us twice as well as humans. Normally the only way humans would know us, was us telling or showing them.

  He looked at my face. “Don’t be sad. It’s my fault. You can go back when they calm down, but I can’t join you.”

  I gave a half-smile. “No, if you can’t go, I’m not going. What ride are we going to do first?”

  He laughed, tucking me along with him toward the front of the fairgrounds. “I forgot to get tickets, come on.”

  Back at the booth, Nathan purchased a one-night pass for both of us. The cashier eyed him with lust, and gave me a hateful look.

  I ignored her, as she handed us the passes.

  When we moved away from the cashier, Nathan helped me put my pass on, before putting his own on.

  “Now,” he said, looking around at all the rides and then back to me. “Which ride do you want to do first?”

  “Why not the Ferris wheel? It looks fun!”

  He eyed the two-hundred-foot wheel. “Uh, I’d rather not.”