The Alpha's Return (Werewolves of Boulder Junction Book 1)

by Martha Woods

  “Yes, my dear Liam, so you could fix your relationship with your father and Lucas and so you could look out for my baby, Michael. I wanted us all to be together again… a happy family.”

  “Mom -”

  Liam grunted and closed his mouth. He was about to tell her that they had never been a happy family. The dysfunction had nearly driven him insane. Seeing his father’s treatment of his mother had bothered him, not to mention how he treated his children. There had been no gentleness, no display of love, no real parenting on his part. Isaac had children out of duty, to procreate and strength the pack, and that was what he expected of all the males. Females were seen as nothing more than breeding machines. He wanted no part of such a ridiculous and archaic government. Unfortunately, most wolf shifters refused to let go of the old ways.

  “I’m going to go, Mom.” Yes, it was best if he left before his father or brother decided to start trouble. He didn’t want Leah to see him fight with any of them. He bent down to plant a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “And you’ll think about taking over?”

  She looked up at him with hope in her eyes and he didn’t have the heart to tell her no. “Sure, Mom. I’ll think about it.”

  She smiled. “You’re such a good boy.”

  He gave her a slight smile. Yeah, that’s me. A good boy. He was seriously contemplating doing something that he was against just to make his mother happy.

  Chapter 5

  Skylar paced outside of Liam’s bedroom, waiting for him to come out. It was still quite early, earlier than he usually started working. But the suspense was killing her. Her one week had been up yesterday and he hadn’t said a word about her employment status. Was he waiting on her to ask him? Should she even be the one to enquire or wait for him to say something?

  “I’m going crazy,” she hissed.

  Maybe it was unprofessional of her to be waiting outside of his bedroom. She paused. Yes, it was totally unprofessional. She ran agitated fingers through her hair and let out a breath. She refused to let him see how desperate she was for the job so she decided on going back downstairs.

  Skylar forced out a smile for Farah’s benefit when she walked into the kitchen. The older woman chuckled under her breath and shook her head. Skylar’s eyes narrowed. “Good morning, Farah. And what is so funny?”

  “You, child.” She snorted and opened the oven, letting out the delicious scent of fresh biscuits.

  Skylar’s mouth watered and her stomach growled. She had been so anxious she hadn’t bothered to get anything to eat before heading upstairs. She watched with hungry eyes as Farah placed the baking pan on the huge island. “What did I do?”

  “I saw you run up the stairs earlier and you were mumbling to yourself. For a second I thought, just maybe, hanging around Mr. Conway drove you to insanity. But then I remembered that your one week trial is up.”

  Skylar snickered. “His constant silence is maddening, isn’t it? But that isn’t what’s killing me. It’s the waiting. I mean, shouldn’t he have said something yesterday?”

  “Relax, Sky. I’m sure you’ve got the job.”

  Her eyes widened and she jumped up, gasping. “How do you know? Have you heard something?”

  “No, she hasn’t.”

  Skylar whipped around and immediately flushed. “Mr. Conway - Liam, hi, good morning. Should I have brought your coffee up? I can make you a cup now.”

  “Please, calm down. You look like you’re ready to jump out of your skin. Are you always so energetic in the morning?”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Liam smirked. “I heard your little feet rapidly pacing in front of my bedroom not so long ago.”

  Skylar pursed her lips, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I’m not a creepy weirdo, I promise.”

  “I know. You’re just anxiously waiting for me to tell you that you’ve got the job so you can breathe easy.”

  “Yes, I mean I thought you would have said something -” She stopped when she realized his smug expression and Farah beaming. “Wait, I got the job?” Letting out a delighted squeal, she threw a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, too loud. Thank you so much. I would hug you right now but that would be inappropriate.”

  Liam let out a laugh and then seemed surprised himself. He cleared his throat. “You’ve been great so far, very efficient, and you work magic with numbers.”

  Wearing a broad smile, she held out a hand. When he enveloped her hand with his, her breath hitched. She didn’t have much physical contact with him, but the few slight brushes here and there always cause a catastrophic reaction on her inside.

  She ignored her galloping heart and the tingling warmth that spread up her entire arm and said, “Thank you again, sir.”

  Liam swallowed, glancing down at their entwined hands. “You deserve it. And this is yours.” He released her hand and handed her an envelope.

  Skylar glanced at him with knitted brows before looking inside. “Oh, no, you don’t have to pay me. I haven’t worked a month yet.”

  “I thought I should pay you for the trial period, or you can just think of it as an advance. I figured I would pay you in cash this time around. And you haven’t had a day off, so take today.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She stared up at him, not sure what to say next and he stared back. Luckily, Farah interrupted the awkward silence.

  “See? I told you.”

  Skylar’s gaze jumped to her and she pranced toward the woman who had become a friend in just a matter of days. Throwing her arms around Farah, she said, “You’re stuck with me now.”

  Farah rolled her eyes playfully. “Oh, no, now I’ll have to suffer through you chatting my ears off every day.” She pinched Skylar’s cheek and returned to preparing breakfast.

  Skylar took a deep breath and let it out. Things were coming together. She had a great job, a generous employer, and a new friend. She didn’t feel so alone anymore. Sure, she had her father, but he wasn’t much in the way of company. Glancing at Farah, she grinned. At least now she had someone to talk to. And with her salary, she would pay off her mother’s medical bills sooner than expected.

  “Are you alright, Sky?”

  She blinked and glanced at Liam. “Huh? Oh, yes, I’m fine. I think I’m going to go into town and celebrate.”

  His brows shot up. “That small town doesn’t offer much in the way of celebration.”

  She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just so excited right now, I can’t keep still. It’s time I explored the town anyway.”

  He nodded. “Will you be alright on your own?”

  “I’ve gotten used to being alone.”

  Liam gave her a strange look. “Alright.”

  “I’ll see you guys later.” Skylar turned and ran to fetch her car keys.

  * * *

  Cayden pulled the police cruiser over and eyed the woman across the street with interest. He’d been in Boulder Junction for a week now and it was the first he was seeing her. He watched her as she chatted with Mrs. Porter, the librarian and biggest town gossip. When the stranger smiled, her entire face seemed to light up. She was gorgeous, petite, and blonde, with legs that seemed endless in a pair of shorts. He knew he shouldn’t allow anything or anyone to distract him from his mission but he couldn’t help himself. How long had it had been since he’d last gotten the opportunity to simply sit and appreciate a female?

  He was just looking. It didn’t hurt to look and appreciate from afar, right? Then he found himself opening the car door as soon as she stepped off and waved at Mrs. Porter. He told himself he was doing his job, he had to check out the new arrival in town to make sure she wasn’t a threat. She could be a shifter, witch, hell a damn fairy for all he knew. The possibilities were endless. Cayden froze before he made it across the street and let out a laugh.

  What was he doing? Even if the woman wasn’t human, what would he say to her? Just as he was about to head back to the car, he caught sight of a group of four boys watching t
he newcomer. He let out a sigh. One week he’d been on the police force and he’d seen one or more of those boys in a jail cell at least twice.

  “This police gig is a pain in the ass,” he muttered and marched toward the woman who was bent over the driver’s seat placing her bags inside.

  Cayden took the opportunity to admire the view and let out a low whistle. Sending the boys a warning glance, he stopped in front of the woman’s open door. She yelped when she straightened and turned around.

  “Hi, I’m sorry to have frightened you.” Her eyes dropped to his badge and then back to his face. Cayden looked into clear, blue eyes and was instantly enthralled.

  She smiled. “It’s okay, Officer. I’ll live,” she said, clutching her chest.

  The motion drew his attention to her lovely cleavage but he forced his eyes upward. “You had a few admirers so I thought I would come over.” Her gaze followed his to the group of boys who were snickering as they walked away.

  “Oh, goodness, they’re just teenagers.”

  He grunted. “Don’t be fooled. You want to avoid those four. They’re trouble.”

  She frowned. “Thank you, officer…”

  “Benet. Cayden Benet.”

  “Nice to meet you, Officer Benet.” She stuck out a hand. “I’m Skylar Moore.”

  “Welcome to town, Ms. Moore.”

  She giggled. “I guess a new face is noticeable in a small town.”

  “I’m pretty new here myself, but I would definitely have remembered seeing such a pretty face.” He regretted the words the instant they spilled from his lips. God, what a lame pick up line. But Skylar didn’t seem put off. She blushed and averted her gaze. Maybe he wasn’t so bad at this after all.

  “So how long have you been here?” he asked.

  “A week.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow, me too.”

  “What brought you to a small town like Boulder Junction? I’m sure it wasn’t the lively party scene.”

  Skylar laughed. “No, that definitely wasn’t it.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Work brought me here, actually.”

  He shoved his hands in his pocket and rocked back on his heels. He wanted to press for information but didn’t want to appear too pushy or desperate. “I see. I guess that job isn’t in town since I haven’t seen you around.”

  “Well I work for a recluse who lives in the woods.” He frowned and she laughed. “This is my first time in town. I came to get some ice cream to celebrate. Nothing like packing on the calories to celebrate a new job, right? Anyway, I should get going before it gets too dark. I’m not used to the roads yet.”

  He couldn’t help smiling because her laugh was infectious. “I hope I see you again soon, Ms. Moore.”

  “Please, Sky will do.” She paused. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  He watched her get into her car and start the engine. Do something, do something. “How about we exchange numbers to make sure that happens?” He held his breath.

  Skylar studied him for a few seconds before saying, “Sure.”

  Cayden let out his held breath and rattled off his number and then took hers. When she drove off, he smiled. There was no rule in the hunter manual that said he couldn’t have a little fun with a pretty woman while he did his job. Plus something she had said stuck with him. Was she serious about working for a recluse who lived in the woods? It could have been a joke but he would still look into it.

  Chapter 6

  Pacing back and forth, Skylar took deep, steadying breaths to stop herself from hyperventilation. “Okay Dad, slow down and tell me what happened.”

  Not hearing from Andrew in over a month, she had taken it as a sign that everything was alright. He typically only called when he needed something. She had thought, hoped, that the entire debacle of whoever he owed money to had blown over. Apparently, she was wrong because what she was hearing and having a hard time processing was sending her into a mental tailspin. And she couldn’t lose it in front of her boss and his rich friends.

  Andrew let out a breath. “They have me, Sky. They forced me to call you. I told them you couldn’t help.”

  She stopped pacing to massage her temple because a massive headache was imminent. “Who? Just give me a name. I can call the police.”

  “No! They’ll kill me if you do. Honey, I’m sorry. I really screwed up this time. I didn’t mean to involve you in any of this, I swear.”

  “How much do you owe?”

  He took a few seconds to answer. “About twenty thousand.”

  Skylar’s breath escaped in a whoosh. If she were the fainting type, she would have collapsed. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She didn’t use profanity much but the occasion called for it. “Dad?” There was a scuffle, the sickening sound of flesh connecting with flesh, and then silence. “Daddy?” The word came out as a terrified, thready whisper. “Hello?”

  “You have two days.” A strange voice boomed through the speaker.

  “W-wait, please don’t hurt him. I-I have a couple hundred dollars. I can give you that within two days and maybe we can work out some kind of payment plan,” she rushed out.

  She had told herself she was through with her father’s bullshit, but she couldn’t allow some criminal to murder him.

  There was chuckle and then, “A fast talker just like your father. I can’t wait to meet you, Sky. You’ll get a call in two days.”

  She blanched. “W-wait, what are you going to do with my father?”

  “Just wait for the call.” The call ended, leaving Skylar staring at the phone, not sure what to do next.

  Her pulse rate had elevated and her vision blurred. Maybe it was from tears, she wasn’t quite sure in her numb state. On wooded legs, she moved to the darker corner of the balcony so that no one inside could witness her freaking out. The situation hit her full force. Criminals had her father and they were going to kill him, and then her if she didn’t come up with twenty thousand dollars. A hysterical laughter bubbled in her chest.

  “Twenty thousand dollars, no pressure.” She swayed. For the first time in her life, she was going to faint. “I’m not going to faint. I’m not going to faint”. As she said the words, her knees buckled. She barely registered the arms that swept her up before she hit the ground.

  Her eyes opened and for a moment her mind was blissfully blank. Then the events of the night came rushing back. Party. Dance with Liam that got her way too heated. Phone call. Criminals wanting to kill her old man. Finding out that she had to find a shit load of money if she wanted him to live. Passing out.

  Skylar sucked in a breath. Did she miss anything? No, that pretty much summed up the night. She bolted upward and looked around frantically. Had she really fainted at the party and embarrassed both herself and Liam?

  “Oh, God.”

  “You’re awake. I was getting worried.”

  Her head whipped to Liam who was standing by the floor to ceiling window. What was she doing in his hotel room? Jumping up, she rushed out, “Liam, I’m so sorry. Please don’t fire me. I don’t usually faint. Ever. I was just overwhelmed and -”

  “Sky, sit before you fall down.” He walked toward her and picked up a liquor bottle on the center table. “Sit.” He poured brown liquid into a glass and handed it to her. “Drink this. You’re frighteningly pale.

  Skylar plopped down and accepted the glass and took a few sips. She sputtered and coughed as the liquid burned a path down her throat. “What the hell is this?” Color spread into her cheeks and heat flooded her bloodstream.

  He smiled, a real smile that reached his eyes. She didn’t see those often. “Sorry, I should have warned you. That was scotch and it worked. Your color is back,” he said with satisfaction.

  She put the glass down and eyed it with disgust. “You like that stuff? It’s awful.” She was never much of a drinker.

  He chuckled. “Not really, but it sure makes me feel better when I’m overwhelmed.” His expression turned serious. “What happened, Sky?”
>
  She stared at him as he took a seat across from her. “Liam, please don’t fire me. Nothing like this will happen again. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you -”

  “No one is getting fired, Sky. And no one saw anything?”

  Her brows knitted. “Really? I’m assuming you had to carry me out.”

  “No one saw a thing.”

  She let out a nervous giggle. “What did you grab me and jump off the fourth-floor balcony?”

  “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

  She frowned, even more confused. “Two jokes in one night. Somebody is on a roll.”

  Liam’s lips twisted. “The important thing is I got you back here and you’re awake.”

  She groaned. “Who knows what the people in the lobby must have thought.”

  “I might have implied to a few concerned partiers that you had too much to drink.”

  She groaned again and buried her face in her hands. Great, she would have to face some of those people when they checked out tomorrow. Liam’s face was lit with amusement and he looked much younger than his twenty-nine years.

  “Are you ready to tell me what happened?” His jaw clenched. “That must have been some phone call.”

  “It was some phone call, alright,” she mumbled. Standing up she said, “Look, Liam. Thank you for everything but it isn’t appropriate to share my personal problems with you. I should get back to my room.”

  He stood up. “Sky, if you’re in trouble let me help.”

  “I’m not,” she said quickly. “I just -” she sighed. “Don’t feel like talking about it.”

  “Fine, you can tell me tomorrow.”

  “Liam -”

  “I didn’t like seeing you distressed,” he admitted, softly. “I’m used to you smiling and being you.”

  She froze and a smirk appeared on her face. “I’ve grown on you, have I?”

  He grunted. “You can say that.”

  Skylar nibbled her lower lip in attempt to keep down her smile, but the urge to smile disappeared as he kept moving closer. With a gulp, she whispered, “Liam, what are you -”